Reverse Osmosis System-A 10 If You Need One-But Do You Need One?
It’s true, if you have salty or brackish water with a lot of inorganic material in it, you will be pleased with anything that will clean it up and reverse osmosis water units will. But, if you are getting your water from a municipal water system or a chlorinated well; I’ve got good news for you. There are much cheaper selective filtration systems you can get that will do a better job, and produce healthier water, than reverse osmosis systemes. In this article we will look at each system and how they work, and you can decide what’s best for you.
Reverse osmosis (RO) systems work by pushing water against a semi-permeable membrane with pores so small that only objects the size of a water molecule, or smaller, will pass through. As a matter of fact, the pores are so small they will even reject a large part of the water itself along with minerals and most contaminants. In most RO systems, the rejected water is simply wasted. Typically, this amounts to about two or three wasted gallons for every gallon filtered.
Some people throughout the US are also dealing with excessive minerals in their water and the fact that RO systems remove these minerals is another reason people have liked them. But, too much of a good thing can be bad.
You see, it seems water with no minerals is not good. That makes sense since nowhere on earth does pure water exist naturally. We need trace minerals like calcium and potassium, for example, in order to stay healthy. And, pure H2O is slightly acidic, so, when we drink this water it will try to get back to a neutral state by stealing minerals such as calcium from our teeth, bones or cells. In this case it produces calcium carbonate as its neutralizing element.
Since cancer cells seem to prefer environments which are slightly acidic, some health professionals are now questioning the wisdom of drinking such water over a long period of time.
Reverse osmosis will not remove contaminants such as drugs, chlorine, THMs (chlorine byproducts-carcenogens), herbicides, pesticides, SOCs, etc. because molecules are very small and will pass through the membrane. The EPA recognizes activated charcoal as the best filter for removing these compounds and you must be certain you have one if you go the RO route.
Since the pores in the membrane are so tiny, you must have sufficient water pressure to force the water through the system and this may necessitate a booster pump be added.
You also will need to have a storage tank with these systems. RO systems only filter about one gallon, or less, an hour. At this slow rate the systems need a way to store the water needed for bathing, doing dishes, or laundry, whatever. The solution is a diaphragmed storage tank in order to keep pressure on the line.
By the time you put all the storage tanks, extra pumps (if needed), and filters together you are going to have a good sized unit. Anytime you have a lot of components you are likely going to be dealing with extra initial and operating costs, and maintenance issues.
For most of us, using an RO system where you could use selective filtration is like using a backhoe to get a little crabgrass out of your yard. Sure, it’ll get the job done, but the ensuing pain won’t be worth it.
Now, let’s look at an alternative to reverses osmosis, the selective (or multi-stage) filtration system.
These systems also use activated carbon to clean up any drugs or chemicals that might be in the water, but this carbon is first blended with a chemically charged resin and compressed into a solid block composed of tiny, submicron pores.
One cubic foot of this activated charcoal that has been so tightly compressed has the adsorption area of five square miles, according to scientists. The tiny pores filter out tiny, chlorine-resistant, cysts like Cryptosporidium and Guardia and the rest of the surface area scrubs up the chemicals and drugs.
What about the filter resin that covers the surface of the adsorption area?
When heavy metal compounds such as mercury or lead come in contact with this resin, their positively charged ions break their bond with water and snap onto the resin like little magnets. Because of the difference in their molecular structure, the lighter metals such as potassium and calcium don’t react and remain in the water.
You noticed these systems don’t have bulky storage tanks, they don’t need booster pumps or electricity and, if they are correctly installed, they produce good, healthy water (all trace minerals intact) virtually without maintenance.
Be sure you consult a technical representative for any system you are considering if the water you want to treat has extreme problems. They folks will invariably have a good solution. Also, please note that selective filtration is not designed to treat salt water.
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