Hi All
I have no idea what to look for but can anyone recommend me a good reverse osmosis under sink or counter top water filter.
I have been diagnosed with an illness and would like to cut down on the chemicals consumed.
Ebay had a few cheapies but there are also similar looking ones for four times the cost.
Any advice is appreciated
Chlorine. Pesticides mainly. Does a carbon filter remove dissolved chemicals?
RO doesn't remove chlorine, only ions; unless you have high dissolved salts then a RO system will be of no benefit. Quantumcat below is on point, leave water open for the chlorine to evaporate out although I think if health issues are an issue, removing chlorine may cause more problems than it will solve (things can start to grow).
Activated carbon does remove chlorine (and pesticides although these should NOT be in there if it's scheme water at an appreciable levels) so if you are set on removing chlorine then this would be the way to go, a simple system with a 20 or 5 micron sediment filter then a carbon filter (also filters nominally to 1 micron) would be the way to go. Something like this would suffice.
Unless you live in a third world country where there is risk of nitrates, or lead or other heavy metals in the water supply it'll give you no benefit. In fact it will hurt your health because you'll be removing helpful minerals like sodium, calcium, magnesium and iron.
A reverse osmosis filter is no good for removing chlorine either.
However, these membranes are susceptible to free chlorine attack, and lose their performance after about 1000 ppm h of chlorine exposure. This necessitates removal of chlorine from the feed water before desalination, leading to an increase in the cost of water treatment in desalination plants, especially for drinking water
From https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037673881…
If you want to remove chlorine simply pour water into a bucket and leave it for a few days before drinking. The chlorine will disappear into the air.
If your doctor thinks your illness is caused or exacerbated by exposure to something then ask him or her what exact chemicals they're concerned about (so you can find something that filters them).
If your doctor thinks your illness is caused or exacerbated by exposure to something then ask him or her what exact chemicals they're concerned about (so you can find something that filters them).
Exactly this.
Unless you've been told that a specific chemical is exacerbating your condition, you're likely just taking a stab in the homeopathic darkness and picking a chemical to vilify.
You can spend thousands to minimize specific chemicals from specific sources and then consume the same or maybe a more relevant chemical elsewhere.
I use something similar to this.
it has saved me in buying bottled water. Tastes much better than tap water, noticeable difference. The ceramic filters are visibly dirty after 5-6 months and I've always got a spare ready to go.
I also bought a similar shower filter for removing clorine. The difference is dry itchy skin after a shower without the filter.
I hope it helps.
They make under sink units for "full" flowrate to your regular tap. Will save you from having an extra protrusion from your benchtop.
and they're also (sometimes/often) powered devices, and provide a lot more considerations for installing than a counter sink attachment. It all depends on that counter-top space, costs and long-term use. I'll have to buy a new one of these units after 3-4 years.
I have one like yours which operates on particle filtration. That metal cylinder is just a "pretty" housing for the cartridge. It would work in the exact same manner.
You're thinking of 3 step RO units. They create a lot of waste water. I have commercial size ones in my offices and am always fascinated at how much water it discharges for the very little water it "makes". Yeah, those things are a little more involved and I wouldn't use it for home. Set up is easy but mantainance/repairs are a B.
Send a link for the shower filter?
Cheers
It might be surprising, but a reverse osmosis system might actually be harmful to your health instead of beneficial. If the system is effective, it will also substantially remove essential elements and minerals in addition to the impurities!
https://www.uwhealth.org/news/dr-jacqueline-gerhart-theres-g…
https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutrientscha…
https://www.ripublication.com/ijac17/ijacv13n2_11.pdf
As others have said, a reverse osmosis filter also doesn't remove chlorine. A filter does.
Unless you live in some remote parts of the country, the tap water in Australia is safe to drink as is, provided that your pipes are not ancient and degrading. If you're concerned about contamination from there, a filter + getting someone to take a look at your piping would be a better idea.
Whilst technically speaking, an RO filter doesn't remove chlorine, you'd be crazy to run an RO filter without a pre-filter.
We had some contamination in our water supply that managed to clog the pre filter and make it to the RO. Expensive!
Chlorine evaporates just by leaving the lid off a container for a half hour or so I thought (?). So I don't think it's a very important part of choosing a filter system.
Am I wrong about this?
I just lined up new filters for a 3 stage I bought 10y ago, so I'll just list them in case it gives you some ideas.
I also want flouride heavily reduced, so I only hope I chose well.
Sediment -
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/10-inch-1-Micron-Sediment-PP-Cot…, AU $5.75 + gst
Active Carbon -
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Omnipure-OMB934-Water-Filter-1M-…, AU $27.50
RO -
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/50GPD-Dow-Filmtec-Water-Filter-R…, $52.00 (lasts 5 years)
I bought my unit in 2009 from psifilters.com.au, they seem pretty good.
What are you trying to eliminate? A carbon filter would get rid of anything that would cause any issues in scheme water