How can I save money on drinking water?

When I moved in to my new house, I knew that the water there wasn’t good enough to drink without filtration. So, I went ahead and bought the most basic (and probably the cheapest) kind of filter – the faucet-mounted "activated" charcoal filter. However, I soon realised that this filter didn't meet my needs – the water tasted bad, and I noticed some health issues that I had never had before. After some thinking, I decided to go with the easiest option – bottled water. I opted for a water delivery service and started drinking bottled water. The water tasted good, I had the satisfaction that I was drinking clean water, and the supply was virtually uninterrupted. I was happy.

But then, one of my colleagues installed a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system in her house, and she insisted that installing an RO system – though it has some upfront capital costs – is much cheaper in the long run, compared to bottled water. Before this, I had never thought of the “economics” of bottled water. After all, who cares when you spend less than $25 a month on bottled water? But after listening to my colleague’s argument (she seemed to have done her bit of research on this), I decided to do my own research to understand the economics. Here is my “research” in a snapshot.

Bottled Water

Let’s begin with the economics of bottled water. As I mentioned earlier, I am spending little less than $25 a month on the water delivery service. To be exact, I am ordering 5-gallon jugs, 3 times a month. Each 5-gallon jug costs me $8.25. So, I am spending ($8.25 x 3 jugs) $24.75 per month. 

Each gallon of bottled water is costing me $1.65. 

Reverse Osmosis Water

Now let’s look at the cost of installing an RO system. Since I want only my drinking water to be treated (there are also “Whole House RO Systems” that supply RO treated water to all faucets in the house), I decided to go with an “under the sink” RO system. These systems are placed under the sink, are quite compact and hence occupy a small footprint. More details are available here. These Under the Sink RO systems seem to be quite easy to install. Check out this blog. I zeroed-in on the Nelsen 4-stage RO system. This system costs $195 and can deliver 50 gallons of purified water per day. The manufacturer recommends changing the filters once a year, and a replacement filter set costs $89. Factoring in the cost of the annual filter replacement, and calculating for an average daily usage of 5 gallons per day (please note that this usage is much higher than my present usage of bottled water), over a five year period, 

the cost of RO treated water turns out to be only $0.06 per gallon! 

I also created a chart that compares the yearly cost of having bottled water delivered at home vis-à-vis installing an RO system. By the end of the first year, I have already paid the water delivery company $297, whereas I could have bought a brand new RO system for $195, and gotten many more gallons of purified water than I got from the water delivery company!

I was amazed at this stark difference. Considering all the advantages of RO-treated water – RO treatment removes virtually all contaminants such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, selenium, bacteria, viruses, etc. and even complex contaminants such as chemicals, drugs, carcinogenic compounds and radioactive minerals from water – installing an RO system under my kitchen sink seems to be the smartest thing to do.

There have been some concerns with the “absolute purity” of RO treated water – RO treatment strips off almost all dissolved matter from water, including the “good” minerals such as calcium and magnesium which are essential to humans. The World Health Organization (WHO) has clarified that the majority of essential minerals needed by the human body are obtained from food, and not from drinking water. Moreover, bottled water is also RO treated water. If we are OK with bottled water, then there should not be any concern over RO treated water.

Now I am totally convinced of the idea of buying an RO system, and have in fact already placed an order for the Nelsen 4-stage RO System. I recommend you to do the same. Rest assured, this will definitely be a smart decision.

Reverse Osmosis Purified Water for the Whole House

Reverse Osmosis, popularly known as RO, is currently the most advanced technology for purifying water to make it suitable for drinking. RO can purify municipal water, well water, and even sea water! Actually, one of the main applications of RO technology has been desalination of sea water. RO technology is particularly suited for water from wells or bore-wells. Ground water is hard (water becomes “hard” when it has high amounts of minerals such as bicarbonates and sulfates of calcium and magnesium in it), and RO removes these minerals from the water, making it “soft”.

Hard water is generally not harmful to one’s health, but can cause serious problems in domestic settings. Hard water does not generate enough lather to wash clothes efficiently; bathing in hard water can make your skin and hair extra dry and brittle due to the deposition and retention of the minerals on your hair and skin; the minerals in hard water deposit on the walls of water heaters, utensils and storage vessels, and develop “scales” thereby necessitating special measures in getting rid of these scales. Hard water is also not good for plants, and can affect their health adversely. Thus, it makes sense to soften hard water for everyday use – not only for drinking, but also for other domestic uses. And it makes all the more sense to purify the hard water, while softening it. The whole house RO system is the perfect solution for this kind of application.

How does the Whole House RO system work?

Whole House RO systems are typically fitted to the main water line, before the water enters your house. These systems are capable of handling large amounts of water, and are a good fit even for commercial use (for e.g. in hotels, restaurants, offices, etc). The whole house RO system works in the same way as any typical RO system would work – only on a much larger scale. When planning on buying a whole house RO system, it is worthwhile to have an estimate of the gallons per day (GPD) of water you use every day, so as to decide on an optimum size of RO system.

With pertinent technological advancements, it is now possible to purify even the most challenging of water issues, and bring the best quality of water to every faucet of your house. The whole house RO system is an excellent solution to the water woes faced by people living in areas with water problems, people having family members with significant immunity issues, and people using ground water as their primary water source. Have a Whole House RO system installed, and ensure good health for your family.

Better Quality of Water = Better Quality of Life

Water is one of the essentials of life, apart from food and oxygen. Just like air pollution can cause various diseases and bad food can lead to food poisoning, bad water can have many adverse health effects. It is generally known that water that comes to your house is treated at the water treatment plants of your respective municipality. However, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, even though drinking water in the United States is among the safest in the world, even in the U.S., drinking water sources can become contaminated, and cause waterborne diseases such as Hepatitis A. Some water supplies may also contain disinfection by-products such as chlorine, chloramine, organic and inorganic chemicals, and even radionuclides. Even though the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates and sets standards for public drinking water, more and more Americans are now using home water treatment units to remove possible contaminants, and improve the taste of water. This is even more important if the family has a member with a compromised immune system. According to the Water Quality Association, more than 40% of Americans use a home water treatment unit.

Boiling water for a full one minute is perhaps the most effective means of water purification. However, boiled water does not taste good. Water filters and water purifiers are available in the market that can provide varying degrees of contaminant removal. The EPA suggests that before purchasing a home water treatment unit, you should consider various factors such as local water quality, cost of maintenance, product performance, and certifications that assure that the product will meet your needs. This way, you can save some money, and avoid making the wrong choice.

One of the major microbial contaminants in drinking water is Cryptospiridium. This is a microscopic parasite that is resistant to chlorine-based disinfectants, and is a common cause of waterborne illness. Use filters that remove particles less than 1 micron in diameter, to ensure removal of Cryptospiridium. Such filters are labelled as “absolute one micron filters”. Reverse osmosis based systems can do this job. Other treatments include distillation, UV, and filters labelled with absolute one micron. Remember that these pathogens can enter your body through other means as well such as through water used for brushing teeth, washing fruits and vegetables etc. – and not just through the water you drink. If you have such concerns, you may go for a whole-house reverse osmosis systems that will enable each and every faucet in your home to provide purified water, free from all pathogens and contaminants.

Below is a list of the different kinds of water filtration systems, and the specific benefits they provide:

1.       Filter Pitchers – Very affordable, and minimum maintenance. These pitchers use granular activated carbon to trap contaminants. Some filters may also use fabric, fiber, or ceramic screening to physically remove contaminants.

2.       Distillers – Water is boiled, and the condensate collected, which is free from all of its solubles. Distilled water tastes flat, because the water’s natural minerals and dissolved oxygen also get removed.

3.       Reverse osmosis units – RO forces water through a semi-permeable membrane under pressure, to remove all contaminants and pathogens. By far, RO is the most sophisticated technology for water purification. RO can even turn sea water into fresh drinking water!

4.       UV – these purifiers use the power of ultraviolet light to kill all pathogens. However, if the system does not have an ultra-filter, then it may not help against chemical contaminants. UV filters require very little maintenance.  

Even when going for bottled water, check the label or check with the bottler on the technology used for treating water.

Make sure that the purifier you intend to purchase addresses all your concerns. Make the right choice to enhance the quality of life for yourself and your family.