Build Your Body

Harmful substances in your drinking water may be a serious health and safety concern for you and your family.  If you suspect your water supply is contaminated, there are things you can do to make sure it doesn’t flow from your own faucet.  There are several water filtration systems for the home that can remove most of these impurities in the water you use for drinking and cooking.  Reverse osmosis systems are one of these popular methods for cleaning up the water that comes out of your kitchen faucet.

The central step in the reverse osmosis process lies in what happens inside the membrane, which is the most important part of the RO set up.  Here water is forced through this thin porous film which only allows anything the size of a water molecule to pass through.  Anything else greater than .001 microns are prevented from penetrating this barrier.  Potentially harmful impurities such as bacteria, industrial wastes and pesticides can not go through and are drained away.  What comes out the other end of this membrane is mostly pure water.

Various pre-filters and post filters connect with this membrane.  Pre-filters remove sand, silt, dirt and other sediment.  Carbon pre-filters may be necessary to remove chlorine which may damage membranes that are made of thin film composite TFC or thin film material TFM.  Carbon post filters remove remaining tastes and odors just before the water reaches the faucet.

Many of the reverse osmosis systems available consists of the same basic components and function in the same way.  The critical difference is in the quality of the filters and membrane used.  When making a decision on which system to install in your own home, the quality of these parts should be considered.  A RO system does require some maintenance and eventually replacement of parts, so finding the right one should not be based solely on the initial cost.  If you are a handy person, you can install it yourself.  However, if you don’t consider yourself mechanically inclined, then a plumber familiar with reverse osmosis systems can install it for you at a reasonable hourly or flat fee.