Renee Smallwood asked:


A Reverse Osmosis filter is designed to remove the minerals in water.  You might think drinking water that is truly “pure” is the most healthful water you can drink.  But, if that were true, then why is there no place on earth where water without minerals can be found?  Even the most remote and unpolluted mountain springs have natural occurring minerals.  It is these mineral that give water its taste.  More important than taste, is the healthful benefits these minerals have for our bodies.

In science and industry there is a need for mineral free water.  For example, the photo processing and printing industries require the use of a reverse osmosis filter to remove inorganic solids (minerals).  This filter process is also used to desalinate sea water into fresh water.  Once the salt is removed, then the water must be stabilized, to make the water less acidic and prevent the leaching of unwanted elements during transportation to the final users.

If you are looking into a reverse osmosis water filter for your home, you probably have discovered that it is not just a simple matter of pushing the water through and getting pure water on the other side.  That is because the reverse osmosis filter itself does not remove most of the contaminants we need taken out.  It only removes the dissolved minerals, like calcium and magnesium.  There is a pretreatment with carbon based filters and another needed after.  These are the filters that remove the actual pollutants, not the reverse osmosis filter.

Water without minerals is acidic in pH.  When humans consume acidic foods and beverages, the body pulls minerals from our teeth and bones to neutralize the acid.  It has been shown in scientific studies, that when our body fluids become more acid than alkaline, the production of free radicals increases.  These free radicals cause a increased risk for cancer.  It is interesting, that in the parts of the world where people live the longest, most healthful lives, are areas that have the most alkaline water with the highest mineral content.  Zoltan P. Rona, MD is a past President of the Canadian Holistic Medical Association.  In one of his articles he states  “The ideal water for the human body should be slightly alkaline and this requires the presence of minerals like calcium and magnesium.”   

Twenty years ago, using a reverse osmosis water filter in your home may have been a good idea.  It was a case of using what was available.  Today, with the advances in filtration technology and a better understanding of what healthful water should contain, choosing a reverse osmosis filter just does not make sense.  So in your search for “pure” drinking water, remember that trace minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium are an essential part of that water.



Do it yourself home solar heater

Laurel Tevolitz asked:


It’s unbelievable that there are so many water filter systems available on the market today. Their basic function is to clean tap water and provide contaminant free, purity. As I began investigating, I started with a reverse osmosis water filter and was looking to see how it worked and if there were any positives/negatives before deciding how I felt about purchasing one.

Reverse Osmosis works by reversing water through a filter system that eliminates sediment and then uses a membrane that is semi-permeable to complete the filtering process. After that, a carbon filter is utilized and then distributed through a faucet as “purified tap”. This unit can typically be installed by a reputable plumber and be used to purify water anywhere in the home. However, after looking into some of the negatives of a reverse osmosis filter, I wasn’t too impressed with the results.

This type of system is very efficient at eliminating toxic materials such as rust, lead, parasites, salt, sediments and sulfates. Unfortunately, some of the negatives I discovered were:



Only partial removal of viruses and bacteria that would require another type of water purification system to back it up. This doesn’t seem to be a high priority for this type of filter process.

It removes too many minerals that the body desires for good functioning, health and longevity. Minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium if eliminated force the body to draw from that which is stored in teeth and bones. Normally, this is caused by the high acid, low pH level of the water.

It takes away water’s good taste.

It wastes three to four gallons of water for each one gallon it attempts to purify.

As alkaline turns to highly acid water, it not only causes minerals to again be pulled from teeth and bones, but has also been known in some cases to increase the possibility of developing cancer since more free radicals are produced from this occurrence.

It takes a few hours to install and may require a professional plumber.



So after considering all the negatives about reverse osmosis water filters, I found after extensive research that a multi-stage filter which employs essential and vital purification processes such as ion exchange, sub-micron and carbon filtration would be more beneficial in removing all traces of contaminants. These included eliminating toxins such as VOCs (volatile organic chemicals) like pesticides and herbicides, chlorine, lead and other harmful materials, while it ensured securing the valuable minerals that were critical to the body and contributed to better health.

Now that you are armed with this information, instead of spending valuable time and money on a filtration system that will not do everything you need it to plus bring negative effects to your life, it would be wise to consider one that does, but also adds to your longevity.



Do it yourself home solar heater