Reverse Osmosis: Why I Need One

Reverse Osmosis water is something I think you may want to know about. We often set our priorities based on our life experiences. I’ve been a proponent of food and water storage since I was a teenager. I saw the empty store shelves for an extended period during a severe ice and snow storm while living in Chicago. Las Vegas is where I grew up and my parents had a five-gallon water dispenser in our kitchen due to the poor water quality there.

Please note, I purchased this unit myself and these are my opinions, I love it!

My concerns about municipal water quality came to a head when we lived in Farmington, UT. Our tap water had a yellow-brown tint to it when you filled the sink. We asked around and the neighbors’ water looked the same. I decided to take a sample to the city offices to get some answers. We were told the water was tested often and found to be fine.

We didn’t trust their answer and purchased one of those five-gallon water dispensers for our home. On my own, I took a mental survey of our subdivision and realized that about every third home had a resident dealing with cancer. When I went to work at a small community bank there it didn’t take long before I noticed that more than half the staff were dealing with health issues, including cancer. That community had water quality issues but they weren’t willing to recognize or deal with it.

With all the media attention regarding the lack of water resources and the poor quality of water in many areas, I decided to write about reverse osmosis and why I need one in my home.

Reverse Osmosis Filters

Reverese Osmosis Tank Ready To Install

Reverse Osmosis Ready To Go

Bottled Water: Is It Safe to Drink?

What is Reverse Osmosis?

Reverse osmosis is a water filter system that is activated by the pressure in your water system. It involves a series of filters designed to remove sediment, contaminants, and other particles in your tap water. One of those filters is a semi-permeable membrane with a very small pore size of approximately .0001 microns. The membrane lets regular water molecules through but larger contaminants a too big to pass through and are caught or trapped. I like reverse osmosis for water filtration since removes up to 99.99% of contaminants. The system doesn’t rely on chemicals like chlorine and chloramines most often used by public water providers.

What Kinds of Things Are Removed from Water by Reverse Osmosis?

Depending on the system you purchase, the filtering system can remove bacteria, viruses, lead, nitrates, mercury, and other particulates. Note that chlorine can also be removed from the water, so if you’re used to the taste of chlorinated water you’ll notice a difference once you change to reverse osmosis treated water.

This treatment system can also remove many of the healthy minerals found in tap water, like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Some reverse osmosis system providers offer an option called a remineralizer that adds back those minerals, restoring the health benefits and natural taste of water. Water treated by reverse osmosis will tend to have a ph rating lower than non-treated water. PH is a factor that rates water’s acidic versus alkaline content and can affect the taste. As long as the ph is between 6.5 – 8.5, the Environmental Protection Agency says it’s fine to drink.

What Other Benefits Are There From Using Reverse Osmosis to Treat My Tap Water?

There are several benefits from using reverse osmosis:

Convenience: If you find yourself running to the store, especially during the hot summer months to get bottled water to drink yourself or for your guests, you’ll appreciate the convenience of drawing water from the faucet on your counter dispensing the “clean” water. You don’t have to find a place to store the water either, it’s right there at your fingertips.

Cost Effective: by not having to shop for bottled water to get water you feel comfortable drinking, you save on the cost of the water. Yes, reverse osmosis systems can be pricey upfront, but over time you see the cost-benefit of having your own water treatment system built in.

Environmentally Friendly: our landfills, streams, rivers, and oceans are filled with plastic waste of all kinds, including plastic bottles. It is estimated that 8 million tons of plastic trash find its way into the oceans of the world every year! That’s a lot of plastic. Although most municipalities promote recycling, including plastic water bottles, only 20% are placed in recycling systems.

Ease of Installation: yes, there’s some plumbing involved in the installation, but the number of fittings and connections is minimal. Most handy individuals can install the unit, but your distributor will generally install the unit as part of the purchase, or for a reasonable fee.

Our Reverse Osmosis System

As part of our project to build our new home in South Jordan, UT, we researched and found a great company, Water Protection One out of Woods Cross, UT, that sold and installed our Hydro Guard Reverse Osmosis System. They were very professional when outlining our options and the related costs, timely with the installation, and competent in their work.

The Hydro Guard system has several valuable features:

• A designer lead-free faucet that is attractive and durable.
• Includes a Shok Blok filter protection valve in case the water pressure exceeds specifications.
• There is a large 4.5-gallon treated water storage tank.
• The production materials have been certified safe by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF).
• The Flowlok leak detector shut-off valve automatically shuts the system down if a leak is detected.

Final Word

Good clean water is an essential part of any emergency preparation plan. You need water for proper hydration, cooking, personal hygiene, and limited laundry during an emergency. For your hydration and cooking needs, reverse osmosis is a proven way to have quality water for consumption at your fingertips. We’ve had a system in the last three homes we’ve owned, and wouldn’t ever do without one. Let me know your experiences with reverse osmosis systems so I can share your input with my readers. Thanks for always listening in and doing what you can to be prepared. May God Bless this world. Linda

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