Reverse Osmosis Systems

01At the kitchen tap

What the Drinking Water Is Telling You

Each of these points to the tap rather than the whole property, which is exactly what a membrane system is built to treat.

Drinking Water That Still Tastes OffA Water Test Shows High Dissolved SolidsThe Drinking Water Tap Runs Slow

Drinking Water That Still Tastes Off

Dissolved minerals, chlorine or other compounds that a standard filter does not fully catch can still affect taste and smell at the kitchen tap. A membrane system is built to reduce a wider range of what is dissolved in the water reaching that one faucet.

A Water Test Shows High Dissolved Solids

Minerals and compounds too small for a sediment or carbon stage to catch show up as total dissolved solids on a test. A membrane is the equipment built to reduce that reading at the tap it serves.

The Drinking Water Tap Runs Slow

A fouled membrane, a spent filter or a storage tank that has lost its charge each slow output at the dedicated faucet in a different way. Regular filter and membrane changes are what keep the system producing at its usual pace.

02Why just one tap

One Faucet, Not the Whole Property

The system is built around a single dedicated tap, and that is a deliberate design choice rather than a limitation.

One Dedicated Drinking Tap

The membrane, its pre-filters and the storage tank sit under one sink and feed a single faucet, so only the water used for drinking and cooking passes through the system rather than everything the property runs through its pipes.

Not Built for Every Fixture

The flow rate a membrane produces and the waste stream it sends to drain both work fine for one tap but would be impractical multiplied across every fixture in a property, which is why the system stays sized to a single point of use.

03How it works

A Membrane, a Tank, Two Schedules

Water is pushed under pressure through a membrane fine enough to hold back dissolved solids and a range of other contaminants, while pre-filters ahead of it strip out sediment and chlorine that would otherwise clog or damage it. What passes through collects in a small pressurized tank, since the membrane itself produces slowly and the tank keeps a ready supply at the faucet.

The pre- and post-filters and the membrane wear at different rates and are replaced on their own separate schedules, which is part of why the system stays sized to one tap: keeping it point-of-use is what keeps maintaining it manageable. None of this is described as making water pure or safe generally — only that it reduces specific things measured at that one faucet.

04Fitting it in

What the Installation Needs

A Drain Connection for the Waste Stream
The system needs a tap into the drain line for the water the membrane rejects, in addition to the supply line and the dedicated faucet at the sink. Where that connection is not already close by, running one adds a step to the install.
Incoming Water Pressure
The membrane needs enough incoming pressure to push water through it at a usable rate. Supply that runs low can mean a small booster pump is added so the system keeps producing at its rated pace.
Space Under the Sink
The membrane housing, the pre- and post-filters and the storage tank all sit in the cabinet below the faucet, so the space available there affects which configuration fits alongside whatever else is already stored there.

05Questions

Questions About Reverse Osmosis Systems

What does reverse osmosis actually remove from the water?

The membrane reduces dissolved solids and a range of other contaminants small enough to pass through a standard filter, after sediment and chlorine have already been stripped out by earlier stages that also protect the membrane itself. How much any one contaminant is reduced depends on the system and what is in the water to begin with.

Why does a reverse osmosis system send water down the drain?

The membrane splits the incoming water into two streams: the treated water that goes to the storage tank, and a second stream carrying away what the membrane rejected. Older systems send several times as much water down the drain as they produce; newer ones recover noticeably more.

How often do the filters and membrane need to be changed?

The pre- and post-filters run on a shorter cycle, often changed once or twice a year, while the membrane itself typically lasts several years before it needs replacing. How much water passes through and how hard the incoming supply is both affect how quickly each one wears.

What information helps when calling a plumber?

Where the problem is, when it started, what changed, whether the water is off, and the age of the fixture or heater involved. A photo of the problem and of any visible model label helps too.