WHAT IS
REVERSE OSMOSIS?
IS
REVERSE OSMOSIS WATER SAFE TO DRINK?
HOW DO THESE REVERSE OSMOSIS WATER
SYSTEMS WORK?
WHAT IS
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEM AND THE FILTER ONLY
SYSTEMS THAT I SEE?
HOW MUCH MAINTENANCE IS REQUIRED ON THESE RO SYSTEMS?
What Are Total Dissolved
Solids?
Why
Should I Measure the TDS level in MY Water?
WILL THESE RO SYSTEMS WORK WITH
WELL- WATER?
I
HAVE A WATER SOFTENER IN MY HOME, WILL THESE SYSTEMS WORK WITH IT?
WHAT IS UV
STERILIZATION AND DO I NEED IT?
ARE THESE RESIDENTIAL REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEMS EASY TO INSTALL?
HOW DO THESE SYSTEMS WORK
WITHOUT ELECTRICITY?
HOW WILL I KNOW IF MY RO
SYSTEM IS WORKING PROPERLY?
I HEARD
THAT RO SYSTEMS WASTE A LOT OF WATER, IS THIS TRUE?
What is Reverse Osmosis?
Soon, everyone will know the
benefits of reverse osmosis. Reverse Osmosis equipment has only been
manufactured for the household consumer for just a few years. Until
recently, it was used primarily by major corporations and the U.S.
Government for purifying non-potable water supplies throughout the world.
It was, and still is, used on large military and commercial ships for
purifying seawater making it suitable for human consumption.
Reverse Osmosis (RO) is often
described as filtration, but it is much more complex than that. People
sometimes explain it as a filter because it is much easier to visualize
using those terms. We should remember that osmosis is how we feed each cell
in our bodies: As our blood is carried into the smallest of capillaries in
our bodies, nutrients actually pass through the cell wall to sustain it's
life. Reverse osmosis is just the opposite: We take water with "nutrients"
(in this case, junk) in it, and apply pressure to it against a certain type
of membrane, and, presto -- out comes "clean" water.
For example: If you take a jar
of water and place a semi-permeable membrane (like a cell wall) in it,
dividing the jar into two sections, then place water in both sides to an
equal level, nothing happens. But, if you place salt (or other such
dissolved substance) into one side of the jar, you will notice that, after
awhile, the water level in the salty side begins to rise higher as the
unsalted side lowers. This is osmotic pressure at work: The two solutions
will continue to try to reach the same level of salt (equilibrium) on each
side by the unsalted water passing through the membrane to dilute the salty
water. This will continue until the "head" pressure of the salt water
overcomes the "osmotic" pressure created by the differences in the two
solutions.
On the other hand, researchers
have discovered that if we take that membrane and feed water with sufficient
pressure to overcome the osmotic pressure of the two waters, we can
'manufacture' clean water on the side of the membrane that has no pressure.
We sometimes say we "filter" the
water through the membrane. Depending on the membrane design, and the
material it is made from, the amount of TDS (total dissolved solids) reduction
will range from 80 to over 99 per cent. Different minerals have different
rejection rates, for instance, the removal rate for a typical TFC (Thin Film
Composite) membrane is 99.5% for Barium and Radium 226/228; but only 85.9%
for Fluoride and 94.0% for Mercury. Removal rates are also very dependant on
feed-water pressures.
Reverse osmosis is a fairly new,
advanced leading-edge technique which separates the very smallest particles,
molecules and ions. Reverse osmosis supplements conventional filtration
techniques, it takes up where the conventional filtration methods are not
able to show any effects.
With conventional techniques
little of "the pollutants" are separated compared with reverse osmosis which
separates a percentage of pure water and leaves behind all the substances
which the water contained before becoming pure water.
The water supplied by most municipal water works and most softened well waters are an excellent base
product or feed water for reverse osmosis, which produces excellent pure water
– drinking water.
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IS
REVERSE OSMOSIS WATER SAFE TO DRINK?
YES!, RO water is perfectly safe to drink. There is also a
scientific explanation as to why RO water is actually better for you than
water that contains high mineral (TDS) content.
Water with a high Total Dissolved
Solids (TDS) count of over 50 ppm, actually becomes electrically
charged and can conduct very small amounts of electric current. High
TDS water, under the right circumstances, can actually cause a small
electric light bulb to become illuminated!
Water with a high TDS count is
typically a base, (slightly alkaline), substance that is lacking
in hydrogen molecules, and will search for hydrogen molecules in the body
to balance itself. This type of water often
causes de-hydration on the cellular level.
Reverse Osmosis water with low TDS on the other hand,
has a much lower ability to conduct electrical charges. Typically,
Reverse Osmosis water is slightly acidic and loaded with
positively charged hydrogen (H+) molecules. This type of water has been
scientifically proven to
provide superior hydration at the cellular level.
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HOW DO THESE RESIDENTIAL REVERSE OSMOSIS
WATER SYSTEMS WORK?
With our residential
reverse osmosis systems, your tap water becomes very pure with substantially reduced
dissolved mineral salts.
The average household,
municipality supplied, tap water usually contains somewhere between
50ppm-450 (Parts Per Million) of dissolved mineral solids, 80ppm being good
quality; for tap water; and 450ppm being of lesser quality.
The tap water is forced
through the RO system with your existing household water pressure, typically
somewhere between 40-65psi. The line pressure allows the reverse osmosis
process to take place. Purified water from one side of the membrane is
collected and directed into a 3 gallon holding tank. The concentrated
wastewater from the other side of the membrane is flushed down the drain
leaving virtually all contaminants behind.
The purified, (RO), water
that is stored in the holding tank is used for your drinking or cooking
requirements. The reverse osmosis system operates until the
holding tank is filled, after which an
automatic shut-off valve suspends the operation until the purified water is
consumed. When purified water is taken from the holding tank, the system
automatically begins producing more water until the holding tank is filled
again.
The ROpure and QT systems
incorporate TFC, (Thin Film Composite), Membranes which will produce
between 1.0- 2.0 gallons of purified water an hour. Typically it takes
anywhere from 3-6 gallons of tap water to produce 1.0 gallon of RO water,
depending upon the household pressure, total dissolved solids, and the
temperature of the tap water.
The membranes in our reverse
osmosis systems
are tested with an industry standard of 60psi, 77 degrees F. , 200ppm TDS,
If your water pressure and temperature vary from the testing standard in
either direction, the RO membrane may produce slightly less water.
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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEM AND THE FILTER ONLY
SYSTEMS THAT I SEE?
A conventional
filtration
system, such as that in a refrigerator for instance, will give you nice
tasting water, but it will not remove the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), such
as, SODIUM, MANGANESE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, to name a few, that are present in
all municipal tap waters. Only an RO membrane can do this. SEE MORE INFO ON TDS
Many forms of bacteria are so small, that filters cannot remove them.
However, an RO membrane will.
Our residential RO systems combine filtration with Reverse Osmosis to
give you not only the best tasting water, but the safest, purest water you
can drink.
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HOW MUCH MAINTENANCE IS
REQUIRED ON THESE RESIDENTIAL REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEMS?
It is recommended that you
change the pre-filters on these reverse osmosis systems once every 6-12 months, depending on
the quality of your tap water. If there aren't a lot of physical particles
in the tap water, you will get upwards of a year on the pre-filters. You
will be able to tell when the pre-filters should be changed, by the time it
takes to produce the purified water. The system will slow down significantly
and you’ll notice the holding tank not filling as quickly as it was, with
the RO water.
The Reverse Osmosis membrane
and post filter on these RO systems will last up to 2 years before they need
replacing.
When the RO Membrane begins to lose its effectiveness, the water production
will slow and the TDS ( total dissolved solids) could gradually start to
increase in the purified water. Most water, after it is purified through an
RO Membrane will have a 90-95% reduction in TDS. The easiest and most
cost-effective way to monitor the efficiency of the RO Membrane with the use
a TDS meter. Our ROPure% series Systems come equipped with a
built-in TDS monitor.
We recommend setting up
a maintenance schedule for the pre-filters to be changed every 6-12 months.
In addition, replace the membrane and the polishing filter every 18-24 months and you
will always have a good operating system that will consistently produce
crisp, clean and refreshing, purified water.
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WHAT ARE TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS (TDS)?
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
are the total weight of all solids that are dissolved in a given
volume of water, expressed in units of mg per unit volume of water
(mg/L), also referred to as parts per million.
"Dissolved solids" refer to any
minerals, salts, metals, cations or anions dissolved in water. This
includes anything present in water other than the pure water (H20)
molecule and suspended solids. Suspended solids are any
particles/substances that are neither dissolved nor settled in the
water, such as wood pulp.
In general, the total dissolved solids
concentration is the sum of the cations (positively charged) and
anions (negatively charged) ions in the water.
Parts per Million (ppm) is the
weight-to-weight ratio of any ion to water.
Conductivity is usually about 100 times
the total cations or anions expressed as equivalents. Total dissolved
solids TDS) in ppm usually ranges from 0.5 to 1.0 times the electrical
conductivity.
TDS measurements can be
used to determine the overall purity a water supply. The lower
the TDS reading, the purer the water. Higher TDS readings are
indicative of existing impurities in the water.
Water with a high Total Dissolved
Solids (TDS) count of over 50 ppm can become electrically charged very
easily and can actually conduct an electric current. Such water, under
the right circumstances, can actually cause a small electric light
bulb to become illuminated.
Water with a high TDS count is also
typically a base (slightly alkaline pH>7) substance, meaning it is lacking
hydrogen molecules, and will search for hydrogen molecules to balance
itself. It is a proven fact that alkaline, (base) water, causes
de-hydration on the cellular level within the body. Water with
low TDS on the other hand, resists becoming electrically charged, and
typically has an
acid pH measurement(pH<7), which, simply put, means it is purer water, loaded with
positively charged hydrogen (H+) molecules, providing superior
hydration at the cellular level.
High total dissolved solids may affect
the aesthetic quality of the water, interfere with washing clothes and
corroding plumbing fixtures. For aesthetic, as well as potential
health reasons, a limit of 500
mg/l (milligrams per liter) has been established as part of the
Secondary Drinking Water Standards. (EPA)
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Why should measure the tds levels in my water?
The quickest, easiest way to
determine if your RO system is operating properly is to measure the TDS of
the feed water vs. the TDS of the product water. A typical residential
membrane will reject 90-95% of the feed water TDS and leave your product, (drinking),water
very pure.
For example if your feed
water contains 200 ppm TDS, your RO water TDS should be between 10-20 ppm
TDS.
The digital TDS monitor that
is supplied with our RO systems will allow you to monitor and calculate the
salt (TDS) rejection % of the RO membrane. Use the following formula
after recording the feed TDS and the product TDS.
SALT REJECTION (%) =
(1-(PRODUCT WATER TDS/FEED WATER TDS) X 100
EXAMPLE:
FEED WATER TDS =200 PPM
PRODUCT WATER TDS =10 PPM
APPLY THE FORMULA AS FOLLOWS:
1. (1-(10/200)) X100
2. (1-.05)X100
3. (.95)X100
4. = 95% REJECTION
(THIS WOULD INDICATE A PROPERLY FUNCTIONING MEMBRANE)
Water with a high Total Dissolved
Solids (TDS) count of over 50 ppm becomes electrically charged and can
actually conduct an electric current. Such water will actually cause a
small electric light bulb to become illuminated, and of course, will
also conduct excessive charges of electricity throughout the body.
Water with a high TDS count is also
typically a base (slightly alkaline) substance, meaning it is lacking
hydrogen molecules, and will search for hydrogen molecules in the body
to balance itself. Slightly alkaline (base) water, in short, often
causes de-hydration on the cellular level! Water with zero TDS on the
other hand, cannot become electrically charged, and therefore has an
acid pH measurement, which simply means it is pure water loaded with
positively charged hydrogen (H+) molecules, providing superior
hydration at the cellular level.
High total dissolved solids may affect
the aesthetic quality of the water, interfere with washing clothes and
corroding plumbing fixtures. For aesthetic reasons, a limit of 500
mg/l (milligrams per liter) has been established as part of the
Secondary Drinking Water Standards. (EPA)
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WILL THESE RO SYSTEMS WORK WITH
WELL- WATER?
Yes, in fact, these RO
systems are an excellent choice for homes that use pre-treated or SOFTENED
well-water. Well-water usually contains high amounts of total dissolved
solids (TDS), that filtration only systems will not remove. Since many homes
that use well-water already have some form of pre-treatment or water
softening, this will greatly enhance the longevity and productivity of the
pre-filters and RO membrane.
Your treated well-water
probably contains high amounts of sodium, from the softener. These reverse
osmosis systems will remove over 95% of the remaining sodium after your
softener!
If your well-water is not pre-treated or softened you will need to make sure
that there are less than 2000ppm (parts per million) total dissolved
solids. Dissolved solids in higher than 2000ppm concentration can cause
pre-mature damage or fouling to the pre-filters and RO membrane.
Before purchasing a system,
you should call us to discuss the details, if you have untreated well-water.
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I HAVE A WATER SOFTENER IN MY HOME, WILL THESE RO SYSTEMS WORK WITH IT?
The answer is yes! Not
only will our residential RO systems work with your water softener, they will run more efficiently and the
filters and membranes will last longer too. You will also gain the benefit of reducing up to 95% of the sodium that
the water softener is putting into your water, making your
water healthier and much better tasting!
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WHAT IS UV STERILIZATION AND DO
I NEED IT?
Ultraviolet from the sun has
long been known for its ability to destroy microorganisms. However, like
Reverse Osmosis equipment, it has only been in recent years that ultraviolet
equipment has been manufactured for the home consumer.
Ultraviolet
(UV) disinfection uses a ULTRAVIOLET light source, which is enclosed in a
transparent protective quartz sleeve. It is mounted so that water can pass
through a flow chamber, and UV rays are admitted and absorbed into the
stream. These rays destroy bacteria, coliform and inactivate many viruses.
UV, like
distillation, disinfects water without adding chemicals, and therefore
possesses some of the same benefits as distillation. It does not create new
chemical complexes, nor does it change the taste or odor of the water.
Properly installed UV systems can provide you with a 99.999% bacteria kill
rate without adding anything to your drinking water.
ROwater Systems in offers
many types of residential UV Assemblies.
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ARE THESE SYSTEMS EASY TO
INSTALL?
Any person who knows how to
use a screw driver, an adjustable wrench and a drill, can install this
system in about an hour. It has never been easier to
have and maintain your own pure water system! All of our residential RO Systems come
completely assembled with an in-depth installation and maintenance manual
and free Installation support. In most cases, you will not have to solder or cut
pipes. The system hooks in to the existing plumbing under your kitchen
sink with a very high quality John Guest Faucet Adapter or a self-piercing
saddle valve. These special fittings will allow you to install the
system without cutting or soldering your pipes. The remainder of the system
is plumbed with John Guest Poly-Ethylene, FDA approved color coded, high
pressure, tubing. Our systems have John Guest Quick-Connect receiver
fittings that allow you to just push the supplied tubing into them and they
lock and seal automatically.
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HOW DO THESE SYSTEMS WORK
WITHOUT ELECTRICITY?
Most homes have incoming
water pressure between 35-65psi. Our redidential reverse osmosis systems
operate within a range of 40-100psi. If you are concerned that there may
not be enough water pressure in your home, you can go to your local hardware
store and purchase an inexpensive water pressure testing gauge that will
attach to either your kitchen sink or outside hose valve. After attaching
the gauge, turn the water on fully and read the pressure. If the pressure
is lower than 40psi you will need a booster pump for the system which comes
completely assembled for about $120.00 more than a static system
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HOW WILL I KNOW IF MY RO SYSTEM
IS WORKING PROPERLY?
You will need to change the
pre-filters on your ROsystem once every 6-12 months depending on the
quality of your tap water. If there aren’t a lot of physical particles in
the tap water, you will get upwards of a year on the pre-filters. You will
be able to tell when the pre-filters should be changed, by the time it takes
to produce the purified water. The RO system will slow down significantly and
almost all at once. You’ll notice the holding tank not filling as quickly as
it was, with the RO water.The RO membrane will last up
to 2 years before it needs replacing.The TFC membrane on the
ROPure5 Systems may actually last longer than 2 years, again,
dependent upon the quality of the raw tap water in your home.When the RO Membrane begins
to lose its effectiveness, the water production will take longer than usual
and the TDS ( total dissolved solids) could gradually start to increase in
the purified water.
A properly functioning
residential membrane will reduce the TDS from the feed water by at least 75%
and up to 99% under optimum conditions.
Residential membranes are designed to give 75-95% rejection rates, on
average.Measure the TDS in your feed
water, let's say its 120ppm, now measure the TDS in your RO water, and it
should between 2-30ppm. If it is within this range, your system is
functioning efficiently.When the rejection rate
consistently falls below 75%, or the system seems to take much longer than
usual to produce water, a membrane change may be necessary.The easiest and most
cost-effective way to test the efficiency of the RO Membrane is to use a TDS
meter.We recommend setting up a
maintenance schedule for the 2 pre-filters to be changed every 6-8 months.
Replace the membrane and the polishing filter every 18-24 months and you
will always have a good operating system that will supply fresh tasting pure
water.
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I HEARD THAT RO SYSTEMS WASTE A
LOT OF WATER, IS THIS TRUE?
We have read and heard a lot of comments about the wasting of water by
Reverse Osmosis Systems. It is true that the old style units with the early
type membranes were more prone to becoming plugged, or fouled by the "junk"
they removed from the water. To help keep this from happening, a small
amount of water was allowed to run across the membrane to help carry away
those impurities to drain. Early designs only recovered 1 gallon of good water for every 6-8 gallons
used to keep the membrane clean. Even worse, when the storage tank was full,
water still ran to the drain because the early membranes were made of
materials that the harmless little bugs (microbiological), that exist in all
water supplies, (believe it or not), loved to eat! So to prevent that from
happening, the systems were designed to just let the water run continuously
so these little "bugs" didn’t have time to stop and eat. Nowadays, membranes are made to not only recover a much higher percentage of
the feed-water, but they are designed of composite materials that the bugs
don't eat. The newer design allowed us to be able to incorporate Auto
Shut-off Valves into the systems, so when the holding tank is full, the
system shuts down. The net result is a very efficient system
that recovers more water and wastes much less in the process. The
membrane used in the ROPure5 series will use an average of 3.5 gallons of tap water
for every gallon of Reverse Osmosis water produced.
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