Reverse Osmosis System vs. Water Softener
While reverse osmosis systems and water softeners reduce "hardness" (high levels of dissolved calcium, iron and magnesium) in water, they do so through significantly different methods. These differences may determine which system is right for you. Does this Spark an idea?
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Reverse Osmosis Operation
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A reverse osmosis (RO) system is a high-rejection filter system. The membrane allows only particles the size of pure water molecules (or smaller) to pass. When source water is applied, pure water is delivered, leaving dissolved and colloidal metals and organic contaminants behind.
Water Softener Operation
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The most common types of water softeners use ionic attraction to draw dissolved minerals from the source water and replace those mineral ions with salt ions. This makes the water "soft" for purposes of better washing and reduced mineral stains. It is a replacement system rather than a purification system.
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Effectiveness
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Both systems are effective in reducing water hardness. The measurement of hardness is given in PPM (parts per million) of dissolved minerals. Both types of systems can drop any level of incoming hardness to below 20 PPM, giving the delivered water a rating of slightly hard or soft.
Cost
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Price for each type of system will vary by the local water hardness and the size of system (peak water demand) needed. Water softener systems to deliver the needs of a whole house will generally cost about the price of a kitchen-only (drinking and cooking volumes) reverse osmosis system. Both systems have regular maintenance costs, and both systems have consumable materials cost as well.
In addition, reverse osmosis systems only deliver 5 percent to 15 percent of the water supplied, the rest going into the drain.
Contaminants
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The reverse osmosis system removes the organic and metal contaminants treated in municipal water purification plants. Some lower-volume treatment plants use RO systems as their decontamination stage. Water softeners do no purification. If your source water is from a well, spring or other untreated source, the reverse osmosis system will provide treatment as well as softening. If your source water is treated (city water), no further treatment is needed and softening will suffice.
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References
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