REVERSE OSMOSIS

   / REVERSE OSMOSIS #1  
rScotty

rScotty

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Are there any experts in RO systems out there? I've got some questions and don't have the slightest idea where to go for answers.
rScotty
 
   / REVERSE OSMOSIS #2  
I’m not an expert but I’ve owned a few. RO was basically developed for lab and industrial use, but people started using them for drinking water. The units with pressure pumps work a little better. You may also need a water softener, because they don’t like hard water.
 
   / REVERSE OSMOSIS
  • Thread Starter
#3  
marchanna said:
I’m not an expert but I’ve owned a few. RO was basically developed for lab and industrial use, but people started using them for drinking water. The units with pressure pumps work a little better. You may also need a water softener, because they don’t like hard water.
Click to expand...

Thanks, marchanna.
Oh, I guess I should have specified that what I'm looking for is just for drinking water. We're on a well so I already treat and test our water. The water is moderately hard, but we prefer that to soft water.

Did some of the ROs that you tried not work? For that matter, how would you know if it was working or not? What is it about a pressure pump that makes it work better? - better how?

And do you know anything about the RO filters themselves? Are there different grades of filters? There are half a dozen or more different brands of undersink RO units available, but it looks like they It looks like they all use the same filter.

I'm generally good with technology, but can't seem to find much info on household reverse osmosis. I wonder if it really works at all?
rScotty
 
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My favourite was a Culligan, but it was very expensive - about $900. It had a pump and a pressure tank, so it had good flow and good filtration. A non-pressurized system typically has low flow if it has good filtration or poor filtration if it has good flow. Culligans are definitely overpriced, but a system with a pump and pressure tank is definitely far superior than the ones that just use the normal water pressure in your house.

The actual membranes I don’t know much about, except that they can be multistage and can perform both mechanical and “reactive” filtration to produce pure and sterile water.

My Culligan had an automatic back flush cycle to extend the life of the filters, but in general they needed replacement about once a year to the time of about $80.
 
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Why do you want one? One thing about them, other than they are expensive and produce limited amounts of water, is that the water they make is corrosive.
 
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World Health Organization does recommend against drinking RO water because it can leach nutrients and minerals from your body. But if you have biologicals in your water, it’s much better than that. I don’t have one anymore, but I finally got a precisely spec’d water softener that gives us very soft water without the ‘soft water’ taste.

Completely demineralized water does has the ability to destroy a number of materials. Not technically corrosive because it has a neutral pH, but rather has an incredible ability to solubilize minerals and metals.
 
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rScotty said:
Thanks, marchanna.
Oh, I guess I should have specified that what I'm looking for is just for drinking water. We're on a well so I already treat and test our water. The water is moderately hard, but we prefer that to soft water.

Did some of the ROs that you tried not work? For that matter, how would you know if it was working or not? What is it about a pressure pump that makes it work better? - better how?

And do you know anything about the RO filters themselves? Are there different grades of filters? There are half a dozen or more different brands of undersink RO units available, but it looks like they It looks like they all use the same filter.

I'm generally good with technology, but can't seem to find much info on household reverse osmosis. I wonder if it really works at all?
rScotty
Click to expand...

I’ve never had or installed an RO that didn’t work.

Taste is the best way to test the RO unless you need something specific removed from the water.

Most folks get away with a pressure tank or two. However, if you are in a commercial setting or in need of more than 10-20gals of drinking water a day the the pressure pump can come into play. In that system the water is stored in an unpressurized tank and pumped to the faucet- I’ve only done and seen this in commercial settings- like a coffee shop that needs a lot of water in a short amount of time each morning.

Yes

Yes

True- most are a 3M membrane

It does work, and works well!

As far as brands- I haven’t seen a need to spend extra for a name brand. Depending on your water, you will want 1-3 prefilters. Then the RO membrane and finally the post filter- 3-5 total filters.

For a normal kitchen one 3-5 gallon pressure tank is fine. I also run a line to the refer for ice and cold water.

The RO is a very fine filter that is slow- that is why you need to store the water in a pressure tank. It also kicks out 1-2 gallons of water for every gallon of drinking water it makes.
 
   / REVERSE OSMOSIS #10  
You can check for proper function with a TDS meter (total dissolved solids). R/O water will show considerably fewer dissolved solids than untreated water.

Go to several R/O manufacturing sites and read up on the systems. Prices have really come down in the last 10 years or so. We use it for drinking and cooking.
 
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