Doctors often say that if you want to be healthier, you should drink more water. Staying hydrated helps your body function the way it should, and helps flush toxins, keep your skin hydrated, and maintain healthy kidney function. However, not all drinking water is made equal. If you live in an area where this is true, you’re likely to drink less water or worse, be at increased risk for waterborne illness.
If you find that you need a way to improve your water quality, it’s time to consider a reverse-osmosis water filter. A reverse-osmosis filter removes more contaminants from your water than the average water filter while improving its taste and saving you money over the cost of purchasing filtered bottled water.
While all of this sounds great, there are so many different systems available on the market today that you may wonder which system is suitable for your home. With this in mind, it’s essential to take a few minutes to consider a few factors. Doing so will help you find the best system for your home instead of wasting money on one that doesn’t fit your needs.
Factors to Consider When Buying a Reverse Osmosis System for Your Home
There are a lot of different types of reverse-osmosis systems for you to choose from today. It’s essential to find one that meets your needs and budget. With this in mind, here are a few factors you should consider.
System Size
The space you have for this system is one of the most important considerations. For this reason, it’s essential to measure how much space you have available so you can check it against a system’s dimensions. Ones that are a tight fit will be more challenging to install.
Amount of Water
The amount of water that the system can filter will depend on the system you choose. Standard models will filter 50, 80, or 100 gallons. For small households, a 50-gallon system will likely cover your water needs. However, if your household uses a lot of water, has several bathrooms, or houses guests on a regular basis, you’ll likely want to opt for a larger system.
Effectiveness
As you read about reverse-osmosis systems, you’ll notice that they reference numerous stages. What this is referring to is how many filters are used to remove the particles from your water. For instance, if you choose a four-stage reverse-osmosis system, your water will go through four stages of filtration and remove dozens of harmful contaminants before arriving at your faucet.
Ease of Use
Most reverse-osmosis systems are easy to use each day. However, they do require some minor regular maintenance (e.g., replacing filters, cleaning the system) to ensure they continue to work at peak efficiency. The amount of maintenance that’s required will depend on the system you purchase.
Make sure you understand the maintenance schedule for the reverse-osmosis systems you are considering and factor that into your selection process. Regardless of what you choose here, it’s important to remember that regular maintenance (while minimal) is an essential part of keeping your system working correctly far into the future.
Waste Created
The majority of reverse-osmosis systems only recover between 5-15% of the water they clean. Unfortunately, this additional water usage is necessary to deliver clean, purified water in your home.
You can find some reverse-osmosis purification systems that repurpose the wasted water, however. These systems are designed to use this water for things like washing your dishes or your clothes. You’ll know that you’ve found one of these systems as it will be labeled “zero waste.”
Zero waste reverse osmosis systems are great for making the most of your home’s water and benefiting the environment in the process.
Lifespan
When you invest in a reverse-osmosis system, you’ll want to know that you can count on it to work far into the future. This lifespan means that you’ll need to choose a well-renowned brand that has solid reviews.
You should also take some time to review the warranty that comes with your reverse osmosis system. Many of them come with a limited lifetime warranty. However, it may be worth investing in an additional warranty if one is available. Doing so will assure you that you have a solid warranty in place if your system breaks or becomes worn out.
Buying Your Reverse Osmosis Water System
The water you drink should be safe and healthy for everyone in your household. At Independent Water Service, you can get cleaner, clearer drinking water today with an EcoWater drinking water purification system. We proudly service all of Yakima and Kittitas counties. Purer, healthier water is just a call away.
Contact us today to schedule your free water quality test and find the best options for your home, including reverse osmosis water purification systems and zero waste solutions backed by EcoWater Systems.