Reverse Osmosis is considered one of the best forms of filtration.  A lot of people have RO machines that think that they are drinking really healthy water.  I would like to shed some light on this subject and relate/compare it to alkaline ionized water, which you would get from an alkaline water machine [AKA... water ionizer].

What is RO?

RO stands for Reverse Osmosis.  This is more easily understood if we define osmosis.

Osmosis is the tendency of a fluid, usually water, to pass through a semipermeable membrane into a solution where the solvent concentration is higher, thus equalizing the concentrations of materials on either side of the membrane.

So, likewise, reverse osmosis is when pressure is applied to one side of a semipermeable membrane in order to get fresh water out of a solution.  This actually defies the nature of water. 

A typical home RO system would include a sediment filter, an RO membrane, a pressurized water storage container, a post filter, and a separate water tap.

Benefits and Disadvantages of RO

This process is well known for the ability to desalinize water.  This is one of the best ways to go about treating brackish water or seawater.  It will remove up to 93% of the sodium dissolved in water.  This is often used when someone uses a whole house softener that uses sodium.  It is considered unhealthy to drink water that has sodium in it as you can easily get too much sodium that way.

Reverse osmosis will inevitably reduce the total dissolved solids(TDS) of the water as well.  The plus side to that statment is that there will not be contaminants in the water.  However, there will also be very little mineral content left in the water after reverse osmosis.  This is not particularly good for the body to drink as water too void of minerals will tend to leech the body of minerals as it circulates around. 

Now, some RO systems do come with an inline remineralizer which would add minerals back into the water, or you always have the option of adding a remineralizing filter (and housing) to the line. 

Even with the remineralizer added in, reverse osmosis may tend to make the water acidic, which is not ideal for drinking purposes.

There are specific contaminants that RO will get out of the water.

Contaminant

Lab Test

Field Test

Nitrates

83-92%

92%

TDS

95-99%

60-99%

Sulfates

90-98%

60-98%

Sodium

87-93%

60-93%

The field test here is for properly maintained units, un-maintained, the amounts could be as little as zero.

Something else to keep in mind is that if there is more than one contaminant in the water, the rejection rate for each contaminant could be reduced or hindered. 

There is also quite a bit of waste water produced by reverse osmosis.  You only use 5-15% of the water entering the system.  This is a lot of waste water being produced.

How is Alkaline Ionized Water Better than Reverse Osmosis?

Well, obviously it’s alkaline!  It helps prevent the effects of food, drinks, stress, etc. in making your body acidic. It will counter the acidic lifestyles that we lead, and help the body get to a homeostasis.

By the way, you can combine a reverse osmosis machine with an alkaline water machine [water ionizer], but you need to know this one thing:  a water ionizer needs minerals in the water in order to ionize it properly. Many people purchase a water ionizer and request that one of the water ionizer’s filters be traded for a remineralizing filter, or if that brand of water ionizer has no internal remineralizing cartridge, then it’s easy enough to buy an external one. We will often include a remineralizing cartridge at no extra cost, so make sure you request this if you plan to purchase an alkaline water machine [water ionizer] to use with your reverse osmosis machine.

There are healthy, alkaline minerals in alkaline water. This is good because this means that the water you drink from an ionizer will not leech the body of minerals. All water ionizers have filters built into the machine. These filters, depending on the machine, will filter a large number of contaminants. There are some contaminants, such as fluoride, amonia, sulphur, and arsenic, which are not as thoroughly eliminated using a reverse osmosis machine as they would be using an alkaline water machine which utilizes specific filter media targeted toward eliminating that toxin. Fluoride is a great example of this. An unfiltered water ionizer [which there are none, but theoretically] will eliminate 85% of the fluoride from the drinking water [because fluoride is acidic]. A reverse osmosis machine will eliminate about 85% as well.

The reason that reverse osmosis is so uneffective with fluoride is that it relies on the size of the molecule to sift the contaminants out of the water. Fluoride is such a small element, it’s right next to oxygen on the periodic table. A slow flow [trickle] of water through a carbon filter will eliminate about 85% of the fluoride as well. The specialized filter media, called activated alumina, will eliminate up to 99% of the fluoride. Why so much better? Because the activated alumina filter media is chemically attracting the fluoride to it and then when it bonds it is trapped in the media and can’t go anywhere.

Besides for Better Filtration, Why Else Would You Want to Combine a Water Ionizer with a Reverse Osmosis Machine?

Alkaline ionized water has an abundance of antioxidants.  Ionized water actually has one of the most basic forms of antioxidant built right in.  This is measured by Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP).  The lower the ORP the better.  Some of the water ionizers we have tested consistantly get an ORP of -600 to -700!  Normal tap water is a positive 200 or 300 ORP, meaning it will oxidize the body. Even if you handle the acidity problem of reverse osmosis, the ORP is another, separate, issue that reverse osmosis doesn’t handle. RO water is usually around +300 ORP, which is very oxidizing.

For most contaminants, other than sodium, extreme hardness or radium, there is not a big advantage in using reverse osmosis at all. Obviously, good filtration is desirable, but many water ionizers provide you with this. You can go to our water ionizer comparison page to compare various ionizers’ filters, http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com/water-ionizer-comparisons We suggest that the best way to filter city water is to use either the H2 or H3 Prefilter System rather than reverse osmosis. With these filter systems you can customize what filters you need [if any] prior to your water ionizer.  Also, if you have a well and you are concerned about bacteria or viruses there are filters for that specifically.  For bacteria, viruses, pharmaceuticals, nitrates, chlorine, chloramine, amonia, arsenic, lead and other heavy metals, the best way to handle is to customize for the water contaminants that you are concerned about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_osmosis

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/h2oqual/watsys/ae1047w.htm

After over 16 years of drinking alkaline ionized water, I can say with conviction that the very best thing I could give to myself or a loved one is a WATER IONIZER! Give yourself and your family the gift of health this year!

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Some people just have to use reverse osmosis with their water ionizers. Certain things only reverse osmosis or some other nano-filtration system can do [such as removing sodium and dissolved solids in the water].

I don’t want to make reverse osmosis sound too easy, but it’s not very hard.

You need to know what you’re doing though, so for anyone considering setting up a reverse-osmosis-remineralizer-system to use with their water ionizer, this is a must-see! Setting up a reverse osmosis system is something that is done once and then attended to only rarely, if you do the job right in the first place.

Take your time and know before you go on installing an RO.

Some people must use a reverse osmosis system. Who? Why?

• People who have water that is so hard or full of dissolved solids that otherwise they couldn’t get good ionized water from their water ionizer.
• People who want their water to be the cleanest, purest ionized water possible with only the best organic minerals in it.
• People who need to get salt out of their water.

The IonLife Reverse Osmosis System Complete with Remineralizer 

IonLife has a reverse osmosis system that was specifically designed to work well with a water ionizer. It won’t work perfectly with all water ionizers though. If the ionizer has a 3/8 inch water feed line, then it’s likely that its flow rate is too great to work well with a reverse osmosis. Also, if the watts are over 185, it’s doubtful that you’ll be able to slow down your water ionizer enough to be a good match for reverse osmosis. Check with your sales associate before you buy a water ionizer if you have a reverse osmosis.

Not every reverse osmosis has a sufficient amount of water flow, pressure, and mineralization to be compatable with a water ionizer. If you already own a reverse osmosis system, check with us to see if your RO will work with a water ionizer and also to make sure you have a good enough remineralizer.

Easy RO Instructions:

The IonLife Reverse Osmosis System comes with instructions, but they are very confusing to follow. Here is a copy of them: http://alkalinewaterplus.info/blog/uploaded/RO-instructions.pdf

In this blog post we are giving you a set of instructions that you will be able to follow much more easily. The videos along with the descriptions, below, are meant to outline, sequence and clarify the IonLife’s instructions in the above pdf. 

RO Instructions Made Easy [Watch videos, below, for clarification]

1.  Check the air pressure in the RO tank and make sure it’s adjusted to 13 psi

2.  Install the ball valve  to top of RO tank [use plumber’s tape -- see video & instructions]

3.  Install the Drain Clamp [see instructions], and hook the black drain hose to the the RO  [see video & instructions' diagram]

4.  Install the “shut off” for the red “water feed” line and hook the water feed hose to the input side of the double filter housing.

5. Install a short hose from the “out” side of the double filter housing to the auto shut-off valve. [see diagram]

6.  Hook up the yellow hose between the auto shut-off valve and the ball-valve of the tank.

7.  Check the system for leaks.

a.  Double-check every connector to make sure all are pushed in completely. Also check the tightness of the filter housings.

b.  Install a simple output shut-off in the line going to the ionizer or connect the water output hose to  the RO faucet that came with your RO system and use that as a shut-off.

c.  Turn the tank ball-valve to “off” and the output shut-off to “off”

d.  Turn the water on at the input shut-off.

e.   Check the system thoroughly for leaks. Wait 10 minutes …check again.

8.  Turn output shut-off  to “on”to check if water flow is good…let the system drain for a few minutes then turn it back off.

9.   Fill the tank. Do this by turning the output shut-off to “off” and turn the ball-valve to “on”.

10. Wait 2 hours while tank fills completely.

11. Open the output shut off [in the “on” position] so as to drain the entire tank. Wait an hour.

12. Stop draining the system by  turning the output shut-off  to the “off” position.

13. Now the output hose can be connected to the ionizer.

BLOOPERS

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Using a Water Ionizer with Prefiltration for Toxic, Softened or Very Hard Water is Healthier & Easier than Ever Now!

Check Out These Filtration Systems for Use With Your Water Ionizer:

Chanson Nano Filtration: 

[See Complete Description Below] This is what I think is probably the best, practical filtration to use with people who are using “softened” water, are using well-water, are on kidney dialysis, who have Aids, other illnesses or just people who want to get the very best, finest filtration of the water. There are no great complications with this system as there are with RO [reverse osmosis]. The Nano-Filtration System will remove up to 99.9% contaminants, it removes salt and 100% of germs and viruses, but will allow some healthy disolved minerals to pass through. Because it removes salt, it can be used with a whole-house sodium or potasium based water softener. It has almost as fine of a filtration as RO, but you probably won’t need a remineralizer. http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com/nano $655. [yearly replacement costs average out to about $150.]

Reverse Osmosis Remineralizer System

Reverse Osmosis [RO is actually the best filtration, however there are lots of complications with it: slower water flow, takes up a lot of space, lowers the water pressure going to the water ionizer, harder to install, has a tiny hint of a rubbery taste (due to the rubber bladder in the storage tank), there's potentially more maintenance needed (might even need a plumber) and you will NEED to remineralize it before it's healthy to drink.] RO will remove up to 99.9% contaminants, it also removes salt and 100% of germs and viruses. Because it removes salt, it can be used with a whole-house sodium or potasium based water softener.  http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com/product/RO-System $379.99 [yearly replacement costs average out to about $125.]

Chanson Ultra Filtration: 

[This is most practical filtration to use with people who are on kidney dialysis, who have Aids or other illnesses, or are using well-water that isn't excessively high in TDS or hardness. There are no great complications with this system as there are with RO. The Ultra-Filtration System will remove up to 97% contaminants and over 99% of germs and viruses. It has a .01M filtration and is designed in such a way as to backwash itself, so you will not experience the clogging associated with other .01 filters. Plus the Chanson Ultra Filtration is very attractive, and would look great on your counter if you needed to put it there.  http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com/product/Ultra-Filter-System $285.

H3 for City Water:

The H3 can come with either of the 2 styles of housings [above]. The 2nd, more attractive style, is for counter-top use. The H3 can be totally customized to your water. We can even set it up to remove toxins and then add back organic alkaline minerals if you want. It can be reduced in size to have only 2 filter housings [in which case it would be called an H2. For most people living in the city, county or areas where a company or municipality treats the water, this is  the absolute best, most practical filtration. City water doesn't typically  have problems with bacteria and viruses, because the water is treated and many harmful toxins have been removed. But a municipal water supply does have potential problems with fluoride, chloramine, lead, iron, arsenic, and a host of other toxins. The filters in this system will remove city water contaminants up to up to 99% of contaminants, but it's not designed to remove germs and viruses. You shouldn't have a need for removing germs and viruses if your water has been treated by a municipality or water company. The H3 usually has a GAC (granulated active carbon), a KDF filter and an activated alumina filter, however as stated earlier, it can be customized to any situation, desire or need. http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com/product/H3 $198. Also see: http://alkalinewaterplus.info/blog/uploaded/H3pre-filter.pdf

Customized Prefiltration:

Depending on the water ionizer you get, you may or may need all of what is in the H3 or H2 prefilters [above]. Sometimes customized prefiltration [one or 2 prefilters specifically targeting what you want to remove] is the best and cheapest thing for you to do. http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com/product/OtherPrefilters

Internal Water Ionizer Filtration:

Water ionizers remove about 85% of all acidic toxins. Also, many water ionizer filters are designed do a good enough job of getting toxins out and a great deal of toxins out of your water. The Jupiter Biostone Plus filter removes fluoride, chlorine, chloramine, and many other toxins that are specifically found in municipal water supplies. If you already get pretty good water which is treated by a water company, I feel the Biostone Plus is sufficient filtration all by itself! The KYK dual filtration also handles the fluoride, chloramine, chlorine, etc. very well all by itself. So, study the components of your water ionizer’s on-board filter system, and you may find that by itself your water ionizer’s on-board filtration is just fine all by itself.

Because I’m so Impressed With the New Nano Filtration System, the Rest of this Post is Devoted to Telling You about that System…

Nano Filtration System Front     Nano Filtration System Back

All About the New Chanson Nano-Filtration System!

Prior to the Chanson Nano-Filtration System nothing would remove sodium chloride [salt] from your water except reverse-osmosis. Now with the Chanson Nano-Filtration System, you can use this instead of reverse osmosis as literally the best pre-filter system to use with your water ionizer. Reverse osmosis has plagued people with its slowness, the amount of space it takes up, its reduced pressure of water flow, and with its limitations to how much ionized water you can make at one time. Now every single one of those problems are handled with the new Chanson Nano-Filtration System!

The Ultimate of Water Ionizer Filtration has Arrived, and Couldn’t be Easier!

The Nano-Filtration System is a high capacity, high pressure, fast-working, and super effective way to get those pesky chemicals [including salt] out of your water! The nano-filter will reduce, but not eliminate calcium, sodium, magnesium, potasium and other alkaline minerals. This is good, because you should not need to remineralize your nano-filtered water [however you might just need or want to throw some coral calcium chunks into your mineral port].

Nano-Filtration Also Filters out Bacteria!

The Chanson Nano-Filtration System uses high pressure to separate contamimants from the water supply. Water is forced through a membrane that has tiny holes which are no larger than, .00001(micron) this causes VOC’s [Volatile organic compounds], SOC’s [Synthetic Organic Chemicals], bacteria, virus and a host of other unwanted contaminants to be removed. The Chanson Nano-filter is considered an anti-bacterial device since the smallest bacteria known to man is larger than these filter pores and will be filtered out.

Nano Filtration Also Filters out Salt!

This means you can use it with a sodium-based whole house water softener! While the Chanson Nano-filter removes many, if not all, contaminants it allows the healthy minerals to pass through. The Chanson Nano-Filtration System’s semi-permeable membrane also rejects most multi-valent ions for example, salt. Salt is made up of two elements Sodium (Na) and Chloride (CL) together they make up NaCl or table salt. The nano-filter will allow Sodium or Chloride to pass thorough but rejects the multi-valent ion NaCl, which can be harmful when consumed in large quantities.

How does the Chanson Nano-Filtration System work with water ionizers?

The Chanson Nano-Filtration System is the premier pre-filtration system available for water ionizers today.  The Chanson Nano-Filtration System is suitable for ionizers because the size of the pores on the system’s membrane is .0001-.00001 so it removes bacteria, virus’ and dangerous elements but allows the valuable minerals through for your body to absorb.  Furthermore, a defining characteristic of nano-filter membranes is that they reject multivalent ions such as calcium and sulfate.  Because of this fact, the nano-filtration system works naturally as a water softener without any harsh chemicals or salt solutions needed.  Many times people will attach their RO (reverse osmosis) system to their ionizer for its filtration purposes however these RO systems strip the water of its vital nutrients and minerals.  The Chanson Nano-Filtration System will remove dangerous pathogens as well as dangerous elements but allow the health boosting minerals and nutrients to still be present in our water.

The Chanson Nano-Filtration System Can Make Your Ionized Water Even Healthier for You. 

The Chanson Nano-Filtration System will provide superior filtration technology unsurpassed by any other filter on the market, and it is to install and USE! No more pressurizing the tank, as with reverse osmosis! No more spending hours trouble-shooting why the pressure isn’t good enough! This system is the answer to problems with reverse osmosis!

Benefits of the Chanson Water Nano-Filtration System

• Low cost of operation
• Low energy cost
• Lower discharge and less waste water than typical Reverse Osmosis system.
• Reduction of Heavy Metals (removes 95%)
• Reduction of water hardness
• Reduction/ Removal virus’, bacteria, VOC’s,  and Pesticides.
• Reduction of Nitrates and Sulfides
• Reduction of the salt content (brackish water).
• Chemical -Free filtration (No use of salt)
• pH of the water can be altered for better health.
• Ideal for municipal water supply, well water, river and rain water.
• Removes Iron, Lime and other problem causing chemicals often neglected by water softeners.  

There are hundreds of toxins and poisons that standard water filters cannot remove, leaving health conscious people in the past with only two (2) choices: Distillation and Reverse Osmosis (RO).  RO has by the far been the most preferred choice of filtration up till now however; there are many problems with RO systems.  Now you have another choice!

The Chanson Nano-Filtration System provides a solution to the water ionizer filtration dilemma. 

Amazing filtration properties none of the negative properties associated with “super” filtration. 

Advantages of Using the Chanson Nano-Filter vs. RO With Your Water Ionizer:

• Nano-filtration allows healthy essential minerals to pass thru keeping the water closer to how nature makes it.
• No storage tank needed, unlimited “on demand” water supply!
• No Storage tank, no rubber taste, mold or fungus issues!
• Lowest waste water, only 1 gallon down the drain to 1 gallon made!
• Superior in taste.

Disadvantages of Using Reverse Osmosis With Your Water Ionizer:

• Removes all good minerals from the water leaving it acidic and very oxidizing…so needs to be remineralized. 
• Needs a large storage tank that takes up room underneath the sink. 
• The above mentioned tanks are breeding grounds for mold and fungus.
• The rubber bladder in the tank may leave a slight rubbery taste in the water.
• Minimum Storage ability often leaving the customer out of water.
• Much of the filtered water is wasted, often time 5-6 gallons used for every one gallon produced. 
• Higher operating costs and more maintenance…might need a plumber

Elements Removed by the Chanson Nano-Filter:

Over 90% removed:
Bacteria, Barium, Bicarbonate, Bromine, Chloride, Chlorine, Chromium, Copper, Cyanide, Cyptosporidium, Fluoride, Giardia Lamblia, Water Hardness, Legionella (Parasite), Magnesium, Manganese, Mercury, Nickel, Silver, Turbidity, and Viruses.

Over 85% removed:
Aluminum, Cadmium, Calcium, Carbon Tetrachloride, Lead, Nitrate, Organics, Pesticides, Potassium, Radium, Silica, SOC’s, Sodium, Strontium, THM’s, TOC, and Uranium.  VOC’s 75%

Over 50% removed:
Arsenic, Benzene, Borate, and Selenium

• Note: The average replacement cost of the nano-filter is $128.00 per year. This price includes the membrane and the replacement filters.
• You only have to replace the membrane every two – three years.
• The replacement filters are replaced yearly.

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I’ve been drinking ionized water for years and only just recently started using reverse-osmosis-remineralized-water as my source water. I had no subjective knowledge of reverse osmosis prior to about 6 months ago, so I am writing this blog post for others who are in that situation.

There are many reasons one might need to use reverse osmosis. But, there is a serious problem with Reverse osmosis, and that is: it takes too much out of the water, leaving it void of all the healthy minerals and leaving it acidic as a result. RO used to be considered unhealthy, “dead water”. However, now, with the use of the Water Remineralizer, RO water is a healthy source water to use with a water ionizer. With my reverse osmosis system, the RO water before being remineralized is about a pH of 4, and after remineralization it’s about a 9 pH. If you’re not happy with your municipal water, co-op or well water as a healthy enough source for your ionized water, reverse osmosis might be the very best option for you.

Reverse osmosis was originally developed to remove salt from seawater. Which prior to that time, only distillation would do this trick. So if you use a whole house sodium-based water softener, something like a reverse-osmosis-remineralizer-system would be needed for your drinking water.  

To give you an idea of just how small of a particle an RO system will filter out, here’s a chart that might help you grasp it:

• A 1 micron filter  will filter out particles up to 1millionth of a meter [or 1 thousandth of a millimeter] [or the width of a single strand of hair].
• A .1 micron filter will filter particles 10 times smaller than 1 micron.
• A .01 micron filter will filter particles 100 times smaller than 1 micron.
• A reverse osmosis unit will filter particles from 1,000 times up to one million times smaller than 1 micron.

There is another problem with reverse osmosis: that is the time to filter using RO is very slow. Before I got my reverse-osmosis-remineralizer system I could get a gallon jug filled, no problem, for my husband to take to work with him, but now [with the RO system hooked in] the pressure drops too low after about 2 quarts. Then you have to wait for 20 minutes to fill up the rest of the gallon. So, you may not be able to get all the water you want, when you want it with RO.

I’m not really complaining [too much], because…

I LOVE MY NEW REVERSE-OSMOSIS-REMINERALIZER-SYSTEM!

But, for someone wanting ionized water on the run, just keep it in mind that using reverse osmosis as your source water will slow things down, and you may run out of water during heavy-use times.

I did a series of videos, trying to figure things out with my reverse osmosis system – so I could answer my customers’ questions and communicate more accurately about reverse osmosis systems in general. Those videos follow this short section giving brief answers to the main questions I think people need answered. This is a work-in-progress, so I’ll post what I have so far done and learned…but add to it later as I find out more answers to my own questions.

How Much Does an RO System Cut Your Water Flow to the Water Ionizer?

The RO System cuts the pressure to the water ionizer quite a bit, so it is capable of flowing through the water ionizer about 40% slower — almost in half [in my observation]. So, a glass of water takes about twice the time to fill using RO as it would using your regular municipal water.

How Much Water Does a 6-Gallon Reverse Osmosis Tank Hold?

It holds about 4 1/2 gallons of water. The rest is filled with air [pressurized], which is necessary for maintaining the water pressure.

Using a 6-Gallon Tank, How Much Ionized Water in One Pouring Can I Expect to be Able to Get?

After the initial 40 ounces or so of ionized water production, there is a severe lessening in the water pressure to where it slows down so much the water ionizer stops ionizing [or ionizes the water only intermittently].

How Can you Tell How Much Water is in a Full Tank?

Water weighs about 8.35 pounds per gallon. Knowing the weight of the empty tank [11 lbs.] and the weight of the full tank [46 lbs] you can mathematically figure out the amount of water in the “6 gallon” tank. [35/8.35 = 4.2 gallons]

Here I am Weighing the Full RO Tank

Here I am Talking a Little About the Way the RO and Remineralizer Work

Here I Am Showing You How Much RO Water Will Flow through the Water Ionizer Before the Flow Rate Gets Too Slow.

Here I Am Weighing the Tank to See How Many Gallons [Total] Were Run Through the Water Ionizer

The tank weighed 38.8 pounds after pouring close to 2 quarts of alkaline water from the water ionizer [as opposed to 45.8 pounds full]. So it lost 7 pounds, which is the equavalent of about a little more than 3/4 gallon. So…

How much water can you flow through a water ionizer before the pressure drops too much?

Ans.: About 3/4 gallon out of the 4.5 gallons in the tank.

That having been said, the tank will replenish that 3/4 gallon in a pretty short time. So, in about 20 minutes you should be able to get another 2 quarts of ionized water from your water ionizer.

As I stated earlier, I’m still learning. As I refine my skills and knowledge related to reverse osmosis systems I’ll share that knowledge here. I do have a feeling I could pressurize my tank better and that should help in getting more ionized water at a time.

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I just love my new Athena Water Ionizer and my new IonLife Reverse-Osmosis-with-Remineralizer Set up!

For years I was really against reverse osmosis, because it took all the minerals out of the water and left it as “dead water”, as the Japanese refer to it. I’ve been drinking ionized water for about 17 years and have loved every minute of it. Buying water ionizer in my opinion is the healthiest thing a person can do!

I changed my mind about RO when IonLife came out with their new Reverse-Osmosis-with-Remineralizer!

The thing that sold me was the remineralizer! The Remineralizer cartridge puts back organic coral calcium plus 70+ organic trace minerals. Actually I would pay for this advantage alone. Organic plant source minerals are much healthier for your body and don’t cause the problems that inorganic [rock-based] minerals do. Another thing that sold me was the price! I’ve usually heard of RO costing up around $2000.00 or so, but this whole RO system with the 6 gallon storage tank & remineralizer, especially designed to give enough pressure and the right minerals for water ionization with organic plant-source minerals custom-designed to be perfect for a water ionizer….only costs $379.00! 

I was a little leary of hooking up an RO. It seemed so complicated. But now in hindsight, it was pretty easy to do! Here’s a quick look at what the RO system entails:

After drinking ionized water from this new RO system with remineralizer for the past few weeks, I can say I really love it! It feels good to my body! I love the fact that the sodium and fluoride are removed so well! I’m very happy with my decision to do this! I’ve done some comparison testing between the RO as a source water and the St. Louis tap water and the RO source water seems to be ionizing the water as well as the tap water. Unfortunately, my ORP meter is on the blink and I’m waiting for my new one to come in. I’ll be doing some comparison videos soon.

Here’s another thing I’m really happy I decided to do…

Buy my new Athena Water Ionizer!

This was a fantastic decision! The Melody water ionizer is truly everything I’ve ever said it was: well-made, tests great for pH and ORP, great filtration, and it is the best water ionizer you can get for the price! However, the Athena is just a bit better. The bit better is mostly in the area of ORP. The Athena water ionizer gets a better ORP per unit of pH than all of the other water ionizers for drinking the healthiest water possible at whatever level of pH you’re able to drink it at.

Most people will work their way up to level 3 of the alkaline water [equivalent to 9.5 pH]. At this level the Melody [using my source water in St. Louis] gives an ORP of about -450 or so, while the Athena will give about -550 with the same source water. You only really need an ORP of -250 to -300 to provide your body with plenty of antioxidants, so the extra ORP is nice to have, but not necessary. So which one should you buy: an Athena or a Melody? I usually think if the person is young [under 40] you can get away with a a lot more than when you’re 55 or so. So my advice is simple. If you can’t afford the Athena, then get the Melody! But if you’re over 55, then try to find a way to afford the Athena. This is advice given very lightly, and with no intention to sway you in any direction. I’m telling you this, because I get asked by so many people. Actually, I love all the water ionizers, and they all give great pH and ORP [well beyond what they need to] and they’re all great priced! So the real advice is to get a water ionizer [if you don't already have one] TODAY!Wishing You Water Wellness!
Sincerely,
Cathleen LoGrasso
Blog-Master
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Water ionizers filter out a lot of bad things, and some water ionizers have better filters than others. But no water ionizer by itself will filter out every bad thing you might have in your source water. Here are some things that a water ionizer may not filter out:

Bacteria: The Life water ionizer, with it’s UV light, promises to kill the bacteria if it comes through. However I haven’t seen proof as of yet that this does as it claims to do. Also, the UV light only lasts for 5 years and then needs to be replaced. That’s the best case scenario that I have seen so far for handling bacteria. The second best thing I’ve seen to handle bacteria is the Bacteria Filter. This costs $59.95 and requires an additional one-time expense of $49.95 for the pre-filter housing. This would have to be replaced yearly. Other than this, you could always just treat your water. The usual treatment is with Chlorine, which is easy to filter out with any water ionizer filter. Also, coming soon on the Alkaline Water Plus website, look for a UV light simple in-line add on system that costs under $200. start up costs plus the light needs to be replaced yearly for about $60.00. I will be offering this very soon!

Hydrogen Sulfides: This is a poisonous sulfer toxin that can enter a well system unpredictably. You may have no sign of it one day and after a heavy rain all of a sudden have it in your well water! The sign for this is a smell of “rotten eggs”. The only way right at this time to get rid of this is a special sulphur prefilter, which costs $69.00 and has to be replaced about yearly. [Please note: you would also need a pre-filter housing, which is a one-time cost of $49.95.]

Iron: This is a metal that in large amounts can harm your water ionizer. It’s probably not great for your health either [because it's not organic]. The signs for it is a yellow color to your water. It’s caused by old cast-iron pipes rusting and leaching into your water. Usually you find this situation in older communities or buildings with older plumbing systems that haven’t been renovated. You can get an Iron Prefilter for %59.99.

Sand and Sediment: Your ionizer filters will filter out sand and sediment, but these things can clog up your water ionizer filter and cause it to become less effective prematurely. If your source water has a lot of sand or sediment in it, you are wise to get a sediment prefilter. The filter cost is about $50.00 and should be replaced ~yearly.

Fluoride: Two water ionizer companies have now added filter media to their filters to filter out Fluoride [Jupiter Biostone Plus filter and the KYK filter]. Fluoride is usually added to municipal water and has been linked to Altzheimers, learning disabilities and other health hazards…and is the subject of much debate. If you need or want Fluoride removed from your water and don’t have the two filters mentioned, you can get a Fluoride prefilter for about $35.00 [plus housing is needed].

Lead: This is found in older homes and communities and is a source of “lead poisoning” so needs to be handled for health reasons, but lead also could harm your water ionizer by interfering with the electrolysis [due to the fact that it's a magnetic metal]. If you have lead in your source water, you should use the Fluoride/Lead/Arsenic prefilter, which is about $35.00 [plus housing is needed].

Heavy Metals: If you have radium in your water or other heavy metals, you can purchase a Heavy Metal prefilter for $79.95 [plus housing is needed].

Chloramine: If your water ionizer doesn’t filter chloramine [chlorine + amonia] which is now the disinfectant of choice for many municipalities, then you can purchase a Chloramine prefilter for 79.95 [plus housing is needed].

Is Your Water too Hard? If you don’t want to filter out the calcium in your source water, but it’s too hard and is potentially damaging your water ionizer [or reducing the pH/ORP] due to scaling, then the best thing you can use is an Elimination of Scaling Device. Second to that I suggest the Ionizer Armor. If you need or want to filter out some of the excess calcium, then you can get a Scale-Block Prefilter.

Too many prefilters needed? If you really want to get everything out of your water and start fresh with only the right organic plant-source minerals and trace minerals for perfect water ionization, then I recommend the Reverse-Osmosis-with-Remineralizer System that was designed by IonLife water experts especially for use with water ionizers. It’s only $375.00 & includes the tank and everything! I have one and I think it’s fantastic!Wishing You Water Wellness!
Sincerely,
Cathleen LoGrasso
Blog-Master
Email Us: Support@alkaline-water-plus.info
Website Home: http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com
Copyright © 2006 – 2009 Alkaline Water Plus
Call for a “Best Price Quote”
1-888-MY-ALKALINE

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I have finally made a decision about RO [reverse osmosis].

Though it could be an unnecessary overkill, it does do the trick of getting everything out of the water [sodium, fluoride, etc.]. I’ve been debating the pros and cons of reverse osmosis in my mind for months now. But now, after much thought and online research, I have decided that the pros outweigh the cons. I give my reasons below.

I’ve finally made the decision to purchase my new Reverse Osmosis System Complete with Remineralizer…which is a specially designed RO system to work perfectly with a water ionizer.

I don’t have a sodium based whole house softener, high blood pressure, a kidney condition or any reason to be put on a low sodium restricted diet. These would be the normal reasons to choose an RO system. There are prefilters for most things, like fluoride, arsenic, lead, and I debated getting a fluoride/arsenic/lead prefilter instead of an RO system but because RO is the absolutely best thing to take out the bad stuff and it’s the only thing that can really do a good job of taking out sodium I decided to go with the RO.

An RO system takes up space under the counter, and requires work to put it in & yearly replacement of the “bladder”, remineralizer and filter…so I did struggle with these issues before I made up my mind to buy an RO system. Actually, I wouldn’t have decided on an RO system if I didn’t have such a great product that was specifically designed to use with water ionizers. The other really nice thing about my RO system with Remineralizer is the quality of the remineralizer. This contains coral calcium and 70+ trace minerals for totally a organic and naturally healthy mineral source. The extra health benefits of having my RO system and remineralizer in place are worth the effort and little bit of extra money involved. The space under my sink is limited but the health benefits, again, make it worth it to rearrange all this. 

Here’s another reason I decided to go with my new RO system and Remineralizer: the tests I’ve seen with RO water that was remineralized with our system shows it really does produce great ionization results. [see this link - look on pg. 2 for the test results: http://health-e-water.info/lab-report.silver-state.pdf ]

If money, time and space were not an issue, I would have it installed this new RO system long before now. Now that I’ve finally made my decision, I feel very happy about it. As soon as I get my new RO system installed, I’ll of course blog about it, so stay tuned.

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Can You Hook Up a Water Ionizer When You Have a Whole-House Water Softener?

Yes, you certainly can AND SHOULD get a water ionizer if your house is set up on a whole-house water softener, but you need to read this article first. The problem with a whole house water softener system is that it removes the good minerals (for human consumption), such as calcium and magnesium and replaces it with sodium or potasium. This actually makes your water slightly alkaline, but it’s alkaline minerals are the wrong ones for your overall health. Sodium, in particular, is an alkaline mineral that you don’t need more of! Running softened water through a water ionizer will make your drinking water too concentrated in sodium. Since the nature of a water ionizer is to concentrate the alkaline minerals into your drinking water and sodium is alkaline, it follows that all the sodium in the softened water will be pulled over to the alkaline pole within your water ionizer and then come out the drinking water spout. This means that you’ll have double the concentration of sodium in yout ionized water than you have in your softened un-ionized tap water. This wouldn’t be healthy for your body. Some sodium is fine, but softened water has too much of it and is void of the good alkaline minerals, like calcium and magnesium.

I’ve seen some of what hapens to people who drink softened water, my parents for instance. It most likely contributes to health problems like osteoporosis and blood-pressure issues. It’s not in my opinion healthy to consume softened water on a regular basis, no matter what the water-softener people tell you. What’s good for your household plumbing does not mean it’s the right thing for human consumption. I understand that some people have to soften their water or they’d have rust-colored toilet bowls or clogged-up water heaters all the time, however when you make the choice to “save the life of your appliances and fixtures” with a water-softening system, you should also consider saving the lives of the human inhabitants of that house with a special RO Combo Water Ionizer system I will describe below.

There are two ways you can get healthy water for human consumption if you have a whole-house water softener.

One way is to tie right into your hard-water water line (prior to the softener). This may take some plumbing knowledge to do. It may not even be very expensive to do if you know a good handy-man (or family member) who can do the plumbing cheap. One more thing is you would need to get an EOS anti-scaling device to protect your water ionizer from the hard water. The cost for an EOS is around $160 every 2-3 years.

The other (possibly even better) alternative is to set yourself up with a reverse osmosis system, tank, presurizer, & remineralizer all under your sink [which all of that, total, costs only about $375.00] and then tie the water ionizer in the line right after the remineralizer. By the way, the remineralizer is designed especially to put back 70+ trace minerals plus plenty of calcium and magnesium for excellent water ionization! Then you can either get an undersink kit so all you see is the double alkaline/acid spout above the sink, or set the ionizer on the counter and drill a small hole in your sink or counter-top to run the water feed line directly in-line — just after the remineralizer).

If you have your water report (from your water company) and see your water hardness is caused mostly from clacium or magnesium, I think the best choice is to try to tie directly into your hard-water line (prior to it being softened). However if your hard water is coming from a variety of undesirable minerals, such as iron, lead, etc. the best choice is to get the RO Combined with Remineralizer and Water Ionizer system described above.

No matter what the source water, if you are using a whole house water softener system, you need to do something to make your drinking water healthy. Some people might think it’s better or easier just to drink bottled water. DO NOT DO THIS! Bottled water is not good, and is the subject of thousands of other blogs. I can’t think of a single brand of bottled water that is a desirable alternative for your health. If you have to drink bottled water for some odd reason, and you can’t yet do what I’m suggesting with an RO + Remineralizer + water ionizer combination, then buy only the bottled water that comes from high altitude mountain springs. It will be more expensive, but it will be the only bottled water that’s even remotely healthy for your consumption. The better choice, though, (and cheaper in the long run) is to go ahead and take the plunge and get yourself the system I’m describing in this article: Reverse Osmosis + Remineralizer + Water Ionizer which can go directly under your sink.

If you mention this article you can get the whole system [Reverse Osmosis System, 6 Galon Storage Tank, Pressurizer, Remineralizer, Melody Water Ionizer, and Under Sink Kit] all for $1650.00. Keep in mind we can get you set up with a customization of exactly what YOU want and need. Give me a call at 314-452-9560 or email me at support@alkaline-water-plus.info.

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Will Reverse Osmosis and Distilled Water Kill You? And, Why is RO So Much Worse than Alkaline Ionized Water?

If you consider your body slowly rotting away from over-acidity, then I will say yes, you’re being killed by RO or Distilled water if you don’t properly remineralize your water. Why? Well, the key is the lack of beneficial alkaline minerals in RO and distilled water. Sixteen years ago I was introduced to the concept that the pH (not the purity) of the water was the most essential thing to consider when looking at maintaining a natural healthy life style. If you take all the good alkaline minerals out of the water, what is left will be or shortly become acidic because it will leach acids from the air. 

This is something that can be easily tested (by me, you or anyone with or without a water ionizer) with a simple pH test kit.

Go buy a bottle of RO or distilled water and test it. It will be acidic. Probably pH 6.0. Not healthy!

Water distillers and RO machines operate on very different techniques, but have one thing in common. That’s the elimination of all minerals from the water (the good and the bad). The Japanese call this “dead water”, because it’s unnatural and unhealthy to have water with no minerals in it. With a water ionizer, the alkaline minerals all get pulled toward the alkaline electrodes and the acidic minerals and elements get pulled toward the acidic electrodes. What comes out of the bottom hose of a water ionizer is acidic water, virtually void of alkaline minerals. It tests between 3 pH (highly acidic) and 6 pH (somewhat acidic). Out the top spout, comes the healthy, fresh, filtered, ionized alkaline-mineral-rich water.

Your body gives off more than enough acidity …the end process in each cell is acid wastes.

What your body needs is more alkalinity to buffer the excess acids, so your blood doesn’t need to rob your joints and bones of the alkaline minerals it needs to maintain the proper pH. Therefore the answer to finding good healthy water is NOT in reverse osmosis machines or water distillation…it’s in water ionization! If you have to use something like reverse osmosis, you should properly remineralize your water then you can ionize it and get fantastic healthy water!

What makes water ionization healthy when RO and water distillation are not?

1. First of all, the water ionizer filters the water and rids it of the undesirable elements while at the same time allows the good elements (alkaline minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, potasium, etc.) to pass through into your healthy-drinking alkaline ionized water. RO and water distillation just indescriminately get rid of everything (the good and the bad).
2. Secondly, the process of ionization forces the harmful acidic elements, such as chlorine and fluoride, out the bottom (non-drinking water) spout. Further protection for you.
3. Water Ionization also splits the water molecules, making the cluster-size smaller and more easily absorbed into cells.
4. Water Ionization increases the hydrogen (OH-) in the ionized water, making it an effective antioxidant free-radical scavenger. RO and distillation do not do this.
5. If there is a hard-water or contamination concern in your area, there are prefilters and devices you can get to go with your water ionizer to handle those problems. Or if you do need to use RO, then you should go the extra mile and remineralize it and then ionize your purified, remineralized water with a good water ionizer. This will likely add years and years of health and beauty to your life!

I have spoken to many people who used to use RO or distilled water, and made the switch to an alkaline water ionizer.

These people make some of the most profound changes (more proof of how unhealthy the RO or distilled water was for them). Just yesterday, a friend of mine who just made this switch (she used to purchase RO water in big 5-gallon jugs but felt something was wrong with it…it didn’t feel quite right). About a week ago she installed her new Melody water ionizer that I had sold her. She had purchased some pH test strips at the health food store and had been testing her saliva and urine before purchasing her water ionizer. Her urine and saliva were acidic (that’s with drinking the RO water for over 2 years).  After one week of drinking ionized water the urine and saliva tests showed up green (alkaline) for the first time!!!!! That’s after one week of switching to the right water. Here’s another thing she told me. After drinking water from her new Melody water ionizer for one day, she has had much more energy and has actually at the same time needed less sleep! Needless to say, she’s flabbergasted. I just love hearing stories like that, and I hear them a lot in this business. Alkaline ionized water is the real McCoy! I’ve experienced nothing else, health-wise, that tops it! Find out for yourself!

REFERENCES
Airola, P. 1974. How To Get Well. Phoenix, AZ: Health Plus Publishers.
Baroody, Dr. Theodore A. Jr. Alkalinize or Die. California ortal Books, 1995.
Haas, Elson M. Staying Healthy with Nutrition. The Complete Guide to Diet & Nutritional Medicine. Berkeley, California:Celestial Arts, 1992; p. 22.
Rona, Zoltan P. and Martin, Jeanne Marie. Return to the Joy of Health, Vancouver: Alive Books, 1995.
Rona, Zoltan P. Childhood Illness and The Allergy Connection. Rocklin, California rima Books, 1996.

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