Residential reverse osmosis systems are one of the best systems, if you are fighting a salt water battle. If you don't have a salt water issue, then you have options with the newer technologies that are much less expensive to buy and to operate. We will compare one of these options with reverse osmosis in this article.
You may be reading this article because you have been hearing more and more about the importance of reducing our body's exposure to toxins. Something often referred to as reducing the "body burden."
In the past, we worried a lot about the quality of the water we consumed and how it was affecting our bodies, and rightly so, but now scientists are discovering the quality of the air in our home poses an even greater load on our bodies. One of the largest offenders is chloroform, a byproduct of the chlorine in our water.
In a report from the EPA, it state, "Every home in America has an elevated level of chloroform gas due to the vaporization of chlorine...from the tap and shower water." (What they didn't say is the dishwasher and the washing machine are not far behind the shower in chloroform output).
By removing the chemical toxins at the point of entry into our homes, using whole house purification units, we significantly improve both the quality of the water and the quality of the air.
The main reason to look at RO and SF systems before you buy is the difference between their initial costs and operating costs, especially in whole house systems.
Since quality residential reverse osmosis systems start around $10,000, compared to a quality residential selective filtration systems at about $800, the $9,200 spread can mean the difference between getting a whole house unit or not.
What causes the huge price difference?
Reverse osmosis and distillation systems were developed years ago to remove salt from brackish water and, at that time, water and electricity were very cheap. But, in today's world this technology has become very expensive.
RO systems push water through a membrane using the home's water pressure. The membrane's pores are microscopic in size, allowing only molecules small than a water molecule to pass through. Larger contaminants remain behind the membrane.
Chemicals having a molecular size smaller than water's, such as chlorine and its byproducts, will pass right through the membrane. For that reason, and in order to protect the membrane, RO systems must add a carbon filter to the system.
The small RO systems are very slow, taking two or three hours to produce a single gallon of filtered water. Whole house units, on the other hand, can filter upwards of 2,000 gallons per day. Large or small units require a pressurized tank in order to be able to deliver a larger quantity water quickly.
The smaller RO units need the home's water pressure to be at least 40 psi (pounds per square inch) to operate efficiently. Older homes, or well water systems, may require booster pumps. Whole house systems typically come with booster pumps.
A lot of water is wasted, even with adequate pressure in the system, because for every gallon filtered, often 2 to 5 gallons of water cannot be pushed through the membrane. This water is then flushed, along with the filtered contaminants.
This waste water is recycled in some systems, however, the need for electricity, recycling, storage tanks and (maybe) booster pumps are the cause of the increased up front costs and they add to the higher cost to operate as well. And, all the extra equipment means it is more likely there are going to be additional maintenance costs too.
A good option to reverse osmosis, especially if you are on a chlorinated water system (which most of us are), is selective filtration.
Selective filtration uses mechanical filtration, the adsorptive power of activated charcoal, and redox (reduction/oxidation) in a multistage process that will quickly process water.
Redox, which is a chemical exchange process, is a new kind of filter media that was developed to remove dissolved lead and other toxic metals from water. Prior to this simple filtration process, only RO or distillation was capable of taking toxic metals from water.
Chlorine and its byproducts, along with other organic chemicals, are 99 percent (plus) removed by the activated charcoal. And, the total process treats water somewhat like a water softener, with no sodium added, and the odors, bad tastes and sediment are also removed.
These systems produce filtered water rapidly (over seven gallons per minute), without electricity, storage tanks, or booster pumps. Their simplicity also makes for simpler installations.
For anyone wanting to improve the air and water quality in their home, selective filtration systems are a viable cost saving option to consider.
You may be reading this article because you have been hearing more and more about the importance of reducing our body's exposure to toxins. Something often referred to as reducing the "body burden."
In the past, we worried a lot about the quality of the water we consumed and how it was affecting our bodies, and rightly so, but now scientists are discovering the quality of the air in our home poses an even greater load on our bodies. One of the largest offenders is chloroform, a byproduct of the chlorine in our water.
In a report from the EPA, it state, "Every home in America has an elevated level of chloroform gas due to the vaporization of chlorine...from the tap and shower water." (What they didn't say is the dishwasher and the washing machine are not far behind the shower in chloroform output).
By removing the chemical toxins at the point of entry into our homes, using whole house purification units, we significantly improve both the quality of the water and the quality of the air.
The main reason to look at RO and SF systems before you buy is the difference between their initial costs and operating costs, especially in whole house systems.
Since quality residential reverse osmosis systems start around $10,000, compared to a quality residential selective filtration systems at about $800, the $9,200 spread can mean the difference between getting a whole house unit or not.
What causes the huge price difference?
Reverse osmosis and distillation systems were developed years ago to remove salt from brackish water and, at that time, water and electricity were very cheap. But, in today's world this technology has become very expensive.
RO systems push water through a membrane using the home's water pressure. The membrane's pores are microscopic in size, allowing only molecules small than a water molecule to pass through. Larger contaminants remain behind the membrane.
Chemicals having a molecular size smaller than water's, such as chlorine and its byproducts, will pass right through the membrane. For that reason, and in order to protect the membrane, RO systems must add a carbon filter to the system.
The small RO systems are very slow, taking two or three hours to produce a single gallon of filtered water. Whole house units, on the other hand, can filter upwards of 2,000 gallons per day. Large or small units require a pressurized tank in order to be able to deliver a larger quantity water quickly.
The smaller RO units need the home's water pressure to be at least 40 psi (pounds per square inch) to operate efficiently. Older homes, or well water systems, may require booster pumps. Whole house systems typically come with booster pumps.
A lot of water is wasted, even with adequate pressure in the system, because for every gallon filtered, often 2 to 5 gallons of water cannot be pushed through the membrane. This water is then flushed, along with the filtered contaminants.
This waste water is recycled in some systems, however, the need for electricity, recycling, storage tanks and (maybe) booster pumps are the cause of the increased up front costs and they add to the higher cost to operate as well. And, all the extra equipment means it is more likely there are going to be additional maintenance costs too.
A good option to reverse osmosis, especially if you are on a chlorinated water system (which most of us are), is selective filtration.
Selective filtration uses mechanical filtration, the adsorptive power of activated charcoal, and redox (reduction/oxidation) in a multistage process that will quickly process water.
Redox, which is a chemical exchange process, is a new kind of filter media that was developed to remove dissolved lead and other toxic metals from water. Prior to this simple filtration process, only RO or distillation was capable of taking toxic metals from water.
Chlorine and its byproducts, along with other organic chemicals, are 99 percent (plus) removed by the activated charcoal. And, the total process treats water somewhat like a water softener, with no sodium added, and the odors, bad tastes and sediment are also removed.
These systems produce filtered water rapidly (over seven gallons per minute), without electricity, storage tanks, or booster pumps. Their simplicity also makes for simpler installations.
For anyone wanting to improve the air and water quality in their home, selective filtration systems are a viable cost saving option to consider.
About the Author:
David Eastham has done exhaustive research on such topics as reverse osmosis to discover the most cost effective way to provide good, clean drinking water. Here are his choices as the most cost effective dollar for dollar buys, and the most cost effective products overall, in home water filtration systems
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