At Brevard Water Solutions Inc., we specialize in treating drinking water to make sure it is free of contaminants and impurities. While there are multiple ways to filter minerals and other substances out of a water supply, one of the most effective and reliable methods is to use reverse osmosis. In this article, our team will provide an overview about reverse osmosis water filters and how they work.
- Osmosis vs. Reverse-Osmosis – To understand how reverse osmosis water filters work, you first need to know how osmosis works. The term osmosis refers to a natural process of water interacting with dissolved substances. In osmosis, water moves from an area with a low amount of solute (a term that refers to the substance, whatever that substance happens to be, that’s dissolved in the water) to one with a high amount. This causes the proportions of water vs. the other substance to eventually even out throughout the total volume. Reverse osmosis systems are designed to flip this dynamic—instead of the water going toward the dissolved substance, it instead flows the other way, leaving any contaminants behind.
- Filters & Pressure – Reverse osmosis water filters achieve reverse osmosis by using a combination of filters and pressurization. First, the filters remove as much of the mineral content and other contaminants as possible from the water. Then, the system applies pressure through the water to force it through a semi-permeable membrane, which is a layer that water can move through but other substances cannot. The end result is clean, pure water free of contaminants.