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Reverse Osmosis Water Filters

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What is Reverse Osmosis?

Our Reverse Osmosis water filter systems remove up to 99.8% of contaminants — making them some of the most effective water purification systems on the market.

Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems force water through a semipermeable membrane, removing bacteria, and inorganic impurities. If you’re looking to rid your water of hard-to-remove contaminants such as sodium, chloride, fluoride, lead, and magnesium, as well as Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), pesticides, herbicides and nano plastics — read on!

The Complete Home Filtration reverse osmosis system features up to four advanced filtration methods combined into one, leaving you with pure, contaminant-free drinking water.

How Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration Works

The sediment filtration stage is the first stage of the reverse osmosis water filtration process. It is designed to remove larger particles and sediment from the water before it enters the reverse osmosis membrane. 

Once connected to your drinking water lines, a high-pressure pump forces water through a series of pre-filters. 

During this first stage, water passes through a 1-micron polypropylene sediment filter, removing sediment, silts and mineral deposits. The sediment filter traps particles and sediment in the water as it passes through the filter, preventing them from entering the reverse osmosis membrane.

This stage is important because it helps to prolong the life of the reverse osmosis 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. Sediment filters are often made of polypropylene or cellulose materials.

Most systems require you to replace this sediment filter every 6 months, however, the premium Complete Home Filtration system only needs changing every 12 months!

Micron-activated carbon blocks are a type of filter media that is commonly used in reverse osmosis water filtration systems. They consist of activated carbon that is tightly packed into a solid block. The carbon is treated with oxygen to create millions of tiny pores between the carbon atoms, which increases the carbon’s surface area and adsorption capacity.

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

In reverse osmosis water filtration systems, micron-activated carbon blocks are often used as a post-filter, which means that it is placed after the reverse osmosis membrane. This allows it to remove any impurities or contaminants that may have passed through the membrane. Additionally, it can be used after the sediment filtration stage to remove chlorine, chloramines and other dissolved impurities before they can reach the membrane.

Micron-activated carbon blocks are available in different micron ratings, which refers to the size of particles that the filter can remove. Typically, the lower the micron rating, the finer the filter. It is important to use a carbon block filter with the appropriate micron rating to match the size of the impurities that you want to remove.

If you install a Reverse Osmosis system from Complete Home Filtration, we add in a micron-activated carbon block.

As previously mentioned, the carbon block removes pesticides, herbicides, chlorine (including chlorine bi-products) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), helping rid your water of further impurities while protecting the semipermeable membrane found in the next stage.

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 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, which is smaller than the impurities, so they get trapped on one side while pure water flows through to the other side.

The reverse osmosis membrane can effectively remove a wide range of impurities and contaminants, such as:

  • dissolved salts, including sodium, calcium, and magnesium
  • 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 reverse osmosis 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 reverse osmosis 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.

If you install a RO system from Complete Home Filtration, this shouldn’t be a worry.

Our remineralisation stage adds 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.

Remineralisation is the process of adding minerals back to the water to improve its taste and provide some health benefits. This is typically done by adding calcium carbonate or other mineral-rich substances to the water. The remineralisation process can be done with a remineralisation filter or cartridge, which is placed after the reverse osmosis membrane.

It is important to note that not all reverse osmosis systems have a remineralisation stage, some people prefer their water with no minerals added back into it, which is a personal preference. Suppose you prefer your water with some minerals added back. In that case, it is recommended to consult with a professional or to research and compare different remineralisation systems to find the one that fits your needs.

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.

The Benefits of Reverse Osmosis Systems

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 six to 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!