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Reverse Osmosis Water Filters

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Reverse Osmosis Water Filter

What is a Reverse Osmosis Water Filter?

A reverse osmosis water filter system (commonly called an RO system) is a sophisticated technology designed to purify water using a semipermeable membrane. This membrane acts as a barrier, allowing water molecules to pass through while blocking larger molecules, ions, and contaminants. The water purification process works by applying pressure to the water, forcing it through the membrane.

Our Reverse Osmosis Water Purification System

Our reverse osmosis water purification system effectively at removes a wide range of contaminants from tap water. These include dissolved salts (ions), bacteria, viruses, pesticides, fluoride, chlorine, and other harmful substances.

With exceptional purification capabilities, our reverse osmosis system can eliminate up to 99.8% of contaminants, depending on the quality and characteristics of the water.

Our Complete Home Filtration filter systems have multiple filtration stages to enhance water quality. These stages include a pre-filter to remove sediment and larger particles, a carbon filter to eliminate chlorine and organic compounds affecting taste and odour, and the reverse osmosis membrane for fine filtration. These filters are of high quality, with NSF and WaterMark certifications, ensuring they meet rigorous standards for safety and performance.

One of the primary benefits of using a reverse osmosis water filter systems is the significant improvement in the taste and odour of drinking water. Reverse osmosis water filters produce clean and refreshing water by removing contaminants that affect taste and smell. They are widely used in residential settings, and installed under the kitchen sink.

Like any water filter systems, reverse osmosis water filters require periodic maintenance to ensure optimal performance. This includes replacing filters and periodically sanitising the system to prevent bacterial buildup. By understanding and following these maintenance procedures, you can play a crucial role in prolonging the life of the reverse osmosis membrane and ensuring continued high-quality water purification, making you an informed and responsible user.

Our under sink reverse osmosis water purification systems are valued for their ability to provide clean, safe, and great-tasting drinking water by effectively removing a broad range of contaminants, including PFAS and PFOA, through advanced purification technology and multi-stage filtration processes.

How Reverse Osmosis Water Filters Work

Upon entering the reverse osmosis water filter, water passes through a 1-micron polypropylene sediment filter, removing solid particles like sediment, silts, and mineral deposits.

This stage is important because it helps to prolong the life of the RO membrane by removing larger particles that can potentially damage it. 

It also helps to improve the overall efficiency of the filtration system by removing larger particles that can clog the membrane and other cartridges. Sediment filters are often made of polypropylene or cellulose materials.

After the larger, grittier particles have been removed, the water passes through a granular activated carbon (GAC) filter to target chemicals and other impurities.

Activated carbon is known for its ability to adsorb impurities and contaminants such as chlorine, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides, herbicides, and other dissolved contaminants. These impurities are attracted to the carbon block’s surface and trapped within the filter media.

GAC filters come in a range of sizes and configurations, but the key number to focus on is the micron rating. This represents the smallest particles that the filters will be able to trap – the lower the micron rating, the more comprehensive the filtration. The GAC filters in our RO water filters, just like our whole-home systems, filter down to a single micron.

The reverse osmosis stage is the heart of the reverse osmosis water filtration process. This is where the magic happens. Water is forced through a tightly woven, semipermeable reverse osmosis membrane, filtering it from 1 micron down to 0.0005 microns.

A reverse osmosis membrane is a thin film composite (TFC) membrane made of several polyamide layers. It allows only water molecules to pass through while rejecting dissolved salts, minerals, and other impurities. The process works by applying pressure to force water through the membrane’s pores, which are smaller than the impurities, so harmful contaminants get trapped on one side while pure water flows through to the other side.

With this membrane, our reverse osmosis system can effectively remove a wide range of impurities and contaminants, such as:

  • dissolved salts, including sodium, calcium, and magnesium
  • inorganic minerals and heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic
  • bacteria, viruses, and microorganisms
  • fluoride, chlorine, and chloramines
  • pesticides, herbicides, and other dissolved organic compounds
  • dissolved gases such as carbon dioxide and oxygen

The RO membrane is an important part of the filtration process as it removes most impurities and contaminants from the water. It is important to note that these membranes have a limited lifespan and need to be periodically replaced to ensure the water is effectively filtered.

Some people are concerned that Reverse Osmosis water filters make your drinking water too pure by removing vital minerals or stripping away alkaline water benefits by reducing your tap water’s total dissolved solids.

If you install a reverse osmosis system from Complete Home Filtration, this won’t be a worry.

Our remineralisation stage restores trace elements of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and mineral salts (to a PH of 8.4), retaining vital, healthy minerals in your drinking water.

During the reverse osmosis process, minerals and other dissolved solids are removed, along with impurities and contaminants. While this process results in clean and pure water, it also means that the water is “de-mineralised” and may lack some beneficial minerals in natural water sources.

It is important to note that not all reverse osmosis systems have a remineralisation stage. Complete Home Filtration’s reverse osmosis filters include this mineral cartridge by default to maintain mineral levels in your drinking water, but you can request to have it removed for your particular installation. These kinds of water filter systems function perfectly well without post-filtration cartridges, but most providers include some kind of conditioning or remineralisation after the water filtration process.

Ro system image
lady holding on a glass of Reserve Osmosis system water

The Benefits of a Reverse Osmosis Water Filter

With a Reverse Osmosis water filter, the taste, appearance, and smell of your water improves immediately.

There’s a reason high-end restaurants cook with reverse osmosis water—ensuring no impurities impact the quality or flavour of their food.

Save money and be kinder to the planet by eliminating the need to buy bottled water.

Make your home more attractive to potential buyers—if and when that time comes!

Many of our customers find their family drinks more water each day, cutting down the appeal (and cost) of bottled water and sugary drinks.

We tailor your Reverse Osmosis water filtration system to your water type (e.g. alkaline), raw water quality (tank or mains/high chlorine/hard water), usage, water pressure (low/high) and installation requirements (pavers, turf, mains access).

Reverse Osmosis systems are simple and cost-effective to maintain. Just replace the filters every 12 months and the semipermeable membrane every couple of years (refer to your product’s manual for exact timings).

Best of all, we offer an annual filter subscription, so you don’t need to worry about tracking down replacement filters—we’ll ship them straight to your door!

Contaminants Removed by Reverse Osmosis Water Filters

Harmful Metals and Minerals

  • Aluminium
  • Barium
  • Cadmium
  • Chromium
  • Copper
  • Iron
  • Lead
  • Manganese
  • Mercury
  • Radium
  • Selenium
  • Sodium
  • Potassium
  • Nitrate
  • Fluoride
  • Fluorine

Harmful Chemicals

  • Chlorine
  • Chloramine
  • PFAS
  • PFOA
  • PFOS
  • PCBs

Germs and Particles

  • Cryptosporidium
  • Cysts
  • E. coli
  • Giardia
  • Dirt
  • Rust
  • Sediment

Unpleasant Taste and Smell

  • Taste
  • Odour

Join the thousands of Aussies saying YES to Better Water

Installing a Complete Home system is a great way to improve your family’s health & well-being. Not only this, but it also provides the added benefits of saving money on bottled water and reducing household contribution to landfills, all whilst adding value to your home and ensuring that it is as environmentally efficient as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

At Complete Home Filtration, we understand that every home is unique. That’s why our whole-home water filtration systems are not just off-the-shelf products; they are 100% customised to your specific needs, water issues, and home. There are multiple different sizes, types, and configurations of filters available, so prices will vary from one home to the next.

We complete a FREE in-home water consultation to allow for an accurate quote. 

This consultation involves a quick site visit from one of our friendly water technicians to carry out a water test, discuss and determine the type of filters you require for your family, and conduct a site inspection to estimate the cost and placement of your installation. 

Broadly speaking, we have systems that range from $1,400 to $6,825. The most affordable entry-level system involves installing a reverse osmosis filtration system for drinking water ONLY. For the fully installed whole-home systems, exact pricing is influenced by factors such as the size of your home and family, the hardness of your water, the types of treatment chemicals used in your area, and more.

We understand that people often are looking for a guide on price as part of their research before making a purchase decision or committing to organising a quote. Some approximate costs are:

  • CHF Reverse Osmosis Water Filter: RRP starts from $1,496*, with annual filter replacement cost of $144**
  • CHF-6000 Complete Home Filtration system: RRP starts from $4,999, with an annual filter replacement cost of $277**

Please note:

  • *The above pricing is an approximate guide only; systems come in 10-inch and larger 15-inch models, and prices do vary state by state.
  • **The approximate base cost of the replacement filters noted is also factored on CHF subscription pricing – see below for more details.
  • Plumbing variables include pavers, excavation requirements, concrete, artificial lawn, labour required to identify mains pipe, stone bench tops, internal installations, pipework materials, available space under sink and local plumbing regulations.
  • Reverse osmosis and Premium options/extras include alkalising, re-mineralising, and choice of 3-way mixer tap, standalone tap etc.
  • Initial cost and annual filter replacement costs depend on the type of filtration media used and how your system has been customised.

The reverse osmosis water filter changes are performed every 12 months as per industry standards. The non-backwashing filters, and the membrane is checked every two years for performance during the scheduled service. Depending on water quality, membranes can last 2 to 4 years.

The main difference in terms of contaminant removal is the inclusion of fluoride, hormones, and pharmaceuticals. Many consumers are concerned about the removal of fluoride and other stubborn chemicals or contaminants, especially with the growing prevalence of recycled water. In this case, an additional RO unit that converts the Complete system to the Premium is recommended.

Reverse Osmosis is not recommended for the whole home due to the water waste involved in ‘washing’ the water, but it is necessary for maximum contaminant removal from drinking water. If you have no concerns about fluoride in the water or other potential trace elements, then the level of filtration provided by the Complete system is sufficient. The Complete system filters down to 1 Micron and removes up to 98.5% of chlorine and other contaminants like pesticides, heavy metals, and chlorine by-products.

Our Reverse Osmosis (RO) filtration system is designed to remove the highest number of contaminants from your water. It is particularly effective in removing stubborn or dissolved contaminants that slip through conventional filters such as salts, fluoride, hormones, PFAS, and pharmaceuticals. For those who require a more rigorous filtration for their drinking water, this is the ideal solution.

Reverse osmosis effectively removes a wide array of contaminants, but it can also remove beneficial minerals from water. To address this, a remineralisation filter can be added to the reverse osmosis system. This filter stage reintroduces essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, mineral salts, and potassium back into the water. As a result, it improves the taste and nutritional profile of the purified water while keeping it alkaline. Complete Home Filtration’s reverse osmosis systems include this post-purification remineralising option by default.

Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Reviews