When it comes to treating your water, nothing beats the reverse osmosis process. Few other filtration systems can compete with the RO membrane in terms of purifying power. But, does a reverse osmosis system remove salt? Yes, a reverse osmosis system can definitely remove salt from your water supply.
How exactly does an RO system get rid of sodium ions? Let’s dive deeper and find out. You need to think carefully about how a reverse osmosis system works, whether it is right for your situation, and the various contaminants that it can remove.
Why Do You Care About Salt in Your Drinking Water Supply?
First, it is important to think about why people care about the salt in their water supply at all. Some people are concerned about the taste of their drinking water if there is too much salt in the water supply, but this is typically not an issue. Water softeners may add a small amount of salt, but this shouldn’t be noticeable when you take a sip. It’s not just about taste either – if you’re trying to cut down on sodium for health reasons, then addressing the levels of salt in your drinking water is essential.
Of course, there are plenty more sources out there that should be taken into account as well. Be sure to review nutrition labels, consider home cooking more often, and stay away from pre-prepared meals that could contain hidden levels of salty ingredients. If you have been told that you need to cut back on your salt, incorporate these tips into your low-sodium diet plan.
How Does Reverse Osmosis Work to Remove Salt?
Have you ever wondered how a reverse osmosis system works? It’s actually quite impressive. This multi-stage filter is designed to remove sediment, chlorine, and other contaminants from your drinking water. Here’s an in-depth look at what makes it so effective at dealing with unwanted salt water:
- Step One: Pre-Filter Sediment Removal – The first stage of the process starts with a pre-filter that sifts out any large particles like dirt or sand. These are removed before they can enter the rest of the filtration system.
- Step Two: Carbon Filtration – Next up comes carbon filtering, which eliminates chlorine and other organic compounds found in tap water. This helps improve taste as well as odor while also removing potentially harmful chemicals from our drinking supply.
- Step Three: Reverse Osmosis Membrane – Now we come to the main part of the process —the semi-permeable membrane! Its tiny 0.0001 micron pore size traps dissolved salts and prevents them from passing through your clean drinking water supply on their way down the drain!
- Step Four (Optional): Remineralization Filter – For those who want added minerals back into their purified H2O there is an optional remineralization filter step available for adding magnesium, calcium, potassium, and more, back in after all else has been filtered out by earlier stages of treatment!
The end result? Crystal clear quality refreshment that won’t have you questioning its purity each time you take a sip!
How Much Salt Does Reverse Osmosis Remove?
At 99+%, reverse osmosis (RO) systems can remove salt from water with ease. Whether it’s table salt, softener salt, or sea salt – you name it and RO will take care of the rest! This makes desalination possible; converting seawater into a drinkable option perfect for everyday use. You are certainly welcome to use this process on soft water as well.
Other Contaminants that Reverse Osmosis can Remove
Clearly, this is an effective tool for getting rid of salt, but that’s not all, Reverse Osmosis also removes over 99% of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). This includes things like chlorides, sulfates, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and bicarbonates. So, by opting for an RO system, you’re able to effectively filter out chlorine/chloramine, heavy metals such as lead & copper, and dangerous contaminants like arsenic & fluoride – plus many more – in one go!
Unlike other conventional water treatment processes, which are only capable of fighting off a few types of impurities at once, an RO system can handle just about everything. When it comes to purifying your drinking water efficiently without sacrificing quality – there really is no better choice than Reverse Osmosis.
Other Filtration Methods that Remove Salt from Water
When it comes to eliminating sodium chloride from drinking water, reverse osmosis systems are the gold standard. But they’re not your only choice! Here are a few other possibilities for purifying municipal H2O:
Distillation
The distillation process boils water until it evaporates and all impurities remain behind. The vapor created is collected in another container where salt doesn’t have the same boiling point as pure liquid, so it stays put in the chamber. This is an effective way of cleaning up water but can be time-consuming; producing one batch of clean drinking supply could take up to five hours – much longer than what you’d get with a reverse osmosis system, which takes mere seconds.
Potassium Ion Exchange
Thankfully, there’s an alternative to sodium available for water softeners: using potassium based ion exchange instead. This could prove more beneficial when trying to cut down on the amount of salt present in your drinking or bathing water – as well as help those wishing to follow low-sodium diets. So, before installing a new softener at home – consider opting for one that can use potassium, allowing you to reap all the benefits without having too much unwanted sodium enter into your drinking water!
Can a Water Filter Remove Salt?
You may be pondering whether your regular water filter—like the pitcher filter or an under-sink filtration system—can remove salt from H2O. Unfortunately, standard filters can’t do much when it comes to dissolved salt in liquid form. Adsorption and mechanical processes are unable to remove this tiny element, which slips through most small pores of these systems with ease.
Even ultrafiltration (the closest process to reverse osmosis) won’t reduce sodium levels as it still holds onto beneficial minerals and salts. Microfilters that target bacteria and virus particles have been known to lessen the amount of sodium in drinking water. However, they should not be solely relied upon for the complete removal of all salt.
Can you install a reverse osmosis system after a water softener?
Yes, if you’ve installed a salt-based water softener that uses a salt brine to exchange ions and minerals in your water supply, then it is possible to remove the sodium downstream of the system using reverse osmosis. This won’t undo the effects of your softening system—you’ll still have softened H20—but there won’t be any hardness or sodium present anymore.
While an RO filter can do wonders for improving taste and reducing contaminants, not all potential pollutants will be taken care of: dissolved gases such as methane and carbon dioxide; certain bacteria; chlorine byproducts; some pesticides/herbicides are able to pass through its semipermeable membrane. You may need other types of filters for some of those.
Check Out the Reverse Osmosis System From DROP Today
If you are looking for the best reverse osmosis system, smart water softeners and water filters, we can help you. At DROP, we have a wide selection available, and we can help you find the right options to meet your needs. Take a closer look at what we have to offer, and reach out to us today to learn more!
