Out with the bad and in with the good!
Reverse osmosis (RO) systems protect your health and home from bad water.
The great ones also add electrolytes and balance pH.
Let’s take a closer look at why reverse osmosis is the Cadillac of water filtration systems...
Reverse Osmosis (RO) water filtration systems offer arguably the most effective filtration available in your home.
RO systems have multiple stages that remove hundreds of toxins and contaminants found in your water, including nuclear waste, arsenic, chlorine and even lead.
The filtration process leaves you with crystal clean water.
The best RO systems have a 'remineralization' stage that adds essential minerals, and raises the water's pH making it alkaline.
Reverse osmosis uses concentrated pressure to force water through a semipermeable membrane.
This membrane has teeny-tiny pores, so tiny that even micro-sized water contaminants like heavy metals and pesticides can’t pass through.
When it’s all said and done, you’re left with nothing but clean water on one side and pollutants on the other.
The clean water travels to a storage tank and the filthy water exits out the waste drain.
But RO systems use more than just reverse osmosis…
The stages of filtration include:
What can reverse osmosis do for you and your home?
As it turns out, there are at least ten big benefits:
Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of RO systems in action...
The first step of an RO system is a sediment filter to remove the big stuff like rust, dirt and other solid particles.
This step alone makes a huge difference because it clears up the cloudiness and discoloration.
At the same time, the sediment filter extends the lifespan of the system by protecting it from damaging debris.
After the sediment filter, the carbon filter kicks some serious chlorine booty.
Municipal treatment centers love adding chlorine and other chemical disinfectants to their water. These chemicals were found in the water supplies serving over 250 Million households.
Sure, it prevents disease outbreaks and destroys harmful bacteria, but it also damages your body’s cells.
Thanks, but no thanks!
Plus, chlorine leaves behind a bitter taste, unpleasant smell, and can irritate the skin.
The public water system is a minefield of dangerous pollutants like arsenic, pesticides, lead and nuclear waste.
These compounds have no place in your family’s drinking water, yet they’re flowing through taps across the country.
Texas is one of the worst states for nuclear waste---roughly 80% of their water supply is contaminated with radon, uranium and other nuclear particles!
Ion exchange resins are the third phase of most RO systems, and they help to remove polyfluorinated substances (PFAs), heavy metals and hard minerals.
The RO filter, however, does the real heavy lifting.
After the ion exchange stage, the RO membrane removes:
It also nabs any chlorine and PFAs that may have snuck by the carbon filter.
Not all RO systems are a slam dunk, but the ones that are go the extra mile and remineralize your water.
Although excess calcium and magnesium are bad for pipes, a certain amount is essential to human health.
In fact, every cell in the body depends on minerals to produce energy and expel waste.
You need them to grow, think, feel and function.
Drinking water that’s low in magnesium and calcium has been shown to increase the risk of premature birth, heart disease and bone fractures.
Some RO systems skip remineralization, but Cloud Filters add the perfect amount of calcium and magnesium to fuel your cells.
The remineralization process also alkalizes the water and balances pH.
For more information, please visit Hydron.
Although more research is needed, early studies suggest that alkaline water (pH 8.5-9) may reduce the risk of high blood pressure, acid reflux and diabetes.
As a frame of reference, pure water without any minerals or chemicals has a pH of 7.
However, the disinfection process used in treatment plants pushes it towards the acidic end (below pH 7).
Thankfully, remineralization leaves your water perfectly alkaline.
By the time water exits an RO system, it tastes mmmm, mmmm good!
The sediment filter removes discoloration, the carbon filter removes stanky chlorine, the ion exchange resins soften the water, and the RO membrane removes nuclear waste.
When it’s all said and done, all that’s left is nutritious, drink-a-licious agua.
Bottoms up!
Compared to bottled water, reverse osmosis water straight from the tap is a lot more environmentally-friendly.
The bottom line is, bottled water is bad for you and the environment.
Although most bottled water is purified through reverse osmosis, it’s packaged in plastic that leaches bisphenol-a (BPAs).
BPAs disrupt hormone production and don’t have any business being in your body.
Plus, when plastic bottles break down they leave behind microplastics that can never be removed from waterways and oceans.
In-home reverse osmosis systems lighten the load on treatment plants.
Ultimately, this helps speed up the municipal recycling process.
Reverse osmosis systems have come a long way over the years.
Now they fit right under the kitchen sink and are easy to maintain.
Cloud Water Filters use an app that allows you to monitor your water quality in real time.
When it’s time to replace a membrane, a new one is automatically sent right to your door.
Studies show that polluted drinking water can unleash hell on your child’s developing brain, not to mention wreak havoc on your home.
Fortunately, there’s a simple solution.
A point-of-use reverse osmosis (RO) system is a water filtration device that is connected to a single fixture (e.g., under the kitchen sink) and uses the process of RO to remove contaminants from the water supplied to that fixture. RO is the process by which pressure forces water through a semi-permeable membrane, creating a stream of treated water, called “permeate,” and a stream of reject water called “concentrate” or “brine.” These systems can potentially remove water contaminants such as lead, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), PFAS, arsenic, bacteria, and viruses. Point-of-use RO systems are typically installed in residential settings but can also be found in commercial office spaces or kitchens.
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Treat With Efficiency
While RO systems can improve water quality, these systems can also generate a significant amount of water waste to operate. For example, a typical point-of-use RO system will generate five gallons or more of reject water for every gallon of treated water produced. Some inefficient units will generate up to 10 gallons of reject water for every gallon of treated water produced. In contrast, point-of-use RO systems that earn the WaterSense label must demonstrate that they send just 2.3 gallons of water or less down the drain for every gallon of treated water they produce.
All products bearing the WaterSense label are independently certified to ensure they meet EPA criteria for efficiency and performance. The WaterSense specification for point-of-use RO systems ensures that labeled RO systems are just as effective at providing the high-quality treated water consumers expect from these products. For more information on RO systems, including how they work and how to select an RO system that is right for you, view this WaterSense report, Treating Water With Less Waste (pdf) .
While the water provided by public water suppliers in the United States is some of the safest in the world, there are times when consumers may want to employ additional treatment technology to ensure safety of well water or publicly-supplied water. Due to the water-intensive nature of RO, WaterSense does not intend to promote the installation of RO systems for all applications or encourage their use over other water treatment technologies that do not waste as much water (e.g., filtration systems). In some cases, other treatment methods that use little or no water, such as filtration, are sufficient to meet consumer treatment needs. For more information, read the WaterSense Guide to Selecting Water Treatment Systems (pdf).
WaterSense Savings
For consumers who are planning to replace their reverse osmosis system at the point of water use, selecting a WaterSense labeled model will reduce water use on average by more than 3,100 gallons of water per year compared to the water usage of a typical point-of-use RO system. This translates to a savings of 47,000 gallons over the lifetime of the system.
If all point-of-use RO systems sold in the United States were WaterSense labeled, we could save more than 3.1 billion gallons of water across the country annually, which is equivalent to the annual household water needs of nearly 41,000 American homes.
Read the Point-of-Use Reverse Osmosis Systems fact sheet (pdf) for more information.
Performance
As part of the WaterSense specification development process, EPA examined key performance metrics to ensure consumer satisfaction. EPA also considered the impact of reducing water waste on RO system performance.
All WaterSense labeled point-of-use RO systems are independently certified to meet performance criteria to ensure user satisfaction and health and safety. Performance criteria address the following areas:
See the Performance Overview for more information on how WaterSense assessed performance when developing the specification.
Specification
In November , EPA released the WaterSense Specification for Point-of-Use Reverse Osmosis Systems.
EPA hosted a meeting for manufacturers to discuss the final specification and process for earning the WaterSense label for RO systems on December 17, . The presentation and recording are available below.
For more information about the specification development process for point-of-use RO systems, including the draft specification, public response to the draft specification, and EPA’s response to public comments, please visit the Specification for Point-of-Use Reverse Osmosis Systems Background Materials Page.
For more information, please visit Reverse Osmosis Membrane.