Reverse Osmosis - The healthy water!

Reverse osmosis is a process in which water of any quality is processed and filtered in such a way as to render it perfectly safe and free of all known impurities (including cryptosporidium, guardia, cyanobacteria, e-coli), and of late most importantly of all, the silent killer – fluoride.

Unlike any other form of filtration, reverse osmosis works not by passing water through a series of ever smaller micron filtration units, but by rather forcing water under high pressure through an industrial specially constructed membrane that only allows the actual water molecule itself to pass.

Unlike the false truisms claimed by many water filtration manufacturers, reverse osmosis is the only method known (apart from energy intensive distillation), of removing 99% and above levels of municipal fluoride.

So remember, if protecting yourself and your family against the ever increasing levels of contaminants in our water supply is important to you, and bottled water is keeping you poor – reverse osmosis is the answer!

ps... If you are travelling, or out and abomsut in some foreign country, visit the following site to read up on what you can take with you to ensure safe drinking water http://www.mmshealthyforlife.com

We all know that water is meant to be good for us, and have been informed from many sources that we need to drink a certain abount of this wet stuff per day - but could it possible be that the more we drink, the worse off we become? In some cases this is true - the amount of industrial and pharmaceutical chemicals in our municipal water is rising all the time. Read on...

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many of the major medical journals, are unanimous in their assessment that our drinking water has now been proven to...

1)... Laden our bodies with heavy metals!... Each year, a greater amount of industrial spill off is finding its way into our municipal water, and then our bodies.

2)... Driving precocious puberty!... It has been found that there is roughly 3 times as many phyto estrogens in our drinking water as there was only ten years ago. Girls are going into puberty sometimes as early as 8 and 9 years of age.

3)... Trigger a massive heart attack!... The Journal of the American Heart Association has recently stated that the arsenic found within our drinking water has been proven to increase your chances of artery disease - thus making you a prime candidate for a sudden heart attack.

4)... Infect your body with nasty parasites! If this is not enough to get you running out there to find some way of cleansing your drinking water, nothing will! The CDC has recently stated that 403,000 recently succumbed to sickness in one outbreak from contaminated water containing the parasite Cryptosporidium. Of that amount, 70 people died from the infection. And this is just one microbe - drinking water can contain many more than just this!

Have you ever wondered just how much of the chemicals out there in our society, whether it be from our homes or industry, enters our drinking water without anyone really noticing?

This graph is a stark reminder of just how important it is to take responsibility for our health and remember what we put into our bodies.

It may be a shock to you to find out that since our drinking water is now so contaminated, scientists, no longer report on ''pure'' water. Rather, they refer to the purity of water with the terms "Acceptable" and "Unnacceptable" levels of contamination. The reason for this is because your tap water may contain any number of nasty germs, bits of viruses, heavy metals - even embalmiing fluid!

Just because it looks clean, doesn't mean that it is, nor is it drinking worthy!

This is a fairly revealing expose of what really goes into our drinking water - not necessarily by intention, but rather as a by product of just the sheer number of chemicals out there within every facet of our lives.

It becomes clear that there is in fact very few methods available to us to clean our water adequately for us to maintain optimum health. One way is to add chlorine dioxide to your supplies for the elimination of pathogens, but still, this does nothing for heavy metals or fluoride and such. Luckily, technology now offers us a way in which we can make this a reality for all residential dwellings.

This is a short clip about the virtues of reverse osmosis, and it can very quickly have a very positive affect on your health and that of your family's.

Its a short clip, so its worth a look...

As an aside, it is important to mention that there is a product called Miracle Mineral Supplement that is effectively a chlorine dioxide formulation that actively cleanses drinking water against pathogenic stressors - a must when you are travelling or on the road...

This product was discovered by Jim Humble...

Take heed!!!

As with any industry thats out there in the market place - there are things to watch out for before you are separated from your cold hard cash. Even though all reverse osmosis systems are built upon the same premise, there is still a definate sliding scale that exists when it come to quality and reliability.

we outline 3 main "do's & ''dont's" below, just to keep you ahead of the game, making sure that the system you buy is taylored to the needs of you and yout family's.

 Read on...

In the world of reverse osmosis systems, it is of utmost importance to buy a unit equipped with a ''thin film composite" or TFC membrane. Regardless of whether a system has 3, 4 , or 5 stage filtration, the quality of this membrane is by far the most important aspect of the entire system.

There are two types of membranes available, so you will end up with either a TFC membrane, or a cellulose paper membrane.

TFC membranes are quite expensive to manufacture, and are composed from a number of synthetic films laid upon each other. This multi layering process found within the TFC membrane is a scaled down version of what the larger industrial units employ, as the life expectancy is substantiialy longer (3 -5 years), the membrane itself can handle high municipal pressure settings, and does not break down over time.

The cellulose paper membrane is as the name suggests - made from cellulose paper. These membranes are cheap to manufacture, require little technology to produce, with the substrate being readily available. Unfortunately, this cellulose based membrane breaks down over time and is affected adversely by water pressure spikes, which are common in most municiple systems. A membrane using this design will typically last 12 months before requiring a replacement.

Even though making the correct choice of membranes to use is crucial - it is still very important to make sure your system has enough pre and post filtration.

• A three stage system has the minimum requirements, containing a sedimentation filter and a pre membrane carbon GAC filter. These systems are entry level, and unless the water entering the unit is of very high quality, this one carbon filter will be exhausted very quickly.
• A four stage system has the same configeration as above, apart from there being another filter being added. This is called a CTO or carbon block filter. These filters are effectively a block of super compressed activated carbon, and are very good at removing VOC's, or Volatile Organic Compounds. These filters give the final product a sweeter taste, as this type of carbon is sourced most commonly from the shell of coconuts.
• A five stage system has the same configeration as above, but also includes a post membrane carbon filter. These are a varient of the CTO variety, and ensures a complete ''mop up'' of any remaining volatiles or odors within the water.

Regardless of where you purchased your system, whether it be from your own country or from another that you may have imported from - make sure that it meets the universal guidelines of an NSF specification.

This way you can be assured that your system has been approved by the appropriate regulatory body, and that your system will stand the test of time, thus removing the nasties that it was designed for.

 There was a famous commercial once that was selling car oils, and their motto was "oils aint oils!" Its the same with reverse osmosis systems as well. Every one likes a deal, and this is fine - but shop around first.

The most important areas to cover are already mentioned above, so if you find a unit with these specifications, then you are already half way there. Its difficult to give a price range, as there are units from overseas that meet the necessary requirements and are much cheaper - this is where your own due diligence comes into action.

A good measure of quality is to determine the sturdiness of the system. A typical quality unit, being a four or a five stage system, should weigh at least 13 - 15 kilos. Good quality composite plastics are not cheap, and if the weight is there, then this reflects positively on the build construction.

Note: Recently I purchased a high pressure water sprayer on the cheap - yes, I should heed my own advice, I know, I know! Anyways, the unit worked really well, was super light weight, etc, anyways, after 3 hours of gurying a roof, the casing within the unit began to split - hence leaking everywhere. A bugger, as I had no replacement for the roof I was preparing on a sunday. Where was I, ahh, ok, thats right - always check the build quality (weight is a good indication).

It know doubt gets confusing for many out there striving for better water quality to come to any conclusion as to what to buy. Again, it comes down to personal preference, but I would endorse a system that incorporates quick filter change technology.

I say this because the filters come with their very own O - ring built into the top of the unit, thus making for a perfect water seal every time. These filters also make it super easy to change an old cartridge, without the need for specially designed canister wrenches to take them apart. This invariably compromises the seal, and is a pain in the bum to do.

Note: This has now become an industry standard in Europe, allowing peace of mind for ease of replacements for many years to come.

 Even thought there are many cheaper units out there in the market place, and the temptation is there to source your system cheaply - always be cognizant that there will come a time when its filters will need replacing. There is nothing worse (ok, there is, but still), than purchasing a good quality reverse osmosis system in every way, and then when it comes to replacing filters - n one of the common styles will fit it!

Make sure the system that you buy has at least a 12 month warrenty, is of a reputable brand - and has filters that are readily replaceable!

If you have read thus far, I hope that you at least feel more informed and better understand how reverse osmosis works and what they can do for you. In future Hubs, i'll branch off into the specifics of how they actually work, and speak more about the dangers of fluorine.

Rememeber, even though a system may appear cheap and suitable enough, we tend to outlast most of what we buy - so research wisely.

Note: Unless your system is fitted with a micro processor that shuts down any possible leakage once detected, make sure sturdiness of design features high on your priorities - water leakages are unpleasant at the best of times!