Many of us are aware of the risks in tap water but not many of us are aware of the risks coming with “pure” water. Since reverse osmosis water purifiers are becoming increasingly popular as a home water treatment system, it is important to look at the benefits and cons of these method of purification.

While pure water sounds like an ideal substance, it actually doesn’t exist anywhere in nature. Water travels a long distance from the sky, into the ground, reservoirs, rivers, and ultimately ending in the ocean. During this journey, water picks up many minerals which are very beneficial to our health. However, the water that normally makes it to our taps is ground water. That means it also contains chemicals, bacteria, industrial waste, pathogens, and many other forms of harmful impurities. For drinking water, the idea is to remove the harmful elements while keeping the helpful minerals.

Because reverse osmosis water purifiers create such a pure result, you aren’t getting the harmful nor the beneficial impurities. Many people choose to use reverse osmosis systems when they feel the risk of water-born diseases outweighs the benefits of the minerals in water. That is why these systems are great in undeveloped areas or private homes where there is no chemical water treatment going on. Many services also require a completely pure water. Photo processing, ice-cube making, and getting “spotless” finishes during washing are some examples. Some people are also at risk from a too-high concentration of naturally occurring minerals like calcium. This can lead to problems like kidney stones. Before deciding on a whether reverse osmosis water purifiers are right for you, it is important to weigh the pros and cons.

A reverse osmosis water purifier works by pushing water through a porous membrane. All molecules larger than water are kept out. This includes most bacteria, pathogens and minerals. Because chemicals can still pass through the membrane, reverse osmosis water treatment systems often have several stages of purification. The result is a pure water similar to the quality of distilled water. Obviously, there are many benefits to removing all the harmful impurities in water such as bacteria. However, reverse osmosis also will remove the healthy minerals in water. Knowing this, is a reverse osmosis water purifier really the best solution for home use?

The answer to this question depends on your situation. For those of us drinking municipal water, it has already undergone an intensive filtration system before it reaches us. This will remove the majority of larger contaminants. To prevent against bacteria and viruses, chlorine is added to the water. Despite this, many harmful substances still make it through. Many of these, such as bacteria, will not cause harm to most people. In fact, drinking “dirty” water can increase the body’s immune system.

For those people with sensitive immune systems including children and the elderly, unfiltered water can be very hazardous. It is important that a system like a reverse osmosis water purifier is used to ensure that bacteria and pathogens are removed. Also, these systems are very important in areas where there is a high risk of disease traveling in water. Most reverse osmosis water purifiers contain several stages of filtration which also remove chemicals that can have long term adverse effects such as cancer. As for the minerals, many people with hard water find it better to filter out all minerals. When the body tries to filter out such high quantities of minerals, it can result in problems like kidney stones. A reverse osmosis water purifier isn’t for every situation but can be very beneficial to many.

Reverse osmosis water filtration is one of the most effective systems of water treatment available for home use. The result is essentially the equivalent of distilled water. This means you are getting a pure water which is free from chemicals, bacteria, pathogens and minerals. On a basic level, reverse osmosis water filtration is simply the passing of impure water through a filter. Everything larger than the water particle is kept on one side. Since many harmful contaminants are smaller than water particles, reverse osmosis water filtration systems have several stages to ensure purity.

1. The first stage is usually a crude filter for larger particles and sediment in water. This helps preserve the membrane used in reverse osmosis.

2. Afterwards, the water will go to an active carbon filter. This step is often left out in many reverse osmosis water filtration systems because its primary function is to ensure the next filter lasts longer.

3. Next, the water goes through a carbon block filter. These filters are commonly found in most counter filters like pitchers. This is very important for removing chlorine from the water. Reverse osmosis filters cannot remove chlorine because it is smaller than a water particle. Also, chlorine can cause damage to the filtration membrane.

4. The fourth stage is what is commonly considered reverse osmosis. Using pressure, water is forced through a very thin semi-permeable membrane. This is very important for removing pathogens and bacteria. Also, larger minerals which weren’t already removed are filtered out at this point.

5. The final step is another carbon filter which removes odors from the water and gives it a good taste.

Because reverse osmosis water filtration systems are so thorough, this is an ideal water treatment solution for areas with risks of water born diseases or people with low immunities.

Before you can understand how reverse osmosis water filters work, you need to understand the principles of osmosis. While this term is probably familiar to you, most of us don’t quite remember those lectures from our high school science classes. In order to have osmosis, you need to have at least two chambers which are separated by a semi-permeable membrane. This is any substance that allows certain particles through but not others. The walls of our intestines are a great example of a semi-permeable material.

If you have two fluids on each side of the membrane, the fluid which has a lower concentration of impurities will go to the other side so the concentration is equalized. As a result, you are left with less “clean” fluid and a “less dirty” fluid on the other side. Obviously, this does not help us when it comes to cleaning our drinking water. Reverse osmosis changes the process of osmosis by adding pressure to the side with a higher concentration. The fluid passes through the membrane and we are left with more clean fluid.

Reverse osmosis water filters are effective ways to remove bacteria, pathogens and minerals. However, many chemicals are smaller than water so they also may pass through the membrane. That is why good reverse osmosis water filters often work on several different levels with different filter and purifications systems included. These systems are often divided into many different steps and almost always include an additional carbon filter to remove chemicals and chlorine. That is why reverse osmosis water filters usually are several smaller chambers rather than just two. While they may not be the cheapest home water treatment systems, reverse osmosis filters are one of the most effective.

A reverse osmosis water filter system is very similar to other filtration methods. However, this system uses pressure and the osmosis process in order to provide a mineral and pathogen free water. Most of us are familiar with the term osmosis from high school science classes but aren’t quite sure how this system works. Simply put, osmosis means that water with low contamination levels will flow to areas of high contamination in order to balance out pressure. If you have “clean” water on one side of a porous membrane and “dirty” on the other, the clean water will go over to the dirty side.

Obviously, this is not the effect that we want with our drinking water! A reverse osmosis water filter system turns around this process using pressure. These systems have at least two tanks, the first one being where the contaminated water enters. A very fine porous membrane separates the two sides. The fine water particles can pass through the membrane but minerals and bacteria are left on the other side. The result of a functioning reverse osmosis water filter system is water that is equal in purity to distilled water.

The benefits of a reverse osmosis water filter system is that it effectively removes all minerals, bacteria and pathogens better than most common filtration systems. The downside of this is that some chemicals like pesticides may still pass through. The biggest downside of reverse osmosis water filter systems is that chlorine may also pass through and this can cause damage to the filtration membrane. For this reason, an additional filtration system is often used with reverse osmosis. Because reverse osmosis filters produce such a mineral and bacteria-free water, they are ideal for areas where there is a high amount of water-born diseases and for people with sensitive immune systems.

A reverse osmosis water filter works by flushing water through a fine membrane.  Anything that is larger than a water molecule is kept on the other side while smaller particles are passed through.  This doesn’t sound much different that most filtration methods at first.  However, a reverse osmosis water filter will keep up effectiveness throughout a long term basis.  Carbon filters, which are often found in pitchers, lose their effectiveness with each use.  Also, the membrane in reverse osmosis water filters is often much finer than in other filtration systems and produces a water as pure as distilled water. 

When you see a reverse osmosis water filter, it often looks like a very complex system.  Well, it actually is and for a good reason.  Many harmful impurities are smaller than water molecules, meaning that they will pass through the reverse osmosis filter membrane.  Because of this, effective RO systems often include other filters too.  Usually, iron and chlorine are filtered out first because these can harm the main reverse osmosis membrane.  By the time that water makes it through the entire process, it is pure of minerals, chemicals, bacteria, pathogens, and many other contaminants. 

The benefits of a good reverse osmosis water filter are vast.  The body will not be exposed to harmful elements in water, have an easier time with waste elimination, and pure water can even aid in the production of new cells.  However, keep in mind that a high level of water pressure is needed for reverse osmosis and there is a high waste water amount.  Also, the water produced is so pure that you will not be getting any of the healthy, beneficial minerals found naturally in water.