Frequently Asked Questions

In a word: yuck.

Here’s all the specific yuck you don’t really want to be tasting, smelling and drinking:

• • rust, dirt, silt and sediment that could be in the water pipes
  • chlorine added at the water treatment plants
  • bacteria that might grow once the chlorine’s removed
  • natural organic matter from the remains of plants and animals and their waste (eww!)
  • herbicides and pesticides from agricultural runoff
  • volatile organic compounds – scary-sounding stuff that can cause nasty smells
  • microplastics over 0.6 microns in size (that’s really, really, really small) that can lurk in your water supply. Nobody needs to be drinking bits of plastic, however small.

Virgin Pure’s boffins have created a series of filters:

1. Two micro sediment filters remove particles

The mesh filter traps big particles of dirt. The sediment filter gets rid of smaller particles.

2. The activated carbon filter absorbs chemicals

The activated carbon filter uses charcoal treated with oxygen to open up millions of tiny pores between the carbon atoms. This allows ‘adsorption’ (Google it) and the removal of unwanted molecules in the water, such as chlorine.

3. The pre-filter prevents scaly white flakes

Our pre-filter, containing food-grade polyphosphate crystals, separates calcium and magnesium so they can’t bond and form white flakes, but keeps these healthy minerals in your water. Genius.

4. The UV lamp kills bacteria

The water is exposed to light from a UV lamp, set to a bacteria-killing wavelength. UV adds nothing to the water, produces no tastes or odours, and takes mere seconds to be effective.

5. All the healthy minerals are retained

Unlike a water softener, our water filtration process stops scale forming but doesn’t remove the healthy minerals in your water like calcium and magnesium.

Microplastics come from sources such as manufactured clothing, toiletries, certain types of paint, and tyres. The Virgin Pure Water System removes all particles larger than 0.6 microns from the water. There are 1000 microns in a millimetre. So half a micron is very, very, very, very, very, very, very small. The plastic particles in drinking water found in the most definitive tests at the State University of New York in 2018 were larger than a human hair which is, on average, 75 microns across.

Scale forms when calcium and magnesium bond, creating white flakes. Even though it’s just a crystallisation of healthy minerals, it’s still not nice to drink. We use a pre-filter that contains food-grade polyphosphate, approved for use in drinking water. These miraculous little crystals have the power to separate calcium and magnesium from each other, meaning they can’t bond and therefore don’t form white flakes. The result is a crisp, clean, fresh cuppa every time.

Fluoride can occur naturally in water; however, in the UK, it’s added to municipal water supplies. For some people, the addition of fluoride is a contentious issue. Supporters argue its merits – for example, it can help to reduce tooth decay in children. Our filtration system is designed to keep naturally occurring minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium in the water. Therefore fluoride, another natural mineral, remains in the water.

The Water System doesn’t add anything to the water, it just filters out the bad stuff and retains healthy minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium. As nothing is added, the water’s PH isn’t changed at all.

Total Dissolved Solids (or TDS) is a measure of the dissolved content of all substances. It isn’t an indicator of water purity or filter performance. Drinking water needs to retain a certain TDS level as this concentration includes many essential substances such as healthy minerals.

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that a TDS level of 300 to 400 mg/L is ‘good’ to ‘excellent’. Only when a TDS reading reaches above 1200 mg/L does the WHO state that water becomes ‘unacceptable’.

The Water System is not designed to simply remove ‘all particles’ from water but to provide a healthy and pleasurable drinking experience. This means beneficial minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, which contribute to TDS concentration, are kept in the water. However, the activated carbon filter works by adsorbing chemicals such as chlorine, and the UV treatment kills the bacteria that has no health benefit.

We want you to get the best of both worlds: the benefits of the healthy minerals without the nasties.

We’re members of the Water Dispenser & Hydration Association

As the leading association for the hydration industry, we’re proud members of the WHA. The WHA promotes innovation in recognition of the industry’s environmental responsibilities and compliance with the UK and European legislation.

The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) mark

We’re proud to possess the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) mark. Manufacturers, regulators and consumers look to NSF International to develop public health standards and certification programs that help protect the world’s food, water, consumer products, and the environment. The NSF mark is your assurance that the product has been tested by one of the most respected independent certification organizations in existence today.

No. By using the energy-saving mode, you only use the energy you need. You can set your system to wake-up when you need it and power down when you don’t, and so you can do your bit to help save the world and never use more power than you need to.

Everyone uses their Water System differently, and so we can’t give you a definitive, one-size-fits-all answer.

But to help, we asked the Water Regulation Advisory to conduct independent tests against an ordinary domestic kettle to provide a handy comparison.

Our tests involved:

• filling 4 mugs per day with boiling water
• allowing 8 hours per day for the Water System to be in energy-saving mode
• including all power used by the Water System when not being used to dispense water

These tests found that the Water System returned an average energy usage of 0.05 kWh peruse or 128.44 kWh per year. In comparison, the kettle returned an energy usage of 0.11 kWh per use or 169.43 kWh per year.

The Water System uses 32% less power than a standard kettle. Boom. In your face, kettle. You can do one.

The Water System has over 50 temperature settings (we counted them). You can use the control panel to adjust the temperature, because some like it hot hot and some like it not so hot.

Hot range: 92 – 97°C

Cold range: 5 – 20°C

Ambient range: 10 – 50°C

Home Water System

Chilled
2 litres per minute – that’s more than a big bottle of water from the supermarket!

Hot
1.3 litres per minute — the same as an average domestic kettle, fully filled, with no time wasted waiting for it to boil.

Work Water System

Chilled
1.3 litres per minute.

Hot
1.3 litres per minute.

A single Home Water System can comfortably serve up to 20 people using it for all their water needs, both hot and cold every day. A Work Water System can serve up to 40 people.

Yes, thanks to the secure child lock function, children can dispense only cold water, not hot.

Your engineer can set this feature up for you. To dispense hot water with the child lock turned on, you simply need to hold both hot and cold simultaneously for at least two seconds.

The Water System is designed to fit comfortably onto any countertop regardless of kitchen size and design. Also freeing up valuable fridge space and not occupying cupboard space. Obviously, it needs to be of a sufficient size to hold a decent amount of chilled and heated water ready to dispense immediately.

Water System Dimensions

Controls are located in two areas. The easy-to-use front-facing controls require a single touch to dispense water. The control panel, where you set up all the different features, is hidden from view under the easily removable top cover.

We recommend taking our quick quiz here which is designed to match you to the right package.

View the packages

Splitit is our preferred payment partner. They enable you to pay for purchases with an existing debit or credit card by splitting the cost into interest and fee-free monthly payments, without additional credit checks, registrations or applications.

Pay upfront
You can pay upfront for the Water System with a one-off payment with any major credit or debit card.

Equal monthly instalments using a debit card with Splitit

Spread the cost interest-free using a debit card with no credit checks or applications.

You need 60% of the transaction value available on the card when ordering, which will be used as a security check but not charged. You only pay the first instalment on the day of purchase. Watch the video below to find out more about monthly debit card instalments

Monthly instalments using a credit card with Splitit

For security purposes you must have the entire transaction value available on the credit card when ordering; however, you will only be charged for the first instalment on the day of purchase and then in equal monthly instalments.

How does the monthly Splitit debit card option work?

Step 1: At the checkout select pay monthly with a debit card choosing 6 or 12 months

Step 2: You will be directed to the Splitit checkout to complete the order

Step 3: Fill in your card details

Step 4: Splitit will verify your debit card by authorising 60% of the total order. You will see a transaction for this value on your bank statement which will be immediately refunded. This payment is never taken and will always be refunded back to you.

Step 5: The first monthly instalment is taken straight away

Step 6: The remaining payments will be taken on the same date, every month until the plan is complete

1. Step 1: At the checkout select pay monthly with a debit card choosing 6 or 12 months
2. Step 2: You will be directed to the Splitit checkout to complete the order
3. Step 3: Fill in your card details
4. Step 4: Splitit will verify your Debit Card by authorising 60% of the total order. You will see a transaction for this value on your bank statement which will be immediately refunded. This payment is never taken and will always be refunded back to you.
5. Step 5: The first monthly instalment is taken today
6. Step 6: The remaining payments will be taken on the same date, every month until the plan is complete

Find out more about the Water System here

Watch the video to find out more

Here’s an example (price may vary):

• You select a Water System for £279.99 and choose to pay over 12 monthly instalments
• 60% of the total order value £167 will be authorised and instantly refunded. You pay £23.99 straight away
• You make 11 further monthly payments of £23.99 from the debit card selected
• The payment plan ends (if you selected the WaterCare+ service, this plan will continue separately)

Watch the video to find out more

If you choose the Smart Package, the £12.95 WaterCare+ service is paid monthly by direct debit, and is set up separately to any Splitit monthly plans used to purchase the Water System. WaterCare+ is separate from buying the Water System and includes all of your on-running replacement filters and UV lamps, repair and replace service and reinstalls if you move home.

We offer a special business package and you can find more information here

No problem. Let us know within 30 days of installation and we’ll come and collect the System free of charge.
Your payment plan will be cancelled and anything you have paid so far will be refunded in full with no extra charges.

The Smart Package is best for families and people who drink lots of water. It includes your Water System, installation and a subscription to our WaterCare+ service which covers all of your replacement parts, and regular servicing. The Smart Package is the best value for money and the most convenient.

The Basics or Essentials packages include your Water System, first filter and UV lamp. Replacement parts can be ordered on a pay-as-you-go basis.

To find out more, watch the video below or take our quick quiz here to help find the best package for you.

Virgin Pure Water Systems can only be installed by one of our own technicians. They’re specially trained and know everything back to front. Your system must be installed professionally to ensure your warranty is validated.

Absolutely. Granite, and pretty much any surfaces such as quartz, are no problem for our team of skilled technicians. They’ve had all sorts of specialist training, and they’re impressively equipped. Granite, marble and corian worktops – they’re all a breeze for our experts.

Once you’ve ordered, we’ll deliver your Water System to you within two working days.

As soon as you receive your system, we’ll contact you lickety-split to arrange an installation, which we aim to take place within five working days of delivery.

Installation is always included in the cost for all of our packages, along with your first filter and first UV lamp.

You can find detailed information on how we are dealing with Covid-19 here.

Anywhere within 15m of a water mains (like those under the sink or where dishwashers are normally located) and 1.5m of a power socket. Our skilled engineers are experts in finding solutions to install the system where you want and will discuss this with you during installation to ensure we get it right.

The Water System needs a filter change every six months and the UV lamp every year.

It only takes a couple of minutes, and they simply click in and out – you don’t need tools or anything like that. You can find instructions on our website, and we’ll also leave you a handy guide when we install.

Either through our on-running WaterCare+ service, which is included as part of the Smart Package, or when you need them directly from our website’s product section.

You have the option to continue with the service or switch to pay-as-you-go.

Simply contact us and tell us where you are moving and we will arrange for one of our engineers to come and reinstall at your new property.

For customers who order the Smart Package, this is included at no extra cost.

For all other customers, it costs £60

Like a Virgin Pure Water System, most filter jugs remove substances like chlorine from tap water. Chlorine is added to water to prevent bacteria from breeding in the water. However, once the chlorine has been removed, bacteria can easily breed again.

That’s why our Water Systems have a UV lamp, to render these pesky little microorganisms inactive and prevent them from multiplying once the chlorine has been removed from the water. In fact, our Water Systems kill 99.99999% of potentially unhealthy waterborne bacteria.

Our Water System removes the need for you to constantly refill a jug and wait for it to chill. As well as freeing loads of fridge space, you’ll also no longer need an old-fashioned kettle.

Advice varies, but it’s generally accepted that you should be drinking around 1.5 litres of water a day. The average cost of a litre of bottled water is around 43p*. Therefore, to drink 1.5 litres a day would cost around 65p. That’s around £2.60 a day or just over £18.00 a week for a family of four. Compare that to purchasing a Virgin Pure system with Watercare+ monthly service and across the first three years of ownership the cost is just £4.78 a week and the pure triple-filtered water, hot or cold, is unlimited. Over three years, the cost of buying bottled water is just over £2000 more expensive than buying a Virgin Pure home water system. We know we’re biased, but we think that’s a no-brainer.

*Cost per litre based on 6x 1.5l bottle pack, best selling 5 on ocado.com 5/2/2021