My portable RO unit looks like an elongated shoe box. It is a white hard plastic box that sits on the countertop when in use. Other times, I store it on a shelf. If I plan to be away from more than a week, I
store it in the refrigerator.
The RO unit is attached to a pre-filter which is in turn attached to the faucet. The pre-filter removes silt from the water, which prolongs the life of the RO membrane. I change the filter of the pre-filter every three months at a cost of about $4 per filter. This filter can also be periodically rinsed.
Every time I need a new supply of water, I hook the pre-filter up to the faucet and then hook the RO unit up to the pre-filter. Having two sinks is a plus, because the RO unit ties up one of them.
It doesn't take long to make a gallon of filtered water - less than an hour with my unit.
Why did I choose a portable unit rather than an under-the-sink unit?
I have better control over the filtered water. I can regularly sanitize the container between uses. I can have a glass container, whereas the under-the-counter containers are hard plastic. The stored water can be kept in a refrigerator until somewhat before I am ready to use it. It can also be made fresh daily.
With an under-the-counter storage container, I can't see what is happening in the container, i.e., if there is anything growing, nor can most of these containers be easily sanitized. They rarely empty out. Generally, they are sanitized once a year when the unit is serviced.
I have better control over the unit. If I go away, I can take it with me and use it with other kitchen sinks. If I leave it home, I can put it in the refrigerator to retard any bacterial growth.
No kitchen or water filter is a sterile environment. Bacteria can get into the hoses and filters, as well as into the collection bottles.
A portable unit costs less.
I can easily send my unit off to the water laboratory once a year to be serviced and have the membrane changed, if necessary.
I wanted to be able to recycle the waste water. I gather the waste water in buckets and use it to water the garden or flush the toilet.
The downside to the portable unit:
Making water is another task to be done. You have to hook the unit up, process the water, put it away, and store the bottles of water.
There's no spigot on the sink to press to get RO water. I have to manually pour the water out of a gallon glass jug. Smaller containers could be used if someone has trouble lifting a gallon container.
Even though many people use polycarbonate containers with spigots, I have opted to use glass because there are no plasticizers in glass. Polycarbonate bottles are hard plastics, which would leach any plasticizers only minimally into the water - but it does contain
BPA. For more information, go to xenoestrogens in the FAQs section.
Maintenance
I bought a separate pre-filter to cut down on silt entering the RO
unit.
Every once in a while, I should rinse off the filter of the pre-filter - but I rarely think of it.
Inputting the schedule into my computer would help.
Every three months, I put a new $4 filter in the pre-filter. I
remember this by the new quarter (March, July, etc.)
Once a year, I could send in a tap water sample and an RO sample to the water lab, with $10, and learn whether or not I need to send in my unit for servicing.
However, I just assume that servicing is needed and send the unit to the lab. I enclose a check for $125, which is the maximum of what it would cost to replace the semi-permeable membrane
plus the pre- and post-filters.
The semi-permeable membrane only has to be replaced every 3-4 years, so usually I get a partial refund from the lab.
To conserve RO water, I wash fruits and vegetables in tap water and then
just rinse them in RO water.
I make RO water as I need it. The water isn't sterile, nor is the jug,
and I don't want unnecessary bacterial growth.
Sometimes I add electrolytes, such as Twin Labs Cell Mins - potassium
& magnesium, emptying one capsule in a gallon of water. This also
raises the pH of the water. Check with your medical practitioner before
adding anything to your drinking water.
It is easier to use. Water is automatically run through the under-the-counter unit, so you don't have to set up and dismantle your RO purifier as is necessary with the portable unit.
Water is stored in a 5-gallon plastic jug under the sink. Storing smaller containers is not an issue.
There is a spigot next to your faucet so you can have filtered water whenever you need it, to serve an average size family.
You can get a local service contract, if you wish, so there's very little work involved on your part.
If you purchase your unit from this site, you can take care of your
own maintenance, saving money.
Disadvantages
As stated above, there is a loss of flexibility with the under-the-counter unit. You can't take it with you. You can't store it in the refrigerator. You can't monitor any possible bacterial growth in the holding
tank.
A plumber or a handy person has to install it. The water pipe has to be drilled into.
A straight-forward installation may run about $150, but complications
increase the cost.
You must have room under your sink to store a 5-gallon holding container.
Some people have the containers installed in the basement under the
kitchen sink.
Maintenance
If you have a service contract with a local company, they will set up
an annual visit to change the filters and sanitize the holding
container.
If you do your own maintenance, once a year you turn off the water,
unscrew 2 or 3 filters and screw in the new filters. Turn the water back
on, fill up the container, empty it, fill it up again. There are a few
finer points, but nothing terribly burdensome.
