What is Reverse Osmosis?
Osmosis is a natural process where diffuses based on certain “rules.” For example, if a salty body of water is in contact with a fresh body of water, the fresh water dilutes the salt water. It works much like a dry sponge soaking up water when they come into contact. Reverse osmosis uses a strong membrane and high pressure to force the process to run backwards. The result is clean, clear, fresh water from salty or contaminated water.
What does an RO System remove?
Reverse osmosis systems remove 98-99% of all solids and contaminants in the water. This includes both salt and chlorine. Reverse osmosis is the only kind of filter system that removes salt.
Does RO water taste like bottled water?
Some people say yes, reverse osmosis water tastes exactly like bottled water. Bottled water is often treated with reverse osmosis before bottling, so this is entirely plausible. On the other hand, there are people who claim that reverse osmosis water from a home RO system actually tastes better than bottled water. Perhaps the answer varies in part based on taste buds and in part based on how long bottled water has been in a plastic bottle, absorbing the flavor of the plastic.
Can an under-the-sink model be hooked up to the ice maker in the refrigerator?
In most cases, yes. Once in a while, the plumbing situation makes this overly complicated and cost prohibitive. However, it is usually no problem to hook up an under-the-sink reverse osmosis system to the refrigerator’s ice maker.
Do I need an RO system?
Some studies indicate that about 90% of American homes have hard water, so most households would benefit. However, you can have your water tested to be sure.