Water purifying and dispensing apparatus

Apparatus for purifying water, comprising a supporting housing, power means, an unpurified water inlet and a purified water dispense outlet, a filter means interposed between said inlet and said outlet, means for driving water through the filter means at a constant flow rate comprising a cylinder holder, on which an interchangeable gas pressure cylinder can be mounted and a gas release mechanism housed in the cylinder holder, timing means for counting the elapsed time from a predetermined moment, and monitoring means for monitoring the volume of water which has flowed through the filter unit, characterized in that

• the filter means comprises an interchangeable filter unit selectively disengageable from a base, wherein said filter unit comprises:
• at least one filtering element;
• and
• a filter memory for storing at least said counted elapsed time and said monitored volume, said filter memory operatively connected to said timing means and said monitoring means, respectively, when said filter unit is engaged in said base.