sajohnson
Newly Enlightened
I will have to add to my statement. The Japanese make this claim. Due to the removal of all minerals, both good and bad, commercial RO plant water is referred to as dead water (also known as neutral water). It produces water that is neither hazardous nor beneficial as a result. May 3, 2023 I use Real Salt or Pink Salt 1/4 teaspoon per gallon. This is done for the trace minerals beneficial to humans. Many sources claim you should use more. I err on the side of less salt.
On a related note, in my experience, RO is so pure it strips the saliva from your mouth. It is not refreshing. You end up with dry mouth and drinking more doesn't help. Maybe that's not always the case?
I spoke with a tech at Omni Filter about that, and he confirmed that it can be a problem -- he said they periodically test their various filtration systems and none of the employees like the water from Omni's RO system.
There are some very good carbon filters on the market. Except for unusual situations, they are more than adequate.
We use the Pentek P-250A set which is dual standard size filters that go in housings under the sink. They are relatively inexpensive and have very good NSF ratings, but there are probably even better systems on the market. See NSF ratings here:
Listing Category Search Page | NSF International
info.nsf.org
NSF 53 is the "health effects" testing.
CR tests all styles of water filters as well. Some pitchers and faucet mounted filters do surprisingly well.