This Hotel Thought They Needed RO — But the Real Culprit Was Iron in the Water

Last Friday, I got a call from a homeowner in Medavakkam, Chennai. He didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “Our borewell water tastes salty . We’ve tried changing filters and even boiling it, but nothing seems to help. The water just doesn’t feel drinkable.” I asked him a few basic questions — how many people lived at home, what kind of system they currently had, and where their water was sourced from. “We’re a family of four,” he said. “And we rely entirely on borewell water. Currently, we’re using a standard filter connected under the sink. But my wife and kids keep saying the water tastes weird. We’ve been buying cans lately.” This was a familiar problem — one we hear every week. The real problem: high TDS in borewell water I asked, “Has your borewell water been tested?” “No, we just assumed the filter would take care of everything,” he replied. That assumption is exactly where most households go wrong. Standard sediment filters or UV filters can remove particles and kill bacteria, bu...

The call that started it all As a water treatment sales advisor at Water Sparks , I get plenty of calls about water quality issues but the one I received last Tuesday from a flat owner in Anna Nagar stood out. He manages a 24-flat residential apartment and doesn’t waste time getting to the point. “Our water is coming out with grey dust,” he said. “There are sediments floating in the tank, washing machines are clogging up, and people are complaining in the WhatsApp group nonstop.” Identifying the source of the problem I asked the usual first question: Where’s the water coming from? As expected, their supply was mostly borewell water, with occasional top-ups from the metro water. That explained a lot. Borewell water often contains suspended solids fine silt, muddy particles , and other turbidity-related issues that not only look unpleasant but also clog filters, taps, and appliances over time. He mentioned they had installed filters inside a few flats, but the dust and sediment we...

I received a call last week from the manager of a mid-sized hotel located near the ECR in Chennai. He sounded rushed and frustrated.  He said, “We need an RO plant for our hotel drinking water. The one we installed last year isn’t working properly, and the vendor has gone completely unresponsive.” I asked him what exactly was wrong, and he explained that guests had started complaining about the taste of the water, and their current system just wasn’t delivering. “Can you install a new RO plant quickly?” he asked.  I understood the urgency, but instead of rushing into a replacement, I asked, “Has your water been tested recently?” He admitted they hadn’t, but assumed a better RO system would fix the issue.  That’s when I knew this was more than just an installation job; it needed a proper diagnosis first. Now, I could’ve just said yes, taken the payment, and replaced the old unit with a new RO plant. But that’s not how we work at Water Sparks. Before replacing anything, we ...