Reverse osmosis removes a far broader range of contaminants than any other residential treatment — dissolved solids, lead, nitrates, sodium, arsenic, and more — and it does it at the tap where you actually drink, which is what makes it economical.
What RO Actually Removes
A reverse osmosis system forces water under pressure through a semipermeable membrane with pores small enough to reject dissolved substances that pass straight through conventional filters.
That includes heavy metals such as lead and copper, nitrates and nitrites, sodium, fluoride, sulfates, and total dissolved solids generally. Combined with the carbon stages that accompany the membrane, it also handles chlorine, taste, and odor.
This breadth is what separates RO from a carbon filter. Carbon improves taste. RO changes what is dissolved in the water.
Why Point of Use Is the Right Design
Treating an entire house to RO purity would be extraordinarily expensive, and it would be pointless. You drink and cook with a tiny fraction of the water you use — the rest goes to showers, laundry, toilets, and irrigation.
Installing RO at the kitchen sink concentrates the treatment where it matters. A small storage tank under the cabinet holds treated water so you get normal flow at the dedicated faucet rather than waiting on the membrane.
Many households add a line to the refrigerator so ice and the water dispenser draw from the same system.
Lead and Older Homes
Lead is worth singling out because it is picked up in the home rather than at the treatment plant. Older service lines, solder used in plumbing before 1986, and brass fixtures can all contribute.
Your utility’s annual report describes water leaving the plant, not water arriving at your tap after traveling through distribution mains and your own pipes. RO is the practical residential answer for lead at the point where you drink it.
Well Water and Nitrates
On a private well, nitrates deserve specific attention. They come from agricultural runoff and septic influence, they are odorless and tasteless, and they are particularly dangerous to infants at concentrations adults tolerate.
Conventional filtration does not remove them. RO does, which is why we recommend it for well households with young children and why annual testing on a well is not optional.
The Taste Difference
Beyond the technical case, the practical benefit most families notice is that the water tastes good.
Coffee and tea change noticeably. Ice comes out clear rather than cloudy. Cooking water stops contributing a mineral flavor. Households that have been buying bottled water generally stop, and the running cost of cartridges is a fraction of what bottled water was.
The Honest Tradeoffs
RO systems produce some wastewater — a portion of the feed is used to flush rejected contaminants to drain. Newer designs are considerably more efficient than older ones, but it is not zero.
Flow at the RO faucet is slower than a standard tap, since you are drawing from a small storage tank.
And the membrane strips beneficial minerals along with everything else, which some people dislike. Remineralization stages are available if that matters to you.
Hard Water Shortens Membrane Life
In the Hill Country this is the important operational note. Calcium and magnesium scale the membrane, reducing output and shortening its life substantially.
An RO system installed downstream of a water softener lasts considerably longer, and we frequently recommend the pairing rather than treating them as separate purchases. Where sediment or chlorine loading is heavy, a whole house water filter upstream reduces the burden further.
Maintenance Determines the Value
Pre-filters need changing every six to twelve months, the membrane every two to five years. The pre-filters exist to protect the membrane, and neglecting them is how an expensive component fails early.
Service can go on a schedule under our Care Club maintenance plan.
Start with a water quality test so the system addresses what is actually present. We serve Fredericksburg, Kerrville, Boerne, Comfort, and the surrounding Hill Country. Contact 72 Degrees or call (830) 240-1835.
