The vast majority of reverse osmosis reviews are positive, and in some cases there are glowing comments about the ability of RO units to clean up brackish well water, or water with very high iron or sulfate content. And I would also praise RO systems' ability to clean up such water. But most of us don't have brackish water that needs this very expensive and cumbersome technology. In this article let's take a look at a reverse osmosis water treatment comparison with a newer water filter technology option.
Bad tasting and/or bad smelling water is common in a lot of the US. Sometimes the brackish water, or the water with high mineral content, is just undrinkable. That same water can be cleaned up with a RO system to be very drinkable, but I have always found such water to be very stale or flat tasting.
Compared to the unfiltered water the stale water is much better, but it does point to another problem. The funky taste came from the lack of minerals in the filtered water because the RO system completely removed them. Minerals such as calcium and potassium give water its pleasant taste, and these minerals are essential to good health. But, water without any minerals is a little acidic and, if consumed, it will rob calcium from our bodies in order to get back to a neutral state. Those suffering from osteoporosis may want to consider mineral supplements if they are drinking water from a RO system.
Cancer specialists have weighed in on this also, saying they also believe such water is potentially dangerous since it creates a slightly acidic state in the body and cancer is believed to thrive only in a slightly acidic environment.
RO systems filter by forcing water through a semi-permeable membrane. Any molecules larger than water molecules are separated out and removed. The amount of force required may necessitate an auxiliary pump and it is a something you will want to ask about before you buy.
The pores of the membranes are so small that even with sufficient pressure much of the water cannot be forced thru the RO membrane and is simply flushed. This adds to the operating costs.
The vast majority of our drinking water is "sanitized" with chlorine, a poison, and chlorine will not be removed by a RO system because the molecules are even smaller than water's and will pass thruogh the screen. The same is true of the thousands of synthetic organic chemicals found in our water supplies. To have these compounds removed a carbon filter must be used in combination with any RO system.
Water passing through a filter of any sort will somewhat reduce the water pressure and this is certainly true of the RO systems. They are very slow and, if you want filtered water for say, bathing, you will need a storage tank capable of maintaining water pressure.
When these units are assembled with the filters, pump (if needed), storage tank, etc., there are a lot of things to go wrong and the largest areas of gripes in the reverse osmosis reviews is over maintenance costs and start up costs.
If your drinking water comes from a water utility company, or from a chlorinated well, not plagued with brackish water, I would strongly urge you to compare the RO system to a selective filtration system. They are also referred to as multi-stage systems.
In multi-stage filtration the water flows through activated carbon that has been blended with a filter resin and compressed into a solid block. This modern technology filters out the chemicals with the carbon, the minerals leave through ion-exchange, and the rest of the bad guys get trapped with the tiny submicron filter pores. All you get is clean, healthy water with all the healthy minerals still there (by choice).
Good bye booster pumps, storage tanks, maintenance costs, operating costs and mineral supplements. Once connected to your water supply they do their thing, virtually maintenance free, giving you and your family great tasting, healthy water.
Bad tasting and/or bad smelling water is common in a lot of the US. Sometimes the brackish water, or the water with high mineral content, is just undrinkable. That same water can be cleaned up with a RO system to be very drinkable, but I have always found such water to be very stale or flat tasting.
Compared to the unfiltered water the stale water is much better, but it does point to another problem. The funky taste came from the lack of minerals in the filtered water because the RO system completely removed them. Minerals such as calcium and potassium give water its pleasant taste, and these minerals are essential to good health. But, water without any minerals is a little acidic and, if consumed, it will rob calcium from our bodies in order to get back to a neutral state. Those suffering from osteoporosis may want to consider mineral supplements if they are drinking water from a RO system.
Cancer specialists have weighed in on this also, saying they also believe such water is potentially dangerous since it creates a slightly acidic state in the body and cancer is believed to thrive only in a slightly acidic environment.
RO systems filter by forcing water through a semi-permeable membrane. Any molecules larger than water molecules are separated out and removed. The amount of force required may necessitate an auxiliary pump and it is a something you will want to ask about before you buy.
The pores of the membranes are so small that even with sufficient pressure much of the water cannot be forced thru the RO membrane and is simply flushed. This adds to the operating costs.
The vast majority of our drinking water is "sanitized" with chlorine, a poison, and chlorine will not be removed by a RO system because the molecules are even smaller than water's and will pass thruogh the screen. The same is true of the thousands of synthetic organic chemicals found in our water supplies. To have these compounds removed a carbon filter must be used in combination with any RO system.
Water passing through a filter of any sort will somewhat reduce the water pressure and this is certainly true of the RO systems. They are very slow and, if you want filtered water for say, bathing, you will need a storage tank capable of maintaining water pressure.
When these units are assembled with the filters, pump (if needed), storage tank, etc., there are a lot of things to go wrong and the largest areas of gripes in the reverse osmosis reviews is over maintenance costs and start up costs.
If your drinking water comes from a water utility company, or from a chlorinated well, not plagued with brackish water, I would strongly urge you to compare the RO system to a selective filtration system. They are also referred to as multi-stage systems.
In multi-stage filtration the water flows through activated carbon that has been blended with a filter resin and compressed into a solid block. This modern technology filters out the chemicals with the carbon, the minerals leave through ion-exchange, and the rest of the bad guys get trapped with the tiny submicron filter pores. All you get is clean, healthy water with all the healthy minerals still there (by choice).
Good bye booster pumps, storage tanks, maintenance costs, operating costs and mineral supplements. Once connected to your water supply they do their thing, virtually maintenance free, giving you and your family great tasting, healthy water.
About the Author:
David Eastham has performed extensive research on such things as a reverse osmosis water treatment comparison to find the very best ways to give you good, clean water. Follow him for his choices as the very best dollar for dollar buy, and the very best product overall, in water filtration systems.
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