Reverse osmosis is the reverse process of osmosis. It turns a stronger saline solution to a weaker saline solution. It is a filtration technology that uses a semi-permeable membrane to remove water contaminants. It requires high pressure to desalinate the water, i.e., removing ions and excess minerals. It purifies the water to a large extent and improves its quality.
Reverse osmosis does a lot for people who are looking forward to drinking and use better quality water. It has proved to be a great cross filtration system for the removal of about 99% of contaminants from water. It is highly effective in treating different types of water – surface water, groundwater, or brackish water.
Here’s what reverse osmosis does for you:
- It removes contaminants
Almost all the contaminants come in the form of molecules. Reverse osmosis is designed for the elimination of molecular contaminants. These include:
- Dissolved salts or ions
- Organic molecules
- Particles
- Colloids
- Pyrogens
- Some bacteria
Yes, some bacteria! It is important to know that reverse osmosis does not remove all the bacteria and viruses for you. It only removes contaminants for you. If you are looking for a filtration system to remove bacteria and viruses, reverse osmosis is not very efficient.
However, reverse osmosis does a great deal in removing 99% of contaminants that come as molecules. This includes all those heavy metals such as lead and arsenic. This means all those harmful contaminants are gone.
As it removes molecular contaminants, monovalent ions (such as sodium) and gases with low molecular weight (such as CO2) make their way into permeate water. This results in a little lower pH of water than average.
- It makes water taste better
Reverse osmosis makes your water taste better. It removes all the sediments and particles that result in poor taste and bad odors. Improving the taste of water also improves its color and odor. Overall, it makes water fresher and purer.
Also, it adds to your satisfaction. You can rest assured that your health is in safe hands.
- It saves your voltage
Reverse osmosis systems do not require high energy. It operates on very low energy and so does not use up a lot of voltage. It saves your electricity, and thus, utility charges are really low. If you have not been installing a filtration system due to the high amount of energy they use, reverse osmosis is the best option for you.
- It does not require high maintenance
Another ease that reverse osmosis creates for you is less frequent maintenance. This means you do not spend a lot of time and effort on your reverse osmosis system. These require maintenance every six months. This makes them quite convenient to use. All you need to take care of the reverse osmosis system is its filter.
Another good thing is that you do not need professional assistance for filter replacement. You can easily do it on your own. This makes reverse osmosis very cost-effective.
- It filters water through multiple levels
Reverse osmosis features multiple levels of filtration. This ensures you do not have to install different filtration systems to purify your water. Excepting removing viruses, reverse osmosis removes all the harmful contaminants.
A reverse osmosis system can have up to seven stages. However, you can choose and design a custom reverse osmosis filtration system for yourself. The number of stages you choose depends on the quality of water in your area.
The first stage uses a sediment filter and removes all the dirt, debris, and sediments such as sand and gravel. The second and third stages use carbon block to remove all the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and contaminants that result in poor taste and odor such as chlorine. The fourth stage uses a semi-permeable or TFC membrane to eliminate 98-99% of contaminants and totally dissolved solids.
Next, the fifth stage uses an alkaline water filter to remove excess minerals and maintain the pH of water. The sixth stage uses postfilter carbon to improve further quality of water before it runs through your faucet.
As choosing stages depend on you, each system can have a different number of stages or filtration tools. A lot of people are installing UV filters in their reverse osmosis systems to make it an all-in-one filtration system. A UV filter is known for killing bacteria and viruses in the water.
- It saves your money
Getting a reverse osmosis filter installed turns out to be very cost-effective in the long run. This way, you will not need to spend a lot of money on buying mineral water. If your water usage is increasing every day, you need to find a cost-effective solution. There’s nothing better than reverse osmosis.
It saves tons of money and adds a lot to your health. Also, it is more environmentally friendly.
- It improves water quality
Reverse osmosis improves the quality of water to a great extent. As per scientific research, reverse osmosis water has the best taste. It is highly preferred over tap water, which includes contaminants and heavy metals like sulfur, nitrates, lead, arsenic, and chlorine. As the taste and odor of water are improved, the overall quality of the water improves as well.
- It keeps you healthy
Reverse osmosis acts like a savior. It keeps you away from doctors and medical bills. By maintaining your health, it keeps you protected from a lot of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea. Also, it reduces the risk of carcinogens entering your body.
As reverse osmosis delivers demineralized, deionized, and parasite-free water, you can save yourself and your family from many deadly diseases.
Final thoughts
Reverse osmosis does a lot for you. The fact that reverse osmosis cannot remove bacteria and viruses is now overpowered by the addition of UV filter to reverse osmosis. This makes reverse osmosis an encompassing filtration system. Given numerous benefits, you need to give reverse osmosis filtration a serious thought.
It is affordable, requires a small space, and needs low maintenance. All in all, there’s nothing you need to worry about.
