How Reverse Osmosis Water Filters Keep Your Water Clean

by: TrentBarrett
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Reverse osmosis water filters function by passing water through a membrane-type filter that leaves impurities on the other side. Clean water is deposited in a reservoir, to be pumped up to a separate drinking water faucet, and the contaminants on the other side are flushed out of the system later. This type of water filter is among the best ways to clean your water, and it will remove most contaminants: most bacteria and viruses, pesticides and other VOCs, hydrogen sulfide, nitrates, sediments, arsenic, chlorine, fluoride, heavy metals like lead and mercury, iron, and even bad tastes.

The reverse osmosis water filter is also referred to as a hyperfiltration system. That's because it is so very effective at removing contaminants from your water supply. It works by moving your water through a series of reservoirs, in which the clean water moves to the clean side of the filter, leaving behind the contaminants. The filter does not work through pressure; instead, water must move passively. This means that the filtration process is slower than you might find in other water filtration systems. A reverse osmosis water filtration system will require a large tank to be installed under your counter which will provide a drinking water reservoir. In most systems, you can expect to produce around fifteen gallons a day of bottled-quality water. If you're a bottled water fan, this will save you much more than the reverse osmosis filter will cost you.

Reverse osmosis water filters come with one of two types of membranes: thin film composite (TFC) and cellulose triacetate (CTA). The TFC membranes are best at removing contaminants, but they are also susceptible to damage from chlorine in a municipal water supply. If you have chlorine in your water, you can preserve your TFC membrane better by installing an activated carbon pre-filter upstream of your osmosis system; many osmosis filters include a carbon pre-filter as part of the system, in which case you need to be very careful about changing that filter out. A CTA membrane isn't quite as effective as the TFC, but it is also less vulnerable to damage by contaminants.

For water that is contaminated with bacteria or other biological organisms, you may also need an ultraviolet filter. While an osmotic filter works quite well on biological organisms, it does not catch all of them; while one particle of mercury in your cleansed water will not kill you, a single bacterium in your clean water reservoir can multiply and eventually contaminate your entire osmotic water filtration system. To prevent this problem, add a UV water purifier to the downstream side of your filtration system. UV light is used to kill everything living in your water, which prevents your water from further contamination. This three-filter system - activated carbon, reverse osmosis, and UV purifier - will provide you and your family with the cleanest possible water supply.

The only other thing you may need to be concerned about with a reverse osmosis water filtration system is the amount of water it takes to create those fifteen gallons a day - up to ten gallons for each gallon of clean water created. If you live in an area where water needs to be conserved, you may need to ensure that rejected water goes into your gray water reservoir, where it can be used to feed your flowers.

About the Author

Trent Barrett is a consultant who writes for Best-Home-water-Purifiers.com. You can visit their homepage to learn more about Home water Purifiers.  

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