What Is Reverse Osmosis: How It Works & Why Invest In It

Modern water resources are often full of pollutants, disinfection byproducts and other chemicals. This is on top of naturally occurring contaminants like heavy metals and minerals. It’s a far cry from the crisp, refreshing water we want to drink. What’s more, bottled alternatives can be expensive and environmentally hazardous and have been shown to contain microplastics that are very harmful to your health.

The good news is that it’s possible to restore contaminated water to the pure, safe drinking water you and your family deserve. One effective part of the water purification process is reverse osmosis (RO). Let’s discuss how reverse osmosis can help you achieve safer, better water.

How Does Reverse Osmosis Work?

Reverse osmosis is a process where water is purified by forcing it through an ultra-fine semi-permeable membrane using line pressure. The thin-film membrane is so tight that contaminants are rejected and only pure H2O can pass through it. The reject water with the removed contaminants goes to the drain and the permeate, or pure, water is stored in a tank and delivered to the point of use as needed.

Permeate (Good) vs. Concentrate (Bad) Water

When researching reverse osmosis systems, you might run across the terms permeate water and concentrate water.

Permeate water is the purified water that has passed through the RO membrane. Concentrate water is wastewater that holds materials filtered out of the permeate water. Pressure within the RO system stops permeate water from filtering back into the concentrate water. That way, you can avoid cross contamination.

Properly designed reverse osmosis systems are exceptionally effective at removing a wide range of contaminants. Kinetico’s RO solutions offer patented features no other systems have that make them more efficient, longer lasting and more effective at removing up to 98% of contaminants.

The Role of Reverse Osmosis in Municipal Water Treatment Facilities

Some municipal water treatment facilities use reverse osmosis as a step in the water treatment process. This is typically the case when EPA-regulated contaminants are present in the water supply.

Most consumers do not have purified water delivered by their municipality, however, and in cases where it does exist, there are always operational concerns that could cause the systems to go down or insufficiently clean the water. Residents on private water supplies, such as wells, must take care of their water themselves.

As a result of the slow degradation of our water quality, it is not surprising that many homeowners and businesses are installing reverse osmosis systems in their homes and places of business for better and safer drinking water. With a Kinetico RO system, you’ll be investing in the most effective and efficient water purification solution with minimal waste water, state-of-the-art design and a long warranty.

What Will RO Purification Systems Remove From Water?

Reverse osmosis purification systems are capable of removing a vast array of contaminants from water. This includes natural and man-made minerals, chemicals, metals and other non-H2O substances.

The Kinetico K5 system, with its advanced design, effectively removes a wide range of contaminants that pitcher or fridge filters may leave behind, including, but not limited to:

• Dissolved minerals like sodium, calcium, silica, nitrates, sulfates and other dissolved solids that impact the quality of the drinking water.
• Heavy metals such as cadmium, uranium, arsenic, mercury, lead, copper and zinc, all of which may pose health risks to those exposed.
• Biological substances like viruses, bacteria and fungi are removed by the K5 because of specialized customization using Flex Filtration.
• Pollutants and toxins such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). Moreover, the K5 is certified to remove harmful PFAS and GenX, which are “forever chemicals” that are ubiquitous in our environment and in our water. If you don’t remove these chemicals they can pose significant health risks.

Forever chemicals like PFAS and other emerging contaminants are coming into focus with government agencies with regard to regulations. However, implementation of changes takes a long time — until 2029 for the EPA’s latest rule on PFAS — and are subject to change. Moreover, other contaminants like microplastics are not even on the radar yet. All the more reason to put control of your drinking water quality in your own hands.

Why You Should Invest in a Reverse Osmosis Purification System

Investing in a Reverse Osmosis system is one of the wisest investments a person can make to improve and enhance the drinking waster quality for their family or clients. The benefits of having a system such as the Kinetico K5 are manifold and include:

1. Improved Water Quality

Reverse osmosis purification from the Kinetico K5 Drinking Water Station offers exceptional water quality, customized to your family’s needs. It provides safer, cleaner purified water for the whole family that tastes better for drinking and cooking.

2. Eliminate Taste and Odor Issues

Water with contaminants causes a host of issues in the home, especially when it comes to drinking water. Metallic taste, rotten egg odors, chlorine smell and taste are just the obvious things that a reverse osmosis system corrects. The unseen dangers of disinfection byproducts, microplastics and forever chemicals are also mitigated for the best quality drinking water.

3. Health Benefits

Above all, the safety of your drinking water is paramount when it comes to protecting the health of your family. Reverse osmosis systems such as the Kinetico K5 offer a customizable solution to handle a wide range of health-related water issues like bacteria and viruses, as well the documented dangers of THMs and PFAS.

4. Low Maintenance and Durability

The Kinetico K5 system is non-electric and has a special membrane-cleaning feature that provides quality water and a long system life. The system includes an automatic shut-off and delivers the water at high flow rates from the dedicated faucet(s). Filter changes are controlled by water use, rather than time and the system shuts off automatically when the filter change is needed.

5. Convenience and Cost Savings

The engineering design of the Kinetico K5 minimizes waste water to ease your water bill. The self-cleaning membrane means savings on membrane changes. Filters are changed when needed, maximizing their use and minimizing the expense. Moreover, the cost savings from eliminating bottled water are enormous.

How Kinetico Advanced Water Systems Can Help

More and more people are turning to Kinetico for their drinking water needs. You can trust the water quality experts at Advanced Water Systems to provide sound analysis of the water in your home or business so the proper systems can be recommended to achieve your water quality goals. For further information about our free water analysis, contact one of our water specialists today.