Years ago, if you knew someone who was dealing with sever water problems, like brackish water, the presence of excessive iron, or the terrible smell of sulfur in their drinking water, you knew how they wanted "something" to deal with it, believe me. And, years ago, they found a good solution in reverse osmosis water units. But, today, if you have stinky water, are on a municipal water system, or a chlorinated well; I've got good news for you. There are far less expensive selective filtration (SF) systems you can get that will do a better job and produce healthier water than reverse osmosis systems. In this article we will look at each system and how they work, and you can decide what's best for you today.
Reverse osmosis (RO) systems work by pushing water against a semi-permeable membrane with pores so small that only objects the size of a water molecule, or smaller, will pass through. As a matter of fact, the pores are so small they will even reject a large part of the water itself along with minerals and most contaminants. In most RO systems, the rejected water is simply wasted. Typically, this amounts to about two or three wasted gallons for every gallon filtered.
The fact that minerals are screened out is why they were so popular with people who were dealing with the things I mentioned above, like iron and sulfur. It is also the reason I implied above that the SF systems will produce healthier water.
Removing ALL the minerals is not a good thing. The body needs some trace minerals like calcium for strong bones and teeth and potassium for regulating the heart. The water become slightly acidic when all the minerals are removed and the acidic water will leach out some of the body's calcium to make calcium carbonate to return to a neutral pH.
Also, health experts also tell us that cancer cells seem to grow only in a slightly acidic environment and, for that reason, they feels there is a long-term health risk associated with drinking demineralized water.
When it comes to synthetic organic chemicals (SOCs), they usually have a smaller molecular structure than water, and will pass right through the membrane. These are compounds like herbicides, pesticides, etc. In order to get the dirty SOCs out of the water, RO systems must be used in combination with a carbon filter.
RO systems requires adequate water pressure to force the water against the membrane and, for some, this may call for the addition of an inline booster pump.
Another requirement of these systems is a storage tank, with a diaphragm to maintain pressure, because most RO systems produce less that one gallon of filtered water per hour. At that rate, without a storage tank, you simply wouldn't have enough clean water for bathing or doing laundry or much of anything else.
All in all, they are bulky units what with the filter, a storage tank, and, maybe, an extra pump. All of this often means more expense, usually requires a plumber and leads to extra maintenance cost somewhere down the line.
For most of us, using an RO system is like using a backhoe to get a little crabgrass out of your yard. Sure, it'll get the job done, but the ensuing pain won't be worth it.
The alternative system, selective filtration, is an excellent choice for any of these problems. It is what I use and I highly recommend it. You can check it out on my website below.
These systems are simple to use but state of the art in technology. As the water passes through them they filter it in stages, first with granulated carbon, then a carbon and multi-media block containing a sub-micron filter along with an ion exchange process.
You simply connect the incoming water line to one end of the filter and the outgoing water line to other end and you're done. No booster pumps, no tanks with diaphragms, no mineral supplements and, if you did it right, no maintenance issues.
It just does its thing, producing good healthy water complete with all the good, healthy minerals that originally came in with the water.
A SF system for your tap will run about 5. The RO system will start around 0.
Whole house SF systems cost under a ,000. The RO systems are put together in stages and will run upwards of ,000.
The bottom line is: chlorine kills. If you in any way doubt that, read my article: "Tap Water Facts-Chlorine in Drinking Water Makes Chickens Cry "Foul"" and, please, don't drink or bathe in chlorinated water on a long term basis.
