Read This Before You Buy a Reverse Osmosis System

Somewhere under a kitchen sink near you, a membrane is doing something no carbon filter can do. It is straining out dissolved metals, nitrate and PFAS. That makes reverse osmosis the most capable point-of-use treatment you can buy for a home. It is also slow. It sends several gallons down the drain for every gallon it makes. And if the only thing wrong with your water is the taste of chlorine, it is overkill. Key Takeaways — Is a reverse osmosis system worth it? If your water report or your lab test names nitrate, arsenic, a radionuclide or PFAS, RO is the right tool. Little else will do. If your complaint is that the water tastes like a swimming pool, slow down. You are about to spend several hundred dollars. You will also send several gallons a day down the drain. All to filter things that might not be in your water at all. The question isn’t whether RO works. It’s whether you have anything for it to remove. BEFORE YOU SPEND ANYTHING Find out what’s actually in your water Your utility already publishes what it detected. Pull yours by ZIP in about 30 seconds. Check my ZIP → What Reverse Osmosis Actually Does The EPA describes it plainly. Pressure forces water through a semi-permea...