What Makes a Good Whole House RO System?

What Type of Pump?

Unfortunately, many companies are selling what they purport to be “Whole House Reverse Osmosis Systems” when in fact, they are not complete, are under-designed, and poorly engineered with diaphragm or rotary vane pumps. A whole-house RO system needs to be robust enough to handle the heaviest usage which is typically early in the morning or later in the evening. A rotary vane or diaphragm pump is not a robust design. In fact, it is a very problematic way of delivering water day-in and day-out. If any company sells a rotary vane or diaphragm pump and purports that it is a “Whole House RO System” they are doing a gross disservice to you and the water industry. It is our belief that a whole house reverse osmosis system should include a stainless steel centrifugal pump and all US Water Systems Defender RO systems use Goulds Multi-stage stainless steel centrifugal pumps. They are built to last under even the heaviest usage for 15 to 20 years.

What Type of Pre-Treatment?

Even the most expensive and highest quality reverse osmosis systems will not work well or operate for very long without proper pretreatment. On city water, this usually means removing the chlorine and chloramine as well as preventing scaling of the membranes with either a water softener or an anti-scalant. We prefer an anti-scalant system because it’s more economical and you don’t have to mess with heavy salt bags. On well water, it can mean removing iron, sulfur, and manganese as well.

What Type of Tank?

Our tanks are NSF Certified and BPA Free, but most importantly, you will find that the walls are much thicker and robust than any other tank. That’s why they have a LIFETIME WARRANTY – no one else even comes close. Most tanks are not nearly the quality of our reverse osmosis tanks.

What Type of Distribution Pump?

We use a Grundfos MQ3 which is the Gold Standard when it comes to a robust all-in-one pressure booster system. The water volume and pressure it delivers (up to 20 gpm) is generally a dramatic improvement over your regular city pressure. This is a trouble-free proven design and does not require a pressure tank.

Does it Include Ultraviolet Disinfection?

In theory, a whole house reverse osmosis system will remove bacteria, however even if it did, there can be heterotrophic and airborne bacteria that can be found in the storage tank. An Ultraviolet (UV) Light kills coliform, e-coli, heterotrophic, and airborne bacteria with ease. A true whole house reverse osmosis system will always include UV Disinfection.

Summary

At US Water Systems, our Whole House Defender Reverse Osmosis Systems are easy to install, simple to maintain, and built to last. These systems are American Made and are commercial grade so that they last for 15 to 20 years unlike some of the cheap imports. Our systems have an extended warranty on all the parts (not including “consumables”) because they operate with less energy and lower pressures than our competitors. Most importantly, they are built to last with true commercial centrifugal pumps, unlike many competitors who use diaphragm or rotary-vane pumps. Those type of pumps are intended for “light duty” usage, not the rigors of a whole-house water processing system.