What Are The Benefits of Reverse Osmosis Water?
Posted by Sarah on Feb 25, 2009
Harmful substances in your drinking water may be a serious health and safety concern for you and your family. If you suspect your water supply is contaminated, there are things you can do to make sure it doesn’t flow from your own faucet. There are several water filtration systems for the home that can remove most of these impurities in the water you use for drinking and cooking. Reverse osmosis systems are one of these popular methods for cleaning up the water that comes out of your kitchen faucet.
At the heart of the reverse osmosis system is the membrane. The size of the pores in the membrane is .001 microns. Many of the impurities found in water such as bacteria, pyrogens, viruses, pesticides, hydrocarbons, radioactive contaminants, turbidity, colloidal matter, chlorine, detergents, industrial wastes, asbestos, dissolved solids, sodium, calcium, magnesium, sulfates and cadmium will not pass this barrier. Instead, they are drained out. What passes through is pure water.
Pre-filters and post filters are also part of the reverse osmosis system. Pre-filters are placed before the membrane. They prevent the heavier or larger impurities such as sand, silt and dirt from passing through. In some systems, an additional carbon pre-filter is also set up before the membrane if the membrane is constructed out of TFC (thin film composite) or TFM (thin film material). This additional pre-filter removes chlorine which may harm the effectiveness of membranes using these types of film. A post filter place after the membrane removes any remaining odor or tastes from the purified water.
Reverse osmosis systems operate in the same way and look very much alike. They also use the same basic components. The only difference in RO systems is in the quality of the filters and membranes they use. When shopping for a reverse osmosis system and having it installed, home owners should first find adequate solutions for their water quality problem before making a serious commitment. RO systems must be maintained to insure water quality. That means parts and filters will need to be replaced on a regular basis. You must be aware of these ongoing costs and be ready to keep the system operating smoothly.