As the problem of water scarcity and water quality continues to plague the world, more and more people are turning to reverse osmosis systems (RO) for help. Whether used for sea water desalination or treatment of municipal or end-user well water, RO systems play a vital role in helping solve the world’s water problems. While RO systems are a solution to a much bigger problem, they do have their drawbacks.
Consumers have become increasingly conscious about the quality of their water and the amount they consume. Contaminates in water, and water conservation, are ever present in conversations about plumbing systems and how we use our water. From these conversations, the demand for better water quality has resulted in the installation of residential water treatment systems. Simultaneously, concerted actions tasked with improving system designs are addressing water scarcity issues.
RO systems help eliminate a wide spectrum of harmful contaminates from water. However, historically, ROs have shown to be one of the least efficient water treatment options. It is not uncommon for an RO device to have a less than 20 percent return on water, especially for end users. The reason is that in order to function properly, these RO systems need a certain amount of “rinse water,” which is typically sent to the drain. Larger commercial systems are able to process the water with over 50 percent efficiency. Often, these larger systems achieve their higher rate of return by recirculating water through the membrane in order to extract additional water. Unfortunately, these higher efficiency systems have generally not been available for residential units. This is where ASSE 1086, Performance Requirements for Reverse Osmosis Water Efficiency – Drinking Water, fits in. The spirit of ASSE 1086 is to aid water conservation efforts by providing manufacturers with an efficiency target for their RO system designs.
To be certified and listed to ASSE 1086, an RO system must meet all the requirements of NSF/ANSI 58: Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Treatment Systems, which focuses on the reduction of chemicals by a reverse osmosis system. Next, the system must meet a minimum efficiency of 40 percent return on water. Finally, the RO system must show the ability to avoid premature membrane plugging often associated with higher efficiency systems.
Below is a summary of the test requirements for a system to be compliant with ASSE 1086:
- The percent Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) reduction must be at least 75 percent each day.
- The system recovery must be, on average, a minimum of 40 percent efficient, determined over 20 days. At no time may the efficiency be less than 30 percent.
- The flow rate must not decrease by more than 50 percent of the day-one value throughout the test.
The goal of ASSE 1086 is to help higher efficiency systems be recognized so that water-conscious homeowners, jurisdictions, and plumbing system designers can easily recognize and select these products.
To have your product certified to ASSE 1086, please contact ASSE International at listingcoordinator@asse-plumbing.org. To purchase a copy of ASSE 1086, please visit the ASSE International Webstore at www.assewebstore.com/asse-standard-1086-2020.
For questions regarding the standard, contact Christopher White, ASSE Manager of Product Certification and Standards, at chris.white@asse-plumbing.org.
