What Does A Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Do?

Every Australian Home Needs High-Quality Drinking Water 

In Australia, access to clean and safe drinking water is essential for every home nationwide due to our extreme temperatures. However, despite the best efforts of local water providers, tap water is often contaminated with various impurities, such as chlorine, bacteria, and chemicals, which can negatively affect your health in the long term.

Contaminants – More Common Than You Realise 

Unfortunately, common contaminants can also alter the taste and smell of tap water and pose serious health risks. The resulting water quality often affects the amount consumed due to the less-than-desirable experience. Consequently, many Australians are now turning to quality water filtration systems to ensure consistent purity and safety of their drinking water. Water filtration systems deliver exceptional quality water without the ongoing cost and environmental burden of purchasing bottled water.

Introducing Reverse Osmosis Water Filters

One style of water filtration system that is becoming increasingly popular is reverse osmosis. Here’s everything you need to know about selecting reverse osmosis water filters and their many benefits for your home.

What is Reverse Osmosis?

Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water purification process that uses a semi-permeable membrane to remove impurities from your tap water. The unique membrane allows water molecules to pass through while blocking larger particles and impurities, such as minerals, chemicals, and microorganisms. The result is clean, extremely pure, and great-tasting water that is safe and enjoyable to drink. 

Why is it Called Reverse Osmosis?

The process is called “reverse” osmosis because it reverses the natural osmosis process that occurs in living cells. In living cells, water moves from an area of high concentration to a place of low concentration, while reverse osmosis forces water to move from an area of low concentration to an area of high concentration. 

Example of high concentration to low concentration

Adding a tea bag to a glass of water provides an easily visible example of high-concentration liquid transitioning to low-concentration liquid. As the tea produced exits the tea bag, the concentration is high, then rapidly diffuses to low in the water. Reverse osmosis is this process reversed. 

Example of osmosis in nature

Osmosis is a process that occurs naturally in various biological systems. For example, in plants, water travels through the root and into the plant’s vascular system, along the way, the water passes through various semi-permeable membranes, such as cell walls, which ultimately result in the movement of water from high concentration to low concentration. 

How Does a Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Work?

A reverse osmosis water filter consists of several stages that work together to purify the water:

1. Pre-filtration: The water passes through a sediment filter to remove larger particles, such as sand, silt, and rust.
2. Carbon filtration: The water is then filtered through a carbon block to remove chlorine, pesticides, and other chemicals that can affect the taste and smell of the water.
3. Reverse osmosis: The water is pushed through a semipermeable membrane, which removes impurities such as minerals, bacteria, microorganisms, and viruses.
4. Post-filtration: The purified water is filtered through a carbon filter to remove any remaining odours or tastes.
5. Remineralisation: Reverse osmosis systems from Complete Home Filtration add trace elements of minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and potassium to improve taste and provide health benefits. 
6. Storage: The purified water is ready for storage and use.
7. Final filtration: The water is filtered through a final carbon filter before dispensing, ensuring it is safe and clean for consumption.

Benefits of Reverse Osmosis Water Filter for Australian Homes

Clean & Safe Drinking Water: 

A reverse osmosis water filter produces safe and clean drinking water. The reverse osmosis process removes 99.95% of impurities, including bacteria, viruses, and chemicals, ensuring the water is free from harmful contaminants. This unique process makes reverse osmosis ideal for households with children, elderly family members, or people with weakened immune systems.

Improved Taste & Smell

Another clear benefit of using a reverse osmosis filter in your home is that it significantly improves the taste and smell of your tap water. As previously mentioned, the reverse osmosis process removes the vast majority of impurities that can impact overall drinkability and odour, resulting in fresh and clean-tasting water. This benefit is particularly important for Australians living in areas impacted by hard water (high mineral content) or high chlorine levels in their local supply.

Cost-effective & Environmentally Friendly

Reverse osmosis water filters are a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for households that want to avoid constantly purchasing bottled water. Bottled water is expensive and generates significant plastic waste that ends up in landfills or scattered throughout the ocean. In comparison, reverse osmosis water filters produce clean and safe drinking water at a fraction of bottled water’s cost while reducing your environmental impact.

Simple to Maintain

Reverse osmosis water filters are easy to maintain and require minimal upkeep. The filter cartridges must be replaced periodically, usually every 6 to 12 months, depending on usage and water quality. It should also be noted that you will need to replace the semipermeable membrane based on the recommendations provided by your product’s manual. Complete Home Filtration offers an annual filter subscription, providing you with the peace of mind that comes with having your replacement filters shipped straight to your door.

Versatile & Convenient

Reverse osmosis water filters are also extremely versatile and convenient, with the small size of the unit making it ideal for anything from mansions to studio apartments. Additionally, the size of reverse osmosis filters easily allows them to adapt to your unique kitchen design. Once installed, the filter produces clean, safe drinking water without additional effort. The convenience of reverse osmosis makes them a popular choice for households looking for a hassle-free solution to water filtration.

Get a Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Today!