One of the most critical needs for our survival is water. While it has been free for hundreds, even thousands, of years, why are we all of a sudden spending nearly 9 billion dollars every year on plastic bottles of water? More importantly, are we TRULY deriving benefit from bottled water?
Many individuals and industry experts believe the benefits of installing a reverse osmosis system in your home far outweigh any derived from bottled water. Who’s right? Better yet, what’s right for YOU? Let’s take a look a closer look into each…
BOTTLED WATER:
Pros:
- Convenience and on-the-go factor
- Easily stored
- Better taste than traditional tap water
- Safer than traditional tap water
- Available in nearly every store in America
Cons:
- Much more expensive than getting water from your faucet
- Health risks from chemicals in plastics of bottled water – BPA compounds can seep into the water, ESPECIALLY in hot areas or when in sunlight
- About 25% of the bottled water available today is actually just tap water – especially in factories that produce soft drinks and simply use the same water
- Can actually NOT be safer than tap water based on processing and source conditions – it can be similar to the traditional tap water or, in some cases, worse
- Terrible on the environment – usually not disposed of properly leading to 720,000 tons of plastic left to clog up our landfills and potentially leaking their harmful chemical compounds into our soil and water supplies
- Manufacturing bottled water burns up so much of our precious fossil fuels, which are fuels produced naturally over thousands of years (a.k.a. – we can’t simply whip more up in a week.
REVERSE OSMOSIS:
Pros:
- Saves money in the long run – after the initial investment in a system for your house, you will see hundreds, maybe even more, saved yearly by not having to purchase bottled water
- Self-sufficient requiring little to no maintenance – almost completely fully automated
- Removes 95%-99% of chlorine, chemicals and other contaminants from tap water
- Improves, taste, odor and appearance of water
- Improves taste of food cooked using reverse osmosis water
- Much easier on our environment with little waste expended and nearly no pollution
Cons:
- Have to replace filter cartridges every 6 to 12 months based on usage
- Has tanks where filtered water is stored but if a large amount is needed, you may need to wait for it to be refilled – again, based on usage
- Some systems can clog if not properly maintained – make sure what little you need to do for maintenance is always done accordingly
- Some beneficial minerals might be removed during filtration, such as magnesium and calcium – you should be sure to accommodate this in your food or through supplements if necessary
What you choose is based on what is best for you but, according to our research for these pros and cons, it seems that a reverse osmosis system will work better and provide more benefits in the long-run. We encourage you to make your own pros and cons list or research for yourself if you are still unsure of what is right for you.
Learn more about our filtration process HERE or contact your local water filtration experts at 312.889.8888 to find out what options are available and how you can have this pure water in your very own living space today.
