If you are dealing with salty water, then "yes," either one of the residential reverse osmosis systems, or a distillation system, is needed. But, if like most of us, you get your water from a chlorinated system with no salt problems, you have simpler and far less expensive options. We will cover one these options in this article called selective filtration.
The increase of chemical toxins in our environment has led to a lot of discussion about our "body burden", the term for the total amount of these toxins in our bodies at any given time.
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.
"Every home in America has an elevated level of chloroform gas due to the vaporization of chlorine...from the tap and shower water," according to the EPA. (It's true, the shower is the largest producer but the dishwasher and the washing machine aren't far behind).
The quality of the air and the quality of the water in our homes can both be enhanced greatly by whole house water purification units, since they remove the toxins as soon as the water enters the home.
And, there is a compelling reason to look at RO and SF technologies before you buy, because they differ significantly in initial costs and the cost to operate.
Since quality residential reverse osmosis systems start around $10,000, compared to a quality residential selective filtration systems at about $800, the $9,200 spread can mean the difference between getting a whole house unit or not.
Why the big difference in price?
One of the hardest things to remove from water is salt and, years ago, RO was developed as a cheaper way to clean up salt water than by using distillation. But that was when water and electricity were both very cheap. Today RO is an expensive technology as you will see.
Water is forced through a membrane, in the RO process, that will only allow molecules equal in size or smaller than water's to pass through. All other matter is left behind.
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.
To operate efficiently the home's water pressure must be a minimum of 40 psi (pounds per square inch) for the smaller units. Booster pumps that increase the water pressure are usually included in whole house units and are sometimes required for smaller units as well.
A lot of water is wasted, even with adequate pressure in the system, because for every gallon filtered, often 2 to 5 gallons of water cannot be pushed through the membrane. This water is then flushed, along with the filtered contaminants.
This waste water is recycled in some systems, however, the need for electricity, recycling, storage tanks and (maybe) booster pumps are the cause of the increased up front costs and they add to the higher cost to operate as well. And, all the extra equipment means it is more likely there are going to be additional maintenance costs too.
A good option to reverse osmosis, especially if you are on a chlorinated water system (which most of us are), is selective filtration.
In these systems, redox (reduction/oxidation), mechanical filtration and activated charcoal are integrated into a multistage filtering process that will quickly process the water at the whole house level.
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.
Chlorine and its byproducts, along with other organic chemicals, are 99 percent (plus) removed by the activated charcoal. And, the total process treats water somewhat like a water softener, with no sodium added, and the odors, bad tastes and sediment are also removed.
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.
The increase of chemical toxins in our environment has led to a lot of discussion about our "body burden", the term for the total amount of these toxins in our bodies at any given time.
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.
"Every home in America has an elevated level of chloroform gas due to the vaporization of chlorine...from the tap and shower water," according to the EPA. (It's true, the shower is the largest producer but the dishwasher and the washing machine aren't far behind).
The quality of the air and the quality of the water in our homes can both be enhanced greatly by whole house water purification units, since they remove the toxins as soon as the water enters the home.
And, there is a compelling reason to look at RO and SF technologies before you buy, because they differ significantly in initial costs and the cost to operate.
Since quality residential reverse osmosis systems start around $10,000, compared to a quality residential selective filtration systems at about $800, the $9,200 spread can mean the difference between getting a whole house unit or not.
Why the big difference in price?
One of the hardest things to remove from water is salt and, years ago, RO was developed as a cheaper way to clean up salt water than by using distillation. But that was when water and electricity were both very cheap. Today RO is an expensive technology as you will see.
Water is forced through a membrane, in the RO process, that will only allow molecules equal in size or smaller than water's to pass through. All other matter is left behind.
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.
To operate efficiently the home's water pressure must be a minimum of 40 psi (pounds per square inch) for the smaller units. Booster pumps that increase the water pressure are usually included in whole house units and are sometimes required for smaller units as well.
A lot of water is wasted, even with adequate pressure in the system, because for every gallon filtered, often 2 to 5 gallons of water cannot be pushed through the membrane. This water is then flushed, along with the filtered contaminants.
This waste water is recycled in some systems, however, the need for electricity, recycling, storage tanks and (maybe) booster pumps are the cause of the increased up front costs and they add to the higher cost to operate as well. And, all the extra equipment means it is more likely there are going to be additional maintenance costs too.
A good option to reverse osmosis, especially if you are on a chlorinated water system (which most of us are), is selective filtration.
In these systems, redox (reduction/oxidation), mechanical filtration and activated charcoal are integrated into a multistage filtering process that will quickly process the water at the whole house level.
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.
Chlorine and its byproducts, along with other organic chemicals, are 99 percent (plus) removed by the activated charcoal. And, the total process treats water somewhat like a water softener, with no sodium added, and the odors, bad tastes and sediment are also removed.
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.
About the Author:
David Eastham has done exhaustive research on such subjects as selective filtration to discover the most economical way to ensure 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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