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Reverse osmosis water filters function by passing water through a membrane-type filter that leaves impurities on the other side. Clean water is deposited in a reservoir, to be pumped up to a separate drinking water faucet, and the contaminants on the other side are flushed out of the system later. This type of water filter is among the best ways to clean your water, and it will remove most contaminants: most bacteria and viruses, pesticides and other VOCs, hydrogen sulfide, nitrates, sediments, arsenic, chlorine, fluoride, heavy metals like lead and mercury, iron, and even bad tastes.

The reverse osmosis water filter is also referred to as a hyperfiltration system. That’s because it is so very effective at removing contaminants from your water supply. It works by moving your water through a series of reservoirs, in which the clean water moves to the clean side of the filter, leaving behind the contaminants. The filter does not work through pressure; instead, water must move passively. This means that the filtration process is slower than you might find in other water filtration systems. A reverse osmosis water filtration system will require a large tank to be installed under your counter which will provide a drinking water reservoir. In most systems, you can expect to produce around fifteen gallons a day of bottled-quality water. If you’re a bottled water fan, this will save you much more than the reverse osmosis filter will cost you.

There are two types of membranes typical to reverse osmosis water filters. A thin film composite (TFC) membrane is very good at removing contaminants, but it is also very susceptible to damage from chlorinated water supplies. An activated carbon pre-filtration system may need to be installed upstream of your TFC membrane to remove chlorine before it gets to the membrane. The other type of membrane is the cellulose triacetate (CTA) filter, which is also good at removing contaminants though inferior to the TFC, but does not have a problem processing chlorine. Make sure before installing your water filtration system that you have the membrane most appropriate to your water system; a damaged membrane can force you to replace your entire filtration system.

For water that is contaminated with bacteria or other biological organisms, you may also need an ultraviolet filter. While an osmotic filter works quite well on biological organisms, it does not catch all of them; while one particle of mercury in your cleansed water will not kill you, a single bacterium in your clean water reservoir can multiply and eventually contaminate your entire osmotic water filtration system. To prevent this problem, add a UV water purifier to the downstream side of your filtration system. UV light is used to kill everything living in your water, which prevents your water from further contamination. This three-filter system - activated carbon, reverse osmosis, and UV purifier - will provide you and your family with the cleanest possible water supply.

Your last concern with a reverse osmosis water filtration system: the amount of water used in producing your clean water. Each one gallon of clean water requires up to ten gallons of water, the remainder of which is flushed from the system. If this is a problem in your area, make sure that your contaminated water is redirected to your gray water reservoir, where it can be safely used to water your garden.

Tags: Health

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