By Sheila Anthony

Beginning in 2014, Flint, Michigan, became the epicenter of drinking water contamination. It threw a spotlight on something most of us take for granted: the safety of the water that’s streaming out of our taps and into our homes.

And Flint isn’t alone. In its 2021 Infrastructure Report Card, the American Society for Civil Engineers gave the U.S.’s drinking water infrastructure a lackluster C minus.

What does all this have to do with reverse osmosis? It’s the filtration process that blocks the contaminants that negatively impact health, including arsenic, lead, copper, nitrates, nitrites, sulfates, fluoride, pharmaceuticals, as well as cysts, E. coli and other microorganisms. And that’s just the beginning of the list.

Famously, reverse osmosis removes total dissolved solids (TDS). These are particulates that are so small, other filters are incapable of blocking them.

And TDS like calcium result in the familiar white crust or scale that accumulates on water faucets, showerheads, and at the bottom of water heaters. High levels can wreak havoc on plumbing, appliances, and fixtures.

How is reverse osmosis filtration different from other types of filtration?

Incoming water that’s been pre-filtered by the Stage-1 Sediment and Stage-2 Pre Carbon filters now enters the Stage-3 Reverse Osmosis Membrane, which consists of a bundle of filaments that are perforated with 0.0001-micron pores. A micron is one one-millionth of a meter. That’s mighty small.

As a comparison, the average pore diameter of human skin is 250 to 500 microns.

Unlike other types of filtration reverse osmosis requires a minimum level of water pressure. The water to be filtered has to be “reversed” out of its naturally occurring state of osmosis and squeezed through the porous membrane. The Brio Stage-3 Reverse Osmosis Membrane has a suggested psi (pounds per square inch) of 30 to 100.

Water is pushed through the filaments where it’s meticulously filtered by the pores. It then flows to the center of the housing, and up and out of the cartridge and onto the final polishing phase of filtration.

Because the Stage-1 Sediment and Stage-2 Pre Carbon filters remove so many of the larger particulates, the high-grade Stage-3 Reverse Osmosis Membrane only needs to be replaced every 6 to 12 months, depending on the quality of the source water and frequency of use.

And with the Brio Reverse Osmosis Membrane, you'll enjoy up to 75 gallons a day of filtered water, so there's no waiting for healthy hydration.

Raise a glass of refreshingly pure water to reverse osmosis!