If you are on just about any municipal water system the purity is monitored and checked, and reports sent to all users.

The whole thing is very amusing, since even 99% pure water would be real junk.

The contaminant levels we are dealing with are in the parts per million range (0.0001%) or even lower.

Daniel J,

The Web site you are referring to is from a company that sells distilled water generators, so you have to wonder what their motive is. Sales? They even state that the only way to get "High purity water" is from either of two systems, "distilled" or "RO". So they admit you can get high purity water from RO. Depending on the filter membrane of the RO system, it can filter out particals as fine as viruses and bacteria which I would consider "Clean enough". My RO system cost $160.00 which I installed, but I noticed on that web site you indicated a small portable system costs nearly $500.00, what would a whole house system cost? They ask you to "Call for pricing". On an RO system, if you replace the 2 prefilters on a regular basis, the prefilter can last for many years. I rotate the prefilters (Add 1 new & move cleanest to dirty filter position). The filters cost $37.00 for two.

Hope that helps

Been on a quality RO since 95 with 30g hard water that is softened with KCl.

Replace pre and carbon block filters yearly, final (polish) filter every two years and had to replace the membrane once and that was because the flow control plugged and fouled the membrane.

Considering all the costs so far and the initial price of a quality RO I've spent far less than what I would have spent in bottled water and driving to the bottled water machine.

Quality RO units work well with minimal maintenance if they are fed decent water to begin with.

Thanks for the above replies. I think just because a website is selling an alternative as in this case, it doesn't mean their information is necessarily wrong. I was thinking more along the lines of statements they make such as:

However, any carbon filter will do the same. In a home operating environment, R/O will remove only 50-80% of inorganic salts(sodium, etc) after a few months of operation...

Finally, the gradual degradation of the R/O water quality is difficult for the customer to detect, and by the time he or she decides to find out if the system is working, chances are the system is removing little or nothing---and the customer is drinking what amounts to tap water.

That seems a bit strong worded, but it got me to wondering how you know if your water is any good other than being carbon filtered? I know if your flow rate drops off then you know the cartridge is plugging up, but have any of you tested your RO water?

The other thing that concerns me with RO is how much water is being wasted. Some say that you lose 2 or 3 gallons for every water of good water made. I thought it was the other way around, but the more places I look the more different comments I get.

I test my RO water monthly... I have a buddy at a lab, but never really had any results that concerned me.

Also have a nifty TDS meter that measures both supply and RO water at the flick of a switch. As soon as I see rejection rate drop below 90% it's time to service.

You'll be surprised how much less than the advertised 50gpd you actually use of RO water. A pot of coffee or two, the big pasta pot, drinking water, cooking, ice tea, ice maker cubes, and all adds up to about 2gpd at our house.

My RO is more environmentally correct then the gas you'd use and hydrocarbons you'd spew driving to the Culligan water machine at WalMart.

Danielj, you just flat think too much for your own good and you read far too much to ever believe anything.

Instead of listening to the people trying to sell you stuff, listen to the people who have lived (for a long time) with the stuff you're contemplating.

justalurker says:
Danielj, you just flat think too much for your own good and you read far too much to ever believe anything.

That is a judgment you are unqualified to make. It is also rude and uncalled for.

and:
Instead of listening to the people trying to sell you stuff, listen to the people who have lived (for a long time) with the stuff you're contemplating.

I do not have my ego tied up in any particular system. I have some time to consider alternatives from R/O to distilled to carbon filtered to bottled to nothing, so that is what I am doing. What I am not doing is looking for individuals who tell me to "do what they do because it works." Everybody has a bias, so the answer to that is data. I found a site that shows some bad things about RO so I'm going to pursue it, sorry. I contacted the owner of that site and he says he has studies to back up his claims. Maybe he does, maybe not, but I'll find out.

I will say that distilled doesn't seem particularly practical, but it is interesting. I'd still prefer to drink water a bit alkaline than water stripped of everything and possibly on the acidic side.

Anyway, I appreciate your opinions and think they are usually pretty good, but they are just opinions. However, please do not pretend to know my thought process better than I.

Regards.

"This usually happens when a distributor sells only one type of purifier, thus making it very difficult for a customer to obtain truly factual information regarding the performance one can actually expect in the home with these two types of systems."

Strange, he uses this as his base philosophy and yet performs in exactly the same manner. He outlines only myths against ROs and only Myths in favor of Distillation. Non-biased, is it?

In his favor, there are crappy ROs thaere that MAY perform to the low quality and high failure rates he asserts. But there are high quality units that far exceed those units and perform excellent for decades.

"The new TFC membrane R/O systems are much more susceptible to oxidation and must incorporate some type of carbon pre filter to eliminate chlorine which would destroy the sensitive TFC membrane."

All ROs on chlorinated water must have a carbon prefilter, that's basic.

"AMA findings was the fact that reverse osmosis was found to be CONCENTRATING the dangerous heavy metals mercury and aluminum."

WHAT??!! Ok, in fairness to this sensationalism, I did an extensive google search and found NOTHING, ANYWHERE contending to this, at all. If he means that these are concentrated in the concentrate (reject water down the drain), then DUH, yes. Where does the distiller put them?

No need to go on. I am no knocking distillers but every one of my customers who have or had one always comments on the great water but incredible lack of supply, high maintenance and eventually give up with a touch of frustration and regret. Units sit idle and forgotten.

ROs are still the most relaible and efficient menas of extrem high quality water. But, there are junk units out there if you want to go short on quality...

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

I don't think the distillation thing is practical either. Of course he's biased, but it's worth considering other viewpoints.

Andy - I don't know whether you only sell RO yourself, but what do you think of the Aquasana type filters (a carbon and maybe a resin cartridge)? I think you were involved in a thread on that awhile back which I've reproduced in a more recent thread on the subject. So far I've found that they are mostly made cheaply, but I like the performance numbers. I have water in the 15 - 20 grain range with high alkalinity and I prefer to drink that water compared to RO with everything stripped out. I know there are two schools of thought but I come down on the "alkalinity is good" side. I'm not sure whether it matters if I soften first or not, the alkalinity will still be there, but not the minerals. Other than maybe poor construction, is there any reason to go with RO over one of these type units?