How Does Reverse Osmosis Work?
Understanding Reverse Osmosis
Water purification is essential for providing clean and safe drinking water for homes, businesses, and industries. One of the most effective filtration methods available today is reverse osmosis (RO). Whether you're looking to improve the taste of your tap water or need high-quality purified water for commercial use, understanding how reverse osmosis works can help you make informed decisions.
What is Reverse Osmosis?
Reverse osmosis is a highly effective water filtration process that removes contaminants, impurities, and dissolved solids from water by using a semipermeable membrane. This process works by applying pressure to force water through a specialized membrane, leaving behind unwanted particles, bacteria, and dissolved substances. The result is cleaner, purer, and better-tasting water.
Reverse osmosis is widely used in residential, commercial, and industrial applications to ensure high water quality. It's commonly found in home drinking water systems, desalination plants, food and beverage production, and medical facilities where ultra-pure water is required.
How Does Reverse Osmosis Work?
The reverse osmosis process consists of several stages, each playing a crucial role in removing contaminants from water. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:
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Pre-Filtration – Before water reaches the RO membrane, it passes through pre-filters designed to remove large sediments, chlorine, and other particles that could damage the membrane. These filters often include:
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Sediment filters (remove dirt, sand, and rust)
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Carbon filters (eliminate chlorine and organic chemicals)
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Reverse Osmosis Membrane – The core of the system, the semipermeable membrane, allows only water molecules to pass through while rejecting contaminants such as:
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Heavy metals (lead, arsenic, mercury)
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Nitrates and sulfates
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Fluoride and chlorine
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Bacteria and viruses
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Dissolved solids and salts
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Storage Tank – Once the water passes through the membrane, it is stored in a tank until needed. The purified water remains in the tank, while wastewater (brine) is flushed out.
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Post-Filtration – Before reaching your faucet, the water passes through an additional post-filter, usually a carbon filter, which enhances the taste and removes any remaining odors.
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Delivery to Faucet – Finally, clean, purified water is dispensed from the designated RO faucet for drinking or cooking.
Reverse osmosis technology relies on pressure to push the water molecules through the membrane. Water pressure varies by water source. City water is supplied between 40 and 100 psi (pounds per square inch). Well water is delivered between 20 and 60 psi, depending on your pump. The production rate of the reverse osmosis membrane is dependent on factors such as temperature, pressure and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) levels. Since reverse osmosis works slowly, most RO systems include a storage tank that collects treated water. This feature is included so you can fill your glass or pitcher with clean water whenever you want it.
Because reverse osmosis water is so pure, it can pick up bad tastes and odors from the storage tank’s bladder or walls if it is stored for long periods of time. Running the water through a postfilter once it leaves the storage tank will remove residual tastes or odors before the water is dispensed.
Why Should You Care About Reverse Osmosis?
The water you and your family drink and cook with today is probably not as clean as it could be. It’s good enough, but is “good enough” okay with you? Every year, we learn more about what is in our water and how these contaminants affect our health. At present, the EPA has set maximum contaminant levels for more than 90 contaminants that exist in water. Although the water may be deemed safe to drink, many people don’t want to drink any amount of a contaminant, even if it’s within legal limits.
The water you and your family drink and cook with today is probably not as clean as it could be. It’s good enough, but is “good enough” okay with you?
There are four categories of contaminants: physical, chemical, biological and radiological. Many of these contaminants are man-made, but there are also naturally occurring contaminants in water. Contaminants in residential drinking water can include almost anything, from industrial waste that was dumped in a river, to fertilizers and household cleaning products. Many times, treatment involves adding a chemical to the water supply to neutralize the contaminant. For example, chlorine and chloramine are added to water to control the number of microbes, but these chemicals can give water unwanted tastes and odors.
Although the EPA regulates contaminants, it can take years to determine what are safe and acceptable contaminant levels. And what is considered safe often changes over time. Reverse osmosis systems remove contaminants from water without the use of chemicals. Whether you drink municipal, well or bottled water, to ensure your family is drinking the highest quality water, you should consider a reverse osmosis drinking water system.
How does each type of water source work?
Municipal Water
If your home receives water from a municipal water system, you might assume it's perfectly safe to drink. While municipal water treatment plants work hard to remove harmful contaminants, the journey your water takes from the plant to your tap is long and can introduce unexpected risks.
After being treated, water travels miles through an aging underground distribution system, consisting of extensive pipelines that may have been in place for decades or even a century. Over time, corroded pipes, cracks, leaks, and outdated infrastructure can allow bacteria, heavy metals, pesticides, and other pollutants to infiltrate your water supply. Without a water test, there’s no way to know what your home’s water quality is really like.
Well Water
If your home’s water is supplied by a private well, you alone oversee your water quality. Often, well water contains more contaminants than city water because it has not been treated prior to entering your home. If you are a well water user, it is very important to evaluate your drinking water quality and consider solutions like reverse osmosis systems.
Bottled Water
Bottled water may seem like a better option, but bottled water is not always contaminant-free. A lot of bottled water is tap water that has gone through minimal or no processing. Or, depending on the bottled water brand, you could be drinking water that has gone through the reverse osmosis process. If you are, you are spending far more per gallon than if you had a reverse osmosis system in your home.
Why should you use Kinetico Reverse Osmosis?
Kinetico offers reverse osmosis systems that are third-party certified to reduce more contaminants than other comparable systems. We also provide customizable RO systems that allow you to include filter cartridges for specific contaminant removal or to add minerals for taste. Whether your home needs a point-of-entry reverse osmosis system to remove impurities from all the water that enters your home, or a point-of-use reverse osmosis system to provide your family with high-quality, contaminant-free water for drinking and cooking, Kinetico has an option to meet your needs.
The Kinetico K5 Drinking Water Station
The Kinetico K5 Drinking Water Station is a seven-stage reverse osmosis system featuring QuickFlo® technology to provide a constant flow of high-quality water whenever you need it. In fact, Kinetico’s K5 produces more water faster than any other reverse osmosis system in its class. The K5 is also one of the few reverse osmosis systems that is third-party certified for PFOS/PFOA removal.
The Kinetico AquaKinetic A200 Drinking Water System
The Kinetico A200 is a five-stage reverse osmosis system that provides your family with an economical way to improve the quality of your drinking water. The AquaKinetic A200 produces higher quality water at a faster rate than comparable systems. It is also certified to significantly reduce the levels of many unwanted contaminants like arsenic, chromium, lead and more.
Get a Reverse Osmosis System for Your Home
Contact your local Kinetico dealer to find out more about how a reverse osmosis system can improve your home’s water. A Kinetico dealer has the expertise to understand your water and make a recommendation based on your needs. If you’re ready to make a purchase request a quick quote below to schedule the installation of your Kinetico RO today.
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