Does Reverse Osmosis Strip Out Minerals?
QUESTION:
We are customers of an RO System from US Water. Speaking with a long time plumber familiar with these systems he stated ours is a very good unit but RO would strip the water of important minerals? Is this true or false?
Our unit is:
5 Stage USA Made Arsenic Reverse Osmosis Filter Pack
If above is true, what is your recommendation for adding this stripped minerals back into the water prior to reaching the drinking faucet?
ANSWER:
Yes, an RO system will strip out the minerals… it will also remove a plethora of chemical and bacterial contaminants.
So often, people get fixated on the wrong thing. Reverse Osmosis removes the largest spectrum of contaminants of any water treatment process and it does remove the minerals. However, water is not a significant source of minerals. Let me say that again: Water is not a significant source of minerals.
If you drank a bathtub full of water a day you might get 10% of the minerals your body needs. You get minerals from foods and supplements.
It's an illogical argument:"Let's get less than 1% of the minerals my body needs but leave in chemical contaminants that have been proven to be cariogenic?" Some people add minerals back to their water with special filters and go to great length to re-mineralize or attempt to make alkaline water. IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE TO YOUR BODY! Once the water passes through the cell wall, whether the pH is 6.0 or 8.0, it becomes the pH of your body and on top of that, the minerals you can add are but a drop in the ocean.
Let me break it down even more. Ask these questions:
- Are minerals in the water good for you? YES!
- Is water a significant source of these minerals? NO!
- Is water a significant source of cariogenic chemicals? YES!
In short, it is best to remove the chemicals and minerals and just eat a good diet! Take a supplement if you want, but try as you might, you cannot get the minerals from the water you drink, and raising the pH of the water to make "Alkaline Water" has become a Billion Dollar Industry that is built on a scientific misconception. Water that is truly alkaline may have some medicinal benefits but simply raising the pH by remineralization and thinking that makes your water is alkaline is as erroneous as thinking you can defy the law of gravity.
Instead of being focused upon the lack of minerals in RO water, you should be more concerned with contaminants the Reverse Osmosis system is removing. Things like lead, chlorine, chromium 6, chloramine, pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, TCE, THM, PCB, GenX and hundreds of other chemicals and contaminants... some that we may have yet to hear about. That's one of the best things about reverse osmosis: even if there is some "emerging contaminant" that we have not heard of, the odds are that Reverse Osmosis will remove or reduce it.
I always say "Buy a Filter or Be a Filter" and while reverse osmosis is lot more than just a "filter," you simply cannot utilize better technology in treating your water. Of course, some people are going to say that "Reverse Osmosis is wasteful - it wastes 3 gallons for every gallon it makes." That is true... and in most homes families use 2 or 3 gallons of water a day, so they might waste 6 to 9 gallons.
Your dishwasher and washing machine waste a lot more than that, and all they are doing his cleaning your clothes and dishes. A RO system is cleaning your water, so that you aren't the filter, storing carcinogenic chemicals in fat cells. Yes, it wastes a little bit of water, but it adds a lot to a healthy lifestyle. Some people say "I don't want to waste water, so I have bottled water delivered." The bottled water plant wastes the water when it makes it and the smog-emitting truck that delivers it is good right?
If you are thinking about a reverse osmosis system - get the facts and remember, all of our US Water Systems are built right here in in the USA at our factory and we also have the only systems that also kill bacteria. We think that is very important, and so every US Water Systems RO system includes the Pulsar Quantum Disinfection Polishing Filter which also eliminates the bacteria.
Cheers!
39 Comments
This article contains a lot of misinformation especially his ridiculous baseless claim that water isn’t a significant source of minerals. This is false. Our water isn’t a significant source of minerals is right but ideally water should be a significant source of minerals.
I rely very much on whatever is said here since it’s purely for personal gain.
What you just said is so devoid of fact (water should be a significant source of minerals) that I wonder if you are a stand-up comedian. Come on man, do better research!
Hard water can contribute about 1/3 or 36% of your recommended daily allowance(RDA) of certain minerals. Most households do not have hard water but do have mildly hard water. Also, we are talking about RDA amounts that should already be met or exceeded by dietary intake of foods or multivitamins/supplements that many take already. And for most Americans that overeat…well they get plenty of minerals! Point being, water can provide minerals but water is not a “necessary” source of minerals…it is met by others means.
Most definitely unless you live in agricultural fields covered in chemicals & fertilizers you should not be drinking RO water. It will suck & deplete all metals from your bones & organs. If you like Russian Roulette go for it. I’ve been in water treatment & a Plumber for 25 years. Ask a plumber what happens to a water heater anode rod when soft or acidic or RO water enters a heater. Case closed. If you drink RO water mix if 50% with natural spring water. Good health to you!!!!
That’s silly! How is is going to suck & deplete all metals from your bones & organs? When water penetrates the body’s cell wall, it becomes the pH of your body. That’s an old wives tale like Chocolate Causes Acne, Cracking Your Knuckles Will Give you Arthritis, Food a Cold – Starve a Fever and if your mom saw a rat when she was pregnant, you will be a hairy back.
What happens inside the human body is nothing like a water heater. Stick to plumbing…
Yea but here’s my concern with purified water. If you remove all the electrolytes from the water and you try to drink a bathtub full of that water it will kill you. When someone is trying to increase their water intake, particularly when fasting its important to keep your electrolytes up. Its true that Water isnt a significant source of Minerals, but it keeps the water safe for people who drink tons of it.
FLASH: It will kill you even with the electrolytes in it. How much you drink and whether it has electrolytes has nothing to do with making the water safe.
Drinking hard water quenches my thirst whereas striped or chlorinated water does not
Drinking hard water leaves me with a horrible aftertaste as does drinking chlorinated water. I prefer RO water every day of the week. The point is: Taste is highly subjective and you usually like what you are used to drinking.
RO System is the only way forward. Water is for hydration and should be as pure as can be. Your body don’t need these metals, if they do go and eat something metal, minerals can be sourced from good healthy foods. Alot of bull being talked.
Mr Timmons is speaking sense.
A lot of the text information in this article conflicts with this chapter from the World Health Organisation
https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutrientschap12.pdf
I understand that minerals from water are absorbed much better than minerals from food, and de-mineralised water is linked with several health concerns. I agree that getting rid of the toxins is a good idea. Plenty of RO systems introduce minerals to the water so I’ll look at these next.
Just bear in mind that most of the RO’s who claim to “remineralize” do no such thing. Generally it’s just a trick. We have tested them all and they do very little. We will have a new one shortly that is pretty good, but just remember “Water is not a significant source of minerals.” Making your water “alkaline”? Now that is something very important. We have a new product coming for that.
“Water is not a significant source of minerals.” You keep saying that, but where is your proof? Is this based on some research or did you just pull it out of your rear end?
How about the article linked by Anne Butler: https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutrientschap12.pdf. That’s some research and its conclusion is: “Drinking water should contain minimum levels of certain essential minerals (and other components such as carbonates).”
I can find all kinds of stuff on the internet… some say drinking sea water is good.
Go away, troll!
In your article you state: ‘and raising the pH of the water to make “Alkaline Water” has become a Billion Dollar Industry that is built on a scientific misconception.’
Yet in your last comment you say: ’ Making your water “alkaline”? Now that is something very important. We have a new product coming for that.’
So, what, you decided to join the Billion Dollar Industry based on a scientific misconception?…