Domestic Reverse Osmosis Buying Guide
Why buy from us?
We are a family owned Irish company who take great care in providing the best possible service.
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Having supplied Reverse Osmosis to domestic, industrial and commercial customers all over Ireland we are your ideal partner.
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We offer unrivalled customer service and have great knowledge on our products.
Why buy EcoSoft?
EcoSoft, part of the BWT group is one of the most popular global brands when it comes to water filtration. EcoSoft supply residential, commercial and industrial size Reverse Osmosis units.
Certification is very important in relation to water treatment and these units are all fully certified ensuring safe and reliable water.
What is Reverse Osmosis?
Reverse Osmosis (RO) leaves you with clean, contaminant free water. It is a process that removes dissolved contaminants such as dissolved salt, organics, heavy metals and other dissolved ions from water, generally grouped as TDS (Total Dissolved Solids). RO is fundamentally different to traditional filtration methods and yields much higher clearance (99.8%) of unwanted substances in your water. RO this by using a semi-permeable membrane of high quality, water is forced through gaps just larger than water molecules while contaminants are washed to drain.
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The base technology of EcoSoft units remain the same from domestic units suppling approx. 70 L/h all the way to industrial units with the ability to supply 56,000 L/h.
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Under-sink units are ideal for providing clean drinking water for the household/businesses while larger skid based systems are typically implemented in industry.
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Aside from the typical use of protecting kitchen equipment commercial customers such as hotels, restaurants also find RO units supplying coffee machines to enhance flavour noticeably and prevent machine downtime from blockages etc.
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Industrial customers know that Reverse Osmosis is the only reliable technology providing high quality water, let us be your ideal partner in finding a competitive solution for your application.
What are the Filtration Stages?
Systems vary slightly but as a general rule below are the 6 stages possible for a Water Filtration Unit based on RO.
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Stages 1-3 are typically changed together and are known as pre-filters. The purpose is protect and extend the life of the RO membrane.
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Stage 1 - 5 micron Filter. (removes silt, sand, rust, scale)
Stage 2 - Activated Carbon Filter. (removes chlorine, organic and organochlorine compounds (pesticides, dioxides, etc.).
Stage 3 - 1 micron Filter / Carbon Block Filter. (removes fine mechanical and organic impurities)
Stage 4 - Reverse Osmosis Membrane - Removes 99.8% of all impurities.
Stage 5 - Post-Carbon Cartridge - Enhances taste and odour back into the water.
Stage 6 - Mineralisation Cartridge - Adds "good" minerals back into the water.
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Note: Typically the 6th stage is the mineralisation stage however in 2023 EcoSoft updated there range to 5 stage units with mineralisation or 5 stage units without mineralisation. This means in units with mineralisation the 5th stage is a mineral filter. In stage without mineralisation the 5th stage is a post-carbon filter. With this change performance is maintained while cost is reduced.
Should I buy a unit with Mineralisation?
Note: All the EcoSoft P'URE units are mineralised units.
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Firstly it is worth noting that a standard (non-mineralising) unit can be converted to a mineralising unit at any time post-purchase.
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In doing its job the Reverse Osmosis membrane removes 'salts' out of the water and some of these are used by our bodies to function. The mineralisation filter adds these back in to the water in the required amounts.
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It is a personal decision if you would like the water re-mineralised, some people do not think it's necessary as we obtain 'salts' through many of the foods we eat and others like to have the 6th stage. We at Water Filtration Ireland use 6th stage units in our own filters at home.
Should I buy a pumped or un-pumped Unit?
The decision of pumped/un-pumped is down to your water supply pressure. See the general below guide for domestic units, there is some overlap:
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Supply Pressure between 2 and 4.5 Bar - Pumped Unit
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Supply Pressure between 3 and 6 Bar - Un-Pumped Unit
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If you are unsure simply buy a pumped unit, there is no downside, in fact units generate water at the fastest rate at the highest operational pressure.
Should I buy and EcoSoft Standard or P'URE Unit?
The EcoSoft Standard unit is an absolutely fantastic domestic unit and by far our best seller, it is supplied with all parts your need, clear instructions and it just works.
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The P'URE unit is EcoSoft's premium model with the main differences being:
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Slightly higher water generation per hour. 75 GPD (280 LPD) vs. 50 GPD (190 LPD) membrane element of the Standard unit.
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The faucet has a slightly more premium look and feel.
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Three model in the P'URE range are available:
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P'URE Balance for general mineralisation
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AquaCacium for water enriched with calcium
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Alkafuse provides highly alkaline filtered water (pH > 8.5).
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How often do the filters need changing?
Different units have different schedules, and also depends on usage so please check each model but in general:
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Pre-filters (Stages 1-3) - every 6 months. (option available to extend to 12 months)
RO Membrane (Stage 4) - 12-18 months.
Post-filters (Stages 5-6) - every 12 months.
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Will I be able to fit myself?
Our aim is to sell to the domestic market for self-installation. EcoSoft units are the most friendly on the market with clear instructions and colour coded parts. Installation videos are also available.
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Parts are supplied to account for installation in a typical Irish plumbing installation. We are on hand to provide support at any time required.
Commercial Units
General Commercial Uses:
Many commercial customer have different use cases for reverse osmosis but the most common are:
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Protection for kitchen equipment such as steamers and ovens that are supplied by water.
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Water purification for food and beverage manufacturing
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Water purification for drinking water
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EcoSoft also have a specialist unit for coffee machines which are proving very popular in both enhancing flavour and protecting coffee making equipment.
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The commercial EcoSoft product line is under the RObust range, water purification of these models go from 55 litres per hour with the RObust1500 to 180 litres per hour with the RObust 4000. These units by default can be used tankless however storage tanks can also be added for special use cases where the customer requires.
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Since there are varying models and features available for commercial units, please contact us if you have any questions.