Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Systems:
Model Rioflow USR05-50

Who Needs It?

Reverse osmosis water filter systems: Model Rioflow USR05-50 is a low-cost, high performance system with 5 stages. It is a great filter for those who want to remove a wide range of contaminants and don't mind the slowness of the process. It is an undersink model which is ideal for homes with room under the sink.

It's claim to Quality

Because the reverse osmosis water filter systems: model Rioflow USR05-50 uses the ro process it removes a wide range of impurities. It is given the rating of "very good" by Colin Ingram, an expert in all aspects of drinking water, in his book, The Drinking Water Book. His system of rating focuses on a filters ability to remove contaminants and runs from "acceptable" to "good" to "very good" and finally to "excellent". "Very good" means it "eliminates almost all potential pollutants". The reverse osmosis membrane and the filters are NSF certified. This certification doesn't extend to the overall system.

It's Features/Advantages

• It has five stages: a sediment filter (5 micron), two separate carbon block stages (10 micron), a reverse osmosis membrane and a final granular carbon stage. Hence it combines the benefits of reverse osmosis and carbon filtering.
• It gives you 2 gallons per hour or 28 gallons per day of filtered water.
• There is a tank level control for automatic shut off so the 3.2 gallon storage tank is always full.
• There is a top valve coming from the undersink reverse osmosis system.
• The various filters are easy to change.

It's Disadvantages

Every kind of filter has its disadvantages. The disadvantages of the reverse osmosis water filter systems: Rioflow 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis system are similar to those of most reverse osmosis units. The process is very slow when compared to filters that can give you 1 gallon of filtered water per minute. Here your trade off is quality of filtering. The other major disadvantage is the amount of water that is wasted. It takes 4 or more gallons of water to deliver 1 gallon of purified water. A third disadvantage is that the reverse osmosis process, as the distillation process, removes all minerals, not only harmful ones but ones beneficial to your health. (see: "Potential Dangers of Drinking De-mineralized Water")

What Contaminants Does It Remove?

In common with other reverse osmosis filters in combination with a built in carbon block pre-filter, this unit removes cryptosporidium, giardia, toxic metals, asbestos, volatile organic chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, uranium, radium, chlorine, fluoride, organic additives, hydrogen sulfide, dissolved minerals, mineral and organic particles, turbidity, lead, and arsenic. It partially removes bacteria and viruses as well as nitrates and other nonmetals.

Cost

1. Initial cost: $169.00 to $200.00

2. Replacement of sediment prefilter: $3.00 (6 months)

3. Replacement of 2 carbon block prefilters: $16.00 (2 required, 6 months)

4. Replacement of granular carbon postfilter: $12.00 (1 year)

5. Replacement of ro membrane: $44.00 (2 years)

Where to Purchase?

Water Filter Store

At A Glance

For Further Information

To learn more about reverse osmosis filters as well as the possible dangers of demineralized water go to "Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Systems".