Household water safety has been a hot topic of debate in recent years causing more people to look into things like whole house reverse osmosis water filtration. While residents of the United States benefit from one of the largest and most efficient potable water networks in the world, water quality is a cause for concern for many people. Because of this, more and more people have explored different forms of water treatment systems besides drinking straight from the tap, from using a simple water purifier like a pitcher with a carbon water filter to installing a whole house reverse osmosis system.
How Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration Works
One of many residential water treatment processes available today is a reverse osmosis filtration system. This process is generally thought of in terms of an under sink reverse osmosis system that directs water through a reverse osmosis faucet.
The basic concept with this type of whole house water filtration system is that water is moved under pressure through a semi-permeable membrane. Because the molecular size of many water impurities is larger than the molecule itself, the reverse osmosis membrane acts like a screen to remove the impurities. Reverse osmosis filtration works particularly well for mineral removal, but not as well for contaminants such as pharmaceuticals or chloride compounds. A whole house reverse osmosis system is a relatively new option that requires a significantly more complex system.
If you’re interested in reverse osmosis water filtration but don’t want the complexity of a whole house filtration system you can also find countertop reverse osmosis water filters.
Components of a Whole House Reverse Osmosis System
These heavy-duty whole house water filters include several sub-components: a pre-treatment system, the actual reverse osmosis filter, a storage tank and a re-pressurization system. The pre-treatment system is in essence a water softener, often used as a method to remove municipal chlorine and other chemical contaminants that the reverse osmosis process itself does not address. The water is then processed through the reverse osmosis filter, and transferred into a storage tank that remains at normal room pressure. In order for the water to maintain faucet pressures at the point of use, a re-pressurization system is the end point in the system, similar in design and function to the standard in-home water tank that electric well pumps feed in order to reduce changes in water pressure throughout modern homes.
Advantages of Reverse Osmosis Filters
Reverse osmosis water filters are thought to be one of the most effective types of water filters available because they are able to remove so many different types of contaminants, more than comparable water filtration systems. Another advantage is that reverse osmosis systems don’t require electricity.
In areas where heavy metals and saline content of the water is a problem, reverse osmosis filtration can be one of the most effective means of improving water quality. Dissolved minerals, salts, metals, sediment and large-sized microorganisms such as giardia cannot pass through the reverse osmosis membrane in these RO systems. If arsenic is a contaminant of concern these water filtration systems work well as an arsenic water filter. Reverse osmosis filters also remove bacteria and viruses from the water.
Drawbacks of Reverse Osmosis Systems
Because of the molecular size limits of this type of water purification, these systems do not remove the need for water softening units in areas with hard water or where Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are a concern. There are some studies that imply that the overall pH of the water changes to slightly acidic, posing potential risks to mineral retention in bones and teeth. Reverse osmosis water filtration systems are so effective at removing elements from water that they also remove some healthy minerals.
As the membrane in the reverse osmosis system ages, water quality will diminish, but not necessarily in such a way as the user will notice before water quality is severely degraded. These systems can also be wasteful of overall water resources. Depending on the unit size and efficiency, it can take between three and six gallons of untreated water to produce one gallon of processed water.
For the right household with a particular set of needs a reverse osmosis filtration system can be the key to healthier water, but you need to evaluate whether you need a whole house reverse osmosis system or simply a counter top water filter for your water filtration needs.
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