You never quite know what’s lurking in your water. Ever since the crisis discovered in Flint, Michigan, however, more and more people have been questioning what’s in their water. In the case of Flint, lead was discovered in troubling amounts in their water. A reverse osmosis water filter can help you keep lead and other pollutants out of your water. What is a reverse osmosis filter and which is the best for you? This article will shed some light.
Why You Need a Reverse Osmosis System
In the world of purified water, you typically have quite a few choices. There are RO filtering, activated carbon filtering, and even just simple membrane diffusion filters. What makes RO any better? One aspect to consider is the popular use of an RO water filter in both the residential and military sector. Neither of these sectors would be using this type of filter if it didn’t work.
The filtration system works through the process known as osmosis. It takes the water and runs it across a membrane. This membrane is nonporous or has a membrane with 0.001-micrometer pores. By relying on some pressure, the water is slowly diffused over the membrane. This membrane catches all of the pollutants and only allows the water to pass through the membrane and into the storage tank for drinking water.
Where RO Filters Are Used
In particular, RO water filters have been used to help remove the salt from saltwater sources. Considering the water demand for dry states and country, this is a powerful tool for ensuring that those people receive water. However, it doesn’t just need to be used for saltwater. In fact, it’s most commonly used in residential homes for purifying fresh water.
Interestingly enough, an RO water filter is the go-to choice for those in the food industry. Dairy farmers, for instance, use it to produce whey protein powders. It’s also popularly used in the production of many wines.
Why Reverse Osmosis Filters are Effective
A reason why RO water filters are so effective is that they contain a network of membranes. These are either in the spiral-wound formation or a hollow-fiber formation. With the extensive network, any pollutants or bacteria that are not caught with the initial membrane can be caught by one of the following membranes. Clearly, some form of pressure is required or else the water wouldn’t make it through the membrane network.
One of the major benefits and features of the RO water filter design is that it’s only one-way. All water moves down a spiral-wound design. As a result, the water is unable to backtrack. If it were able to do so, it risks contaminating the filter as a whole. This spiral-wound design that promotes one-way flow further improves the purification process. Not all other purification designs prevent this backtracking from occurring. As such, the drinking water inside the storage tank may be contaminated.
Don’t Forget to Add Minerals Back to RO Filtered Water
Reverse osmosis can strip out minerals that are critical for your body to function. Many RO water filters have special cartridges to add the minerals removed by the RO process. Read the full guide on how to add minerals back to your RO filtered drinking water to learn more.
