Best Reverse Osmosis System Reviews

If you ask me which household appliance is essential to my family, I would like to tell you that it is a reverse osmosis system which I use to get filtered water to drink, cook and wash. We cannot live without water and our body contains too much water. How to drink water healthily is very important. A reverse osmosis system is a water treatment device which we can use to purify water. Compared with other water treatment devices, RO water filter can provide us with plenty of pure and healthy water to drink and cook.

I hate tap water due to its bad smell and taste; I didn’t enough water every day before, even if I knew that drinking 64oz water at least per day is essential. After buying my best reverse osmosis system, everything has been changed. I have enough filtered water to drink and cook, as well as my wife and kids. I also don’t buy bottled water because the filtered water smells and tastes very well.

You may think there are so many types of water treatment devices and why do you need to purchase a RO system. This is because reverse osmosis is the most economic and effective way to purify water. Other types of filters, like water pitcher filters, active carbon water filters, water distillers,  or refrigerator filters, aren’t able to effectively remove most main contaminants in our tap water.

The reason I don’t drink bottled water is that RO filtered water is considered as the safest and most healthy water for drinking. Now I like to drink water and I can’t live with my best RO system.

Why do you need a reverse osmosis system?

• Our tap water contains many contaminants and our RO systems can remove them effectively.
• RO filtered water tastes and smells great as well as bottled water and we don’t need to buy bottled water because we don’t know what’s in the bottled water.
• RO water can make our drinks or food not contaminated and tastes better. For example, we can use RO water to cook tea/coffee or make juice for a better taste.
• RO water is also perfect for some appliances which need to use water, like irons or humidifiers. RO water can protect them and make them work more effective.
• Our pets or plans may also need RO water because of its purity.

Best Reverse Osmosis System

We’ve done a lot of research and have chosen the 5 best reverse osmosis systems available on the market. They are different from brands, stages and functions, but they are all high-quality and highly rated.

Home Master TMAFC Artesian Full Contact Reverse Osmosis System

Up to 98% of contaminants (like heavy metals, chemicals, sediments etc.) can be effectively removed by this best RO system. The most impressive feature it is that it can restore essential minerals our body needs, like natural calcium, natural magnesium,etc. This filter is able to product about 2,500 gallons filtered water without replacing filters. What’s more, it also comes with a fast flow RO kit and this kit is able to make the water flow doubled when opening your faucet.

iSpring 75GPD 6-Stage Reverse Osmosis System (Alkaline Mineral Water)

This filter is an updated version of iSpring 75GPD water filter. As a 6-stage filter, it is a real RO Alkaline filter. The water from its faucet is PH-balanced water (alkaline  water). Heathy minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium ions as well as sodium will be added back into the filtered water. These healthy miners are essential for our health and our body is able to 100% absorb them. This filter can work at a low water pressure as low as 45 PSI. However, if the water peruse is lower than 45PSI, a booster pump is necessary.

Home Master TMULTRA ULTRA Reverse Osmosis Under Counter Water Filtration System

This best water filtration system is not only good for tap water but also perfect for not only tap water but also well water. If you live in a rural area and want a filter to purify your well water, it is the right choice. It is able to remove up to 98% of all kinds of contaminants, such as chemicals, heavy meats, sediment etc. It also can remove over 99.9% of bacterial and viruses as well as other microorganisms. It also has fast flow RO kit and an alert indicator which can remind you when to change  your filter.

iSpring 75GPD 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis System

If you live in a low water pressure area, this best reverse osmosis system is your best choice, because it allows water pressure as low as 30 PSI. It is capable of removing all kinds of contaminants effectively. To my surprise, a luxury faucet that is free is also included for an updating. If don’t have enough budget to buy Tap Master TMAFC, you can buy  a 5-stage RO filter like this instead. It deserves buying.

Watts Premier 531418 EZ RO4 Reverse Osmosis System

As a 4-stage RO system, this best reverse osmosis system can provide you with about 50 gallons filtered water per day. It features  compact design, which means it is the right one if your space under the sink  is tight and it is perfect for cottages as well as RVs. What’s more, it comes with a chrome faucet. It is so easy to install that you can install it by yourself.

Top Rated Brands of RO Systems

On the market, there are many RO system manufactures and all boasts that their RO systems are the best in the world – fastest, most effective, easy to install and maintain, and stress free. However, once you have bought their filters, you will find some their products don’t seem as good as they describe. I don’t say all of them don’t keep their words and some of these manufacturers promise and do provide the best products. If you decide to make an investment, you need to know these top brands of RO system. When you choose a water filter, choosing the right brand is a half success. In the following, we will discuss some of these top rated brands.

Home Master

You may hear of Home Master, if you have known something about RO systems. Home Master is really a top rated brand. Home Master RO systems always use the latest innovative water treatment technologies and can produce pure water. Generally, these systems have up to 7 stages of water filtration and can get rid of up to 98% of harmful chemicals in our water. To improve the taste of RO water, they also add calcium and magnesium minerals back. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about the lack of healthy minerals in the filtered water. Plus, their filters are high quality and can provide you with about 2,000 gallons of water without replacing new filters.

In their systems, larger fittings and tubing are used to make the water flow rate doubled, which is unlike other traditional systems. Other traditional Reverse osmosis under sink water filters doesn’t have so many stages as others and only produce highly pure water without any minerals, making the filtered water taste a little acidic. Actually, the demineralized water is not good to consume. However, Home Master systems re-mineralize the RO water and make it much healthier and have a better taste.

All their RO filters use carbon pre-filters that are made up with catalytic carbon filtration media, so the very persistent chemical contaminants can be effectively removed. What’s more, Home Master systems don’t have the canister filtering housing problems that other traditional systems have. Traditional Ro systems only allow the filters to be changed when the canister housing remains intact, thus biofilm, sediments as well as microorganisms accumulate and weaken the canisters finally. If this happens, leakage or even machine failure will happen. However, Home Master systems don’t allow this to happen. With its “all in one” modular design, the entire filter housing allows to be removed entirely without any leaks.

iSpring

iSpring reverse osmosis systems are all manufactured the U.S. They are able to provide you with superb clean water. They all come with a luxury EU-style faucet that is made from Nickel and feature a stainless steel appearance. The solid construction enables them to have superior performance.

As one of the most effective reverse osmosis water filters, they are able to remove up to 99% of all forms of contaminants and pollutants, even if the feed water has a TDS of over 1,000. Chemicals, like lead, chlorine, fertilizer, arsenic, drugs and pesticides can be effectively removed.

Certified by WQA GOLD SEAL, iSpring RO systems also passed the WQA certification. They are also approved for FDA certification, because all the materials in the parts are food-grade materials.

These water filtration systems are produced and sold in the U.S. And more and more people spoke highly of their high quality. They promise they can give nothing but guarantee your water safety. Plus, a 1-year warranty from the manufacturer is also offered and you even can return the model you have bought within 30 days without any cost. They are the most cost-effective RO systems you can find on the market.

Watts

Watts is another competitive American Reverse Osmosis brand. Their systems have a 5-stage water filtration process to get all contaminants and pollutants removed from the feed water. They also employ RO sediment, coconut-shell carbon and the latest reverse osmosis technologies, which enable them to produce high quality RO water.

Watts RO systems use 5-stage of water filtration process to purify water. As the first stage, a 5-micron sediment filter is used to trap rust, dust, silt, as well as other particles. The second stage is a 5-micron carbon membrane which can improve the water taste and smell because it can remove these taste influence materials. The third stage is a 5-micron carbon block membrane which is used to further remove chlorine as well as chloramines. The fourth stage is the core stage – reverse osmosis stage. In this stage, water is forced to pass through the semi-permeable membranes, so that chromium, arsenic, copper, lead, perchlorate, TDS, sodium, Parasytic cysts(like giardia) as well as other pollutants can be removed. The last stage is a GAC stage. This stage involves how to polish the water before it flows out from our faucet. The GAC filter is used to polish the water, improving its taste and smell.

Watts comes with a 3-year warranty, showing its confidence for their products.

APEC

The name APEC implies their products can take care of your home. As one of the top rated water treatment brands in the US, APEC seems to understand which types of contaminants in our water well and know how to remove them. APEC RO systems are also very popular and highly recommended by many users.

APEC systems are manufactured in the USA and the 5 stages of filtration guarantee the cleanest and safest filtered water. Once the water flows from your faucet, you can enjoy it. It is estimated that up to 99% of pollutants and contaminants can be removed. Therefore, your water will be free of chlorine, arsenic, chemicals, bacteria, viruses and heavy metals.

Certified by the WQA, this means APEC RO systems are much quieter and trouble-free. They are not only designed to purify tap water but also purify well water, because of their long-lasting membranes and filters that are high quality and great performance. Once you have installed, you will fall in love with the crisp refreshing taste of filtered water.

What is Reverse Osmosis?

Well, we should know what reverse osmosis is. Reverse osmosis water filters can effectively remove no matter organic matters or other dissolved solids. Generally, a basic RO system contains 3 stages of filters – a pre-filter, a semi-membrane (the key filter) as well as a post filter. The process is as the following:  At the beginning, sand, dirt, silt as well as chlorine will be removed by the pre-filter. This process is also helpful to protect the membrane. Then the semi-membrane will only allow water to pass through but other contaminants (like heavy metals, chemicals and other contaminants) will be left on the other side of the membrane.

This is the core process of a RO system and this process remove main contaminants in our water, making it distinguish from other different types of water filters. The waste water that contains separated contaminants will be Discharged to the sewer, while clean water will be stored in the water tank which is connected to your faucet on the countertop. Once you open your faucet, the stored filtered  water will flow out of our faucet. Before that, the post filter will purify water again to remove odors as well as sediments.

Membrane

Of course, membranes are the most important parts for RO systems, because they determine the ability to filter what types of contaminants in our water. Generally, most membranes that are used in commercial RO plants are made from polyamide, acetate and polysulfonate. And the membrane is only made up of a 100-micorn of support layer and a 0.25-microns skin. As a griddle, only water molecules are allowed to pass through the skin.

Generally, water has an amount of dissolved solids. The amount is a constant percentage of dissolved minerals in feed water. For example, if the TDS (total dissolved solids) is 400 ppm, the water purified water by a RO system may have 20 ppm or 40 ppm, which means Reverse osmosis methods can remove 95% or 90% dissolved solids in the feed water. Most RO systems are designed based on TDS of feed water. Of course, the lower PPM in purified water is better.

Reverse Osmosis F.A.Qs

More and more people have realized that their water needs to be purified before drinking and cooking. And many of them buy reverse osmosis systems to purify the water from water companies. However, there are also some people don’t know something about reverse osmosis. Therefore, here, these F.A.Qs may help you quick know something about reverse osmosis.

What’s the definition of Reverse Osmosis?

Reverse osmosis use a semi-permeable membrane to separate minerals as well as other contaminants from water. This is because this semi-permeable membrane only allows water to pass through. If pressure is applied to the water that needs to purified. Only water molecules are allowed to pass through the membrane. And all the contaminants are left in its original side. On the other side, RO water is available and clean, safe for consumption.

What is the Difference between commercial and household reverse osmosis systems?

Actually, the basic procedure is no different from each other. The only difference is that most commercial or industrial RO systems use many other components to make the RO systems much stronger. For example, pumps are usually used to make them much stronger. And spiral wound membranes are also used to increase the surface area. In a word, commercial RO systems are much stronger but much costly at the same time.

Is Pretreatment Necessary?

Of course, the pretreatment is necessary. In a RO system, the pre-filter is used to remove chorine as well as silt that may make the membrane plugged up or damaged easily. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) are also got rid of by pre-filter.

How much pressure is needed to conduct reverse osmosis?

The pressure applied depends on the salt and sediment concentration in the feed water. If the concentration is high, the more pressure is needed.

How Pure is the RO Water?

Purity of RO water depends on 2 factors. The first is the rejection ratio of the membrane which is normally between 92% and 99.5%, and the second factor is the types of TDS in the original water which makes the membranes become weak, thus affecting the purity of RO water.

How to clean the RO system?

First, you need to disengage the RO tank, and then clean the tank, and then at last wrap up Reverse Osmosis Tank Cleaning. Learn more about this.

What Is The Extent of Maintenance to Expect ?

In order to protect the ro system, the pre-treatment filter is needed to clean every month and the whole process only costs about 1 hour. If your feed water contains much dirt, you need to check the prefilters every week to notice if they are blocked.

How much does run a RO water filter?

Once you have installed your RO system, to keep it running normally, the maintenance cost is needed. The cost depends on several factors; the purity of the feed water, the cost of replacement filters and labor. If the feed water contains too much amount of pollutants, the membranes are prone to be weakened very soon, so you need to change its filters on a short time basis. If the replacement filters are expensive, this also will increase your cost when you need to change them. If you need to hire some to maintain your system, this will also be a big budget. You’d better change them yourself and the process is pretty easy.

Does It Remove Bacteria?

Bacteria are get rid of by the membranes and while at the storage tank, the system use UV sterilization system to kill the bacteria when water is passed through. This process will happen during the cleaning process. Therefore, it is highly recommended to choose an opaque tank or paint your tank black, so that algae cannot grow in it.

When or How Long to Change the filters?

Although RO membranes are designed to last several years, the time they last depends on many factors. If you notice a high ion levels in your RO water. This is a sign that you need to change it. Generally, manufacturers recommend to change the filters every 6 to 12 months. Most systems have indicators that can remind you when you need to change them.

Conclusion

Because of the obvious benefits of reverse osmosis, the RO system has become one of the most important and useful technological breakthroughs in the world. It can effectively offer plenty of clean, safe and healthy water at a reasonable price. What’s more, reverse osmosis is not only used to offer drinkable water for us, but also can be used in other areas. The following areas are those areas in which reverse osmosis can play an important role.

Drinking Water

Reverse osmosis is able to provide us with plenty of safe water in our house. More and more corporations have realized the huge benefits of RO systems, so they begin to quench their employees thirst by using RO systems. For example, it is estimated that about 1,000 to 6,000 U.S. soldiers are served with RO water by the U.S. military, while NBC are turning to RO water for their operations.

Waste Water

Reverse osmosis system can use collected rainwater as feed water and collected water is also used for irrigation and industrial cooling. Many big power plants need to remove minerals from the water used in the boiler, so RO systems are the best choices. This is because pure water doesn’t leave deposits in the boiler, or the machinery will be corroded and damaged by these minerals. Recently, Singapore announced that they will use RO systems to treat their waste water before re-introducing the waste water into the reservoirs. If the cost can be controlled well, more and more waste water treatment companies will use this method.

Food Industry

In food factories, RO is used to make food liquids thickened. For example, when making orange or tomato juic, RO water can make the juice taste thickened. Reverse osmosis is also used in concentration of whey protein powder production and milk in the diary industry. In the wine industry, RO is used to get rid of alcohol, smoke and acetic acid. It is also used to remove excess water from maple sap. About 80% of excess water will be removed, so the cost of boiling the syrup can be reduced.

Reef Aquariums

If you are an aquarium keeper, you should know tap water is not suitable, because dissolved chlorine as well as other contaminants (like heavy metals, chloramines, nitrogen compounds and phosphates) is in the tap water are not suitable for the artificial mix of sea water.

Car Wash

It is known that hard water will easily cause spotting on our vehicles, so many car wash entrepreneurs RO systems to soften hard water. The RO system can effectively get the minerals in the water removed. Therefore, seldom customers require to make the vehicles dried, reducing the costs.

All in all, you have known how important reverse osmosis is in our daily lives. Reverse is regarded the most effective way to reduce our exposure to waterborne diseases.

Well, if you want to have clean, healthy water to consume and want to pick up the best reverse osmosis system, the above top 5 best RO systems can help you quickly find water you really want.