What Is Reverse Osmosis?
Reverse osmosis (RO) water purification technology removes large particles, microbes and chemicals at a specific point of use, such as your kitchen sink.
An RO point-of-use system uses fluid flow and pressure to filter certain particulates from your tap water. Many customers like to use RO to rinse glassware because it leaves no milky residue.
With regular maintenance and filter changes, RO systems will provide you with safe drinking water wherever you install a system.
The mechanism of action in an RO system involves a semipermeable membrane and a set of filters. The water is filtered and then pushed through the membrane using osmotic pressure. As the water passes through the system, the sediment filter removes large particles. Finally, the membrane separates dissolved and suspended solids.
The reverse osmotic filtration process separates the water into two parts. The sediment filter traps a large portion of the water containing the removed particles and sends it back down the drain.
The filtered portion comes out of a special tap installed next to your regular sink faucet. Point-of-use RO systems typically include a canister that is installed under the sink. The canister contains the membrane and filter as well as a holding tank to store a quantity of already-filtered water.
Reverse Osmosis Water Use Considerations
The RO process produces treated water — which comes from a special tap — along with a large quantity of wastewater.
The wastewater consists of that portion of the treated water that contains the removed substances. The waste is discharged down the drain, a fact that is not evident to most users.
Some estimates indicate that RO systems only recover about half of the water used by the system. In other words, you will use two gallons of water to get one gallon of filtered water. So if you need only a small amount of filtered water, an RO system may be ideal for your purposes.
Also, a little-known fact is that the RO process is not instantaneous. In fact, it takes several hours to filter a few ounces. If you plan to use it for all your cooking, coffee-making, drinking, ironing, etc., you may want to consider a whole-home or point-of-entry-type of treatment system.
Utah Reverse Osmosis Systems
In Utah, NuWater Technologies provides high-quality reverse osmosis systems to residential and commercial customers.
Your RO system will require sufficient space for the canister, a special faucet and connections to the water line and drain system. Our experienced team can help you determine the correct location and ensure professional installation. We can also instruct you in maintaining your system and changing the filters periodically.
In addition, we offer a full range of commercial and whole-home softening, filtration and heating systems. We offer free professional water testing throughout Utah to help you determine the best type of purification system for your location. Contact us today to learn more about installing a reverse osmosis system.