Today is the last installment in the "Fact vs Fiction" or "Myth Buster" series...
Myth #7: Reverse Osmosis Systems are Prohibitively Expensive
Myth Busted: Costs are always more for better quality, better performing systems. There are budget RO systems that start around $500 (or less, depending upon where you live) and go up from there. What price do you put on health??? Sure you can cheap out, but you're simply increasing the chemicals and contaminants you allow into your drinking water, as well as increasing your operating and maintenance costs... Better systems also tend to have much longer, more-comprehensive warranties. They are often better-tested at the factory and have a lower failure rate and less chance of a problem at the time of installation.
Most dealers, like ourselves, offer different systems at different price points. Depending upon the need and budget of families, we can tailor a system that will be just right. Just bear in mind, this is kind of like insulation - you either buy it up-front, or you pay more over time to operate your system. The more-efficient systems use less water (saving money if you're on a meter, saving your septic field if you're not) and because they process less water to achieve the same production volume, they can run their filters for longer -often only requiring filter changes every year.
Inexpensive systems, due to their inefficiency, require a lot more source water to create the same volume of product water of a high-efficiency system. Because of this, their filters expire faster and can require changing as often as every 3 months. Pay now or pay later... The choice is yours!
Myth Busted: Costs are always more for better quality, better performing systems. There are budget RO systems that start around $500 (or less, depending upon where you live) and go up from there. What price do you put on health??? Sure you can cheap out, but you're simply increasing the chemicals and contaminants you allow into your drinking water, as well as increasing your operating and maintenance costs... Better systems also tend to have much longer, more-comprehensive warranties. They are often better-tested at the factory and have a lower failure rate and less chance of a problem at the time of installation.
Most dealers, like ourselves, offer different systems at different price points. Depending upon the need and budget of families, we can tailor a system that will be just right. Just bear in mind, this is kind of like insulation - you either buy it up-front, or you pay more over time to operate your system. The more-efficient systems use less water (saving money if you're on a meter, saving your septic field if you're not) and because they process less water to achieve the same production volume, they can run their filters for longer -often only requiring filter changes every year.
Inexpensive systems, due to their inefficiency, require a lot more source water to create the same volume of product water of a high-efficiency system. Because of this, their filters expire faster and can require changing as often as every 3 months. Pay now or pay later... The choice is yours!
To put it in perspective, compare a reverse osmosis system, which can be roughly described as a "washing machine for your water" to an actual washing machine. There are two types of washing machines currently on the market - standard "top loaders" and the new High Efficiency (or "HE") machines which are "front loaders." The newer, more efficient HE machines cost more, but they also use less water to do the job.
Do top loaders "waste" water? I don't know - but they definitely USE more water to accomplish the same job. Reverse osmosis is the same way - there are "standard" units and "high efficiency" units. The high efficiency models cost more up front, but have lower operating costs, require fewer filter changes, have increased pressure and use less water to operate. They are more efficient, greener systems. Pay now, or pay later (and continuously while you operate the system.)
Myth #8: RO Creates Acidic Water, and Acidity Causes Cancer
Myth Busted: This one drives me nuts - it is a blatant ploy by marketing departments to scare people into buying their high-priced ionizers or alkalinizers... (For the record, I am NOT a doctor and will NOT touch the acidity - cancer link. It may very well be true that acidic cells are more prone to cancer, or are consistent with those cells in a cancerous state.
I believe it is a LEAP to go from that potential fact to attempt to link it to the pH of water you drink having the effect of raising the pH of the body and thereby putting it in a state that is more prone to cancer. I am not qualified to comment on that, HOWEVER I can talk about water and am qualified to discuss that aspect of this myth AND comment on what happens in the body when you digest this alkaline water.)
Do top loaders "waste" water? I don't know - but they definitely USE more water to accomplish the same job. Reverse osmosis is the same way - there are "standard" units and "high efficiency" units. The high efficiency models cost more up front, but have lower operating costs, require fewer filter changes, have increased pressure and use less water to operate. They are more efficient, greener systems. Pay now, or pay later (and continuously while you operate the system.)
Myth #8: RO Creates Acidic Water, and Acidity Causes Cancer
Myth Busted: This one drives me nuts - it is a blatant ploy by marketing departments to scare people into buying their high-priced ionizers or alkalinizers... (For the record, I am NOT a doctor and will NOT touch the acidity - cancer link. It may very well be true that acidic cells are more prone to cancer, or are consistent with those cells in a cancerous state.
I believe it is a LEAP to go from that potential fact to attempt to link it to the pH of water you drink having the effect of raising the pH of the body and thereby putting it in a state that is more prone to cancer. I am not qualified to comment on that, HOWEVER I can talk about water and am qualified to discuss that aspect of this myth AND comment on what happens in the body when you digest this alkaline water.)
The only way the RO process can acidify the water is if it is removing something like soda ash which was added to raise the pH. Even then, and I HAVE tested this on this type of water, the change in pH is negligible - you need a very sensitive meter to even detect the change. When I test "raw tap water" and RO processed water from the same source, right beside each other, the difference in pH is around 0.1. (In our area, that's the difference between tap water being 7.78 and RO water being 7.6 pH.) It is certainly not "acidic" water (acidic is defined as having a pH lower than 7.) I've seen some sales literature showing RO water as having a pH around 3.0 -strongly acidic. This is just patently false. I'm surprised these companies are not getting sued.
Even if it were a good idea to drink this alkaline water, let's take this a step further. Follow this process... You drink water, it goes past your mouth and heads where? To your stomach.
Even if it were a good idea to drink this alkaline water, let's take this a step further. Follow this process... You drink water, it goes past your mouth and heads where? To your stomach.
Your stomach's pH is around 2.0 -it contains hydrochloric acid, a necessary substance for digestion. Adding water of higher pH only serves to raise the pH of your stomach. I've seen product literature stating that your stomach's pH is only that low when you're eating, the rest of the time it is closer to neutral - around 7.0. Really??? Ask your doctor! (Or if this is easier, check with Google!)
If you want to spend $3000 or more on a "water alkalinizer" go fill your boots. What you end up with is expensive water that has been treated with a carbon filtration unit roughly equivalent to one single stage of a multi stage RO unit. By design, your stomach is supposed to be acidic; that's where digestion starts. Raising the pH in your stomach is NOT a good idea. This is pure snake oil!
(in terms of complete disclosure, one of Douglas Environmental Solutions suppliers DOES offer these alkaline water systems for sale. I have seen their specs and I have seen their marketing literature - it is truly misleading. I'm surprised at this ploy by an otherwise reputable company. Although it technically is something we can make available through this one supplier, we do NOT intend to market the product nor offer it to our clients.)
If you want to spend $3000 or more on a "water alkalinizer" go fill your boots. What you end up with is expensive water that has been treated with a carbon filtration unit roughly equivalent to one single stage of a multi stage RO unit. By design, your stomach is supposed to be acidic; that's where digestion starts. Raising the pH in your stomach is NOT a good idea. This is pure snake oil!
(in terms of complete disclosure, one of Douglas Environmental Solutions suppliers DOES offer these alkaline water systems for sale. I have seen their specs and I have seen their marketing literature - it is truly misleading. I'm surprised at this ploy by an otherwise reputable company. Although it technically is something we can make available through this one supplier, we do NOT intend to market the product nor offer it to our clients.)
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