Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment
Despite being the most important resource on earth, our water is plagued with chemical pollutants. These chemicals are detrimental to our health and cause a host of issues when ingested.
Reverse Osmosis systems are highly effective at reducing the majority of these contaminants, saving you money and making your food taste better! These systems run on water pressure and a bit of electricity to reduce the chemicals that are in our drinking water.
1. Removes Chlorine
Reverse Osmosis systems have multiple phases of filtration to remove a wide variety of contaminants. Some of these include chlorine, iron, lead, PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated substances), salt, and pathogens.
The first phase is a pretreatment that helps prevent contamination of the membrane by reducing fine sediments and odors. This also helps protect the membrane from damage, which can occur when dissolved solids such as chlorine pass through it.
Next comes the RO membrane, which filters water by pushing it through a semi-permeable membrane and leaving pure water on one side and contaminants on the other. Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment The water then goes into a pressurized tank where it is held until it needs to be used.
Reverse Osmosis does remove chlorine, and it can also remove other dissolved solids like calcium, magnesium, carbonate, and sodium that contribute to hard water or unwanted alkalinity. Many people use reverse osmosis in their homes because they want to enjoy fresh, clean, chlorine-free drinking water that tastes great and is good for them. It is important to get a system that has been tested and certified to reduce the contaminants you are concerned about.
2. Removes Sediment
Reverse Osmosis systems use carbon to remove chlorine, heavy metals, organic compounds and other dissolved impurities from water. It uses a semipermeable membrane to force higher concentrations of contaminants through and away from more concentrated solutions, thus creating a balance between the two on either side of the membrane. This process requires high levels of pressure, typically 200 to 400 pounds per square inch (psi).
Reverse Osmosis systems are composed of three or four stages of filtration. The first, a sediment filter, filters out larger particles like dirt, sand and rust to prevent them from clogging other filters. A pre-carbon block then filters out chemicals by attracting and bonding with positively charged ions. This stage also reduces Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), which is made up of both organic and inorganic substances. Finally, the reverse osmosis membrane removes dissolved minerals and other contaminants. This stage also removes a number of toxic metals including lead and copper, as well as the potentially harmful chemicals like fluoride and arsenic. The treated water is then stored in a stainless steel tank for drinking.
3. Removes Minerals
During the first filtration stage, a sediment filter removes large particles like dirt, sand and rust to prevent them from clogging the system. A pre-carbon filter then removes organic chemicals and odors, while a reverse osmosis membrane separates molecules much larger than water—including dissolved minerals, sodium, chlorine and high levels of lead. This stage is followed by a post-carbon filter to polish the water, making it ready for drinking.
Reverse Osmosis is the most effective at-home filtration method, removing 99.9% of contaminants, including minerals that could be harmful to health. However, it’s important to note that the body doesn’t need these minerals for proper function: Our diet provides us with the nutrients we need, and our bodies are 70-80% water.
This is why many reverse osmosis systems include a final stage to remineralize the filtered water. This is particularly important for our pick from iSpring, which does this before delivering the filtered water to your faucet—adding back in a small amount of healthy minerals to improve the taste and nutritional value. Many people find that filtered water lacks flavor, but remineralization addresses this issue.
4. Reduces TDS
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) is the concentration of combined minerals, salts, metals and dissolved substances in your water. While it is important to have some TDS in your drinking water, a high TDS level can indicate dangerous contaminants like lead and arsenic. Reverse Osmosis is the most comprehensive method of reducing TDS in your home’s water and should eliminate nearly all of it (or at least reduce it to a safe level).
During the reverse osmosis process, pressure forces water molecules through a semipermeable membrane. The RO membrane is made of synthetic plastic material that allows water to pass through but blocks larger molecules such as sodium, chlorine, calcium and other harmful chemicals.
Reverse Osmosis systems are designed to treat city and private well water. While city water is relatively free of bacteria and harmful chemicals, it may still contain inorganic dissolved solids. Private well water, on the other hand, may have harmful pathogens and heavy metals such as lead and arsenic. A reverse osmosis system will remove both. Most systems include a sediment filter that helps to protect the RO membrane from clogging Filling Machine Supplier and ensures that only pure water passes through. A TDS meter can be used to monitor your home’s TDS levels and indicate whether or not your reverse osmosis is working properly.
5. Reduces Chemicals
Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment removes a broad range of chemicals that ordinary water filters can’t. For example, reverse osmosis can reduce fluoride levels in water. High levels of fluoride can lead to enamel or skeletal fluorosis (mottled teeth or curved bones).
Reverse osmosis is one of the few methods for removing specific contaminants like arsenic, PFAS, volatile organic compounds and bacteria from water. A point-of-use reverse osmosis system connects to a single fixture, typically under a sink, and creates a stream of permeate water and a separate stream of reject water.
A reverse osmosis membrane rejects molecules based on their size and ionic charge. A correctly running RO system can eliminate 99%+ of dissolved salts, ions and organics, as well as many types of bacteria and viruses. It will also remove chlorine and a wide range of other common chemicals in drinking water.
