Do you suspect your water source is contaminated? Anything practical and economical that you can do to protect the health and safety of your family from harmful substances in your drinking water should be a high priority. A reverse osmosis system may be the solution to your drinking and cooking water quality problems.
The central step in the reverse osmosis process lies in what happens inside the membrane, which is the most important part of the RO set up. Here water is forced through this thin porous film which only allows anything the size of a water molecule to pass through. Anything else greater than .001 microns are prevented from penetrating this barrier. Potentially harmful impurities such as bacteria, industrial wastes and pesticides can not go through and are drained away. What comes out the other end of this membrane is mostly pure water.
The membrane isn’t the only critical component of the reverse osmosis system. In addition, there is usually a pre-filter and a post filter that come before and after the membrane in the RO set up respectively. The pre-filter blocks sediment such as sand, silt and dirt in the water from entering through. There may be another pre-filter that uses carbon to remove chlorine which may have a negative effect on some types of membranes. Then after the membrane there is usually a carbon post filter that eliminates any remaining odor or tastes in the purified water.
Many of the reverse osmosis systems available consists of the same basic components and function in the same way. The critical difference is in the quality of the filters and membrane used. When making a decision on which system to install in your own home, the quality of these parts should be considered. A RO system does require some maintenance and eventually replacement of parts, so finding the right one should not be based solely on the initial cost. If you are a handy person, you can install it yourself. However, if you don’t consider yourself mechanically inclined, then a plumber familiar with reverse osmosis systems can install it for you at a reasonable hourly or flat fee.