Does Price Matter When Buying a Reverse Osmosis System?

Sept. 16, 2011 - PRLog -- Most of the time when you are looking for a reverse osmosis (ro) system online, you notice that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of similar looking systems and you may wonder, “why is this one so much more than that one?”. A majority of the time, it is nothing. Granted there are a few exceptions where cheap components may have a lower standard in quality but for the most part they are all the same or close to the same. So should you consider price in the equation?  Yes, a too low of a price means lower quality components and too high of a price means they are price gouging.

Conventional reverse osmosis systems usually use a standard 10”x2.5” filter and require some kind of filter wrench to remove the pre-filters.  An average conventional five stage ro system varies from $149 to $300 on the market.  The large price range is due to one main factor which is certification.  There are two reputable certifications in the water industry which is NSF and WQA (Water Quality Association) Gold Seal and both are equal. Typically, non-certified units are made exactly the same way as certified units but they do not go through any testing facilities to keep the cost of the unit down which is why they can be sold for less.  Non-certified units for a five stage system run less than $200. Reverse osmosis systems made from reputable companies like Watts Water Quality, Hydrotech or Good Water Warehouse usually have some kind of NSF certification or a WQA Gold Seal.  Certified systems typically have a higher price range from $200 to as high as $300.

Try not to get five stage ro systems for less than $100 because these systems are usually made of very poor quality components.  Unless the company is giving them away, it’s probably a good idea to look elsewhere for a good quality system. I’ve personally found that poorly made systems are built with cheap plastic brackets, and “wet” ro membranes.  Plastic brackets crack or break over time and wet membranes are typically much less expensive because they have been tested before the system was built. The life of the “wet” membrane can be radically different than a “dry” membrane. A wet membrane life span can range from six months to three years depending on how long it has been stored previously.  Dry membranes almost always have a longer life span of two to five years. A good question to ask a company is whether or not the membrane inside is wet or dry?

Good companies care about the quality of work placed into building a unit and the components used inside them. As long as you stick with a good reputable company that cares about product awareness, then you’ll find that getting a ro system from them will bring less trouble regardless of certified or non-certified systems.