Some people recommend residential reverse osmosis systems as a water purification method for homeowners. From what I have read, there seem to always be better options than reverse osmosis systems residential units.
You see, this purification method has many disadvantages. Residential reverse osmosis systems are large, expensive, wasteful, unnecessary and ineffective against certain types of contaminants.
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The size may not be important to you, but even the compact version that some companies offer for "under-the-counter" purification requires adequate space for mounting and a drainage pipe for discharging wastewater.
Price is important to most people. If it were the most effective purification method on the market, then reverse osmosis systems residential products would be worth the price, but there are always less expensive options that do as much or more than these products do.
For example, the least expensive under-the-counter system currently retails for around 0. The manufacturer added a granulated carbon step, so it removes chlorine. But, other than that, it only removes lead and cysts.
There are hundreds of cancer causing chemicals in today's surface and groundwater. Reverse osmosis systems residential treatment removes none of them. Lead can be removed through ion exchange. Cysts can be removed with a micron particle filter. Chlorine is, of course removed with granulated carbon.
You can get a kitchen countertop selective filtration device with all of those steps and an adsorptive block to remove those cancer causing chemicals for less than half the price of the least expensive residential reverse osmosis systems. Replacement filters cost twice as much. The cost per gallon is twice as much.
Depending on the unit you choose, you could need to call both a plumber and an electrician for installation. If you don't have a drain available for use, one will have to be installed. Any homeowner can install the kitchen countertop purifier that I mentioned with minimal effort. Why pay for all of this, when you don't have to?
The wastewater created by reverse osmosis systems residential designs is enough to frustrate most homeowners. Water bills go up, so that's another expense. If the system leaks, you've got a real mess on your hands. And, there's still one more disadvantage.
Residential reverse osmosis systems remove any naturally occurring mineral content that is present in your source. All surface and groundwater has some natural mineral content. With selective filtration, you remove all of the health hazards and everything that ruins the taste without destroying the mineral content.
Drinking de-mineralized water is like drinking distilled. It's bad for the digestive system and can cause mineral deficiencies, which would affect the health of your bones, among other things.
Some people recommend reverse osmosis systems residential devices for hard water problems. Ion exchange is a better solution. It balances mineral content, removes lead and other metallic ions and replaces them with the electrolytes sodium and potassium. The taste cannot be beaten.
Taste is something that I forgot to mention about residential reverse osmosis systems. The water tastes stale like distilled. It's just not a good product.
Residential Reverse Osmosis Systems Explained OSMOSIS
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