Reverse Osmosis Filter

If you're shopping for a filtration system for your home, you will likely come across a reverse osmosis water filter. Although it can remove some contaminants from your water, many others get left behind, so it is the best choice when it comes to filtering your home's water. There are much better options available.

An RO system employs technology that is more than 40 years old, and it has not kept up with the new knowledge on filtered water or the prevalence of more synthetic chemicals in our water, which are more difficult to remove. They also waste 2-3 gallons of water for every gallon they produce, and as such are costly to operate.

Reverse osmosis water filters work by passing water under pressure across a semi-permeable membrane with very fine pores that are designed to let only the purified water pass through as the contaminants are trapped in the membrane. In addition to harmful contaminants, though, a reverse osmosis water filter removes trace minerals, which are vital to human health.

These minerals that are naturally-occurring in all water are also removed in the process of distillation. Studies have shown that people who drink distilled water for prolonged periods of time develop mineral deficiencies that can lead to more serious health problems. So, it's not most important that a water filter removes everything from the water, but that only the unwanted chemicals are removed.

Some of the most harmful chemicals potentially present in your water are synthetic chemicals, such as those contained in pesticides and herbicides. Storm water runoff, chemical spills, and inappropriate disposal of these dangerous toxins can send them into the water we use to drink and bathe. Most of these synthetic chemicals have a smaller molecular structure than the pores of a reverse osmosis water filter. This means that while the filter is removing larger chemical and biological contaminants from the water, along with those beneficial trace minerals, it is letting harmful synthetic chemicals pass through.

Reverse osmosis is not the most efficient way to filter water, either. An RO system installed on a kitchen faucet, for example, is capable of filtering about a gallon of water per hour. Since more than a gallon of water is often needed at one time at the kitchen sink, a holding tank for filtered water is necessary.

And in addition to holding back the contaminants they filter, reverse osmosis water filters hold back quite a bit of water, typically wasting twice as much water as they produce during the filtration process. They require a great deal of water pressure to operate well and is often in need of maintenance.

A better alternative to the once effective, but now outdated reverse osmosis water filter is one that uses activated carbon, hailed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to best remove contaminants, including synthetic chemicals, from water. Systems for filtering water that use activated carbon filters as part of a multi-step system of both chemical absorption and filtration will provide you with the peace of mind that you are drinking and bathing in contaminant-free water.

Before purchasing a filtration product using reverse osmosis or any other technology, compare products' Performance Data Sheets to be clear on which filters can remove what contaminants from your water. If you're considering purchasing a reverse osmosis water filter, compare it first with products offering more updated and efficient filtration technology.