RO vs Filtered Water: Pros and Cons to Help You Decide

RO vs Filtered Water

Okay, so I’ve been meaning to figure out the whole “RO water versus filtered water” thing for a while now. My tap water tastes kinda funky, and I’m tired of buying bottled water. It’s expensive and all those plastic bottles? Not cool.

So, I started digging around. First, I just tried a simple Brita filter pitcher. You know, the kind you fill up and stick in the fridge.

The Brita Experiment(RO vs Filtered Water)

• Setup: Super easy. Just rinsed the filter, popped it in, and filled the pitcher.
• Taste Test: Definitely better than straight tap water! The chlorine taste was way down.
• Downside: I felt like I was constantly refilling the thing. And I was still a little unsure about what exactly it was removing.

The Brita was an improvement, but I wanted to see if I could do better. That’s when I started looking into Reverse Osmosis (RO) water systems.

Going Down the RO Rabbit Hole(RO water systems )

RO water systems seemed way more intense. Like, actual plumbing involved! I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and, honestly, felt a little overwhelmed. But the idea of super-pure water was tempting.

I ended up getting a basic under-sink RO water system. It wasn’t the fanciest one, but it had good reviews.

The RO Installation (and Mishaps)

• Prep Work: I cleared out everything under my sink. Made a huge mess, naturally.
• Following Instructions: The instructions were…okay. Lots of little parts and tubes. I definitely double-checked everything a few times.
• The Leak: Yeah, I had a small leak at one of the connections. My fault, I hadn’t tightened it enough. Fixed that, and thankfully, no more drips!
• First Glass: After flushing the system (running water through it for a while), I finally poured myself a glass.

RO vs. Filtered: The Verdict (So Far)

The RO water is noticeably…different. It’s hard to describe, but it just tastes cleaner. Almost like there’s nothing in it at all. The Brita-filtered water was good, but the RO water is on another level.

Is it worth the hassle? For me, yeah, I think so. I drink a lot of water, and knowing it’s super clean gives me peace of mind. Plus, I’m hoping it’ll save me money in the long run compared to buying bottled water.

I’m still gonna keep the Brita pitcher around for when I have guests over, or if I just need a quick glass. But for my everyday drinking water, I’m Team RO all the way.