The RO Water System That’s Right For You?
A reverse osmosis filtration device, or RO water system, can be a useful filtering device in the home. Other applications for reverse osmosis include aquariums, tap water purification, the production of hydrogen, dialysis and many different applications in the food industry. Let’s take a look at the various stages in the reverse osmosis water purification process to get an idea if it’s the right kind of filtration unit for your home.
A sediment pre-filter is used to extract larger contaminants like dirt, sand, dust, grit and rust particles from the water when present. An optional secondary carbon pre-filter is used to extract most of the organic chemicals and chlorine; providing enhanced taste and reduction of odor while helping to protect the reverse osmosis membrane, which can be vulnerable to chlorine.
A RO membrane is normally made from a thin film composite. An optional carbon post-filter is used to capture any chemicals that are still present. This step also helps guard against any tainting which might occur within the device’s water storage tank. Another option, an ultraviolet light (UV-C), is incorporated into the process to disinfect the water of any organisms that may have escaped the reverse osmosis membrane.
A RO water system tends to remove important trace minerals while filtering, leaving the water tasteless and strangely flat. More important, however, is that natural water contains trace minerals, and dissolved trace minerals in drinking water are actually a valuable source of calcium, magnesium and other nutrients. There are other, less expensive types of systems that can do a great job of purifying water for drinking purposes, and yet still leave the trace minerals intact.
A reverse osmosis water treatment system must occasionally be sanitized with chlorine, a chemical that is highly undesirable and which in many cases is filtered out by other systems. Though chlorine is nearly universally used by city and municipal water systems, it has been shown to cause cancer. Using it to clean the filter that you will use to filter out such things seems to be counter intuitive.
A RO water system may not be appropriate for everyone, since by its very nature it is a wasteful process; it flushes away three to four gallons of water for every one gallon of clean water that passes through. If your water has a poor taste or smell to it, then you could consider a carbon-based, multi-stage filtering system that incorporates reverse osmosis into the process. Whether you choose a reverse osmosis system or a system that incorporates several types of filters into one unit, do your research before you buy; water filtering systems can be very expensive.
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