Reverse osmosis filter system supply & fit in UK? 5 January at 9:02AM in In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving 27 replies 478 views

Jjah

Hi all,

I am concerned about the pharmaceuticals, metals, flouride, chloride etc in the water supply and I do own a water distiller and even a burkey filter but the distiller takes 4 hours to distil 4 litres and the burkey filter, although it doesnt require energy as it is gravity fed, it still doesnt filter everything.

Reverse osmosis filtration is on my wish list but I dont know how much it would be for a regular plumber to fit or if there is a company who supply and fit.

Ideally I would want a separate tap for drinking and cooking as it would be wasteful to use RO water for washing dishes.

I am selling my house though in 2 years time so need to consider the costs carefully.  I most definitely want a system in my next home though but it would be amazing if it could be installed now.

Has anyone got any experience having one fitted etc?

silvercar

We had a water softener and reverse osmosis filter fitted at the same time. We have softened water to all taps in the house, except for one garden tap. We then have the softened water going through a RO filter to a separate drinking tap at our kitchen sink. So the kitchen sink has a mixer tap for softened hot and cold water and a small drinking water tap. All supplied and fitted by the same company. Not sure whether it is worth the payback if you only intend staying for 2 years.

getmore4less

Are there not issues with drinking very pure water 
water efficiency 

If just for drinking/food for a couple of years how much will you use.

Pure water for steam products & cleaning)  @4p/Ltr we use
https://www.spotlesswater.co.uk/

Jjah

getmore4less said:

Are there not issues with drinking very pure water 
water efficiency 

If just for drinking/food for a couple of years how much will you use.

Pure water for steam products & cleaning)  @4p/Ltr we use
https://www.spotlesswater.co.uk/

You are right that very pure water could be a problem. 
Water is the universal solvent and very pure water will absorb whatever it can. Thankfully, it is very simple to get an inexpensive meter to measure the ppm of water and add a good mineral like himalayan salt to a 100ppm or so ratio to balance it prior to consumption. :-) 

Jjah

I would absolutely love to live nearer to a spring or even be able to afford a borehole in my future property but that seems a very unpractical wish.  RO seems more achievable.

Apodemus

Jjah said:

getmore4less said:

Are there not issues with drinking very pure water 
water efficiency 

If just for drinking/food for a couple of years how much will you use.

Pure water for steam products & cleaning)  @4p/Ltr we use
https://www.spotlesswater.co.uk/

You are right that very pure water could be a problem. 
Water is the universal solvent and very pure water will absorb whatever it can. Thankfully, it is very simple to get an inexpensive meter to measure the ppm of water and add a good mineral like himalayan salt to a 100ppm or so ratio to balance it prior to consumption. :-) 

It doesn't sound very MSE to spend lots of money removing unknown impurities only to then add back an expensive product that contains more unknown impurities!

 The contents of Himalayan salt are less tightly regulated than the UK water supply and studies have shown that most Himalayan salt products on the market will (amongst other things) contain aluminium, barium, boron, cobalt and lead...

Of course, things that are contaminants in the water supply, magically become "amazing minerals that makes up this great salt" when it is offered for sale!  

_Sam_

We’ve used RO water for years now due to having marine fish tank. The RO unit was bought for the fish, but the family quickly realised the benefits for the humans 

We never got round to installing it “properly” so to speak, maybe when we refit the current kitchen in the new house we’ll do.

However in the meantime we just have the unit in the cupboard under the sink, simple DIY plumbing to cold water supply there and to the waste. 

A tube where the RO water comes out long enough to reach the sink, so that when we need water we put a bottle (if for humans) or a bucket (if for fish) in the sink and turn the tap underneath to start the trickle production. When done simply turn off the tap, coil the tube and stuff it back in the cupboard.

The sink part is important so that if you are a bit late to replace the bottle the overspill doesn’t flood your kitchen (learned from experience )

We saved several 1.5ltr glass bottles from san pellegrino mineral water, bought little silicon caps that you just pull on, and that has been our clean bottled water for over10 years now. Use it for drinking and cooking. 

The RO unit has 3 stages primary filter, then carbon, then the actual RO membrane. When we make water for the fish, we connect an extra stage with de-ionisation mixture, this really polishes the water but not needed nor probably very good for humans.

As I said the entire thing is DIY so the only expense is buying the RO unit, and a TDS meter (total dissolved solids) to keep an eye on the filters.

Section62

_Sam_ said:

A tube where the RO water comes out long enough to reach the sink, so that when we need water we put a bottle (if for humans) or a bucket (if for fish) in the sink and turn the tap underneath to start the trickle production. When done simply turn off the tap, coil the tube and stuff it back in the cupboard.

Do you not drain the unit or flush it through?

Aren't you concerned with the potential for bacterial growth in the water between uses?

_Sam_

No, only drain when replacing the filters (primary and carbon every 6 months, and the RO membrane about once a year but it can last longer depending on how much water is produced)

Not really even thought about bacteria, as I said we've been using the same old RO unit for years now and everyone's still alive. However the unit is in use pretty regularly - at least once a week we do a water change for the fish and that's 50 litres of water to be produced, then whatever we need to replenish the bottles for drinking and cooking. 

_Sam_

P.S. if you are lucky to live in some parts of Scotland, you might not need RO filter as their ordinary tap water can have TDS as low as 20. Compared to over 500 in places like Norfolk!  

You could just get a TDS meter they are inexpensive and test. And you can also ask your water supplier for the water quality report.

Jjah

_Sam_ said:

We’ve used RO water for years now due to having marine fish tank. The RO unit was bought for the fish, but the family quickly realised the benefits for the humans 

We never got round to installing it “properly” so to speak, maybe when we refit the current kitchen in the new house we’ll do.

However in the meantime we just have the unit in the cupboard under the sink, simple DIY plumbing to cold water supply there and to the waste. 

A tube where the RO water comes out long enough to reach the sink, so that when we need water we put a bottle (if for humans) or a bucket (if for fish) in the sink and turn the tap underneath to start the trickle production. When done simply turn off the tap, coil the tube and stuff it back in the cupboard.

The sink part is important so that if you are a bit late to replace the bottle the overspill doesn’t flood your kitchen (learned from experience )

We saved several 1.5ltr glass bottles from san pellegrino mineral water, bought little silicon caps that you just pull on, and that has been our clean bottled water for over10 years now. Use it for drinking and cooking. 

The RO unit has 3 stages primary filter, then carbon, then the actual RO membrane. When we make water for the fish, we connect an extra stage with de-ionisation mixture, this really polishes the water but not needed nor probably very good for humans.

As I said the entire thing is DIY so the only expense is buying the RO unit, and a TDS meter (total dissolved solids) to keep an eye on the filters.

Thats an incredible reply.  Very very helpful, thank you.

May I ask if you have a link to a similar device and would any plumber be able to fit? I am ok with DIY but I draw the line at plumbing :-)