The reverse osmosis system was originally developed for industrial use in printing and photo processing but because of the need for clean water, systems have been adapted for domestic use. Finding the right reverse osmosis filter system for cleaner water at home is important if you understand that there are more than 2000 toxic chemicals in our drinking water.

Reverse osmosis is a process that makes use of high pressure to force unpurified water through a semi-permeable membrane so that toxic chemicals are removed from the water. The only problem with this system of ‘cleaning’ water is that while toxins are removed, almost all other minerals (even trace minerals) are often also purged from the water, leaving water without any nutritional content.

It is important to understand that the concentration of toxins, water pressure and quality of membrane used to design a filtration system. There are generally two types of membranes used in reverse osmosis – the cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane and the FTC membrane – each with their own functions. While CTA membranes are organic and more cost effective, they tend to attract bacteria growth and sometimes may generate a smaller volume of water with a lower quality.

The other type of membrane is the FTC membrane, which is inorganic and more expensive than its CTA counterpart. A great advantage to this type of reverse osmosis system is that bacteria are not attracted to the FTC membrane. Unfortunately, chlorine in the water can damage the membrane and a carbon pre-filter might be required in addition to the reverse osmosis system with a FTC membrane.

FTC membranes, being inorganic in nature, are not as easily susceptible to the growth of bacteria. While these membranes are more expensive than CTA versions, they can easily be damaged by chlorine in water. A carbon pre-filter might be required as an add-on to the membrane in order to ensure its optimal performance in producing quality purified water.

Systems that don’t require tanks tend to be more compact and take up less space as they don’t require space to store their purified water. Unfortunately, this type of reverse osmosis system is more costly to purchase as well as maintain. In addition, they require a pressure of 40PSI in order to be effective. This might mean that you may have to purchase an additional pressure pump to be fitted to your water system.

When you’re choosing a reverse osmosis system for clean water at home, you should make sure that you have the budget to support and maintain such a water purification system because it can add up to a costly amount when you look at how much it will cost you per gallon of purified water.

Drinking ‘clean’ water, purified by the reverse osmosis filter may not be as healthy as you might expect. This is because the water when ‘cleaned’ is virtually stripped of all mineral compounds – both good and bad. This means that if you are hydrating your body with purified water, you must also take supplements to replace the vital minerals that you should be receiving from normal drinking water.

If you are looking to use your purification system for a long term, choosing a reverse osmosis system for clean water at home will be an important step in your long-term investment. Your initial payout may be costly but if you take the time to choose the right system, you will be able to find a good quality unit without having to pay top dollar.

Tags: a, e, gardening, h, home & family, Home Appliances, home-and-garden, home-improvement, home;accessory, home;improvement, r, reverse osmosis, w, water filter, water filtration, water purification, water treatment

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