What is Reverse Osmosis? – Your Questions Answered

What is reverse osmosis? If you’ve been reading about water treatment systems, you have probably heard the words reverse osmosis. It is a process of filtering water and can be installed on one sink or throughout your entire home. The process involves moving water through a membrane with pressure and trapping the contaminants on the other side. Keeping the membrane clean is imperative for a reverse osmosis system to treat your supply properly. The best systems have a feature that automatically flushes the membrane.

What contaminants are removed with this method? Reverse osmosis water treatment systems work by moving water through a membrane. The membrane has very small pores, and will trap anything larger than a molecule of water. This makes reverse osmosis effective for treating and removing a wide range of impurities, including bacteria, lead, viruses, chlorine and other chemicals. Contaminants are trapped on the other side of the membrane and rinsed away in the wastewater.

What is wastewater? The biggest problem with reverse osmosis water filters is the amount of wastewater created by the treatment process. Waste water is the component of such a system that carries away the contaminants in your supply. For every gallon thus treated, about five to eight gallons are wasted. This can be a problem for several reasons. If you have a municipal supply, you may have higher bills. The amount of water going into your septic tank will increase substantially, especially with a whole house unit. This puts extra strain on your septic system.

What other filters does reverse osmosis use? Most treatment systems include two filters in addition to the reverse osmosis membrane. The pre filter is a sediment filter, which strains out larger particles from the supply. This is an important step in keeping the membrane clean. Without this, the membrane would become clogged quickly. The after filter is usually carbon. This filter is effective for improving the taste and making it better for drinking and cooking. The water filter cartridges in this system will need to be changed according to the manufacturer’s directions.

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