Water Ionizer Plates: How Many Do You Need?

January 11, 2019

They say that too much of anything is bad…that moderation in everything is key. Moderation is key, especially in daily habits like exercising and sleeping.

In this article, you’ll learn about:

Water Ionizer Plates Produce Alkaline Water Benefits
Water Ionizer Plates: How Many Do You Need?
5 to 7 Water Ionizer Plates
9 Water Ionizer Plates
11 Water Ionizer Plates
13 Water Ionizer Plates
15 Water Ionizer Plates
Water Ionizer Plates: Our Recommendation

A WebMD article claims that too much exercise is bad for you. Prolonged exercise can result in fatigue and damage to tendons, joints, and even the heart.

Meanwhile, regularly sleeping for more than 8 hours a day can cause problems with concentration and blood sugar levels.

Better keep that alarm clock on, even during the weekends.

Even vitamins, when taken excessively, can pose huge risks to our health. Excessive amounts of certain vitamins and minerals can cause nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, heart problems, and bleeding issues.

These examples may indicate that increasing the quantity of something doesn’t translate into an increase in quality.

But, does this apply to a water ionizer and their number of plates?

What You Should Know about Water Ionizer Plates

Water Ionizer Plates Produce Alkaline Water Benefits

Plates are the primary component of an electric water ionizer in converting tap water into alkaline water through electrolysis. It’s important to note that non-electric water ionizers don’t use plates, they use multiple filters instead.

By using plates, an electric water ionizer can produce alkaline water that contains health benefits such as:

Boosts in hydration during exercise
Relief from heartburn symptoms
Clearer, healthier skin

There are many more benefits of alkaline water that you can obtain from the plates used in an electric water ionizer machine.

Water Ionizer Plates: How Many Do You Need?

Some common questions that people have about plates are:

Will an increase in plates improve the quality and benefit of alkaline water?
Is it possible for a water ionizer to have too many plates?
What is a good number of plates to look for in a water ionizer?

Over the years, we have determined that it’s very important for your water ionizer to have the right number of plates to meet your needs.

5 to 7 Water Ionizer Plates

Five plates should be considered the minimum when looking for a well-performing electric water ionizer. Any electric ionizer that has less than 5 plates will have poor flow rates and limited pH capabilities in helping you enjoy all the health benefits of alkaline water.

When buying an electric water ionizer with 5 to 7 plates – you’ll have access to acceptable levels of alkaline water with higher pH levels and satisfactory flow rates. 5-7 plate machines typically come with a warranty period between 1 to 5 years, while 7-plate machines are known to have a longer warranty.

Electric water ionizers with 5-7 plates are available at lower-end prices than ionizers with more than 7 plates…so keep in mind that you will be sacrificing quality if you choose to go with one of the 5-7 plate water ionizers.

You also need to be careful when considering an ionizer with 5-7 plates because some lower quality water ionizers come with a transformer power supply that can overheat and perform at a subpar level.

While we don’t recommend buying a 5-7 plate unit if you think that it’s for you then at least be sure to look for an electric water ionizer with an SMPS power supply that can give you a decent performance without overheating.

Failing to do so could end up costing you more in the long run than if you had gone with a machine with 7+ plates. Read why below.

9 Water Ionizer Plates

At one time – electric water ionizers with 5 to 7 plates were known to be the best ionizers you could find on the market. This was before some companies figured out a way to build these machines with 9 plates that can vastly outperform any 7-plate machine.

Choosing an alkaline water machine with 9 plates can be difficult because not every one of the 9-plate models is made an equivalent.

If you do happen to consider getting a 9-plate ionizer…then just make sure you look for newer, premium models that have:

Solid/Mesh Hybrid plates
A ZERO stipulations warranty (with NO fine print)
An SMPS Plus power supply

These features are “must haves” for those who demand to own a decent unit with good alkaline water beneﬁts.

Overall, going with a 9-plate unit is a decent decision to make – but get this:

Many of the 9-plate countertop models haven’t changed since 2001. 2001! That was over 15 years ago!

11 Water Ionizer Plates

11-plate machines have technically been around for a while, built as large units available for use at semi-industrial or commercial properties only.

The giant size of these 11-plate units was deemed to be vastly unsuitable for use in residential kitchens. That is until a top ionizer company delivered on a promise for an 11-plate residential machine to be made available to the public.

Today, you’ll find that newer, top-quality 11-plate electric water ionizers far surpasses the performance and quality of machines with 9 plates by providing:

Faster flow rates
Better conversion of tap water to alkaline water through electrolysis
Faster conversion of tap water to acidic water (with most water sources)
Better pH levels and -ORP potential using a dual filtration system

You see…water ionizers with 9 plates tend to look outdated while missing the overall technological advancements found in 11-plate machines.

The 9-plate units just won’t give the same level and quality of antioxidants or molecular hydrogen as 11-plate water ionizers do.

However – the industry has FINALLY figured out a way to manufacture the absolute perfect water ionizer machine that’s perfectly balanced with the right amount of plates and power…topped off by a stylish, updated design that looks good anywhere in your kitchen.

You might think this sounds too good to be true…but here’s why it’s not…

13 Water Ionizer Plates

After thirty years of trial and error to build the perfect water ionizer, our research has shown that the 13-plate water ionizers are perfectly designed (as long as they have the right amount of power) to make the perfect glass of antioxidant-rich alkaline water.

13 plates, you say? That’s right!

In fact…one top ionizer company just launched a 13-plate countertop machine with industry-leading features and technological advancements, such as:

13 Platinum Coated Titanium Solid/Mesh Hybrid Plates
Industry’s First Motion Proximity Sensor (Hands-Free)
Auto-Fill Quantity Selector
Jog Dial Control
Upgraded 7th Generation SMPS Plus Power Supply
Programmable Automatic Cleaning
Smartphone Inspired 4-Inch Graphic User Interface with Full Color LCD Touchscreen

Overall, we find that this 13-plate countertop model has an uncanny ability to create alkaline hydrogen water with the most health benefits.

There are units out there that are built with 15 plates…which makes us wonder:

Do more plates = more benefits?

15 Water Ionizer Plates

You might think that when an electric water ionizer has more plates, you’ll have access to better quality alkaline water at a better output…meaning more benefits.

But when it comes to electric machines – the presence of more plates DOES NOT equal more benefits.

Here’s why…

Buying a 15 plate machine sounds great in theory…but when comparing plates…the number of plates that an ionizer has is as equally important as:

The size (surface area) of each individual plate
The type of plate (Solid, Mesh, or Solid/Mesh Hybrid)
The plate material used

We recommend that you look for a high-end electric machine that uses Solid/Mesh Hybrid plates that are Permelec branded (known as the thickest and longest plates in the industry). You’ll want to buy an electric ionizer that has high amperage (not watts) in addition to having these plate features.

Studies indicate that for every inch of length, the ORP and pH of the water can greatly increase. Plus, based on Faraday’s theory of electrolysis, Solid/Mesh Hybrid plates add 25% more surface area too.

So, what does this mean for 15 plate machines?

When More Plates Actually Means Less Benefits:

The tests we ran revealed that 15 plate ionizers use smaller plates than ionizers with less than 13 plates. Shocking, huh!?

Our comparison tests also revealed that electric water ionizers with 15 plates:

Are unreasonable for residential use due to their industrial-grade size. (Talk about big and bulky!)
Require a lot more power and routine maintenance than machines with fewer plates.
Cost WAY MORE than premium 13-plate water ionizers that have Xtreme Molecular Hydrogen Boost technology and better overall performance.

It’s clear that “more can actually mean less” when it comes to ionizers.

Water Ionizer Plates: Our Recommendation

To recap – water ionizers with:

5 to 7 plates: produces good alkaline water at a good pH, with a 1-5-year warranty or more.
9 plates: vastly outperforms machines with 7 plates, while lacking the technological advancements found in 11-plate units.
11 plates: far surpasses the performance and quality of machines with 9 plates, with some 11-plate machines running a close second to newer, top-quality 13-plate machines, but only when they have the right amount of power. Don’t cross an 11-plate ionizer off of your list just yet.
13 plates: produces the most powerful conversion of tap to alkaline water, the optimal amount of molecular hydrogen, industry-elite pH levels and -ORP potential using dual filters and includes a lifetime warranty on many top machines. In fact – the 13-plate machines are the best performance-to-price.
15 plates: big and bulky machines that cost too much money, while needing too much power and routine maintenance. These machines are unreasonable for household use, solidifying that “more can actually mean less” in certain cases.

Overall, we recommend purchasing any countertop water ionizer that has at least 13 plates or any under-counter model with at least 11 plates.

In our tests where we’ve compared countless ionizers, we’ve found that the 11 and 13-plate units outperformed units with 5-9 plates, as well as the 15 plate units.

You see…the 15-plate units we tested revealed that the plates were smaller than the plates used in machines with less than 13 plates. This startling discovery led us to conclude that machines with more than 13 plates don’t provide more health benefits than machines with less than 13 plates.

We also recommend 11 and 13-plate machines because top-quality ionizers produce high-quality alkaline hydrogen water, even in areas with poor tap water quality.

Plates are just one of four things that are important to look for in a quality water ionizer.

To help point you in the right direction of what to look for – check out these top resources to get started:

Water Ionizer Reviews: showcases the latest and most popular reviews on top machines!
FREE Water Ionizer Buyer’s Guide: a proven shortcut to the perfect purchase, with money-saving gems and what’s hot in the industry today!