FACTS ABOUT REVERSE OSMOSIS (RO) TECHNOLOGY WATER PURIFIERS

• What is Osmosis and Reverse Osmosis?
• What are the common problems associated with high concentration of chemical contaminants?
• Is Reverse Osmosis suitable for Purification?
• Is Osmosis water drinkable?
• Sometimes RO water tastes somewhat bitter. Is it Ok?
• Is RO suitable for treating Brackish and Saline water?
• How does Waterguard RO make water safe?
• Is it true that RO devices reduce the minerals from the drinking water which are good for health?
• Apart from pure water, what are the other benefits of using RO water?
• How does Waterguard RO work?
• What are the precautions that one must take while installing the RO?
• What is the functional advantage of Auto-flushing & Low Pressure Cut-off features?
• What is the maximum allowable TDS for using home RO system?
• How much reduction of TDS can be achieved with Waterguard RO?
• Is there water wastage in case of RO?

What is Osmosis and Reverse Osmosis?

Osmosis originates from the Greek word 'osmos' meaning push, pressure. It is the ability of a fluid and thereby its soluble content to permeate through a membrane to bring about the same concentration on both sides of a membrane. Passage of water from weak solution to strong solution through a semi-permeable membrane is called as Osmosis.

The membrane is permeable for one substance but not for another (semi-permeable) and it can be used for separating both the substances.

Osmosis is very important in the living organism because the cell wall comprises the membrane through which nutrients and metabolic products diffuse. In nature the water is purified and transported by means of osmosis, e.g. in the body & in plants. The plants' uptake of water from the earth and partly also the transport of water between the cells occur through osmosis.

Reverse Osmosis (abbreviation RO) is a process in which osmosis is used with the aid of technology (by introducing and raising the pressure of the "contaminated" fluid) for forcing the water through a synthetic semi-permeable membrane that allows only water molecules to pass through. When pressure is applied to the concentrated solution (contaminated fluid), the direction of water passage through the membrane is reversed and the process that we refer to as Reverse Osmosis is established i.e. the membrane's ability to selectively pass water is unchanged, only the direction of water flow is changed.

What are the common problems associated with high concentration of chemical contaminants?

Is Reverse Osmosis suitable for Purification?

Reverse osmosis is an advanced technique, which has the ability to separate smallest of the particles, molecules and ions. Reverse osmosis supplements conventional techniques; it takes up where the conventional methods are unable to show satisfactory effects. RO is especially suitable for areas with high level of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Hardness. RO makes saline and brackish water palatable and tastier by reducing TDS and Hardness. RO also makes the water both chemically and microbiologically safe by reducing Pesticides, Fluoride, hazardous metal contaminants like Lead, Mercury, and Arsenic etc. and eliminates water borne disease-causing microorganisms.

An RO water purification device is equipped with a Membrane filtration module having very fine pore size of 0.0001 micron. Raw water is pushed under high pressure through this membrane filter. The output water that finally comes through the membrane filter is free from Total Dissolved Solids, Hardness, Microorganisms and chemical contaminants.

Is Osmosis water drinkable?

The best water currently obtainable is osmosis water. Drink plenty of osmosis water and feel good! It is almost hearsay to allege that drinking osmosis water would result in loss of immunity, the splitting of cells, internal bleeding etc. The Navy marines throughout the world consume RO water produced in the submarines from seawater. US navy has been consuming RO water for decades now. Everyone would agree that fitness for soldiers is paramount and they rely on RO water. Most of the Arabic world has scarcity of fresh water. They rely on industrial RO plants for production of drinking water from sea water. Industries which produce Packaged Drinking Water, Beverages and Pharmaceuticals use RO technique for water purification.

Sometimes RO water tastes somewhat bitter. Is it Ok?

Certain types of water which do not have high TDS, tastes bitter if treated with an RO system. This happens because of slight reduction in the pH of the produced water. This is not a cause of worry because the allowable drinking water pH as per WHO is 6.5 - 8.5.

Is RO suitable for treating Brackish and Saline water?

Yes, RO is especially suitable for treatment of Brackish, Hard and Saline water. It makes Brackish, Hard and Saline water sweet, potable and soft.

How does Waterguard RO make water safe?

With Waterguard RO Fontana, Aquarius, Optima & Under-sink model, you do not have to worry about the water quality.

Waterguard RO makes saline and brackish water palatable, sweet and tastier by reducing Hardness and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS).

Waterguard RO makes the water safe and potable by eliminating Pesticides, Fluoride, and hazardous metal contaminants like Lead, Mercury, Arsenic and many other toxic chemical contaminants.

Waterguard RO makes the water microbiologically potable by eliminating water borne disease-causing microorganisms like bacteria, viruses and cysts.

Is it true that RO devices reduce the minerals from the drinking water which are good for health?

Nutrients and minerals are definitely essential for the body. These minerals are mainly provided by the food and fruit that we eat. The uptake and utilization of minerals by the body happens largely from the diet that we take. Dinking minerals-rich water is not a replacement for a healthy diet and it does not eliminate the need for a nutritious diet.

Apart from pure water, what are the other benefits of using RO water?

RO provides excellent results with regard to purity; close to 100% removal of almost any unwanted and harmful substance. There are many more benefits of using RO water:

- You will be able to savor the real flavour of coffee and tea because RO water is truly clean and very soft. - Taste will turn out much better when using water of the highest purity. - Ice cubes will be the clearest you have ever seen. - Great for making food, cuts down cooking time and cost. - Appliances that use water (as for example your steam iron and electric kettle) will last longer and be more effective, because there will be no scaling.

How does Waterguard RO work?

Waterguard RO employs five stages for water purification

Other features include auto-flushing, Low water pressure protection and automatic On & Off.

RO Under-sink is the model which has all the stages mounted on a metal frame instead of a cabinet. It comes along with a pressurized storage tank of 10 litres. This model can be installed hidden under the counter or anywhere on the wall. The faucet is loose and can be fixed at any convenient place above the kitchen slab or near the wash basin. The model has a 75 GPD capacity Membrane Filter element. It delivers water at a flow of 10-11 litres per hour. Other features include auto-flushing, Low water pressure protection and automatic On & Off.

What are the precautions that one must take while installing the RO?

- Install it in a dry, ventilated place. Keep it away from direct sunlight or below freezing temperatures - Connect it to only cold water supply. Filters can get damaged if connected to hot tap water. - Ensure that the inlet water pressure is between 5-87 psi (0.34–6.0 bar). - Make sure to connect your RO to 230 V power socket. - Do not install the RO in a place where water or rain could leak into it.

What is the functional advantage of Auto-flushing & Low Pressure Cut-off features?

Automatic flushing of the reverse osmosis membrane ensures the periodic removal of particulate deposits from the layers of the membrane filter thereby ensuring reliable operation and long life.

Low pressure auto cut -off prevents the pump from dry running in case the overhead tank or the pipe line does not have water.

What is the maximum allowable TDS for using home RO system?

In case of RO, the maximum allowable input TDS is 2000 mg/l.

How much reduction of TDS can be achieved with Waterguard RO?

More than 90% reduction in TDS can be achieved with Waterguard RO.

Is there water wastage in case of RO?

In case of RO, pure water is extracted from the impure supply water. RO produces 1 litre of purified water from approx. 3 litres of raw impure water. Two litres of waste water is rejected. But this rejected water can be utilized for wiping the floor, car wash or watering the plants.