Pros and Cons of a Reverse Osmosis Water Filter in Centereach, NY

As concerns about the environmental impact of bottled water in Centereach grow alongside fears about the presence of potentially carcinogenic chemicals in US water supplies, your drinking water may be on your mind more than ever. You want to protect the health of your family at all costs, but protecting the environment for your children and grandchildren is also of utmost importance. Between bottled and tap, which is the best choice? A Centereach reverse osmosis water filter system can improve your health while also eliminating your reliance on plastic bottles in Centereach.

Reverse osmosis systems are somewhat controversial, as some have claimed that they’re not quite as healthy or as eco-friendly as others make them out to be. In this article, we’ll present you with the science behind reverse osmosis and the types of filters on the market today. We’ll also discuss the main pros and cons of Centereach reverse osmosis water purification in depth so that you can decide for yourself whether filtration makes sense for you and your family. If you decide a reverse osmosis water filter is right for you, an expert Centereach plumberfrom Mr. Rooter of Central Long Island can install your new unit efficiently and at an affordable price.

What is Reverse Osmosis Water?

Centereach homeowners may remember learning about reverse osmosis in middle school, but if you can’t remember the specifics, we are happy to bring on the biology lessons.

In the process of reverse osmosis, water molecules flow from one side of a semipermeable membrane to the other. The membrane allows these molecules to pass through, but larger molecules, such as minerals and sediment, are unable to pass through. As a result, harmful contaminants are left on one side of the membrane, and clean drinking water is left on the other. Some of the harmful contaminants that can be filtered out through reverse osmosis include:

• Chlorine
• Salt
• Fluoride
• Arsenic
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• Herbicides
• Pesticides
• Sediments
• And many other contaminants

If you’re worried about these contaminants in your drinking supply, a reverse osmosis system may be worth considering for your Centereach supply system.

Centereach: Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Types

Not all reverse osmosis systems are created alike. Different types of filters remove different types of contaminants. When browsing for a reverse osmosis system in Centereach, you’ll find that product descriptions will include filtration stages. Most reverse osmosis systems will have between three and five stages of filtration. The most basic system will include one of each of the following types of filters:

• Sediment Filter: Intended to reduce the number of sediments, such as dirt, rust, and heavy metals. Fluid passes through a sediment filter in the pre-filtration stage before reverse osmosis occurs.

• Carbon Filter: Also part of the pre-filtration stage, chlorine and VOCs are eliminated through carbon filtration.

• Semi-Permeable Membrane: In the post-filtration stage, high pressure is applied and forces water that has gone through the carbon and sediment filters through the semipermeable membrane. Up to 98 percent of all dissolved solids are unable to pass through the polyamide film of the semipermeable membrane, resulting in virtually pure water.

After passing through the semipermeable membrane, the water enters a storage tank, which can hold several gallons of liquid. Water is held here until you turn on your drinking tap.

Pros of a Centereach Reverse Osmosis Water Filter

Removes Harmful Contaminants

The number one reason that a person may choose to install a Centereach reverse osmosis system in their home is due to concern about the number of harmful contaminants in their supply. In the United States, most cities and towns receive their supply from a treatment facility. In fact, the Suffolk County Water Authority states that Centereach reverse osmosis filters are really necessary due to their stringent standards for quality. However, they do add chlorine to the supply, as is required by New York state law.

The purpose of chlorine is to kill harmful viruses and bacteria that may be present in your Centereach supply. Though the amount of chlorine added is fairly minute, you may be wary about its presence. To remove chlorine, you can place tap water in a pitcher and refrigerate it for about 24 hours before enjoying a nice glass of cold water. Over this period of time, chlorine turns into a gas and dissipates. Don’t want to wait? Install a reverse osmosis system in Centereach.

If you live in an older home with copper or lead pipes, you may also want to consider a Centereach reverse osmosis water filter, as it will remove any traces of these metals from your drinking supply. Tap water in Suffolk County may also contain rust. Though not harmful to your health, it can adversely affect the taste of your water.

Replaces Bottled Water

Are you the kind of person in Centereach who prefers to buy plastic bottles rather than drink water straight out of your tap? Although most of us understand that bottled drinks produce a large amount of waste and are harmful to the environment, it can be difficult to be willing to drink tap water if you dislike its taste or you’re concerned about its quality.

If this sounds like you, reverse osmosis systems may be a great option. As we’ll discuss below, reverse osmosis filters do produce more wastewater than clean, but when compared to bottled drinks, the degree of waste doesn’t seem quite so significant:

• To produce a single plastic bottle, one-quarter of that bottle's volume in oil is required.
• When compared to tap water within the United States, bottled supplies are tested about four times less often.
• On average, bottled water costs approximately $1800 per year, while the same quantity of tap supply costs a measly $0.50. Though reverse osmosis systems come with an upfront cost, if it helps you switch from bottled to tap, the cost savings are pretty significant.

Cons of a Centereach Reverse Osmosis Filter

Removes Healthy Minerals

One of the biggest benefits of reverse osmosis systems is also its greatest disadvantage. In the process of removing harmful contaminants, beneficial minerals are also removed. Whether you view this as a disadvantage or a moot point depends on how you define healthy water.

In recent years, there has been significant debate about whether reverse osmosis systems are ‘bad for you.’ When considering this question, it’s important to distinguish between a few different types of water:

• Purified, also known as reverse osmosis
• Tap, which comes from your local treatment facility
• Mineral, which comes from a naturally occurring spring (although it can be produced artificially as well)

The types and proportions of minerals within mineral water vary depending on where it was sourced, but in general, it contains high traces of the following minerals and gasses:

• Potassium
• Sodium sulfate
• Calcium carbonate
• Magnesium sulfate
• Carbon dioxide

Multiple scientific studies have found evidence that drinking this high-quality water, and thereby ingesting the above minerals on a regular basis, has numerous health benefits, including:

• Reducing cholesterol and improving heart health
• Reducing blood pressure
• Improving digestion

Though fresh water from the tap contains additives to eliminate harmful bacteria and microbes from its source, healthy minerals may also be added. By filtering out chemicals and other additives in your tap supply using a reverse osmosis drinking water system, you lose out on the health benefits provided by healthy, naturally occurring minerals.

However, it's a bit of a jump to state that this type of clean water is 'bad for you,' as some will assert. If you're consuming these minerals in other ways in your diet, whether they're in your glass or not may make much of a difference. For example, spring water reduces cholesterol thanks to its high concentration of potassium. If you eat a banana for breakfast each morning, your potassium levels should be just fine.

Enables Bacteria Growth

Few people in Centereach feel good about the fact that their county’s supply contains chlorine, but keep in mind that the chlorine is there to prevent bacteria growth, which has the potential to adversely impact your health in a much more substantial way. According to the CDC, the types of bacteria and viruses that are most likely to be present include:

• Cryptosporidium
• Campylobacter
• E. coli O157
• Enterovirus
• Giardia
• Hepatitis A virus
• Legionella
• Norovirus
• Rotavirus
• Salmonella
• And shigella

Most of these bacteria and viruses cause abdominal pain and digestive issues, but some, such as Legionella, can cause respiratory issues. A few can also require hospitalization and carry a risk of death.

If your Centereach reverse osmosis water filter uses water from the Suffolk County supply, it should be relatively free of bacteria. However, the filters within your system themselves can be a breeding ground for bacteria. To prevent bacteria from growing within your Centereach system and contaminating your personal supply, it’s important to take the time to regularly clean your system and replace filters as needed.

It Wastes Water

Although a Centereach reverse osmosis water filter produces less waste when compared to waste associated with the manufacturing of plastic bottles, the amount of wastage is significant compared to that associated with drinking directly from the tap.

It's easy to take your supply for granted when it comes out of your tap on demand, but water is a precious resource that needs to be conserved as much as possible. The ratio of wastewater to clarified water in a reverse osmosis system is approximately 4:1. Which means, that for every gallon produced, three gallons are wasted.

If you’re an environmentally conscious person in Centereach, this doesn’t necessarily mean that purchasing and installing a reverse osmosis filtration system is off the table (or should we say, under the sink?). There are several strategies you can use to reduce this 4:1 ratio, such as:

• Recycling Waste Water: Though wastewater has a greater amount of impurities in it than what comes from your tap, you can still use it for purposes other than drinking and cooking. It can be used for many other purposes, such as supplying your plants, washing dishes, and mopping your floors.

• Monitor Your Water Pressure: Ideally, pressure in a reverse osmosis system should be somewhere between 35 and 40 PSIs. If the pressure is much lower than this, you won’t have enough force to push as much H2O through the semi-permeable membrane as you should, leading to waste. Your local Centereach plumber can help you increase the pressure.

• Maintain Your System: ROs aren’t totally maintenance-free. While you don’t need to worry about them on a daily, or even weekly basis, make sure you take the time to check the quality of your filters every few months. Sediment filters and carbon filters need to be swapped out every year or so, while reverse osmosis membranes may be able to make it as long as two years.

Installing a Centereach Reverse Osmosis Water Filter

Centereach reverse osmosis water filter systems are most often installed beneath your kitchen sink. While much larger systems can be installed to purify water throughout the entire home, this is largely unnecessary in the United States. If you have a skin condition that is irritated by a mineral or chemical in tap water used for showering, look into whether a carbon filter may help.

Installing a reverse osmosis system for home use can be fairly tricky as a DIY project. Unless you have a background in plumbing, figuring out which connections go where is no easy matter. It may be in your best interest to hire a professional Centereach plumber to do the installation process for you. The last thing you want is a plumbing leak that creates damage and requires a more costly repair.

Contact Mr. Rooter Plumbing for Centereach Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Installation Today!

Are you looking for Centereach reverse osmosis water filtration system installation services for your home? Our experienced plumbing professionals at Mr. Rooter of Central Long Island have what it takes to get the job done. In addition to Centereach, we’re proud to serve many communities in Suffolk County and nearby areas, including Lake Ronkonkoma, Farmingdale, and Deer Park.

When you use our plumbing services in Centereach, you’ll not only receive exceptional customer focus but also workmanship and parts guarantee to ensure that the job is done right. To schedule your reverse osmosis system installation, give us a call today at. We’d be happy to answer any questions you have about anything from reverse osmosis filters to drain cleaning and other types of plumbing repair.