If you own a home in Anaheim, the water that’s sent to your property likely comes from a combination of groundwater, lakes, and rivers. While this water is treated at a wastewater treatment facility before it’s sent to residential homes, not all contaminants are removed.
If you want to be certain that your tap water is properly filtered, you may want to obtain some form of water filtration for your home. These systems remove any remaining contaminants before the water leaves your faucets. Among the most effective water treatment technologies is reverse osmosis.
Understanding Reverse Osmosis Systems
Reverse osmosis systems can remove many different types of contaminants from water, which occurs by pushing the water through a semipermeable membrane. Once the water moves through the membrane, the contaminants are trapped and left behind, which means only the filtered water gets through. The clean water is known as the permeate. Semipermeable membranes consist of tiny pores that block everything other than water molecules.
Aside from the semipermeable membrane, reverse osmosis systems come with several filtration layers that ensure nearly all contaminants are removed from the water. These layers include a prefilter and a postfilter. The RO system you buy for your household can be equipped with anywhere from three to five stages of filtration.
Reverse Osmosis Stages
Each reverse osmosis system includes a carbon filter and sediment filter alongside the RO membrane. These filters are the ones that can be referred to as prefilters or postfilters depending on when the water passes through them. A sediment prefilter is capable of removing sediment, rust, and dirt particles that are as small as five microns. There are also several types of sediment prefilters, which include pleated filters and string-wound filters.
Carbon prefilters are designed to remove chlorine as well as chemical contaminants that can impact the taste and smell of water. These filters usually remove contaminants that are as small as .5 microns. In some situations, it’s possible for this type of filter to get rid of giardia and cryptosporidium, both of which are water-borne diseases that are brought about by microscopic parasites.
Reverse osmosis membranes are thin layers that are capable of removing around 95% of all total dissolved solids (TDS) that are as small as .0001 microns. These membranes are designed primarily to be used in water desalination or water purification systems.
As for post carbon filters, they are used as the last polishing filter before the water leaves your faucet. These filters are usually placed on top of the system’s membrane housing. Most carbon filters are able to remove all chlorine and small contaminants left behind by the other filtration stages.
Why You Should Consider a Reverse Osmosis System
There are many reasons why you should consider using a reverse osmosis system in your home, the primary of which is that it’s able to remove most contaminants from the water that reaches your property. These systems are also more effective at removing contaminants than most of the alternatives. If you install a reverse osmosis system in your home, it should get rid of fluoride, arsenic, dirt, debris, and chlorine. It can also eliminate additional contaminants like:
- Salt
- Volatile organic compounds
- Pesticides
- Herbicides
The only drawback to using a reverse osmosis system is that it can’t get rid of viruses and bacteria in the water. However, water that’s sent from a municipal wastewater treatment facility shouldn’t contain these types of contaminants. It’s possible for bacteria to grow on the RO system’s membrane. You can supplement your RO system with a UV disinfection unit, which should kill any remaining bacteria.
Where to Install RO System
There are several methods you can use to install an RO system in or around your home. For example, it’s possible to install this unit under your sink, which creates a point-of-use system. In this scenario, the unit you install would be able to remove contaminants from the water that’s sent to one of the faucets in your home. You’ll need to install multiple RO units to make sure every faucet delivers filtered water.
You can also choose to install a reverse osmosis system in your refrigerator. This system functions like an under-sink unit. Once installed, it will get rid of minerals and make sure your ice is clean.
Some homeowners decide to install whole-house reverse osmosis systems. While this setup is feasible, it’s not cost-efficient. RO units are mainly designed to solve specific issues with the water in your home, which is why they’re commonly placed around single faucets. These systems are unable to accommodate the type of flow rate you’d need. If you opt for a whole-house system, you’d also require a large storage tank and water pump. A UV system would be needed as well to disinfect your water once it’s sent out from the tank.
There are many factors you must take into account when deciding if you should buy a reverse osmosis system for your home. If you believe that your water quality is so contaminated that the only solution is to purchase a whole-house unit, there’s a good chance that there are some underlying water quality problems that should be fixed before installing an RO unit.
If your water consists of high amounts of mineral content, it’s possible that scale will accumulate on the system’s membrane, which can lead to it performing poorly and eventually failing. You should also take steps to get rid of any iron in your water before installing the RO system. Iron can foul the membrane if left untended, which means that more contaminants could be let through.
Reverse Osmosis vs. Water Softener
Two of the most popular water treatment systems that you can install include reverse osmosis systems and water softeners. Reverse osmosis units deliver better-tasting water while also getting rid of most contaminants. Once these contaminants are removed from the water, it’s healthier to drink.
Reverse osmosis filters can soften your water and get rid of most mineral content that causes water hardness. However, the filtration membrane will wear out quickly. Water softeners are designed specifically to get rid of hardness minerals like magnesium and calcium. It’s possible to install a whole-home water softener to make sure your water is softened before it gets sent through a reverse osmosis unit, which extends the RO system’s longevity while also making sure that scale buildup doesn’t occur.
If you’re considering installing any type of water filtration system in your home, our team at Avis Home Solutions can efficiently install RO systems, UV purifiers, and water softeners. We can also help you purchase the right unit for your home. Our team has experience working with all water treatment systems and can perform water testing to determine how contaminated your water currently is. We also offer a selection of additional home services, which include HVAC repair and maintenance, drain cleaning, and indoor air quality testing. Call Avis Home Solutions to have us install your reverse osmosis system.
