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Reverse osmosis water filters are often used to purify bottled water, taking water right out of the tap and running it through a filtration system before selling it to you in those convenient and expensive bottles. You’re not limited to purchasing water purified this way; instead, consider installing a filter to clean your water system. These filters run water through a membrane that allows only clean water to pass through; all other contaminants, from germs to chlorine, remain on the other side of the membrane and are flushed from the system. Almost every major contaminant is removed from your water with this method: chlorine and fluoride, arsenic, heavy metals, nitrates and pesticides, iron (you can get too much), sediments, bacteria and viruses, and even bad taste and smell.

Some call a reverse osmosis water filter a hyperfiltration system because it’s so good at eliminating contaminants. When water goes through a standard reverse osmosis water filter, water from your supply will move through several reservoirs. The filter allows clean water to move to the clean water side of the system and leaves contaminants behind to be washed away later. It is a passive system – that is, water is not moved through with pressure but rather via a chemical process called osmosis. It’s a very slow but very thorough filtration system, and will produce about 15 gallons a day of bottled-quality water, which it holds in a reservoir. If you’re a big bottled water drinker, you can imagine how much money that can save you in the long run!

A reverse osmosis water filter may have a thin film composite (TFC) or a cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane, each of which has strengths and weaknesses. The TFC is best by far at contaminant removal, but it is easily damaged if you have a chlorinated water supply going directly into it. For TFC filters, it’s a good idea to install an activated carbon filter upstream of the TFC filter. The CTA filter is not as good at removing contaminants, but it is also tougher and will not be so easily damaged. Because a damaged film can ruin your reverse osmosis water filter, choose carefully between these two options.

For water that is contaminated with bacteria or other biological organisms, you may also need an ultraviolet filter. While an osmotic filter works quite well on biological organisms, it does not catch all of them; while one particle of mercury in your cleansed water will not kill you, a single bacterium in your clean water reservoir can multiply and eventually contaminate your entire osmotic water filtration system. To prevent this problem, add a UV water purifier to the downstream side of your filtration system. UV light is used to kill everything living in your water, which prevents your water from further contamination. This three-filter system – activated carbon, reverse osmosis, and UV purifier – will provide you and your family with the cleanest possible water supply.

The only other thing you may need to be concerned about with a reverse osmosis water filtration system is the amount of water it takes to create those fifteen gallons a day – up to ten gallons for each gallon of clean water created. If you live in an area where water needs to be conserved, you may need to ensure that rejected water goes into your gray water reservoir, where it can be used to feed your flowers.

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