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The vast majority of reverse osmosis reviews are positive, and in some cases there are glowing comments about the ability of RO units to clean up brackish well water, or water with very high iron or sulfate content. And I would also praise RO systems’ ability to clean up such water. But most of us don’t have brackish water that needs this very expensive and cumbersome technology. In this article let’s take a look at a reverse osmosis water treatment comparison with a newer water filter technology option.

Bad tasting and/or bad smelling water is common in a lot of the US. Sometimes the brackish water, or the water with high mineral content, is just undrinkable. That same water can be cleaned up with a RO system to be very drinkable, but I have always found such water to be very stale or flat tasting.

The weird taste is a small thing, but it is a symptom of something larger. The flatness comes from the fact that the RO process removes ALL the minerals from the water, including trace minerals such as calcium and potassium our bodies need to maintain good health. Also, this demineralization makes the water slightly acidic and, if consumed, this water will try to return to a neutral pH by leaching calcium from bones or teeth. If you use a RO system, you may want to consider adding mineral supplements to your diet.

Not to belabor the point, but health officials have proven that when body fluids become more acid than alkaline there is an increased production of free radicals, thus increasing the risk of cancer.

The RO filter consists of a semi-permeable membrane that filters out any matter larger than a water molecule. This is done by forcing the water through the membrane and sometimes, if there is not adequate water pressure, a booster pump may be needed.

The pores of the membranes are so small that even with sufficient pressure much of the water cannot be forced thru the RO membrane and is simply flushed. This adds to the operating costs.

The vast majority of our drinking water is “sanitized” with chlorine, a poison, and chlorine will not be removed by a RO system because the molecules are even smaller than water’s and will pass thruogh the screen. The same is true of the thousands of synthetic organic chemicals found in our water supplies. To have these compounds removed a carbon filter must be used in combination with any RO system.

Water passing through a filter of any sort will somewhat reduce the water pressure and this is certainly true of the RO systems. They are very slow and, if you want filtered water for say, bathing, you will need a storage tank capable of maintaining water pressure.

The ‘Rube Goldberg’ combination of filters, pressurized storage tank, booster pump (maybe), and so forth, leave a lot of things to fail in these systems, and, indeed, it leads to the areas of highest complaints in reverse osmosis reviews… maintenance issues, operation costs and start-up costs.

If your drinking water comes from a water utility company, or from a chlorinated well, not plagued with brackish water, I would strongly urge you to compare the RO system to a selective filtration system. They are also referred to as multi-stage systems.

These systems use a chemically charged resin which is blended with carbon and extruded into a solid block form. This combination produces an amazingly effective filter technology. In simple English, the bad water flows into the filter system from one end, using normal water pressure, and the carbon removes the bad taste, bad smells, chemicals and drugs. Then the resin, through an ion exchange process, filters out the heavy metals such as lead and mercury, but leaves the healthy minerals like calcium and potassium. After that, you get good, healthy water flowing from the other end of the system.

Kiss the extra pumps, pressurized tanks, extra maintenance and operating costs, and, even the need for calcium tablets good bye. If connected right these systems work almost maintenance free, giving you the best tasting, healthiest water you could ask for.

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