Here is an interesting little factoid that you may not have known. Reverse osmosis was developed over 40 years ago as an industrial method of removing minerals from water which, at the time, was needed for printing and photo processing. So why would reverse osmosis systems residential promotion get started? It was the old "being in the right place at the right time." Increasing demand and popularity of home water treatment meant that the R.O. companies could step right in and tout their systems as "state of the art."

But what happens when you apply an industrial process to residential requirements? Are residential reverse osmosis systems overkill or underkill? Well, believe it or not, they're a little of both.

If you live in a place that doesn't have easy access to normal groundwater supplies and your only water source requires desalination before use, then reverse osmosis is a logical choice. However, using this method is underkill since it is ineffective at removing synthetic chemicals. This is because R.O. removes things based on their molecular size. The small molecular structure of synthetic chemicals, such as herbicides and pesticides, allows them to pass through the filtering system and back into your water.

Now, If you live in an area with access to municipal water supplies but want a healthier alternative, then reverse osmosis systems residential water purifiers are overkill AND underkill.

You certainly get a clean, pleasant tasting drink of water, but its overkill. This is because reverse osmosis strips out essential minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium, which we need for good health. By nature, water was designed to deliver these all important minerals when we take a drink.

Another aspect of overkill lies in the fact that reverse osmosis systems residential water purifiers produce an inordinate amount of wastewater. This system uses lots of water to clean a little water. While it is possible to recover this wastewater, the cost is out of the reach of most consumers.

At the same time this water purification method is also underkill because, as previously mentioned, it can't remove synthetic chemicals. So you still may be exposed to harmful contaminants remaining in the water.

Further underkill is evidenced by the fact that residential reverse osmosis systems are commonly installed in the kitchen where they treat only drinking and cooking water. So what happens to the water dispensed by everything else in the house - - faucets, toilets, baths, showers, and washing machines? That water remains in its original unfiltered state - highly chlorinated and in some cases, foul smelling.

So what does all this information mean for you? Well, if you were looking into residential reverse osmosis systems for your home, you might want to evaluate some products. Some of these products include drinking water filters (both under and over the counter), shower filters and whole house filters.

Finding the best one for your residential needs is simply a matter of doing a little comparison shopping. Customer testimonials, product reviews and certifications will also be good indicators that you have found a reputable product.

As far as reverse osmosis systems residential application is concerned, however, it would appear that overkill and underkill cancel this system out.