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."
For a long time now the quality of the water we drink and bathe in has been a concern, but today scientists are telling us a greater concern is the body burden being imposed by the poor air quality in our homes. Chloroform, one of the toxic byproducts of chlorine in our water, is one of the worst offenders.
The EPA said, "Every home in America has an elevated level of chloroform gas (in the air) due to the vaporization of chlorine from tap and shower water." (Also, while the shower produces the most chloroform in the air, the dishwasher and the washing machine aren't far behind).
By removing the chemical toxins at the point of entry into our homes, using whole house purification units, we significantly improve both the quality of the water and the quality of the air.
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.
In today's world, cost differences might determine whether or not we can even buy a whole house unit. Very good residential selective filtration systems will run about $800. Comparable residential reverse osmosis systems are in the $10,000 range.
What causes the huge price difference?
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 push water through a membrane using the home's water pressure. The membrane's pores are microscopic in size, allowing only molecules small than a water molecule to pass through. Larger contaminants remain behind the membrane.
Chemicals having a molecular size smaller than water's, such as chlorine and its byproducts, will pass right through the membrane. For that reason, and in order to protect the membrane, RO systems must add a carbon filter to the system.
The small RO systems are very slow, taking two or three hours to produce a single gallon of filtered water. Whole house units, on the other hand, can filter upwards of 2,000 gallons per day. Large or small units require a pressurized tank in order to be able to deliver a larger quantity 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.
These systems waste a large quantity of water that will not go through the membrane even with sufficient pressure applied. This water is often thrown out with the collected contaminants. The typical system wastes two to five gallons of water for each gallon that is filtered.
There are some systems that do recycle this water but, recycling, electricity requirements, storage tanks and, possibly, extra pumps are what cause the high initial costs and some of the higher operating costs. Then too, the more things in a system that can go wrong, the more chances there are for additional maintenance issues to further increase the operating costs.
If you are on a chlorinated water system (95% of us are), a good option for consideration is selective filtration.
Selective filtration on the whole house level uses an innovative multistage filtration process consisting of mechanical filtration, redox and adsorptive filtration to rapidly process the water.
The relatively new redox filter uses a chemical exchange process to remove toxic metals, such as dissolved mercury or lead, from water. RO and distillation can also remove lead, but redox filters uses the first technology capable to remove these toxic metals by simple filtration methods.
The activated charcoal removes over 99 percent of the chlorine, chlorine byproducts and other organic chemicals. The combined stages remove odors, bad tastes, sediment, and perform similarly to a standard water softener, without adding sodium 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. - 16477
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."
For a long time now the quality of the water we drink and bathe in has been a concern, but today scientists are telling us a greater concern is the body burden being imposed by the poor air quality in our homes. Chloroform, one of the toxic byproducts of chlorine in our water, is one of the worst offenders.
The EPA said, "Every home in America has an elevated level of chloroform gas (in the air) due to the vaporization of chlorine from tap and shower water." (Also, while the shower produces the most chloroform in the air, the dishwasher and the washing machine aren't far behind).
By removing the chemical toxins at the point of entry into our homes, using whole house purification units, we significantly improve both the quality of the water and the quality of the air.
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.
In today's world, cost differences might determine whether or not we can even buy a whole house unit. Very good residential selective filtration systems will run about $800. Comparable residential reverse osmosis systems are in the $10,000 range.
What causes the huge price difference?
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 push water through a membrane using the home's water pressure. The membrane's pores are microscopic in size, allowing only molecules small than a water molecule to pass through. Larger contaminants remain behind the membrane.
Chemicals having a molecular size smaller than water's, such as chlorine and its byproducts, will pass right through the membrane. For that reason, and in order to protect the membrane, RO systems must add a carbon filter to the system.
The small RO systems are very slow, taking two or three hours to produce a single gallon of filtered water. Whole house units, on the other hand, can filter upwards of 2,000 gallons per day. Large or small units require a pressurized tank in order to be able to deliver a larger quantity 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.
These systems waste a large quantity of water that will not go through the membrane even with sufficient pressure applied. This water is often thrown out with the collected contaminants. The typical system wastes two to five gallons of water for each gallon that is filtered.
There are some systems that do recycle this water but, recycling, electricity requirements, storage tanks and, possibly, extra pumps are what cause the high initial costs and some of the higher operating costs. Then too, the more things in a system that can go wrong, the more chances there are for additional maintenance issues to further increase the operating costs.
If you are on a chlorinated water system (95% of us are), a good option for consideration is selective filtration.
Selective filtration on the whole house level uses an innovative multistage filtration process consisting of mechanical filtration, redox and adsorptive filtration to rapidly process the water.
The relatively new redox filter uses a chemical exchange process to remove toxic metals, such as dissolved mercury or lead, from water. RO and distillation can also remove lead, but redox filters uses the first technology capable to remove these toxic metals by simple filtration methods.
The activated charcoal removes over 99 percent of the chlorine, chlorine byproducts and other organic chemicals. The combined stages remove odors, bad tastes, sediment, and perform similarly to a standard water softener, without adding sodium 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. - 16477
About the Author:
David Eastham has done exhaustive research on such topics as reverse osmosis to find 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.
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