Of the various ways you can filter a home’s drinking water, a reverse osmosis system offers one of the better solutions. In this system, a semipermeable membrane removes ions, molecules, and larger particles from drinking water. Reverse osmosis offers several advantages over different types of filtration since it offers four or five different stages of filtration and removes most harmful contaminants—even heavy metals such as lead. There are very few parts to a reverse osmosis system, making it very easy to clean and maintain. And it is fully approved by the EPA.
When compared to the other point-of-use filtration systems, reverse osmosis tends to be more effective than simpler carbon black (charcoal) filtration systems, and considerably less expensive than ultraviolet disinfectant systems, which are the very best at killing pathogens. Where water supplies are adequately treated with chlorine, a reverse osmosis system can be the best choice–although they are very inefficient, using up to three gallons of water to produce a single filtered gallon, according to Food & Water Watch.
Installing a Reverse Osmosis Filter
While there are reverse osmosis systems that can be installed to treat all the water in the home, it is more typical for an under-counter unit to be installed beneath the kitchen sink where most of the water used for drinking and cooking is provided. The unit includes four or five separate filtration canisters, each of which filters a different group of contaminants, plus a storage tank that holds the purified water. A countertop spigot, separate from the house faucet, delivers the purified water when needed.
Although the physics of how reverse osmosis filtration works are complicated, installation is fairly straightforward, requiring only basic plumbing skills.
Source: The Spruce
