Is RO UV Water Good for Health? Find Out Here!

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Using a reverse osmosis system in combination with a UV water purifier can be a great way to remove almost any types of contaminants (including microorganisms!) from your water supply and ensure that you have fresh, clean drinking water available at all times.

However, there have been some concerns regarding the way RO UV filters work and their impact on water quality.

So, is RO UV water good for your health or not?

Key Takeaways

  • RO UV water is good for your health.
  • Compared to plain tap/well water, it will provide an improvement in drinking water quality in pretty much all cases.
  • For the reduced concentration of minerals in RO UV water, you should consider installing a remineralization stage.

What Is RO and UV Water Purification?

Reverse osmosis is a process in which water is forced through a semipermeable membrane under pressure. The membrane only lets water molecules through and pushes back on everything else. The final result is water that’s mostly free of contamination – with few exceptions.

UV purifiers, on the other hand, are specifically designed to target microorganisms like bacteria and cysts. Exposing those microorganisms to UV light, even briefly, is enough to scramble their DNA and effectively kill them. Leveraging this fact, UV systems simply run your water through a tube containing a UV light bulb, sterilizing it.

Both filtration methods have their advantages and disadvantages, but putting them together is a great way to keep your water almost completely pure.

What Contaminants Are Being Removed?

Reverse osmosis systems can remove nearly all types of contaminants from water. This includes sediment, many types of chemicals, heavy metals, salts, pesticides, and water disinfectants. A UV water purifier focuses on just microorganisms, like bacteria, but it does so with an incredible level of effectiveness.

bacteria in water

Is RO UV Water Good for Health?

Water filtered by a combination of RO and UV purification contains significantly fewer contaminants, which is a good indicator for its healthiness. Even if you don’t live in an area with particularly bad contamination problems, filtering your water supply can still result in an improvement in its quality.

So yes, generally speaking, RO UV water is good for health.

Common Safety Concerns

There are 2 common safety concerns regarding RO UV water and that it could be potentially harmful. The problem lies in the RO filtration. It removes most minerals from the water supply, making it mineral-deficient and slightly acidic as a result.

Low Mineral Content

Reverse osmosis removes any impurities from water which includes minerals, many of which can actually be beneficial to your health. If you have a proper, well-balanced diet, you may be able to obtain all of those minerals from the food you eat on a daily basis. If not, look you into remineralization (more on this in a bit).

Low Water pH

Low pH of RO water is seen as a problematic factor by some, but most experts agree that it’s not. Why? RO water lacking minerals means it lacks alkalinity, which is why it’s acidic in the first place. Reverse osmosis water cannot neutralize acids so it even becomes acidic by getting into contact with air. But this acidity is so mild that your body can compensate it in an instant.

Remineralization!

You should look into adding a remineralization stage to your filtration setup. It will help maintain the mineral content (and pH) of your water after purifying it with an RO/UV filter combination,

The remineralizer should be installed as the last treatment step. Remineralization stages provide you with a good level of control over the mineral content of your water, allowing you to easily enrich it with calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and more.

If you have any thoughts about the question, is RO and UV water good for health, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!

About the Author Gene Fitzgerald

Gene Fitzgerald is one of the founders of BOS and currently head of content creation. She has 8+ years of experience as a water treatment specialist under her belt making her our senior scientist. Outside of BOS, Gene loves reading books on philosophy & social issues, making music, and hiking.
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