What is Reverse Osmosis?
Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a water treatment process that removes contaminants and impurities from water by forcing it through a semi-permeable membrane. The process is called “reverse” osmosis because it reverses the natural osmotic process, which occurs when water flows from a less concentrated solution to a more concentrated one through a semi-permeable membrane. In reverse osmosis, the water flows through a membrane in the opposite direction – from a more concentrated solution to a less concentrated one.
During the reverse osmosis process, water is pressurized and forced through the semi-permeable membrane, which acts as a filter. The pores in the membrane are small enough to remove contaminants and impurities, such as bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, and chemicals, from the water. The purified water is collected on the other side of the membrane, while the contaminants and impurities are retained on the side of the membrane where the water was initially forced through.
What are the Benefits of Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment?
There are numerous benefits to using reverse osmosis for water treatment. One of the main benefits is that by removing bacteria and other contaminants, it can produce high-quality, purified water for drinking and cooking.
Reverse Osmosis can also improve the taste and smell of water. Many impurities can give water an unpleasant taste or foul smell. By removing these contaminants, reverse osmosis results in cleaner water that tastes and smells better.
Reverse osmosis is also an efficient way to reduce the amount of total dissolved solids (TDS) in water. TDS refers to the total amount of dissolved minerals, salts, and other solids in water. While some TDS is necessary for water to be safe and healthy to drink, high levels of TDS can give water a salty or metallic taste and can be harmful to some people. Reverse osmosis can effectively reduce TDS levels in water resulting in water that tastes better and is safer to drink.
How is a Reverse Osmosis System Different from a Water Softener?
Many people often confuse reverse osmosis water processing systems with water softeners. Reverse osmosis systems are different from water softeners in that reverse osmosis systems are used to remove contaminants and impurities from water, while water softeners are used to remove hard water minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, from water.
Water softeners are typically used to improve the performance and lifespan of appliances, such as washing machines and water heaters, and to reduce the amount of soap and detergent needed for cleaning. Reverse osmosis water treatment systems, on the other hand, are primarily used for water purification and improving the quality of drinking water.
Sadly, many consumers who purchase water softeners for their homes often believe that they are also getting the benefits of water purification, associated with reverse osmosis. However, this is not the case. While it can be said that water softeners can improve water quality, they do not in any way work to purify water by removing contaminants, bacteria, viruses, chemicals, and other harmful impurities to create safe, healthy clean water for drinking and cooking.
How to Get the Benefits of both Reverse Osmosis and Water Softening
The good news is that you can choose to purchase a water treatment system (aka, water processing system) that provides both water softening and reverse osmosis water purification.
At UDI, we sell systems that process and purify water in both of these ways, and more!
UDI has been in business since 1979 and we’ve installed over 70,000 water-processing systems in Florida and Georgia, where poor water quality has always been a prevalent problem. In fact, UDI was nationally recognized by Water Technology Magazine as the top-performing water treatment service in the United States. Our ULTRA-6 Reverse Osmosis System is a six-stage system that treats and purifies water in multiple ways (reverse osmosis is just one of the six stages).
Stage 1 — Sediment filtration
The first stage of our Ultra-6 Reverse Osmosis system uses a five-micron sediment filter to trap sediments and more.
Stage 2 — Carbon block filtration
The second stage utilizes a 5-micron carbon block filter to help ensure the reduction of chlorine, bad taste and unpleasant odor.
Stages 3 / 4 — KDF / GAC treatment & filtration
KDC (Kinetic Degradation Fluxion) is a high-purity copper-zinc formulation that removes chlorine, lead, mercury, iron, and hydrogen sulfide from the water. It also helps to prolong the life of the ULTRA-6 system by protecting the Reverse Osmosis membrane.
The GAC filter (Granular Activated Carbon) promotes high flow to the Reverse Osmosis system while removing chlorine taste and odor.
Stage 5 — Reverse Osmosis Membrane
Stage 5 is the heart of the Reverse Osmosis system- Filtration through the 50 GPD (Gallons Per Day) Reverse Osmosis membrane. Because the process of extracting high-quality drinking water takes time, your ULTRA-6 Reverse Osmosis water treatment system is equipped with a storage tank.
Stage 6 — Carbon post filtration
The final stage utilizes a high-quality carbon filter to treat drinking water as it enters the filter after flowing in from the water storage tank, serving as a final polishing filter.
Water that is processed through a Reverse Osmosis system like UDI’s ULTRA-6 not only softens water but purifies it using reverse osmosis, carbon filtering, and other state-of-the-art water treatment technologies.
If you desire safe, healthy, purified water for drinking, cooking and bathing in your home, do not rely on a water softener only to achieve this for you, because water softeners serve only to reduce the water’s hardness. Rather, look for a Reverse Osmosis or carbon filtering water treatment system that removes contaminants and impurities, specifically to improve the quality and safety of your home’s drinking water.
If you’d like to learn more about UDI’s ULTRA-6 Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System or one of our other high-quality water treatment systems, call us at 1-800-741-4426. You can also schedule a free in-home water test to check the quality of your tap water. There is no obligation and we show you the results immediately.
