Is Reverse Osmosis the Cleanest Water?
In this age of modern civilization, it is very hard to find safe water to use and drink. But thanks to the advancement of science, the reverse osmosis system is a very effective and reliable system of getting safe water for drinking and everyday use.
However, you may still wonder if the reverse osmosis system can provide you with the cleanest water or if it is the right choice for you. We can help you acknowledge all your concerns.
Now, the main question is, is reverse osmosis the cleanest water? We can say yes to this query. The RO system has a fluency of removing harmful particles from the water of like 99%. It surely can provide you with the cleanest water. But there are some particles that are smaller than the water molecules which the RO system can not remove.
There is more to learn regarding the reverse osmosis system. Let’s scroll through the following article to know more about it.
What is Reverse Osmosis and How Does It Work?
The reverse osmosis system is a water purification system that uses a synthetic lining called a semipermeable membrane to eliminate harmful molecules from water that are invisible to our naked eye.
The system works in the completely opposite way of the osmosis system. The natural osmosis system works in a way where the substance goes from the higher concentration to the lower concentration through the semipermeable membrane. But in reverse osmosis, the substance moves from the lower concentration to a higher concentration through the semipermeable membrane.
In the reverse osmosis purification system, the contaminated low concentrated water is pushed through the semipermeable membrane with an external force to get deionized high concentrated pure drinking water. The system uses four different filters to ensure delivering the safest water out there. The water goes through the sediment filter, carbon filter, semipermeable membrane, and carbon post filter.
After passing all four filter barriers, the RO system provides you the water that is clean and safe to drink. This is one of the best water purification systems out there.
Is Reverse Osmosis the Cleanest Water?
We have already mentioned that the reverse osmosis system contains four different filters which ensure the safest drinking water. The filters help to eliminate all the harmful substances that can cause us health problems. The reverse osmosis filtration system has a higher rate of substance elimination. It can remove hundreds of substances from the water with a 99% of substance elimination fluency rate.
So, we can say that a reverse osmosis system can supply the cleanest water out there. But this much purifying is not always helpful for us. Sometimes it removes useful minerals from the water that is necessary for our body.
In urban areas, water is already purified with a chlorination process to ensure a safe water supply. If you are living in such an area, you don’t need a reverse osmosis system in your house as your water is already being purified by the municipality.
But if you are still skeptical about the quality of the water, you can use a different water purification system. Because purifying the already purified water in the reverse osmosis system, may take away all the necessary minerals that are needed for your body.
Does the Reverse Osmosis System Remove Bacteria?
Yes. We have already established that the reverse osmosis system has a fluency of eliminating substances of like 99%. So, the reverse osmosis system can surely remove bacteria from our drinking water.
The municipal water contains chlorine and fluoride because of the purification process. Chlorine is used for purification and fluoride is added to stop tooth decay, especially in children.
The fluoride in water has larger molecules than the water molecules. So, in the purification process of the reverse osmosis system, fluoride gets removed too. And this is not a good side of the purification system.
What Doesn’t the Reverse Osmosis System Remove?
Even though the reverse osmosis system can remove 99% of the substances found in the water, it can not remove the molecules smaller than the water molecules. And for that reason, many harmful substances pass through the filtration system.
Harmful substances like pesticides, herbicides, some agricultural treatment products like fungicides, dissolved gasses such as hydrogen sulfide, chlorine, etc. have smaller molecules than the water. These substances easily pass through the semipermeable membrane and get mixed up with our drinking water.
So, if your supply of water contains these substances, then you should try a different filtration system for purifying your water. The reverse osmosis system does remove chlorine from the water but sometimes it can not capture all the molecules. So, there is always some chance that your purified water may contain some chlorine in it.
If you are allergic to chlorine or any of your family members are, then go for a different water purification system in your house.
Comparison Between Water Filters and The Reverse Osmosis System
You might be in a chicken and egg situation here deciding if you should use a normal water filtration system or the reverse osmosis system. We can help you ease your confusion.
Here is a chart on both the filtration system so that you can decide which one of these you should go for.
| Characteristics | Water Filters | Reverse Osmosis System |
| Filtration Process | Uses activated carbon filters. | Uses synthetic lining called a semi-permeable membrane |
| Used Filters | Activated carbon | Sediment pre-filter, carbon pre-filter, the semi-permeable membrane, carbon post filter. |
| Removable Particles | Volatile Organic Compounds and other chemical products, herbicides, pesticides, organic contaminants, chlorine, etc. | Salts, nitrates, copper, leads, fluoride, protozoa, viruses, bacteria, arsenic, etc. |
| Odor Removal | Can remove odor | Can remove odor |
A water filter uses an activated carbon filter in order to purify the water. Whereas the reverse osmosis system uses three filters and a semipermeable membrane to purify the water. The water runs through the carbon filter of the water filters which leads to clogging the filter over the use. But the reverse osmosis system purifies the water by running it over the surface of the semipermeable membrane.
So, you need to change the filters more often than the semipermeable membrane. Water filters can remove Volatile Organic Compounds and other chemicals like fuel oils, PCBs, dioxins, radon, radioactive materials, herbicides, pesticides, disinfectants like chlorine, etc.
On the other hand, the reverse osmosis system can remove salts, nitrates, heavy metals such as coppers, leads, fluoride, protozoa, bacteria, arsenic, and viruses like Hepatitis A, Rotavirus, etc. If your area has a supply of relatively cleaner water, then a normal water filter will be enough for pure drinking water.
But if your area water contains a high number of chemicals, arsenic, and other harmful ingredients then you should go for a reverse osmosis system. A reverse osmosis system can cost you a fortune, but you can get a water filter within your spending range. Both reverse osmosis systems and water filters can remove the unwanted odor from your drinking water.
How Much Does a Whole House Reverse Osmosis System Cost?
Installing a whole house reverse osmosis system can put a hole in your wallet as it is a very expensive water purification system. It can cost you 1500 dollars to 2800 dollars depending on the water supply of your entire house. The reverse osmosis system comes in two different types.
One is the Point of Use (POU) system which is installed in the faucets of the house like the kitchen sink, bathroom, refrigerator, etc. Another one is the Point of Entry (POE) system which is installed in the main point of the house water supply.
Most of the houses use a POE system as it ensures the safest water supply for the homes with water softeners, hard water supply, water supply with high chlorine, etc. It can cost you 500 dollars to 2800 dollars depending on the water supply needed for your entire house.
But if you can’t afford to spend that much money on a pure water supply, you can install the POU system at your kitchen sink. It will be much more affordable than the POE system and you can get the safest water supply in your house.
And if it is still expensive for you, you can go for a normal water purifier for your house. It will be much more affordable for you and you will get pure water for drinking.
Upsides and Downsides of Reverse Osmosis System
No matter how many good sides the reverse osmosis system has, it also has some downsides of using it. And you should be aware of all these matters before spending your hard-earned money on such an expensive water purification system.
Let’s see some of the upsides and downsides of using the reverse osmosis system.
Upsides of the Reverse Osmosis System:
- The RO system has a multi-stage water purification system that ensures you the cleanest water.
- The semipermeable membrane used in the reverse osmosis system helps eliminate Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and other chemicals in your water.
- The carbon filters of the RO system can remove chlorine and fluoride from municipal water.
- The RO system doesn’t need an extra power outlet to run the system. The RO system uses the water pressure of your home to run the water through the semipermeable membrane.
- As the RO system costs a lot during the installation process, you may think it’s unnecessarily expensive. But the reverse osmosis system can save your hard-earned money in the long run. You can install an RO system in your house in less than the cost of ten gallons of water.
- The RO system removes the components from water that cause a foul odor.
- As the RO system provides you with the purest water, you can get clearer ice with that water.
Downsides of the Reverse Osmosis System:
- If the water supply of your area contains more sediments and debris, then you will need to change the filters more often and it will cost you more money.
- Installing and maintaining the RO system can be very costly for many people.
- As the RO system has multiple water filters, it takes time to fill the tank properly.
- The RO system removes useful minerals from water sometimes. In that case, using too pure water might pull off necessary minerals and vitamins from your body which can be harmful to you.
Final Words
Hope this article helped you know if reverse osmosis provides you with the cleanest water. Now you will be able to decide if reverse osmosis is the right choice for you or not.
Whatever you decide, make sure you make a safe choice for yourself and your family. And try not to waste water because, at this age, it’s hard to find safe water to use. We should be very forward about using water.
