With all the fuss surrounding the reverse osmosis filtration systems, most people assume this must be a fancy system that delivers the best water it possibly could. Some immediately want to look into it further, and others perhaps even run out to purchase one. But of the types of filtration systems available, is this really a filtration system the average homeowner should be buying? Let's see how it works and how it rates on the safety scale...
A reverse osmosis filter uses an extremely fine semi-permeable membrane inside the unit, with a drainage hose attached to the unit. The drainage hose is where the contaminated water is disposed off once it is filtered, while the 'pure' water travels through the membrane. High pressure is used to force the water through the membrane, leaving behind any impurities that are larger than a water molecule.
The advantage of the reverse osmosis system is that it will easily filter out most organic contamination, bacteria, and heavy metals...and all without raising your electricity bill, as none is used.
The cons of the system, however, are hair-raising. Not all of the contaminants are smaller than water molecules so the filtration membrane allows a few of the smaller microbes to escape thorough to your drinking tank. Keep in mind that chemicals such as herbicide and pesticide molecules are both smaller than water molecules, so most reverse osmosis filtration systems cannot, and should not work alone.
They must work in tandem with a carbon filter to keep those smaller contaminants out of your water. They are also slow, producing only around a gallon of water per hour, so the unit will also come with a storage tank, allowing it to keep working even when you aren't around to ensure you have an adequate supply.
The disturbing aspect for those that are environmentally conscious is that for every gallon of water you are purifying with a reverse osmosis filtration system, you are using up to four gallons. With water shortages a viable threat when river and lake levels drop, most do not want to waste such a valuable natural resource. It's scary to think that in making your water safe for consumption, you might be doing just that.
And last but not the least; the system's major defect is its inability to differentiate between what is good for your health and what is not. So while the pesticides can pass through into your glass of water, the minerals so essential for your body will be filtered out every time, leaving the water in an acidic form that actually harms the body tissues in the long term more than a bout of diarrhea would! In the end, it is your personal health which may cause you to choose something that does more than just give us fancy words and unsafe water, and rightly so.
