Many people turn to reverse osmosis water filter systems in order to make sure that what they drink has been purified of all unwanted contaminants. When you turn your faucet on, a host of pathogens and chemicals come flowing out. Simply put, our standard public water treatment systems are outdated and ineffective, and because of this, millions of Americans have additional purifying systems in their homes to make their drinking supply safer.

But is reverse osmosis the best choice?

This type of purifying device forces water through a very fine membrane �C some of the H20 passes through but contaminants and chemicals do not, claim advertisements for these types of products.

However, a reverse osmosis water filter system is not as beneficial or as useful as it's claimed to be. The first major drawback of this type of purifier is that most chemicals are molecularly smaller than H20 and easily slip through the membrane into the drinking supply. Because of this inefficiency, a reverse osmosis water filter system must be used in conjunction with a carbon product in order to catch all the pathogens and chemicals that were not blocked by the membrane.

Unfortunately, reverse osmosis water filter systems do remove important minerals such as calcium from H20 quite effectively. While doing so is certainly not dangerous, the body needs these important elements as a lack of them can eventually lead to health problems.

Many people want a system to treat all the water in their houses, not just their drinking supply. One of the reasons why is because the EPA has determined that all homes in America that have indoor plumbing contain elevated chlorine gas levels because of chlorinated H20 which has been vaporized.

If you want a whole house unit, a reverse osmosis water filter system is not very practical because it typically produces only a gallon or so of treated H20 per hour, which may not even be enough for the drinking and cooking needs of a large family. The slow output is another strike against this type of system.

Reverse osmosis water filter systems are also environmentally unsound. Because only a small amount of H20 makes it past the membrane, a large amount of it goes to waste. Typically one gallon of purified H20 means two to three untreated gallons went to waste. We all know how important water conservation is, so this type of product is certainly not a good way to ��go green��.

Your pocket will take a beating if you purchase a reverse osmosis water filter system. In order to work, the device needs steady water pressure and careful maintenance. The end result is a product that may cost 18 to 24 cents per gallon. This is a hefty price when some whole-house purifier systems may cost you about 50 cents for an entire day's supply of H20.

Reverse osmosis water filter systems are certainly better than leaving your drinking supply untreated as they will impart some benefit to your household. But their lack of efficiency, slow output, and high cost make them a poorer choice than other systems which can treat your H20 at a more rapid and accurate rate.

Martin Spencer is a health researcher who has been studying water filtration for over 25 years. He is a regular contributor to Water Filtration Guide, a site dedicated to various methods of treating and purifying water.

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