What to choose: osmosis water or bottled water?

We are currently seeing how the water in our municipalities has deteriorated, as the water that comes out of our taps in flats, houses or single-family homes has a large number of particles, giving the water a cloudy and foul-smelling appearance. Thus, the question arises whether to buy a domestic reverse osmosis system or to continue buying bottled water.

Therefore, in this post we are going to talk about some key characteristics, informing and analysing all the advantages and disadvantages of water from reverse osmosis and bottled water, in order to choose the best solution for our homes.

What is a Reverse Osmosis system?

Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water purification process using semi-permeable membranes, which separates the toxic components of water, including viruses, bacteria, hardness and salinity.

The osmosis process consists of the generation of a filtration pressure in the different treatment stages, including the reverse osmosis membrane. This back pressure helps to carry out a process of osmotisation of the water, separating the toxic components from the water by means of the semi-permeable membranes and pouring this concentrate into the reject water.

What is reverse osmosis used for?

Reverse osmosis is used to eliminate particles, organisms, salts and bacteria dissolved in water. This results in clean, odourless water, free of particles that are harmful to humans. It eliminates any impurities or toxic compounds from the water that arrives for consumption, guaranteeing high purity water quality.

How does it work? 

Domestic reverse osmosis plants have an easy operation, the water passes through different stages of filtration, as each of them removes different concentrations of water:

• Stage One - Sediment Filter 
  • Here the filtration process begins, removing sediments of 5 microns in size (0.005 millimetres), such as grit or lime granules suspended in the water.
• Second Stage - Granular Activated Carbon Filter 
  • In the next stage of filtration activated carbon, in granular form is responsible for removing chlorine particles, odours, phenol flavours and other organic contaminants found in our household water.
• Third Stage - Active Carbon Block Filter 
  • Next, we proceed to a more meticulous filtration also with activated carbon, but this time in powder form. This is responsible for removing the remains of chlorine, organic impurities and pesticides.
• Stage Four - Semi-permeable membrane
  • Now the water passes through a semi-permeable membrane, capturing up to 97% of dissolved components in the water, among which heavy metals, bacteria, residues, etc. predominate.
• Stage Five - Flavour and Odour Adjustment 
  •  Our water is almost ready for consumption. This penultimate filter is responsible for guaranteeing the water's fantastic taste.
• Sixth Stage - Final treatment of refinement 
  •  The water will be remineralised and adapted, obtaining a water of high purity and quality for consumption.

With the new generation of reverse osmosis, a compact unit has been manufactured with an attractive design so that it can be installed by any user without hydraulic knowledge.

What to choose, osmosis or bottled water?

In the following, we will look at the advantages and disadvantages of both reverse osmosis and bottled water, in order to choose the most suitable solution for each household/family.

Advantages of water with domestic osmosis systems

• The biggest benefit is the water. After the process we have a pure water, clean of impurities, rich in flavour and of very high quality, beneficial for our health and well-being.
• Minimal energy consumption. You will not notice any difference in your bill.
• Easy and quick maintenance. You only have to worry about changing filters and membranes sporadically following the manufacturer's recommendations to keep the reverse osmosis plant working properly.
• Considerable reduction in plastic consumption. No more need to store litres and litres of bottled water in your pantry, the best water from the tap to your glass, no more annoying bottles going back and forth.
• Reduce the number of trips to the supermarket, now you will have high quality water at your doorstep.
• To purchase your home osmosis plant you will need a large rebate compared to bottled water, but it will pay off in the long run.

Disadvantages of a domestic reverse osmosis water treatment system

• Water loss. This ratio varies depending on the working pressure of our osmosis system or the type of water we are treating, the proportions are usually 2 to 1 (2 litres of water discarded for 1 litre of water produced). But taking into account the waste of water in our daily life, in household chores (washing machines, dishwashers, etc.) or in the bathroom, this loss is negligible.
• You should reserve one of your kitchen cupboards for it. Nowadays, this equipment has been evolving and its size is becoming smaller and smaller, as the most sold nowadays are the direct flow ones in which we do not need a storage tank, thus considerably reducing its size.

Advantages of bottled water

• We can choose the type of mineralisation, strong, weak or very weak.
• It has a neutral taste.

Disadvantages of bottled water:

• More waste. It is marketed in plastic bottles derived from petroleum, which encourages pollution or the additional cost of recycling.

• Significant energy consumption, mineral water companies extract, treat and transport to the different shops.

Osmosis water VS  Bottled water

Bearing in mind that water is the most recommended drink for our organism, and that doctors recommend drinking at least 2 litres of water daily due to its multiple benefits, such as: hydration, regulation of body temperature, elimination of toxins through urine, etc. The choice of what type of water to drink is a very important decision, do we buy bottled water or do we install an osmosis plant in our homes?

Purchasing a reverse osmosis device for our home will involve a high investment at the beginning but over time we will benefit from it; we will have good quality water at our disposal at all times, we will save time on trips to the supermarket and in the long term we will save money, as we will only have to change the filters from time to time, not to mention the benefits for our health. In addition, we will reduce the consumption of plastic waste, which affects the environment so much. In conclusion, if you are one of those who buy bottled water, this is your option!