reverse osmosis water filtration

Impurities Removed by Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration

Water is one of the building blocks of life, and we naturally prioritize a clean, healthy water supply in our homes. This can be harder to accomplish if you’re drinking from an unfiltered water tap, and while some look to solutions like water coolers or individual bottles purchased regularly, these are costly and potentially wasteful alternatives.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical, we’re here to tell you about another option that’s part of our plumbing contractor services: Reverse osmosis water filtration, which can easily be applied to every tap in your home. This system uses pressure and a porous membrane to remove major contaminants from your water supply, allowing what you and your family drink to be clean and healthy. Here are some details on all the various contaminants that can be removed by these filters, and why this is important.

Removing Pathogens

Mechanical filters like reverse osmosis systems remove several different layers of particles, and one such layer is harmful pathogens that may risk your health. There are two primary pathogens that can be found in unfiltered water:

  • Cryptosporidium: A chlorine-resistant parasite, cryptosporidium is resistant to other forms of filtration due to this resistance. It can only be filtered with mechanical systems and small filters.
  • Giardia Intestinalis: This is a parasite in water that’s been contaminated by animal feces. These parasites often last in water for months, causing a related illness known as Giardiasis. Giardiasis commonly leads to weeks of uncomfortable diarrhea.

Removing Sediment

In addition, reverse osmosis filters remove various forms of sediment you often find in tap water. This may include basic dirt, but could also include particles like clay, silt and various others.

And while this kind of sediment usually isn’t present in large enough amounts to actually risk your health like pathogens do, that doesn’t mean it’s harmless. Sediment is known to produce poor taste in water, to the point that it’s barely drinkable in some cases. A basic reverse osmosis filter, however, will have no issue removing all of this sediment and returning you water to a fresh taste.

Filtering Lead

And finally, reverse osmosis systems can pull out lead from your drinking water. Lead is often present in the pipes of older homes that have not been upgraded in many years – lead may actually break off during decomposition and enter the water directly. In other cases, it can be found in the water of homes that draw their supply from a well.

Regardless, a basic filter will do the trick for you here. It will remove all quantities of potentially toxic lead before they ever reach your drinking taps.

For more on what a reverse osmosis filter removes from your water and why this is important, or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC services, contact the pros at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical today.