{"id":1021,"date":"2018-11-30T08:40:23","date_gmt":"2018-11-30T08:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/?p=1021"},"modified":"2026-06-30T04:33:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T04:33:35","slug":"how-does-reverse-osmosis-work-in-the-water-purification-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/how-does-reverse-osmosis-work-in-the-water-purification-process\/","title":{"rendered":"How Does Reverse Osmosis Work In The Water Purification Process?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"answer-box\" style=\"background:#f0f8ff;border-left:4px solid #0073aa;padding:14px 18px;margin-bottom:24px\"><strong>Quick Answer:<\/strong> Reverse osmosis works by applying hydraulic pressure (40-80 PSI for home systems, 800-1200 PSI for seawater) to overcome osmotic pressure and force water molecules through a semi-permeable polyamide membrane with pores of approximately 0.0001 microns &#8212; too small for dissolved salts, heavy metals, bacteria, and most contaminants to pass through. Clean water (permeate) passes through; concentrated contaminants are rejected in a concentrate stream.<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: You've probably wondered how reverse osmosis, or RO, fits into water purification. We hear the term a lot, especially its abbreviation. Attaching \"RO\" to a filter often helps it sell itself. But beyond the branding, why do people trust it so much? What's its actual role in getting clean water?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: Millions of people in the U.S. trust reverse osmosis for their water purification because:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n \\\t<\/p>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: It's effective and safe.<\/span><\/li>\n<p> \\\t<\/p>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: It makes water taste great.<\/span><\/li>\n<p> \\\t<\/p>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: It's affordable.<\/span><\/li>\n<p> \\\t<\/p>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: And the systems run themselves.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: And how reverse osmosis works with all sorts of water solutions is actually pretty interesting. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: Reverse osmosis is a process where we push tap water through a special semi-permeable membrane using water pressure. What comes out the other side is water without contaminants.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>How does it work?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: When you push tap water through that semi-permeable membrane, it leaves contaminants behind on the first side. We customize this membrane for each filter model, depending on the source water quality. The membrane's design specifically prevents anything but water molecules from passing through. This gives us pure water on the other side.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>What happens to the removed contaminants?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: RO is usually part of a detailed <\/span><<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">3 stage process<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The first part, which can get more detailed based on water quality, removes larger contaminant molecules from the water. Things like sand, dirt, leaves, and stones get filtered out in the pre-filtration stage. Sometimes we use water softeners to dissolve hard chemicals like lead and potassium that could damage the membrane. Any contaminants left on the membrane after the final stage are removed during scheduled maintenance, usually every six months.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>What are the basic parts of an RO system?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: It generally has three stages, which can expand to seven if the water quality is really bad. But the main ones are the pre-filter stage, reverse osmosis, and the post-filter stage.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n \\\t<\/p>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: The pre-filter stage, which might have more than two steps, removes contaminants before the main filtration. This prevents a buildup of contaminants from blocking the membrane and keeps it working effectively. We eliminate certain chemicals and physical impurities beforehand.<\/span><\/li>\n<p> \\\t<\/p>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: The RO stage is where the real filtration happens. Pre-filtered or softened water goes through the semi-permeable membrane under pressure, and what comes out is absolutely pure drinking water.<\/span><\/li>\n<p> \\\t<\/p>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: The last stage, which can involve up to two processes, focuses on water taste. We add minerals using mineralizing filters to offer health benefits and improve the water's taste and smell.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What&#8217;s the best RO filter for you?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: After 28 years of research, we believe you should first know your water quality index. This tells you how many impurities are in your water. Our best sellers over the years have been <\/span><<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">3 and 4 Stage Reverse Osmosis Systems<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Many people also like under-sink water filters because they&#8217;re out of sight, helping maintain their home&#8217;s look. Our wide range of <\/span><<span style=\"font-weight: counter top filters<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: is also a very popular choice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Related reading: <Solar-Powered Desalination Machines Work: A Complete Guide for Sustainable Water Purification, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/is-it-time-when-my-water-softener-needs-regeneration-how-does-it-actually-work\/\">Is it time when my water softener needs regeneration? How does it actually work?<\/a>, <Do reverse osmosis filter systems work and what do they do?<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the many questions you may have asked yourself over the years is how does reverse osmosis fit into the realm of water purification? We hear a lot on the word especially its abbreviation RO. The filter sells itself if you attach the word RO to it. Keeping the branding aspect of it aside. Know more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2413,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[63,23,14,29],"tags":[19,151],"class_list":["post-1021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commercial-reverse-osmosis","category-residential-water-filtration-systems","category-reverse-osmosis","category-water-treatment","tag-reverse-osmosis","tag-water-purification-process"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1021"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89557,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1021\/revisions\/89557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}