Unlike other types of water filtration, reverse osmosis does not require thermal energy but instead uses an incredibly high amount of pressure. For example, brackish water, which is saltier than fresh water but not as salty as seawater (think bays and estuaries), will require between 200 and 400 pressure-per-square-inch (psi) to push it through a reverse osmosis membrane and remove the salt. Remember that brackish water is less salty than seawater. For reference, the average water pressure in a suburban American home is between 40 and 45 psi.

Once the system is commissioned, the last thing anyone wants is a callback. Smart controls allow contractors to receive error codes and may allow them to adjust the controls remotely.

For hard surfaces like concrete, asphalt and paving stone assemblies, the need to avoid thermal shock precludes manual control. Semi-automatic systems maintain a certain amount of heat in the slab in idle mode. Human intervention is required to engage the melting cycle. If no one is home to “push the button” then you will find the driveway full of snow.

Reverse osmosis water filtration is undeniably one of the most effective forms of water filtration available today, but it was designed for providing fresh water in areas where safe water is scarce and for desalinating ocean water to make it drinkable. On a smaller, residential scale, reverse osmosis is likely unnecessary in most scenarios, especially because municipal water is safe to drink in most of Europe and North America straight out of the tap or with minimal filtration.

Because of the microscopic pores on the semi-permeable membrane filter, reverse osmosis can not only remove the obvious, visual contaminants such as sediment and larger organic material, but it can also even remove dissolved substances from within the water. Because of how effective this water filtration treatment is, reverse osmosis will even remove beneficial minerals present in water, meaning many reverse osmosis systems will run the water back across mineral beds to add those positive minerals back into the water.

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Sami Allen is an editor with a decade of experience in editorial and who is currently the managing editor at Forbes Home. She got her start in lifestyle writing and editing at Oprah Magazine and more recently sharpened her home repair and design skills at websites like The Spruce and HomeAdvisor.

With nearly two million Americans living without basic access to safe drinking water and another 40% of Americans further filtering tap water at home, water filtration systems have become an important part of many U.S. households.

Commercially, snowmelt systems are a popular method of snow removal, especially when trying to avoid lawsuits. In residential applications, they are increasing in popularity.

As well, contractors need to do the math, stresses Breault. This includes a heat loss calculation to help determine supply fluid temperature, preliminary flow and pressure loss. As noted above, there are big differences from region to region.

Finally, reverse osmosis filtration systems are expensive. For homeowners, these systems have to be fully retrofitted into houses and while it is possible to do it yourself, it can be a difficult and complex process. Once a reverse osmosis system is up and running it can also be costly to properly maintain and may require professional maintenance to properly ensure safety and effectiveness.

While reverse osmosis filtration is certainly one of the most effective forms of water filtration available, it may not be the best choice for homeowners, especially in Europe and North America where most tap water is potable (drinkable according to WHO, EU and EPA standards) and of a very high quality.

These systems are much more affordable and can be installed by nearly anyone. They also don’t waste as much (if any) water and still allow the water to retain healthy minerals.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that snowmelt system operation can be expensive. This means that contractors need to educate homeowners. Some homeowners may turn the system off and never turn it on again after the initial heating bill, warns Vieira.

A glycol mixture, separated from the boiler loop by a heat exchanger, is heated and circulated through the tubing which in turn warms the slab.

There are three ways a snowmelt system can be managed: manually, semi-automatic and fully automatic. A manual system fully depends on human intervention to turn it on and off. This is rare and advisable only when the surface to heat is dirt or gravel, said Jean-Claude Remy, business development manager and trainer at Uponor Canada, Mississauga, Ont.

The benefit is that if you already had to slab pre-heated, so when the snow does fall it melts quicker, said Mike Miller, director of sales, commercial building services, Taco Canada, Mississauga, Ont. Sensor location is critical. Contractors need to consider vehicle traffic and parking or else “you are going to have a car sitting right on top of the snowmelt sensor,” explains Kevin Vieira, director of sales and marketing at HBX Control Systems, Calgary.

Though a massive number of cities and towns already use reverse osmosis systems for municipal water and in most places in the U.S. tap water is safe to drink, many homeowners seek additional water purification to make sure the water they drink is safe. Some of the benefits of a reverse osmosis water filtration system include:

The quality of water in bottled water has been put into question in the last few years because while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) strictly regulates and supervises the quality of tap water, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has much lighter restrictions on bottled water.

Temperature control of the fluid is critical; too low and the snow won’t melt, but too high and the slab will be damaged by thermal shock if the difference in temperature between the glycol mix and the slab is too great.

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Hydronic heating contractors have the opportunity to expand their business with snowmelt systems. At the end of the day, it can be cheaper and less hassle for many customers than paying someone to scrape off the driveway.

Pet owners who raise fish and/or coral in home aquariums may want to invest in reverse osmosis systems to only give aquatic pets the purest water, free of human contaminants or added minerals.

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There are three different classes of snowmelt systems: levels one, two, and three. Each level the Btu’s needed for proper system operation. For example, level one is usually a residential or warmer climate application requiring between 125 and 150 Btu’s per sq. ft. per hour. Installations in the Niagara Valley in Ontario or Okanagan Valley in B.C. are typically within this level.

While the ultra-purified reverse osmosis water may be more than necessary for households already provided with clean tap water, certain water uses may benefit from water filtered through reverse osmosis. For example, chefs have noticed water filtered with reverse osmosis make cooking taste better since it lacks the presence of minerals, including municipally-added fluoride.

The glycol should be checked on a regular basis because glycol will deteriorate over time. If the glycol goes bad, this could cause the pipes to freeze or allow microbial growth in the pipes. This is where your water is going to start getting an odour or you may see black spots in the pipes, noted Michael Breault, senior technical instructor/senior instructional designer at Watts Water Canada.

These systems are usually compromised of PEX tubing, manifolds, a heat source – such as a boiler (non-condensing or condensing), controls, heat exchanger, insulation and mixing device (either variable speed injection or modulating valve).

Level two occurs in colder climates or larger residential applications. More demanding applications will range between 160 and 190 BTUs per sq. ft. per hour. Places like Calgary and Quebec City will commonly be found within the level two range.

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Contractors need to gauge customer expectations. Sometimes only a flamethrower will do what they have in mind, warns Remy. “You’re going to sit down and have a conversation where you ask questions and talk 20 per cent of the time and listen 80 per cent of the time.” Don’t assume that you know what the customer is thinking.

Reverse osmosis is one of the most effective forms of water filtration because unlike chemical or carbon filtration systems, which use certain materials to attract or directly target the contaminants in the water, reverse osmosis works by pushing water through a microscopically small filter material.

When laying down the piping it is best to lay it down alternatively hot and cold, using a double serpentine, reverse-return or double spiral model. This will evenly distribute the heat; otherwise, only certain areas will melt and a “candy cane” scraping type effect can occur, said Breault.

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“Homeowners that want snowmelt systems, want it to work and not cost them unnecessarily. Give your customers all their current options for system control and let them know how to use it. It will save you call-back time and keep them happy with their system,” suggested Vince Baggetta of Next Plumbing and Hydronics Supply, Toronto.

Helium is often used to find leaks. The system is drained and filled with helium. “We then take a helium detector and we can pinpoint the leak within one foot because helium molecules are the smallest molecule and will go through concrete,” said Genzer.

Normally, osmosis is the process by which molecules will pass through a membrane from a weaker-concentrated solution into a stronger-concentrated solution until both solutions are of the same concentration. Reverse osmosis is still the same fundamental osmosis process, it simply involves adding higher pressure to move the water molecules out of the stronger solution (the contaminated water) and into the weaker solution (the pure water).

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Instead, homeowners with potable tap water should consider simpler, more efficient filtration systems designed to improve taste and remove the risk of contaminants that may still be present in the tap water. One of the best choices for homeowners are activated carbon filters which trap contaminants in the activated carbon as the water passes through.

To ensure that the pipes don’t freeze, the heating fluid is a glycol mixture. “How much glycol solution is needed depends on how cold it gets outside,” explains Miller. “In a place like Alberta where you get down to -40C outside, the glycol solution could be as high as 50 per cent. In other places like south-western Ontario, you may get away with 25 to 30 per cent.”

Snowmelt systems can be installed with various slab materials including but not limited to asphalt, concrete and sand bed.

One of the biggest disadvantages to reverse osmosis water systems is wasted water. Studies show various reverse osmosis systems can waste between 3 and 20 times as much water as they produce. This is both wasteful on an environmental scale and for homeowners whose water bills might be significantly higher than they otherwise would be.

With higher installation and maintenance costs and significantly more water waste, reverse osmosis filtration systems are best saved for those who do not have access to any fresh water, or who require extremely purified water for specific uses.

A fully automatic system will always maintain the slab at a “ready” position and start the melting cycle when required. Sensors in the slab detect when there is snow falling and slowly ramp up the snowmelt system. It can take time before the snow begins to melt.

The other key factor is drainage. The snowmelt water has to go somewhere to avoid a skating rink at the end of the driveway. “You are going to have the kids all playing hockey down there,” remarked Barry Cunningham, general manager at Triangle Supply, Red Deer, Alberta.

The microscopic nature of a reverse osmosis filter membrane can filter out not only the larger contaminants most water filtration systems catch, but it can actually remove dissolved substances and minerals from within the water. This is because the membrane essentially strips the water down to basic molecules as it passes through.

Are you thinking about buying a reverse osmosis filtration system but you’re not sure how they work? Do you wonder what reverse osmosis even is, or are you concerned about drinking reverse osmosis water? Has it been a long time since ninth-grade biology when you last heard the word ‘osmosis’ and you don’t remember what that means, much less what the reverse might entail?

As technology evolves, there are more opportunities for innovation. “I think a lot of systems will get away from in-slab sensor technology and just connect your system to the internet, which will run your system based on a forecast,” noted Vieira. In fact, that technology is already on the market, he added.

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Chauncey grew up on a farm in rural northern California. At 18 he ran away and saw the world with a backpack and a credit card, discovering that the true value of any point or mile is the experience it facilitates. He remains most at home on a tractor, but has learned that opportunity is where he finds it and discomfort is more interesting than complacency.

This semi-permeable membrane has a pore size of around 0.0001 microns, effectively only allowing the small water molecules through and catching any larger molecules of contaminants, organic materials or even salt. Originally designed to desalinate seawater and reduce high chemical contaminant material such as heavy metals, reverse osmosis is now in use in many government, commercial, military and even residential applications.

While few deny reverse osmosis filtration is one of the safest and most effective forms of water filtration available, it does come with many disadvantages. First and foremost, while reverse osmosis systems may be effective on a municipal, commercial or military level (Navy ships use reverse osmosis to desalinate water for sailors), these systems have high costs and use a much higher volume of water. Especially since most U.S. cities have some of the cleanest tap water in the world, these systems may be unnecessarily wasteful.

Unlike other forms of water filtration, reverse osmosis is considered one of the most all-around effective ways of eliminating water contaminants. Even residential-grade reverse osmosis filters can remove up to 99% of lead, asbestos and 82 other additional contaminants. Reverse osmosis systems have ended boil water advisories in communities across the world by safely treating the drinking water where traditional water filtration systems did not work.

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There are two different basic types of snowmelt systems: hydronic and electric. For the point of this article, the focus will specifically be on hydronics.

Additionally, by removing these minerals, the pH of the treated water decreases, making it more acidic. While this acidity is not significant enough to affect humans, the lower pH water is much more corrosive for plumbing systems and can strip lead and copper from pipes, adding those toxic metals into the water.

If asphalt is the material for the slab, the piping needs to be protected during paving. “Sometimes with asphalt, you have to run cold water through the system while they’re paving it and that’s just to keep the pipes from overheating when they put down hot asphalt,” explains Genzer.

For communities for which the only other option for drinking water comes from disposable plastic bottles, reverse osmosis may be a safer and more environmentally friendly option. Though reverse osmosis wastes a lot of water (see disadvantages below), piling plastic water bottles up in landfills and polluting during the production of plastic may not be any better.

Snowmelt tubing sizes vary from ½ to one-inch diameter depending on the installation. Pipe size affects loop lengths. Typically, they are kept as short as possible. A 3/4-inch pipe can see loop lengths around 300 ft., 5/8-inch will see should be between 200 and 250. “The bigger the pipe, the longer we can go with our loops,” remarked Alex Genzer, co-owner of The Boiler Guys, a Toronto based contractor.

Snow is inevitable in Canada – whether you live in St. John’s, Nfld., Kamloops, B.C., Windsor, Ont., or Moose Jaw, Sask. There a few options on how to remove it once it’s here.

Level three covers the most demanding heating needs. Critical areas that must be heated at all times like emergency entrances to hospitals, fire stations and helicopter pads fall within this category. In this class, between 200 and 220 BTUs per sq. ft. per hour is required.

Another disadvantage of reverse osmosis water filtration is that the effectiveness with which these systems filter water does not stop at only the bad contaminants. Reverse osmosis will also remove healthy minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and other bicarbonates, as well as municipally-added fluoride which is good for teeth.

We’ve broken down exactly what reverse osmosis filtration is and the pros and cons of reverse osmosis water filtration so you can decide if a reverse osmosis system is right for your home without going back to high school science class. (You’re welcome).