Best RO (Reverse Osmosis Systems) | (Reviews & Guide 2019)

In this article, we will review 10 best selling RO systems in India. We will take a closer look at these RO water filters and their pros and cons.

Are you planning to buy the new RO water filter for your home? Then you are in the right place. Our buying guide has all the information you will need. We also reviewed the top 10 RO systems in the market. Hopefully, after reading this guide you can buy the best Reverse osmosis system for your household.

Reverse osmosis systems are easy to maintain and require service every few months. In this guide, we explain in detail on how reverse osmosis system works. You will also find installation and maintenance guide below.

Short on time? Here is a quick list of top-rated RO water filters in India.

Name	Preview	More Details	Our Rating
KENT New Grand RO		Check on Amazon	95/100
Kent Pearl 8-Litre		Check on Amazon	92/100
R. K. Aqua Fresh India		Check on Amazon	90/100
HUL Pureit Ultima		Check on Amazon	87/100
Havells Max 7-litres		Check on Amazon	85/100
Blue Star Aristo		Check on Amazon	84/100
Hindware Elara		Check on Amazon	84/100
Kent Ace Mineral		Check on Amazon	82/100
HUL Pureit Classic RO		Check on Amazon	80/100
DrinkPrime		Check on Amazon	77/100

Best Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Reviews (Updated List)

Kent new grand has certification from CE and water quality associations which shows the quality of the product. This model by Kent is not only suitable for municipal tap water but also water from an underground source such as tube-well or bore wells.

The tank of grand new is made of durable food-grade plastic. For saving space you can mount it on the wall because of wall-mount design.

High initial cost

Not visually attractive

Buying guide for RO (Reverse osmosis systems)

What is a reverse osmosis system?

A reverse osmosis system is one of the common water filter systems. In this water pass through multiple filters with different pore sizes to eliminate all pollutants. For this, at least four stages are required in the reverse osmosis system. Some systems even work with up to seven levels.

A reverse osmosis system ensures fresh and clean drinking water.

The coarsest impurities are removed through the first two filters. These two filters are also called pre-filters. After pre-filtered water reaches the actual reverse osmosis filter. Here, the natural osmosis process is reversed with pressure.

A reverse osmosis system filters the water as:

• The water is passed by pressure through several membranes and cleaned
• It will go through up to seven stages until pure water remains

What is osmosis and reverse osmosis?

In nature, osmosis is a process in which liquids that has different concentrations of ions try to reach a balanced state. For this purpose, the liquid with the higher ion concentration releases ions to the other liquid.

In reverse osmosis, all substances that are not part of the water (contaminations) are collected on one side of the membrane and only the water particles are let through. Only pure water gets to the other side of the membrane in the reverse osmosis system at the end of the process

How does a reverse osmosis system work?

In the reverse osmosis system, there is a high-pressure pump that presses the water to be filtered through a membrane. The physical process also referred to as reverses osmosis and uses a reverse osmosis membrane filter.

The water is forced through a membrane with pressure. This filters out the harmful substances. They remain on one side of the membrane, while the pure and clean water is going to the other side.

With usually two other filters, the so-called secondary filters, the last remaining pollutants are filtered out. At the end of the process, you have pure, pollutant-free water.

What does a reverse osmosis system do?

In addition to all large particles, a reverse osmosis system also filters harmful components such as chlorine and heavy metals out of the water. Also, toxins and pesticides are eliminated along with many other substances.

In a good reverse osmosis system, about 95 to 99% of all impurities are removed from the water. For this purpose, the pressure is built upon the salt side of the reverse osmosis with a high-pressure pump, so that the water can be based on a semi-porous reverse osmosis layer.

The higher the salinity of the source water, the more pressure is required. The result is demineralized and deionized pure water. All harmful substances are left behind as they cannot penetrate the osmosis membrane.

How much does a reverse osmosis system cost?

The prices for reverse osmosis systems in India varies depending on the brand and quality. From relatively cheaper and small models to large high-performance reverse osmosis systems that can supply water to an entire house; the spectrum is wide-spread.

You can find cheap models with limited capacity starting from INR 2000

There are also powerful and larger reverse osmosis systems which are suitable for whole house water purification. These RO systems are expensive and can range from 80 to 90 thousand or more. Also, you should remember that there is also regular maintenance and electric cost with RO systems.

The operating cost is an essential factor to consider in buying reverse osmosis systems. It depends on your water consumption and quality of the water filter system.

Depending on the design and type of reverse osmosis system, there is also wastage of water. Some RO systems in certain cases such as very bad quality of your water supply can flush out up to 10 times water.

Things to consider when buying reverse osmosis systems

In the following section, we would like to show you the factors by which you can compare and evaluate reverse osmosis systems. This will make it easier for you to decide if a particular product is right for you or not.

In summary, these are:

• Features and specifications
• Storage
• Water usage and pressure
• Water source
• Remineralization
• Replacement of filter
• Power consumption

Features and specifications

Did you ever get confused by those entire technical terms manufacturer throws at you while buying the product? Well, you will be surprised how easy it is to understand them if they tell you everything in simple plain language. 

Let’s discuss the features and specifications of the RO system in simple terms.

Semi-permeable membrane: This part is essential for any reverse osmosis system in the market. The semi-permeable membrane allows water to pass whereas stops any contamination to pass through. 

Filters: the good quality RO system has different filters for removing a different kind of contamination from the water. These can also be interpreted as different stages of filtration. With this, your RO system efficiently removes dissolved organic material, microparticles and dissolved salts from the water. The common types of filters are carbon filter, sand filter, cartridge filter and membrane filter. 

Pressure pump: some RO models come with an in-built high-pressure pump. Water pressure is very important for your RO system to work efficiently. If your water line has low pressure then you should definitely consider this kind of model

Storage

Reverse osmosis system requires space for its filters and tanks. There are RO systems with different capacity tank which will factor on the size of the product. If you have limited space then you can choose from small size RO models. But small models are unable to filter and store a large amount of water at once. 

Water usage and pressure 

One of the important criteria for the proper functioning of RO is water pressure. It is essential for efficient filtering to have water pressure above 40 PSI. There are many RO models in the market which have inbuilt booster pumps in the RO system for maintaining water pressure. If you have low water pressure then you can also use separate pumps for boosting pressure in water pipes. 

RO system also consumes a large amount of water. If your water has too mu cod contamination then it can have a ration of clean water in terms of 1:10

In these cases either you can choose other suitable water filter or try to use wastewater for other household chores. 

Water source

In most urban areas in India, we have water supply from local municipal treatment plants. This water has a different kind of contamination in comparison to underground water such as bore-wells and tube wells. 

Before buying the RO system we recommend you to check the product description. Some RO filters are more suitable for underground water while others for municipal water. 

Remineralization

RO system is very efficient in filtering water, unfortunately, it means they also filter out healthy elements. There are models with re-mineralize filters which add beneficial minerals back to the water.

An additional mineral filter enriches the water with additional minerals. These can be, for example, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium.

The opinions of the experts differ widely when it comes to whether water must contain minerals.

Replacement of filter

The filter change interval determines what the operating costs of your reverse osmosis system are. These filters are not cheap so you should consider this factor while choosing your RO system. 

Filter and stages in the RO system

The relationship between filter water and wastewater

Filter water to wastewater ratio is indicative of the effectiveness of your water filtration system. 

At a 1: 1 ratio, you will receive just as much clean water as you produce wastewater. So if you send one litre of water through the osmosis system, 500 ml will be recycled, while 500 ml of wastewater will be generated. 

The ratio of 1:1 is excellent, in contrast to some less effective RO models. These models can have a ratio of, for example, 1: 4 (200 ml of filter water to 800 ml of wastewater with 1 litre of water). 

Ideally, we recommend a system with a filter water-wastewater ratio of 1: 1 or less.

The more filter stages the water goes through, the better the result

Depending on the quality of the system, the water goes through up to 7 separate filter stages. Different types of filters fulfil different functions and filter the most diverse pollutants out of the water.

One of the most important components of the osmosis system is the activated carbon filter. It acts as a lime filter and serves to soften the water. This has no health background since calcareous drinking water is not harmful to the human organism contrary to popular belief. 

The decalcification of the water through activated carbon filters is primarily used to protect equipment and water pipes. Hard water quickly forms limescale in equipment and water pipes, which often causes damage to the system. Some people also prefer lime-free drinking water because of the taste.

Another important class of filters is the sediment filters. In most cases, the sediment filter is the very first filter stage that passes through the water, as it removes coarse contaminants such as rust, sand or organic contaminants.

For reverse osmosis system, there is a high-performance membrane which is the heart of the system. This membrane not only filters out the smallest impurities such as suspended matter from the water but also removes pollutants such as pharmaceutical residues, pesticides, chlorine and interfering flavours and odours from the water. 

Post-mineralization filters are used at the end of the water purification and enrich the water with important minerals. This is especially helpful if you want to use filtered water as drinking water. 

How often you should change the filters of your system

In general, manufacturers recommend that you change the filters of your system every 6 months to ensure optimal water quality. 

The membranes, on the other hand, in most cases only have to be changed every 2 years. High-quality systems have a purge valve that cleans the membranes and filters, greatly simplifying system maintenance and reducing operating costs. 

It also increases the life of the filters, so you do not have to worry about replacing them that often.

Conclusion

Reverse osmosis systems are one of the most advanced ways to have clean water for your home. With the advancement of technology, new RO models are highly efficient. Depending on your RO model you can get more clean water than many famous brands of bottled water in the market.

With the capability of removing up to 95-99% of contaminations, it is becoming popular in Indian household. RO systems are easy to use and have a high service life if you maintain them regularly. On the downside it has an initial cost, regular maintenance cost, requires electricity to work and in some cases produces a high amount of wastewater.

With this post, we hope you got all the information about RO systems. If we missed anything then let us know by contacting us.