Reverse osmosis is a buzzword that you’ve likely heard often. Water companies print it on their bottled water labels, and you may have friends with a reverse osmosis water filter in their homes. But if you don’t have one of your own, you may not know that it makes your water taste delicious and has potential health benefits too.

Reverse osmosis is the gold standard of water filtration. The advanced process delivers perfect water straight to your tap and changes the entire drinking water ballgame. The ultimate objective of reverse osmosis is to bring you the cleanest water possible. It can filter out almost every element you don’t want in your water, from minerals to bacteria and microorganisms to pollutants and chemical compounds. After reverse osmosis, your water will be safe, healthy to drink and taste great.

How, exactly, does it accomplish all that? What is the secret behind how reverse osmosis works and why water experts hold it in such high regard? Once you know about the potential benefits to you and your family, you may find yourself shopping for a home water filtration system for your family.

Understanding Reverse Osmosis

To understand reverse osmosis, you must first understand osmosis. Say you have two bodies of water, one salt water and one fresh water, with a membrane separating them. Naturally, the fresh water will flow through the membrane to mix with the salt water because it is less dense and can flow easier. The water will continue to flow in this direction until the water on both sides of the membrane are the same. Bringing everything into balance is the name of the game.

When the water moves in the opposite direction, you get reverse osmosis. Reversing the process requires a little external help. In order to reverse the natural process, pressure is applied to the more concentrated water, forcing water molecules through the membrane. As a result, the membrane strips out extremely tiny particles of unwanted compounds and contaminants in the water, exceeding the capabilities of any traditional filter.

Reverse Osmosis in Your Home

When reverse osmosis is used in a home or commercial setting, the science of reverse osmosis is applied to the water supply as a whole. Pressure forces the water through a membrane, stripping unwanted elements from the water molecules so they can permeate the membrane. When unwanted minerals and chemicals are stripped from drinking water, it tastes fresh and delicious.

In a home system, the process of reverse osmosis takes multiple steps and multiple filters to ensure an excellent final result.

• Sediment Filter. The first step is to strain out any unwanted particles from the water supply. The sediment filter aims to clean up the water by removing dirt, sediment, sand, or rust before it moves on to more specialized filters.
• Carbon Filter. The carbon filter’s job is to remove any chemical compounds from the water. Activated carbon filters out anything larger than a speck and uses bonding ions to prevent chemical compounds from traveling through. It will tackle removing chlorine or other contaminants before the water reaches the reverse osmosis filter. Some systems use two carbon filters and repeat this step.
• Reverse Osmosis Filter. Once the filters remove the larger particles to clean up the water, it makes its way through the reverse osmosis membrane. Pressure forces the water through a membrane that removes any molecule heavier than water. Elements and compounds such as lead, sodium, chlorine, minerals, and fluoride cannot pass through the membrane. In the end, only pure water remains.
• Holding Tank. Many systems use a holding tank to store water that has gone through reverse osmosis. Water will continue to accumulate until the holding tank is full. You will have clean water ready on demand any time you want it.
• Carbon Filter (Polishing Filter). Your water will journey through one final filter to “polish” it up before you drink it. This final step ensures that there is no possibility of chemicals or minerals left behind in your water. This final step ensures that 99.9% of every possible particle in your water is gone. Water that goes through reverse osmosis is clean, safe, and tastes perfectly fresh.

Reverse osmosis far exceeds what any filter can do to water. By removing the trace particles, people can feel confident that the water they consume is safe for their entire family.

Reverse Osmosis and Hard Water

Geographic regions that are prone to hard water benefit significantly from reverse osmosis technology. People who live in areas like central Texas or the Northern Midwest are all too familiar with the horrors of hard water. These areas of extreme hard water make it very difficult to cut through the unpleasant taste and smell that hard water can have. Whole house water softeners and filters work wonders for a multitude of purposes, but aren’t always able to guarantee fresh-tasting drinking water.

If your goal is to have the absolute best drinking water for you and your family, a home reverse osmosis system is your best option. Not only will you drink more water, but it is guaranteed to be safe after undesirable chemicals and compounds are stripped out. A professional water company can come to your home and have a water expert install a reverse osmosis system to clean up your drinking water in a matter of hours. The benefits will impact your family for years to come, and it will be an investment you are glad you made.