A General Reverse Osmosis Filtration System Overview

Every human needs water. We need it to drink and to bathe. We require it for washing dishes. If you don’t have a steady, reliable water source, you’re going to have problems very quickly.

In this article, we’ll talk about a drinking water solution that you may not have considered before. However, it’s one that more and more people are utilizing these days.

A reverse osmosis filtration system can help you out in several ways. We’ll explain what one is and some of the related benefits right now.

What Exactly is a Reverse Osmosis Filtration System, and How Does It Work?

The reverse osmosis system is quite ingenious. There is a critical difference between RO and the typical water filtration system you get with a Brita pitcher or something along those lines.

Let’s say you have a Brita pitcher in your fridge, and you replace the filter every few weeks, or longer, if you have one of the longer-lasting ones. You might also change it more or less depending on how large of a family you have and how much drinking water you need.

In this system, you run your water from the tap and through the carbon filter that you replace periodically. The filter catches some impurities and lets cleaner water run into the bottom.

This is not the world’s worst system by any means, but you’re also not catching anywhere near all of the water’s impurities. An RO system can clean the water much more effectively. That is because an RO system uses a membrane that catches larger molecules and ions. Only the smaller water molecules get through, so your drinking water is considerably cleaner and safer.

Fluid Pressurization

Fluid pressurization is what sets the RO water-cleaning system apart from the standard Brita filter that you have sitting in your fridge. Reverse osmosis pressurizes the fluid and then passes it through the filter membrane.

This membrane can catch many impurities, but the water passes easily through to its low-pressure side. Your RO system can have some different features or customizations. Generally, though, you can have one with your set tolerance level.

You can adjust the filtration threshold. For instance, you might set it so that you get mineral water that retains naturally-occurring minerals while removing harmful contaminants. You can set it so that it produces flavor-free water that’s extremely pure, even though you didn’t put it through a full distillation process.

How Do I Go About Installing One?

If you’re interested in having cleaner, purer water that’s as close to contaminant-free as possible, contacting a reverse osmosis water company is the first thing you’ll need to do. There are several of them, and you’ll want to look for one that has positive feedback.

You’ll talk to one of the reps, and the first thing they’ll want to know is whether you’ve got city water or a private well. If you have a private well, they’ll want to see your most recent water analysis. 

If you have city water, that’s probably when they’ll recommend a master reverse osmosis system. They might also try to sell you a whole house conditioner and softener filter for your entire water supply.

What About if I Live in Condo?

Maybe you own a condo, and you can’t put in one of the whole-house filters that these companies often supply. You can still get shower filters. Once you install them, you don’t have to bathe in chlorinated water.

You’ll also want to find out if your city uses chloramines. Some people don’t want those to get through their drinking water filter, and these companies usually have a solution there as well.

How About an RO System for Apartment Living?

If you live in an apartment, you may still be able to get one of these companies to install an RO system for you. The real issue is whether the landlord or management company will allow it.

For the most part, they will, since you don’t often need to drill any holes or make any other major alterations to put in a new RO system. You’ll need to get permission first, though.

What Can One of These Systems Remove for Me?

It’s rather disturbing what chemicals you can find in your drinking water. Certain regions have it worse than others, but the reality is that the typical drinking water filter that you’ll find in a Brita pitcher or something similar does not hold up to scrutiny if you want chemical-free water.

If you go with a reverse osmosis system, you can get rid of arsenic, cadmium, and barium. You can get rid of turbidity, selenium, nitrates, and radium.

Some cities also allow copper, cysts, fluoride, and lead in their water. You might have both trivalent and hexavalent chromium as well. You don’t want to ingest any of that, even trace amounts.

Where Does the System Go?

Most of these companies have systems they can install that don’t take up much space. There are under-sink options that you can fit in most bathrooms or kitchens. Still, many people like basement installation, and that is often possible.

The typical under-sink model comes with four connections. Those are the drain line out, the feed line in, the storage tank, and the product water out line. The four connections come with attached tubing, usually 3’.

These systems don’t take long to install, and if you have one of these companies over to look at your plumbing setup, they can get you up and running in a single morning or afternoon.

These systems do not cost that much, but they can remove many water contaminants that you never knew were there. You don’t want to think about the chemicals that could be in your drinking and bathing water, but if you purify it, you’re going to feel a lot better about your overall health. This is also a one-time purchase, so once you have it set up, you can enjoy it for years.