The most common reason people choose a reverse osmosis system is to reduce contaminants in drinking water. Regardless of your geographical area, there is more than basic H2O in your water supply, and reverse osmosis systems can dramatically reduce or eliminate unwanted contaminants. But most people don’t know how RO systems work, the benefits of RO water, or how to choose a suitable RO system. Read on to find answers to these and more.

Water first goes through a pre-sediment PP membrane and a carbon block filter, which is where contaminants like sand, rust, chlorine, and others are reduced. After running through another sediment membrane to remove even more impurities, the water is subjected to a multi-stage composite filter design with a reverse osmosis system—reverse osmosis membrane. This step reduces 90% of TDS and heavy metals, including arsenic and mercury.

The RO membrane can reduce a wide range of potentially harmful contaminants from tap water, such as:

1. TDS, chlorine, bad taste and odor, chloramine, scale, and turbidity.

2. Carcinogen like chromium (hexavalent), chromium (trivalent), cadmium and cadmium compounds, and ferric oxide.

3. Heavy metals like lead, mercury, barium, copper, radium 226/228, aluminum, and others.

4. Micro organic contaminants, such as cysts.

5. Inorganic pollutants, such as arsenic, inorganic arsenic compounds, and fluoride.

6. Organic pollutants like asbestos, benzene, formaldehyde, trichloromethane, chlordane, PFOA & PFOS, and others.

The water filtered by the RO system is free of chlorine and limescale, which often affects the flavor of the food. Similarly, RO water is more suitable for tea and coffee. Filtered water from the RO system is free of heavy metals and organic compounds, making it ideal for drinking. Adults and young children can drink RO filtered water to improve their health. For infants, it can also be used in combination with milk powder to prepare a milk drink.

A consumer study showed that American consumers spent $15 billion annually on bottled water. However, getting a reverse osmosis water system can guarantee a constant supply of clean and filtered water, at just pennies per gallon.

The plastic bottles used in bottled water are often not recycled; they end up in landfills where they could take hundreds of years to decompose. With an RO system, you can spend less money on accessing pure and drinkable water, while protecting the environment.

The most common RO Water Filter Systems filter water in 3 to 5 stages, but the top-rated reverse osmosis systems are designed to offer a 7-stage filtration. The principle is the higher the filter stage, the better the taste of the filtered water.

The Waterdrop G3 Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System offers seven stages of filtration, making it a top choice for people who want a highly efficient RO system.

The traditional Reverse Osmosis System is a Tanked RO System, which comes with a few advantages. For instance, tanked RO systems take a lot of space in your home, and when the filtered water is stored for a prolonged period, it may taste differently.

The tankless reverse osmosis systems offer a better alternative. Since they have no tanks, tankless RO systems occupy less spaces in your home. They are programmed to produce water only when it is needed, so they are economical. Plus, the filtered water from these RO systems tastes better.

Choose the RO system with a fast water flow and low drain ratio. This ensures you do not wait for too long to fill your glass with filtered water. For best results, we recommend a RO filter system with a 400 or 600 GPD.

Typically, reverse osmosis works off of a 4:1 ratio principle, i.e., for every 1 gallon of product water, you will have up to 4 gallons going to the drain. Certain RO systems are more economical than others. For instance, there are some with a 1:1 ratio membrane that reduces the amount of waste water by 75%. There are also others with 1.5:1 and 2:1 ratio membranes, which saves even more water.

There are two common types of reverse osmosis filters – under-sink RO systems and countertop RO systems. The under-sink systems are the most common, often designed to sit under your sink and produce water from a dedicated faucet on the counter. The countertop reverse osmosis systems, also called portable RO systems, spot a different design.

Under-sink RO systems usually need installation and take up space under the kitchen. However, they can conveniently meet the long-term and large-scale water demands.

Countertop RO systems usually don’t require any plumbing work during installation. They are ideal for homes with little under-sink space that is inadequate for a full-size reverse osmosis system. For instance, it is good for dorm rooms, RVs, a camper, or tiny home. The Waterdrop N1 Countertop RO system is an excellent countertop RO system. It requires no installation and is quite portable to be carried along on business or personal trips.