Reverse osmosis technology was used in ancient Greece, and the Greeks borrowed it from the Egyptians. People have used membrane filters to desalinate sea salt water. The degree of purification was not very high, but it was possible to obtain drinking water. With the advent of new materials, the removal of various salts has become easier. A warning for buyers: Do not trust street managers who offer very favorable conditions for reverse osmosis filters for a house of unknown origin. A quality product can only be purchased from trusted manufacturers, and their price will not be low.
Purpose and scope
Reverse osmosis systems are used in areas where it is very important to use the highest quality water - medicine, food processing, restaurants and other catering establishments. In the pharmacology and chemical industry, it is extremely important that the liquid does not contain viruses, bacteria, as well as dissolved salts of calcium, magnesium, sodium. Most often, such enterprises use distilled water for the production of medicines.
Installation of a filter with a reverse osmosis system is designed for the complete purification of tap water, which, in addition to chlorine compounds, contains large pieces of rust, sand, organic matter, as well as various bacteria that can cause disease in humans. There have been cases when, after drinking unboiled tap liquid, people massively fell ill with hepatitis, became infected with intestinal infections, parasites and even meningitis. In ancient times, the installation of a simple sand filter made it possible to protect yourself during a cholera epidemic.
It is better to pour distilled water into home autonomous heating systems, as this prolongs the life of pipes and radiators. It is especially important to protect pipes for floor heating, since repairing highways poured into concrete is not easy and expensive.
There is a medical point of view on the use of water in which dissolved salts are completely absent. Minerals play a role in the functioning of the body. Their absence can cause disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular and nervous systems, kidneys, and disrupt the hematopoietic function. For this, multistage water treatment systems have been created, including mineralizers, which return a certain amount of minerals necessary for a person into the liquid.
The principle of operation and design of the reverse osmosis system
The system works at a certain pressure in the water supply. In an apartment, this is from 2 to 6 atmospheres. Water must be forced through the pores. Some filters use a different method - a low pressure area (vacuum) is created on the back side and the liquid itself is sucked through the membrane. Further, there is a storage tank, where the purified liquid is drained.
There are other elements in five-stage reverse osmosis filters:
- a pre-filter that traps large debris, such as sand or rust;
- charcoal filter, where chemicals and organic impurities leave the liquid;
- the next element of the system retains suspended mechanical particles, the diameter of which is not more than 1 micron.
All three filters prepare water before fine cleaning through a membrane. The system can do without a hydraulic accumulator, but it is better when it is available. The hydraulic tank is a metal body with a rubber bulb inside. It is made of food grade rubber and does not transfer harmful substances into the liquid. Such containers are used in the construction of pumping stations and are intended exclusively for storing drinking water.
In high-rise buildings, where there are interruptions in pressure, especially during rush hour, it is necessary to install a pump that maintains pressure when installing a filter, otherwise the system will be ineffective.
There are domestic and industrial installations. They differ primarily in productivity (how many liters of liquid can be obtained per unit of time).
Particular attention should be paid to the quality of the materials from which the membrane is made. It depends on how long it can serve without replacement. On sale you can find cheap options made from synthetic materials.
Ceramic membranes serve for more than 10 years, are self-cleaning under the influence of water flow and do not require replacement. As a last resort, you can use a kitchen sponge and baking soda to wash away any dirt that starts to form a month after you start using the system.
Specifications
Filter resource from 4 to 15 thousand liters. The system can deliver from 150 to 250 liters of drinking water per day. For a family of 3 people, a filter is enough, the resource of which is 5 thousand liters. This is enough for 2 - 3 years. At the same time, the cartridges in the pre-filters are changed every 6 months, and the membrane cartridge is changed once a year. The frequency of replacement also depends on the membrane material. If you do not save on the cost of the system, it will be cheaper to maintain it.
Industrial filters have a much longer service life, but they are correspondingly more expensive.
Pros and cons of reverse osmosis filters
- High degree of purification - up to 98%. In terms of its qualities, the resulting liquid is similar to melt water.
- All harmful substances are removed - residues of chemical fertilizers, poisons like arsenic, heavy metals.
- You can choose a model depending on the needs of the family.
- Russian manufacturers produce filters based on the degree of contamination of tap water. In this case, it is better to buy domestic products, since they are more adapted to local conditions. Imported models require frequent replacement of cartridges.
- Simple installation of the system - you can do it yourself.
Disadvantages:
- High prices for household water filters based on reverse osmosis.
- ¾ liquids will go down the drain along with impurities.
- To restore the lost salts, you need to install a mineralizer.
- In addition, you need to buy a tap for clean water, it is not included in the kit.
- Slow cleaning speed.
- The need to replace the pre-cleaning cartridges - if this is not done, the membrane will quickly clog.
- The reverse osmosis filter is not connected to the hot water supply.
Despite the rather large list of disadvantages and costs, using a filter is more profitable than buying drinking water every day in stores.
Criterias of choice
The main criterion for choosing water filters for most people is the price. The more stages of cleaning and the higher the recovery possibilities after the final filtration, the more expensive the system is.
In order not to overpay, it is necessary to calculate the approximate consumption of drinking water per family. It may be better to put a seven-stage filter system, but less capacity.
The storage tank is a time saver.It fills as long as the air pressure outside the pear allows. Then it will gradually give the liquid to the tap.
The difference between expensive and cheap models lies in the quality of the membrane and its service life. Cheap ones swell faster and cease to fulfill their functions.
Installation and operation
Maintenance of reverse osmosis system filters consists in timely replacement of cartridges. It is necessary to study the instructions well in order to know when which filter needs to be checked. Each cartridge changes at different times - for some, the term comes every three months, others change after a year or two. You can do this procedure yourself.
The main condition for long-term work is constant pressure in the water supply system. If there are interruptions, it is better to immediately install a pump that will maintain the required operating mode. In case of insufficient pressure, the membrane quickly silts up and does not work.
You need to be able to recognize problems in the system. For example, scale will appear in the kettle, although it was not there before, or the sound of water running down the drain will be heard. Interruptions in pump operation also indicate the need to check the system and replace the cartridges.
If we calculate the costs of replacing cartridges, then they amount to about 50% per year of the total cost of the filter, the price of which ranges from 10 to 15 thousand rubles. It should be borne in mind that the savings on water will be about 60% per liter, excluding the time spent on trips to the store.
