The Most Common Disadvantages
Of Reverse Osmosis
The disadvantages of reverse
osmosis are several, but the main that to
remember is that additional steps are required for
complete purification. So, if asked, “Does reverse
osmosis make water safe to drink?” You can answer,
not if that is the only system
used.
Most of the
disadvantages of reverse osmosis (or RO, as it is commonly
abbreviated) apply to home use of the system. Some,
however, such as waste-water created, apply to anywhere that
the systems are used.
The process works by
forcing highly pressurized liquids through a membrane.
Think of tying a dish towel over the mouth of a bucket and then
spraying the cloth with your high pressure hose. A little
water would end up in the bucket, but a lot would end up on the
ground. That’s basically what happens in RO.
Depending on the system, as many as 5 gallons end up on the
ground for every one that gets in the
bucket.
From an environmental
and a financial standpoint, waste-water is one of the biggest
disadvantages of reverse osmosis, but the systems also use
other resources. Electricity is needed to run the
pumps. At home, one would notice a big jump in the
electric bill. Now, let’s look at what the system can and
cannot remove.
RO’s best application is
for desalination or removing the salt from sea water. It
can remove the minerals from power plant boiler-water, so that
deposits are not left on the machinery. It can be used to
improve the quality of rain-water for crop irrigation.
And, it can be used to remove sewage from domestic waste water
before it gets back into the drinking
supply.
Those are the “cans” and they are
all good applications. The disadvantages of reverse
osmosis concern the things that it cannot
remove.
RO membranes cannot
block chlorine or other chemical contaminants. They
cannot block bacteria or microns smaller than the size of the
pores in the membrane. Those are only two things, but
they are very important. No, because of the presence of
chemicals, bacteria and micron particles is the complete answer
to “does reverse osmosis make water safe to
drink”.
In a complete system,
carbon filters, chemical or UV disinfection and additional
micron filters are used to completely purify. Then
minerals are added back into the water, because drinking
de-mineralized or distilled on a regular basis has been shown
to cause health problems. After re-mineralization and
adjusting the pH levels, the liquid can then be deemed
“safe”.
Last but not least of
the disadvantages of reverse
osmosis is price. While other whole
house systems can be bought for around a thousand
dollars, RO systems start at
$10,000.
That’s a deciding factor
for many people and a huge difference to anyone, especially
when you know the answer to does reverse osmosis make water
safe to drink. If additional measures are needed
and must be purchased, then the cost continues to grow.
Plus, the membranes require constant maintenance and frequent
replacement, depending on the quality of the
source-water.
The bottom line is that,
for most people, the disadvantages of
reverse
osmosis outweigh the
conceivable benefits. In the majority of cases,
there are better choices for your home.
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