The Best RO Water Filters

When considering the purchase of a reverse osmosis water filter, it is important to understand that they are not the same as water softener systems or other water filters.

Reverse osmosis water filters use a membrane to separate water molecules from larger ions or contaminants that often get into the water system.

Reverse osmosis filters work slowly and need a tank to hold the treated water so that it is available for you on demand. The size of the system required (and therefore the tank) is dependent upon the needs of your household.

Reverse osmosis filters remove a wide variety of harmful chemicals and other pollutants from your water. They are not designed to ‘soften’ your water, although there is some evidence that they do.

It goes without saying that you should always a product from a trusted supplier with a good customer care record, and the same is true when considering a reverse osmosis water filter.

The first thing you should do when considering which system is best for you is to work out what you need.

Whole House Reverse Osmosis

Depending on your location, you could have mercury, copper, arsenic, lead, chromium and various nitrates in your water supply, plus the foul-smelling chlorine and the calcium that attaches itself to your bathroom and kitchenware metals.

Very few standard water filters are capable of removing these toxic minerals, bacteria and other deposits with the efficiency of a reverse osmosis system. Fewer still can remove them all.

To help you decide if an RO system is right for your home, you should consider:

·          Your budget

·          Your home environment

·          The space needed to install your system

·          Water pressure

·          The needs of the household 

Budget

A whole of house reverse osmosis installation can be a considerable expense.

See our whole of house reverse osmosis model

Those with specific needs due to the very poor quality of their water supply, or those whose home is supplied with well water or from a bore, may have few other options.

In addition to the upfront cost, you also have the additional cost of replacing the cartridges or media and the membrane used by RO filter systems.

More info on RO whole house costs here

 

Having Enough Space 

You will also need a large tank to hold the water that has been filtered. Reverse osmosis works slowly so the more water you require, the bigger the tank you will need to hold the water after filtration. 

You should also ensure that you have the space to install a whole of house RO filter system in your home. You will not be able to install it under your kitchen sink.

An option many householders chose is to install their RO water system in a separate room. This also helps with noise reduction.

 

Water Pressure

Unlike a standard filtration system that ‘strains’ water to remove impurities, reverse osmosis systems use the mechanism of fluid flow across a membrane to filter out impurities.

It is much more effective than ‘straining’ or ‘size exclusion’ filtration, but it does require pressure.

 You should check that the water pressure in your home is adequate to support a reverse osmosis system.
 

Household Needs

The final check before deciding upon an RO water filtration system for your home is to assess the needs of your household.

For example, you may decide that you need RO water only for drinking.

If this is the case, a better option might be to install an RO drinking water system plus a water softener system for your bathing and laundry needs. See the next section for more information about these options.

Once you have decided to buy a whole of house reverse osmosis system, the next step is to find a reputable company with a high standard of customer care who can give you the right advice. Always check each company’s customer reviews online.

You should only buy quality products that have been manufactured using quality materials and come with a full guarantee. 

Reverse Osmosis System for Home

For most households, the reason for installing a reverse osmosis water system is to improve the quality of their drinking water by removing chemicals and other harmful pollutants.

Many are therefore purchasing a reverse osmosis water filter for drinking and adding a whole of house filter or water softener system for cleaning and bathing water.

This may offer great value and still take care of the needs of your household.

Combining an RO system with a water softener or filtration system will give you two benefits: 

·          You will have the best quality drinking water from your RO system

·          The water softener/filter will remove the scale deposits that make cleaning and bathing a chore and often cause problems by clogging home appliances.

Such a set-up is not a complex installation and reputable companies will be able to advise you on the combination of systems that best suits your household’s needs.

 

Reverse Osmosis Water Dispenser

If you just want to have clean, pure, bacteria free water to drink in your home, the best solution is a reverse osmosis water dispenser. 

A reverse osmosis water dispenser is relatively inexpensive, compact, and easy to install. It will give you the purest water possible by removing up to 98% of chemicals, bacteria and toxins from your water.

There are two basic options when installing a reverse osmosis water dispenser:

·          A separate tap used for RO drinking and cooking water

·          An integrated ‘three-way’ tap. 

A three-way tap is not very expensive and is an obvious choice for those who want the option an RO system for drinking water and a water softener or filtered system for bathing and laundry. 

Get a good quality, relatively inexpensive tap and you will have hot, cold, or RO filtered water at your kitchen sink.

Common Questions about Reverse Osmosis Systems

Below is a list of common questions asked by householders who research reverse osmosis water filters. 

Are reverse osmosis filters worth it?

Everyone will have their own opinion about how much they can benefit from purchasing a reverse osmosis filter.

Some people smoke and others exercise. Some people buy health food and avoid takeaways, while others eat junk food and drink a lot of alcohol.

Reverse osmosis systems are usually purchased by people who want to drink pure, quality water that is up to 98% contaminant free. If you fit into that category, the purchase of a reverse osmosis filter is worth it.
 

Are all reverse osmosis filters the same?

Like all products, some are well made with quality materials and others are made cheaply with materials that will wear out quickly or not do the job that they were ‘designed’ for.

Your best bet is to buy a reverse osmosis filter from a reputable UK company that offers a guarantee and has a dedicated customer service channel. You want to be able to speak to a real person, not an internet server.

Always check references online to make sure you are using a company with a good track record for customer care.

How much does a reverse osmosis system cost to install?

Most reverse osmosis drinking water systems are easy to install. Any householder who is relatively ‘handy’ could do it.

You should receive full instructions on how to install your system with the product. If you are wary of installing the system yourself, you could get a handyman or a plumber to install it for you. It is a very easy job for a plumber.

 Whole of House reverse osmosis systems should be installed by a plumber. The price of installation will be determined by the type of system you choose and the complexity of your installation.

You should seek help from a reputable supplier to estimate the costs for your installation.

How much wastewater Is produced by a reverse osmosis system? 

There is no getting around the fact that reverse osmosis systems use a lot of water. In fact, they waste a lot of water.

During the filtration process, purified water is stored in your tank ready for use, but the remaining ‘waste’ water is discarded. This is obviously uneconomical and a serious concern for those who are environmentally conscious. 

It is possible to mitigate or eliminate this problem by re-directing the wastewater for suitable use elsewhere in your home & garden.
 

What does water produced by a reverse osmosis system taste like?

Water has no taste, so it is hard to describe water that has been filtered by a reverse osmosis system. Many say that it tastes ‘clean and fresh’. 

A good way to think about what water filtered with a reverse osmosis system tastes like is to think about what it doesn’t taste like. Your water will not taste: 

·          Salty (because the sodium has been removed)

·          Bitter (because the magnesium is gone) or

·          Milky (because you no longer have calcium in your water system).

 

Do I need a reverse osmosis system with a UV light? 

Reverse osmosis water systems will filter out up to 99% of the harmful chemicals in your water. This means the system kills contamination that has been dissolved in your water supply. 

However, RO systems will not kill microbiological bacteria.

The good news is that most people in the UK will not have microbiological bacteria in their water supply because governments set stringent controls to ensure microbiological bacteria do not make it to your tap.  

That bad news is that householders who are drawing their water from a well or bore might need to use a reverse osmosis system with a UV light to ensure they have safe, clean water.

UV light will kill microbiological bacteria.

Because of this, UV lights are often sold as an add-on for RO systems. Choosing such a system has been estimated to reduce 99.9% of the bacterial contaminants in your water.
 

Is reverse osmosis water bad for you?

It is wrong to say that drinking reverse osmosis water is bad for you. Those who say that probably have an agenda.

However, there are some things you should be aware of when deciding whether to buy a reverse osmosis water filter. There are two potential, albeit easily solved, problems:

·          Your water will be more acidic

·          Minerals essential to the body such as calcium and magnesium will be lost in the reverse osmosis process 

These two potential problems have two simple solutions:

·          To solve your acidity problem, quality reverse osmosis systems, like the ones we supply include a re-alkerising cartridge (sometimes called a pH adjuster or neutraliser) to raise the pH level of your water. I.e. it removes the acidity.

·          Good systems will also add a re-mineralising filter to your system to regain the lost minerals. (You should also be aware that a healthy, balanced diet will also heavily reduce the chance of any problems. We do not get calcium and magnesium only from water.)

The key to avoiding any problems is to buy a quality product from a reputable supplier who can give you sound advice and answer all of your queries.

Conclusion

Choosing the right RO filtration system for your home is a difficult one and should not be undertaken without significant research.

Buying the wrong system can be stressful and expensive. 

Good quality Ro systems are not cheap, but they do give you the peace of mind to know that you are giving your household the best quality water.

The key when choosing the right system is to understand your household’s needs.

Consider your budget, get good advice from a reputable company with a track record of customer care, and chose a system – or a combination of systems – that will give your household what it needs.