How Does Reverse Osmosis Work?

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.

A key component of a RO (reverse osmosis) system is the membrane.  This is where the hard job of preventing various poisonous substances from being sent out of the kitchen sink faucet takes place.  Any potentially harmful impurities such as bacteria, pesticides, chlorine, industrial wastes, asbestos or cadmium, is blocked by this barrier which only allows water molecules to pass through.  Contaminants are washed out into the drain.  The output of this process is almost 100% pure water.

Pre-filters and post filters are also part of the reverse osmosis system.  Pre-filters are placed before the membrane.  They prevent the heavier or larger impurities such as sand, silt and dirt from passing through.  In some systems, an additional carbon pre-filter is also set up before the membrane if the membrane is constructed out of TFC (thin film composite) or TFM (thin film material).  This additional pre-filter removes chlorine which may harm the effectiveness of membranes using these types of film.  A post filter place after the membrane removes any remaining odor or tastes from the purified water.

Reverse osmosis systems operate in the same way and look very much alike.  They also use the same basic components.  The only difference in RO systems is in the quality of the filters and membranes they use.  When shopping for a reverse osmosis system and having it installed, home owners should first find adequate solutions for their water quality problem before making a serious commitment.  RO systems must be maintained to insure water quality.  That means parts and filters will need to be replaced on a regular basis.  You must be aware of these ongoing costs and be ready to keep the system operating smoothly.