Pollution, chemicals, by-products and germs make water on our planet pretty unsafe to drink without any filtration or disinfection whatsoever. Many solutions have been given to such a problem: chlorine and iodine treatment, ozone exposure, reverse osmosis, but so far none of these has been as effective as the ultraviolet light in the UV water purifier. Sun rays used to be an efficient disinfectant method even in the past when large water containers were exposed to the direct contact with the light. The main advantage consists in the fact that the UV water purifier destroys the germs and bacteria more efficiently than any chemical. The UV water purifier can be used for both residential and industrial applications as it can easily adjust to various water flows: from the smallest to the highest. Nevertheless, many manufacturers state that the UV water purifier gives maximum results on a medium water flow. For home use it is good to select an item that can adjust for a water flow that ranges between one and fifty gallons; the technical features specified on the package should allow you to decide whether the product suits your needs or not, even before actually buying it as such. It is often necessary to install an additional filter before the UV water purifier as such; the necessity for such a combination of devices is understandable when you need to get rid of the large sediments or impurities present in the water. The UV water purifier acts only on the bacteria, germs, fungi and protozoa that are usually found even in the clearest of waters. There are certain things that the UV water purifier won't do: it does not turn water from muddy to clear, it does not eliminate chemicals like chlorine and its by-products and it will not change the taste or the smell of the water. A UV water purifier may be effectively used when you go hiking or camping; there are all sorts of portable devices now available on the market and they come for very affordable prices. The UV lamp of such backpack water purifiers operates on batteries: they can be solar, rechargeable or regular with an extended usage range. It is good to know that even when operated on the house electricity system they are low consume models that will not charge the bill excessively. Before buying a UV water purifier it is good to check the technical specificity and the installation procedure to see whether it suits your requirements.