Reverse Osmosis

[okclumberjack]

I'am on well water & have hard water, thinking real serious about reverse Osmosis & was wondering what your oponion is, my water iws great water other then it's hard so this is my primary concern, was looking @ a system @ sears 350 to 850 dollars to me I'am ok with this price range if it works & was wondering how much a year I will spen on SALT there is only 2 of us in the home. thanks

 

[brokenknee]

I'am on well water & have hard water, thinking real serious about reverse Osmosis & was wondering what your oponion is, my water iws great water other then it's hard so this is my primary concern, was looking @ a system @ sears 350 to 850 dollars to me I'am ok with this price range if it works & was wondering how much a year I will spen on SALT there is only 2 of us in the home. thanks

A reverse Osmosis does not use salt, it uses a series of filters and is for drinking water. If you are talking about a water softener for your house that would depend on your water usage and efficiency of the softener.

I have a kinetico softener, with just the wife and I and we use about one bag of salt a month.

 

[brokenknee]

I also forgot how hard your water is also effects how much salt you use. Mine I think is about 18 grains hard.

 

[Egon]

A Home RO system is usually hooked to one tap for drinking and cooking water. It takes a large unit to handle " Whole House" water consumption.

The RO system may also be limited by the hardness of the water. Too much and the filters plug quickly.

Best to have your water tested and then make a decision on the treatment plan.:thumbsup:

 

[204saskman]

If it was me, I would start off like this.

1.... Get your water tested by a water company that sells RO`s, Softners, Iron filters, etc.
2.... Once your water is tested, decide what you need, If your water is hard, i would get a softner first then a RO for a second tap in the kitchen.
3.... ^Pick your system(RO and softner). Look at the which RO you buy as some of them use alot of water(12:1 so 12L of water for 1L of good is what the kenmore uses). The system i bought for my kitchen goes under the sink and it uses a boster pump cause of the TDS in my water. It also only uses 4:1 for regen. So be careful which one you buy as it could end up using alot of water that isnt needed.
4.... install the system and enjoy it. We have had our RO for 6 months and it is way better than hauling in RO water in the 5 gallon jugs.

GHope this helps.

 

[Travelover]

For drinking water, I have a GE RO system that I bought at the big box store for $150 about 5 years ago. I'm still on the original membrane, but have changed the filters a couple of times. It works well and the water tastes great. I also have a water softener. The RO takes the excess salt back out of the water.

 

[okclumberjack]

thanks for the replys I'am pretty sure i want a whole house system & have been looking close @ the sears models(kenmore) but i still have some confusing, exactly what is a softner, isn't a RO a softner if it reduces the TDS???, I already have a large big blue filter & charcoal filter for the whole house but it doesn't reduce the TDS, my understanding is the RO is the ONLY thing that will reduce the TDS, i have a white powerdy film on dishes, shower glass, the element on my H2o tank i change 1 per year due to hardness build up on the element, ect. ect. ect. & also doesn't a RO system use salt i think some one says it's doesn't??? thanks

 

[whistlepig]

We have reverse osmosis for drinking water only. We really like it. Its better tasting water. Better than bottled we think. And it makes an awesome pot of coffee. We have to change our filters once a year. If we go any longer than that the water flow slows to a trickle. Replacement filters are $78.00 for ours including the membrane. I would think the filters for a whole house system would be pretty expensive.

 

[Egon]

[The RO takes the excess salt back out of the water./QUOTE]

Perhaps you are referring to Sodium as excess salt would indicate the rinse cycle on the softener is not set properly.

 

[allis180]

A water softener is basically an ion exchange unit. You are trading sodium for calcium. That is why you need to add salt. The softened water will have some sodium in it, which is why some people have a separate tap for drinking that is not attached to the softener. Outside faucets typically would not be run through the softener either. The sodium in the water is tough on the garden, plus watering goes through a lot of water, causing your sofener to regenerate too often. The reverse osmosis unit separates the dissolved solids from the water, and does not require salt. As mentioned earlier, an analysis of your water would be helpful to determine exactly what all you need to pull. Just calcium, or some iron or organics. It may be that you use both... the softener for the whole house, and a reverse osmosis unit for your drinking needs. Good luck.

 

[whistlepig]

This can get pretty involved. In addition to our reverse osmosis we have a softener and a water filtration system. The water filtration system filters out the iron and sulfide. No iron to stain toilets and tubs. No stinky sulfide water. The water filtration back flushes as does the water softener. A lot of good well water down the drain with the back flushing of the filtration system and softener. The reverse osmosis is on the tail end of all of this. We do have excellent well water delivered to our house. But there is a dollar cost for this and these systems do require maintenance. Depends on how far one wants to go for the water.

 

[okclumberjack]

thanks for the replys I now understand, I thought Ro & softner were the same animal because they accomplish the same thing, less TDS in the water. but now i realize they do this in 2 different ways. I'am assuming they don't make a whole house system with RO, just for drinking water because it's to slow to "cook" to say fill a bath tub??? also if i go with a whole house softner can this be hooked up to my septic system or will that cause problems for the septic??? thanks

 

[204saskman]

thanks for the replys I now understand, I thought Ro & softner were the same animal because they accomplish the same thing, less TDS in the water. but now i realize they do this in 2 different ways. I'am assuming they don't make a whole house system with RO, just for drinking water because it's to slow to "cook" to say fill a bath tub??? also if i go with a whole house softner can this be hooked up to my septic system or will that cause problems for the septic??? thanks

Well there is a whole house RO system but they use alot of water and are not very efficent. I personally have a clorination system at my well which then comes to my house then through the retension tank, then the Iron Filter, then the softner, then to the rest of the house and the RO under the kitchen sink. I was looking into a whole home RO system before but the cost was rediculos and the benifets were not that great. Here is what chemicals do what:::

Aztec Iron Filter--- Clorine Pellets
Water Softner--- Softner Salt
RO Systen--- Filters

I would personally just get the softner and the RO system for your kitchen. My system will do 50 GPD but i might use 10-20 at most. We find that it has paid for itself in the fist 6 months. Just some food for thought.

 

[AchingBack]

thanks for the replys I now understand, I thought Ro & softner were the same animal because they accomplish the same thing, less TDS in the water. but now i realize they do this in 2 different ways. I'am assuming they don't make a whole house system with RO, just for drinking water because it's to slow to "cook" to say fill a bath tub??? also if i go with a whole house softner can this be hooked up to my septic system or will that cause problems for the septic??? thanks

No, a water softener will not cause problems for the septic. However, you may choose to bypass the septic system. It was easier for me to pipe the drain on my softener to an old willow tree, rather than tapping into my house's drain system.