It depends, if you have brackish water laced with salt, then yes, one of the residential reverse osmosis systems is a good solution. But, if you are on a chlorinated water system, with no salt problems, there are simpler and far less expensive systems available. In this article we will look at why one of these systems, selective filtration, might be a better choice for you than reverse osmosis.
You may be reading this article because you have been hearing more and more about the importance of reducing our body's exposure to toxins. Something often referred to as reducing the "body burden."
Toxic contaminants in the water we drinks and bathe in has long been a concern to us all, and we should be concerned, but more and more the guys in the white coats are telling us the air quality in our homes is imposing even greater burdens on our bodies. The worst toxic contaminants in the air come from chlorine byproducts such as chloroform.
"Every home in America has an elevated level of chloroform gas due to the vaporization of chlorine...from the tap and shower water," according to the EPA. (It's true, the shower is the largest producer but the dishwasher and the washing machine aren't far behind).
Since whole house units remove chlorine and other toxins from the water, at the point of entry into your home, they greatly improve both the air quality and the water quality.
The main reason to look at RO and SF systems before you buy is the difference between their initial costs and operating costs, especially in whole house systems.
Since quality residential reverse osmosis systems start around $10,000, compared to a quality residential selective filtration systems at about $800, the $9,200 spread can mean the difference between getting a whole house unit or not.
How do you explain the price differences?
Reverse osmosis and distillation systems were developed years ago to remove salt from brackish water and, at that time, water and electricity were very cheap. But, in today's world this technology has become very expensive.
RO systems use the home's water pressure to force water through a membrane having pores so small only molecules the size of water molecules, or smaller, can pass through, leaving contaminants with larger molecules behind.
Some contaminants will pass through the membrane with ease, including chemicals such as chlorine and chlorine's toxic byproducts. To capture these pollutants, and to protect the membrane, a carbon filter is always included in these systems.
The RO systems are faster than distillation, but the smaller units will only produce a gallon of filter water every two or three house. The larger whole house units are good for about 80 gallons an hour. Either system, large or small, uses pressurized storage tanks for delivering larger quantities of water quickly.
The smaller RO units need the home's water pressure to be at least 40 psi (pounds per square inch) to operate efficiently. Older homes, or well water systems, may require booster pumps. Whole house systems typically come with booster pumps.
A lot of water is wasted, even with adequate pressure in the system, because for every gallon filtered, often 2 to 5 gallons of water cannot be pushed through the membrane. This water is then flushed, along with the filtered contaminants.
While there are systems that do recycle the waste water, it is the cost of the recycling, extra pumps (if needed), electricity, and storage tanks that lead to the higher initial costs, and higher operating costs. Also, the more parts in the system, the more Murphy's Law is likely to influence required maintenance and further increase operating costs.
About 95 percent of us are on a chlorinated water system, and that means a good option to consider is selective filtration.
In these systems, redox (reduction/oxidation), mechanical filtration and activated charcoal are integrated into a multistage filtering process that will quickly process the water at the whole house level.
Redox, which is a chemical exchange process, is a new kind of filter media that was developed to remove dissolved lead and other toxic metals from water. Prior to this simple filtration process, only RO or distillation was capable of taking toxic metals from water.
Over 99 percent of the chlorine, chlorine byproducts and other organic chemicals are removed by the adsorptive power of the activated charcoal. The overall process of selective filtration removes bad tastes, odors and sediment from the water and acts somewhat like a water softener, but there is no unhealthy sodium added to the water.
All of this is done quickly, producing up to seven gallons of filtered water per minute, and install easily, without electricity, booster pumps or storage tanks.
For anyone looking to install a whole house water filter to improve the quality of the air in water in their home, selective filtration systems have a lot to offer. - 15485
You may be reading this article because you have been hearing more and more about the importance of reducing our body's exposure to toxins. Something often referred to as reducing the "body burden."
Toxic contaminants in the water we drinks and bathe in has long been a concern to us all, and we should be concerned, but more and more the guys in the white coats are telling us the air quality in our homes is imposing even greater burdens on our bodies. The worst toxic contaminants in the air come from chlorine byproducts such as chloroform.
"Every home in America has an elevated level of chloroform gas due to the vaporization of chlorine...from the tap and shower water," according to the EPA. (It's true, the shower is the largest producer but the dishwasher and the washing machine aren't far behind).
Since whole house units remove chlorine and other toxins from the water, at the point of entry into your home, they greatly improve both the air quality and the water quality.
The main reason to look at RO and SF systems before you buy is the difference between their initial costs and operating costs, especially in whole house systems.
Since quality residential reverse osmosis systems start around $10,000, compared to a quality residential selective filtration systems at about $800, the $9,200 spread can mean the difference between getting a whole house unit or not.
How do you explain the price differences?
Reverse osmosis and distillation systems were developed years ago to remove salt from brackish water and, at that time, water and electricity were very cheap. But, in today's world this technology has become very expensive.
RO systems use the home's water pressure to force water through a membrane having pores so small only molecules the size of water molecules, or smaller, can pass through, leaving contaminants with larger molecules behind.
Some contaminants will pass through the membrane with ease, including chemicals such as chlorine and chlorine's toxic byproducts. To capture these pollutants, and to protect the membrane, a carbon filter is always included in these systems.
The RO systems are faster than distillation, but the smaller units will only produce a gallon of filter water every two or three house. The larger whole house units are good for about 80 gallons an hour. Either system, large or small, uses pressurized storage tanks for delivering larger quantities of water quickly.
The smaller RO units need the home's water pressure to be at least 40 psi (pounds per square inch) to operate efficiently. Older homes, or well water systems, may require booster pumps. Whole house systems typically come with booster pumps.
A lot of water is wasted, even with adequate pressure in the system, because for every gallon filtered, often 2 to 5 gallons of water cannot be pushed through the membrane. This water is then flushed, along with the filtered contaminants.
While there are systems that do recycle the waste water, it is the cost of the recycling, extra pumps (if needed), electricity, and storage tanks that lead to the higher initial costs, and higher operating costs. Also, the more parts in the system, the more Murphy's Law is likely to influence required maintenance and further increase operating costs.
About 95 percent of us are on a chlorinated water system, and that means a good option to consider is selective filtration.
In these systems, redox (reduction/oxidation), mechanical filtration and activated charcoal are integrated into a multistage filtering process that will quickly process the water at the whole house level.
Redox, which is a chemical exchange process, is a new kind of filter media that was developed to remove dissolved lead and other toxic metals from water. Prior to this simple filtration process, only RO or distillation was capable of taking toxic metals from water.
Over 99 percent of the chlorine, chlorine byproducts and other organic chemicals are removed by the adsorptive power of the activated charcoal. The overall process of selective filtration removes bad tastes, odors and sediment from the water and acts somewhat like a water softener, but there is no unhealthy sodium added to the water.
All of this is done quickly, producing up to seven gallons of filtered water per minute, and install easily, without electricity, booster pumps or storage tanks.
For anyone looking to install a whole house water filter to improve the quality of the air in water in their home, selective filtration systems have a lot to offer. - 15485
About the Author:
David Eastham has done extensive research on such subjects as reverse osmosis to discover the best way to provide good, clean drinking water. Here are his picks as the best dollar for dollar buys, and the best products overall, in water filtration systems
