Reverse Osmosis

Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems can remove/reduce most organic and ionic compounds.

🛈 How it works:

➤ Incoming water flows through a series of sediment and carbon block filters

➤ Water and contaminants are separated by passage through a thin semipermeable membrane, which allows water molecules to pass through it while forcing larger molecules to the drain line

➤ Treated water is stored in a pressurized holding tank until needed

➤ Treated water flows through RO rated plumbing lines

➤ Treated water is dispensed through RO rated faucet

Further Reading

Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are highly effective at reducing a wide variety of contaminants but have their limitations. Also, RO Units have stringent feedwater requirements, so most require pretreatment filtration in order to function properly.

RO units are designed based on a percent rejection rate for each contaminate that is being removed. While many contaminants have a >99% rejection rate, some are <90% or unable to be filtered. In order to assess if a RO unit is appropriate, the specific contaminate and its concentration must be evaluated. As such, depending on the water quality, a RO unit may be the correct option, ineffective, or unnecessary.
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Due to the way RO units function, water is sent to the drain whenever the unit is making treated water. For high efficiency commercial models, the unit may send as much water to the drain as it produces. However, for typical residential models, the unit may send 2-5 times as much water to the drain as it produces.