Reverse Osmosis FAQs

What is reverse osmosis?
How does it work?
Is a reverse osmosis unit like a distiller?
But isn't distilled water purer than reverse osmosis water?
A guy told me reverse osmosis units waste a lot of water. Is that true?
How much does it cost to service them?
Can I hook the reverse osmosis unit to my refrigerator/icemaker?
How long will a reverse osmosis unit last?
A guy who sells filters showed me a chart that said reverse osmosis doesn't remove chlorine. Is that true?
The same guy told me that reverse osmosis units remove minerals that are essential to health. Is that true or is he again twisting the truth?
Do reverse osmosis units need electricity?
Why are reverse osmosis units so popular?
Why do some reverse osmosis units cost as much as $1300?

Water Softener FAQs

When do the resins in the softener tank need to be changed?
Can the softener cause pressure loss, if so what do I look for, and what do I need to fix it?
How much salt should my softener be using?
My valve appears to be operating but the salt is not going down. What could cause this problem?
Will a water softener remove the iron from my water?
I have a working water softener, but I am still getting iron staining. Why is that?
I have a water softener, but I still have odor in my water. Why is that?
Why does soft water feel slimy or slick in the shower?
Will a water softener make my water safe to drink?

Reverse Osmosis FAQs

What is reverse osmosis?
Reverse osmosis, often referred to as RO, is an advanced water purification method that was initially developed by the U.S. Navy to produce drinking water from sea water for submarine crews. It is a membrane filtration technology that works by forcing water under pressure through the very tiny pores of a semi-permeable membrane. Modern reverse osmosis units for the home combine membrane technology with carbon and mechanical filtration to produce highly purified, great-tasting water.

How does it work?
In modern home units water, driven by normal city water pressure, flows first through a sediment pre-filter which removes any dirt and small particles that are in the water, next a carbon pre-filter, which removes organic contaminants including chlorine and its by-products. Then, it enters the reverse osmosis membrane, a very tight, sheet-like filter, that allows water to pass but rejects dissolved solids like sodium and impurities like lead and arsenic. Some of the water entering the unit is used to cleanse the membrane surface and flows to the the kitchen drain pipes. The purified water is stored in a small storage tank until it is needed. When the faucet mounted on the sink is opened, the purified water is forced by air pressure through another carbon filter, which gives it a final polish and from there to the faucet. (This is a simplified description of a four-stage RO unit. -The simplified description omits a few very essential parts like flow control devices, check valves, and an automatic shutoff device that stops the inflow of water when the storage tank is full.)

Is a reverse osmosis unit like a distiller?
Both effectively reduce “dissolved solids” content of water, but the processes are quite different. RO filters water through a very tight semi-permeable membrane. A distiller is like a big tea kettle: it boils water, catches the steam, condenses it, and captures the resulting water. Most impurities are left behind in the boiling chamber. Both distillers and reverse osmosis systems rely heavily on carbon filtration for chemical removal. (Cheap distillers often have little or no carbon filtration and are, therefore, of limited effectiveness.)

But isn't distilled water purer than reverse osmosis water?
Distillers typically remove a few parts per million more of common mineral constituents like sodium. However, distillers don’t do a good job with volatile chemicals with a low boiling point. Chloramines, for example, which many cities now use instead of chlorine as a disinfectant, aren't removed well by distillers. Reverse osmosis, with the carbon filters that accompany it, does a very good job with chloramines. Unless volatile chemicals like chlorine are removed by carbon filtration before they enter the distiller, they will be released into the room air or they will end up in the distilled water. But in general, distilled water is very pure, as is reverse osmosis water.

A guy told me reverse osmosis units waste a lot of water. Is that true?
It depends on what you mean by waste. A home RO unit uses water to clean itself and wash away impurities. It’s like a lot of other water-using appliances. We use water to wash clothes, to wash dishes, to wash cars, to flush toilets. A reverse osmosis unit uses more water in its operation than you actually consume, but it doesn’t use enough that you’ll notice it on your water bill. It uses water only while it’s filling its storage tank. When the tank is full, the whole unit shuts down and no water runs to drain. In terms of expense, it’s like two or three extra toilet flushes a day.

How much does it cost to service them?
Our standard unit costs between $24 and $29 for replacement filters, which must be replaced annually. The reverse osmosis membrane itself will normally last between three and five years (depending on the nature of the water that it's processing and frequency of filter changes). Our current price on an 36-gallon-per-day membrane is $34.95.

Can I hook the reverse osmosis unit to my refrigerator/icemaker?
Yes, if you can reach it with a 1/4" tube from the undersink RO unit. Pressure is a consideration with some refrigerators, so it’s a good idea to check with the manufacturer. The pressure you'll get from the RO unit is about 2/3 of the incoming line pressure.

How long will a reverse osmosis unit last?
Virtually forever if you service it regularly and replace parts that wear out, like the storage tank and the faucet. Typical membrane life is about 3 to 5 years, depending on the nature of the water that it's processing.

A guy who sells filters showed me a chart that said reverse osmosis doesn't remove chlorine. Is that true?
Technically what he said was true, but for practical purposes it’s an out-and-out lie. It’s true that the reverse osmosis membrane doesn’t remove chlorine. It doesn’t have to, because it has a couple of high quality carbon filters with it that do the job. In fact, if the first carbon filter didn’t remove all the chlorine, the membrane would get eaten alive in no time. Statements like this are an obvious effort to deceive. It’s surprising that some very large companies repeat such misrepresentations just to sell their products.

The same guy told me that reverse osmosis units remove minerals that are essential to health. Is that true or is he again twisting the truth?
It’s true that RO units remove minerals—about 95% of the mineral content anyway—but he isn’t really telling you the whole story. The mineral issue is probably the most controversial question in drinking water purification. Experts on both sides of the issue speak convincingly. Our own view, after reading much of the expert opinion, is that the mineral content of water—either high or low—isn’t nearly as important as they would have you believe. That is, minerals in water are inorganic and hard for your body to use. You get most of your minerals from food, which provides organic, easily assimilated minerals. The human body is a sophisticated instrument capable of adapting to a wide range of circumstances and capable of thriving in areas having water of high or low mineral content. As long as water is palatable, it’s within the body’s acceptable range. The main issue with water is chemicals, not minerals. Whether water contains 30 or 3 parts per million calcium isn’t really significant, but the difference between 0.5 and 5 parts per million chloroform is of life or death importance.

Do reverse osmsois units need electricity?
No, they run on water pressure. You need electricity only if you add an electric pressure-boost pump or an ultraviolet lamp. Standard units have neither and normally don’t need them.

Why are reverse osmosis units so popular?
Because they produce great-tasting, very pure water at a very reasonable cost and in a trouble-free, fully automatic format. We’ve found that RO customers are very loyal. And the most frequent comment we get is: “We drink so much more water than we used to.”

Why do some reverse osmosis units cost as much as $1300?
Beats me. The thing about getting what you pay for is true sometimes, but not always. Often the more expensive RO units are actually inferior. Many use undersized filters in an effort to achieve a stylish appearance. And they often have some bells and whistles that are more trouble than they’re worth. The most obvious example here is the “smart faucet” that contains a light that is supposed to signal the need for membrane replacement. What you usually end up with is a mediocre faucet with an unreliable dissolved solids meter built in. Soon the light doesn’t work and you have a mediocre faucet that will eventually cost $125 to replace.

Water Softener FAQs

When do the resins in the softener tank need to be changed?
The average water softener will not need it's resins replaced in it's life time (20 + years). Water softening resins need to be replaced if the unit has developed a high level of bacteria that does not respond to a cleaning with chlorine. Odors from units left in a not working mode with no water flowing through them for months at a time can develop this problem. Also, units in direct sunlight (Florida) can develop a layer of algae that requires complete resin replacement. An excessive amount of sand in resin tank, due to a well starting to collapse, can necessitate resin replacement.

Can the softener cause pressure loss? If so, what do I look for, and what do I need to fix it?
Yes, a softener can cause pressure loss in the home due to resistance from the resin bed caused by one of the following.
1. On well water, this is usually due to fine sand coming from the well.
2. On softeners installed in the open sunlight (mostly in Florida), a layer of algae can grow and thick pieces of this growth clog the lower distributor tube screen when they start peeling off the inside of the resin tank.
3. On chlorinated water supplies, sand can get into the tank from new construction or work on water lines in the area. All of these situations are rare.
4. The most common cause of pressure loss occurs on chlorinated water. The resins can be damaged by high chlorine levels and turn to mush. This has the same effect as having fine sand at the bottom of the resin tank.
The solution for all of the above problems is to dump the resin tank, clean and rebed with new resins. One cubic foot of softening resins is enough to properly fill the average residential softener. We can calculate the amount for you, if you provide exact resin tank dimensions.

How much salt should my softener be using?
1. The average is 60 lbs. per month, but can vary depending upon the type of valve used and the quality of water being treated.
2. Metered valves will tend to use less salt than a non metered unit (i.e. one set to regenerate every so many days with no regards for actual water used).
3. An average softener with 1 cu. ft. of resins (32,000 grain, 10 " x 44 " tank) should use about 9 lbs. per regeneration to achieve a economical 24,000 grain capacity (hardness in grains divided into grains of capacity results in the gallons of water that can be treated before resins is exhausted).

My valve appears to be operating, but the salt is not going down. What could cause this problem?
The salt not going down could be due to many different reasons.
1. Valve is not regenerating due to a problem with Timer Motor or a bad gear in the timer assembly (common in Autotrol Timer Assemblies).
2. Salt may be Bridged (become solid) above water that is at the bottom of the salt tank.
3. If you have been using Pellet salt for many years you could have a lot of undissolvable residue at the bottom. This residue will not dissolve and also can block water flow in and out of the salt tank.
4. The Valve could be failing to draw the brine solution out and if you have a float shut off in the brine tank, it would be prevent the salt tank from overflowing (which it would do if the float shut off was not there).
5. The brine refill control could be clogged, prevent water to refill the salt tank.

Will a softener remove the iron from my water?
Yes, if the iron is still in solution (it has not been oxidized). How much it can remove depends on the size resin tank of your softener. The more iron in the water, the larger the resin tank needs to be to remove all the iron. E-mail us for advice on your situation.

I have a working water softener, but I am still getting iron staining. Why is that?
There are several things that could cause you to still be getting staining.
1. It is critical that your system never run empty of salt.
2. It is important that the time of day be kept correct and that no one uses water between 2 a.m. - 3 a.m. when the system is regenerating. While the system is in regeneration, any water used would be unconditioned (coming straight from the well).
3. In high iron situations it is usually necessary to include a cleaner with the salt. Iron Out (about 1/4 cup with each 80 lbs of Salt) is commonly used. So is Tan-X (Citric Acid, also 1/4 lbs per 80 lbs.). A cup or two of Chlorine Bleach can be used, if your softener DOES NOT have "white resins" installed for Tannic Acid Color removal (this is a special layer of resins sometimes added to the regular resin inside your resin tank).
4. It could be your resin tank is too small to handle all the iron.
A. What size is the resin tank?
B. What is the level of Iron and Hardness of the water?
5. It could be you are not regenerating often enough, or using enough salt per regeneration.
A. How often does your softener regenerate?
B. How many people are using the water?
C. How much salt are you using per month?
6. On rare occasions the iron could be coming from just the hot water tank. If it is more than 20 years old it could be rusting out on the inside, thus putting iron back into the water. This is also true in older mobile homes, again over 20 years old, that used galvanized plumbing under the trailer.
Above are the common reasons a working water softener might still be allowing you to get staining. For additional help and recommendations, call or email us with your questions.

I have a water softener, but I still have odor in my water. Why is that?
Water softeners do not remove most taste and odor problems (they can remove the metallic taste of iron in water).
1. Odors from hydrogen sulfide ("rotten egg smell") in wells or "bleach" smell in chlorine treated water, require an activated carbon filter to be used in conjunction with the water softener. E-mail us for advice on your situation.
2. Sometimes odor in the hot water only, is caused by the self sacrificing rod installed in your hot water heater. Removal of this rod by your plumber could solve this problem.

Why does soft water feel slimy or slick in the shower?
Water that has been conditioned by a water softener allows soap to dissolve more completely than in hard water. It is common for first time users of soft water to have a slimy experience in the shower. This is due to using more soap than is necessary. The amount of soap needed to lather up is very small in soft water. This is one of the benefits of soft water (less soap is needed in the bathing, laundry, and household cleaning). Also, the pores of your skin will no longer be clogged by the undissolved soap. Once a person has adjusted their soap usage and is used to the smooth clean feeling achieved by bathing in soft water, they will have a negative "ruff" feeling, if they bath in hard water again.

Will a water softener make my water safe to drink?
No. Your water must be safe to drink before you condition the water with a softener. If you are concerned about the safety of your drinking water, contact your local health department about getting a bacteria test, or full lab analysis on your water.