You’ve probably heard the news...
Households around the country are contaminated with polluted tap water.
The good news is that reverse osmosis (RO) filtration can slay these lurking germs and chemicals.
It removes up to 99.9% of toxins, including bacteria and viruses, and leaves your water as healthy as a clam.
Here’s the down-low about reverse osmosis water and your health:
Reverse osmosis (RO) water is water that’s traveled through a series of filters, including a very fine semi-permeable membrane called a reverse osmosis filter.
The process looks a little something like this:
The sediment pre-filter removes dirt, dust, rust and debris, and the activated carbon filter reduces chlorine and improves the smell and taste.
Next, the RO filter eliminates the vast majority of pollutants.
When the water reaches the RO filter, it’s forced through the membrane, allowing clean water to pass through and trapping toxins on the other side.
Only clean water particles are small enough to pass through the membrane.
Contaminants, however, are too big to pass through the membrane's 0.0001-micron holes and bounce back into the RO chamber.
The final step is a carbon post filter to catch any pollutants that might have slipped through the cracks.
Then there’s nothing left but to turn on the facet and get to guzzling!
Reverse osmosis extracts more than 99.9% of total dissolved solids (TDS) from drinkable water.
TDS includes:
Sounds too good to be true?
Well, not all reverse osmosis systems are free of downsides...
Unfortunately, most RO filters do not remineralize the water with healthy minerals and electrolytes.
The good news is there are plenty of high quality RO systems that use remineralization (including Cloud).
This is actually a trick question…
It depends if the RO water is remineralized or is not remineralized.
The pH of the water generated by reverse osmosis technology is typically between 6.0 and 6.5, which is slightly acidic compared to pure water with a pH of about 7 to 7.5.
Remineralized RO water, on the other hand, is slightly alkaline with a pH of around 8.
The EPA's water guidelines say that water with a pH between 6.5 and 8.5 is healthy and acceptable to drink.
The reverse osmosis process removes minerals like calcium and magnesium.
Although this is great for your pipes not clogging, it’s not so great for your long-term health.
The minerals act as electrolytes in the body and support hydration and nervous system activity.
Many RO systems, like Cloud Filters, include a final remineralization filter, which is the most convenient way to reintroduce beneficial minerals back into your water.
If your filtration system does not include a remineralization filter, your body will be missing out on these important electrolytes!
Besides, there’s plenty more reasons to remineralize your water...
Reverse osmosis systems make safe drinking water for you and your family, and remineralization makes it nutritious and delicious.
Here are three BIG reasons to remineralize your reverse osmosis water:
Remineralization adds electrolytes like calcium, magnesium and sodium to drinking water, three of the most critical minerals the body needs:
The electrolytes in remineralized water keep you hydrated longer and help you rehydrate faster.
Think of it like sprinkling a little flavorless, sugarless Gatorade in your water!
Minerals change the taste of water.
On the one hand, too many minerals can make your water taste “hard,” while not enough minerals can leave a bad flavor.
Remineralized water adds the right amount of minerals back into your water for the perfect purity and taste.
The biggest benefits of drinking reverse osmosis water are all about your health.
Here are some of the most significant health advantages of drinking RO water:
Tap water contamination is a global epidemic.
A high quality reverse osmosis system can remove up to 99.9% of harmful toxins, including chemicals, bacteria, viruses and parasites.
Safety should always come first when it comes to your drinking water.
Are you spending too much on bottled water?
Instead, save your hard-earned dollars and save the environment by drinking your very own RO water instead!
If you choose, you’ll never have to buy bottled water again.
Salt-softened water is great for your home's plumbing, pipes, faucets, and fixtures, especially if you have a hard water problem from too many minerals in the water supply.
Reducing sodium is also good for your health because the modern Western diet is already too high in sodium.
High sodium may increase the risk of cardiovascular and heart issues.
Remineralized RO water is not only healthier to cook with because of the minerals, but it also improves the taste of your food.
Pure water may make all the difference when it comes to preparing soups, boiling pasta, or baking handmade bread.
In fact, some people even believe that high quality tap water is the secret ingredient to New York City’s world famous pizza.
Reverse osmosis water filters, like any other treatment method, have their drawbacks.
Let's look at some of the disadvantages of drinking reverse osmosis water:
As we briefly mentioned before, reverse osmosis filters are so effective at purifying water that they remove everything, including the good stuff like minerals.
According to studies, minerals such as calcium and magnesium are vital elements for human health.
As long as your RO system uses remineralization, though, you shouldn’t have to worry.
Under-sink RO water systems that go under your kitchen sink can cost up to several hundred dollars, which is out of a lot of peoples’ budgets.
Whole-house RO filters, that filter the water of every faucet and appliance in the house, can be several thousand dollars.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s a small price to pay for the health of you and your family.
Some people don’t like the flavor of RO water because it can taste flat if all the minerals have been removed.
Remineralized RO water, however, tastes better because it contains minerals and has an alkaline pH.
Compared to ultrafiltration and other micro filtration methods, RO systems use quite a bit of water.
This is probably the most critical disadvantage of a RO system, but most high end RO filters, like Cloud, have additional features to cut down on wastewater.
As awesome as RO filtration is, it’s not for everyone.
If you decide that for whatever reason, an RO system isn’t the right choice for you, there are plenty of other options (although they might not do as great of a job).
Carbon filtration is a wonderful whole-house or portable filtering alternative if you want something less comprehensive than a reverse osmosis machine while still removing the essential components.
Carbon filtration, in particular, can remove pollutants like chlorine and some metals with adverse health effects like lead.
KDF is an abbreviation for kinetic degradation fluxion.
KDF filters contain pure copper-zinc granules that oxidize dangerous particles and transform them into less dangerous compounds so they can be easily removed as wastewater.
While KDF is not as effective as reverse osmosis at removing the most dangerous chemicals, it can help remove some of the more common water pollutants, like build-up of bacteria, algae, chlorine and some heavy metals.
Distillation removes up to 99.9% of all total dissolved solids (TDS) and other harmful contaminants.
The distillation process boils the water until it evaporates and collects in a separate clean container, leaving the contaminants in the boiling chamber to be rinsed away.
However, because distillation can take up to 4 hours to create a single gallon of water, it may not be the best option for a whole family.
Most distillers are less expensive and require less maintenance than RO and ultrafiltration systems.
Ultrafiltration (UF) is extremely similar to reverse osmosis.
It works by forcing water through a semipermeable membrane at high pressure.
UF systems can filter away plastic particles, toxic chemicals, silt, fluoride, metals, bacteria and most other dangerous contaminants.
So, what’s the difference between ultrafiltration vs. reverse osmosis?
Because ultrafiltration membranes are more sensitive to the wear and tear of residential use, they are usually better suited for science labs than they are for homes.
A reverse osmosis (RO) filtration system is often the best option for most households.
They’re the most practical for maintenance and long-term use, and most importantly they make some of the cleanest water on the planet.
What’s not to love?
Cloud Water Filters even use built-in software to track water usage and monitor water quality.
You can even check it through an app on your phone 24/7.
Click here to learn more.
