Reverse Osmosis Filters
One of the most effective water treatment options
Each method of water purification has its fans and detractors, but reverse osmosis is one of the most highly regarded methods of water filtration. Reverse osmosis has one notable advantage over distillation purifiers – it is a faster, more robust process. In fact, reverse osmosis is the practice most commonly used in artificial desalinization*.
Reverse osmosis can remove the majority of contaminants from your water – especially if it is used in conjunction with other filters. The process is especially effective at removing particulates from water.
Efficiency of removal is described as “rejection percentage.” This is the percentage of a particular contaminant unable to cross the barrier or membrane.
Effective removal of any particulate means that the rejection percentage is higher than the mineral’s parts per thousand minus the safe percentage level (deemed by local health authorities).
Some components of a good RO system:
- A pre-filter to remove fouling agents and larger particles including rust, lime, etc.
- The RO unit and its membrane.
- An activated carbon post-filter to remove bad taste and odor causing agents.
- A storage tank with valves to control water flow.
Remind me again: What’s Osmosis?
Osmosis is simply the passage of water through a selective membrane (more selective than a mere filter). Pressure applied to the water moves it through a membrane and pure (virtually uncontaminated) water passes through. Specific pressure can be applied to the water to determine which contaminants will be removed, and to what degree.
Note: reverse osmosis reduces the amount of organic and inorganic matter, particulates, bacteria and other contaminants you might find in your tap (or well) water. Like all methods of water filtration, it’s not failsafe. You should never think that reverse osmosis will remove cryptosporidium and other harmful bacteria from your water. There are other water filtration processes that can be more effective, especially for specific kinds of contaminants.
*Note this difference: the earth’s natural process of desalinization is distillation purification. While very effective at purifying water, this is also very time consuming. Reverse osmosis is “artificial,” faster and not nearly as robust.
