Black & White Series
Reverse Osmosis System

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Our Black & White Series Reverse Osmosis units have been sold and installed in the Denton area since the early 1990s and have been shipped to our out-of-town customers since the mid-1990s. We've continued to simplify our basic design even more, so that our standard undersink Black & White unit is the most easily installed standard reverse osmosis unit available anywhere. Our out-of-town unit now uses quick-connect fittings for all connections made by the installer. Instructions are short and precise. Phone support for installation and start-up assistance is free.

Reverse Osmosis is our main product. We consider it to be the most complete and effective drinking water treatment for the home. (For overall performance, see related article.) Reverse Osmosis, usually called RO, provides very high quality water in a convenient delivery system and does so at a reasonable initial cost and with only moderate upkeep.

A typical home reverse osmosis unit uses activated carbon filtration to remove chemicals and bad tastes and odors plus a very tight semi-permeable membrane to reduce “dissolved solids” like sodium as well as heavy metal contaminants like lead, aluminum and arsenic. Unlike most standard water filters, RO units also remove fluoride and nitrates. RO units are designed to process water that is potable—safe to drink and not contaminated with bacteria. Although the membrane is much too tight for bacteria to pass through, RO manufacturers do not guarantee that their systems will purify non-potable water because they depend on O-ring seals that may not be perfect. That's why, if absolute purity is desired, adding an ultra-violet lamp or a high quality ceramic filter is recommended.

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Here's the deal

We've got a very simple deal on reverse osmosis. The price is $368. Locally, that includes installation, connection to your refrigerator if feasible, and even a free move if you get kicked out of your apartment. Outside our installation area, we pay shipping and include an electronic dissolved solids tester to allow you to check the system's membrane function. (RO membranes should be replaced according to performance, not time. As long as it works, you don't replace it.) For both locals and out-of-towners, we've got lots of extras that you can have for the regular $368 price.

Our standard Black & White reverse osmosis unit is a three-stage system built with tough, standard-sized parts—the best we can find in every category.

It uses the ultra-reliable Payne control system that shuts the unit off when the storage tank is full, tough, heavy-duty filter vessels and Pentek membrane housing. It's built on a strong steel frame. It is made with ultra-strong John Guest tubing joined together with quick connect fittings for leak-free performance and ease of installation.

The two standard filter cartridges are both MatriKX extruded carbon blocks (much better than RO filters have to be), and the standard membrane is a reliable, effective Filmtec-made 24-gallon-per-day thinfilm. Other standard features include a Tomlinson Pro-Flo ledge faucet, with preinstalled tubing, and a top-quality NSF certified metal storage tank with stainless steel fittings. All parts on the Black & White standard RO unit are the best available.

The entire unit is guaranteed for two years from date of purchase. The warranty excludes only the expendable carbon filter cartridges, which should be replaced annually, and the RO membrane, which is replaced on need. (Need is determined by the total dissolved solids (TDS) tester included with the unit.)

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The three “stages” that the water is processed through are:

• 1. A MatriKX CTO (“workhorse grade”) carbon block filter. This filter's function is to remove chlorine and other chemicals as well as any sediment that's in the water. It preconditions the water and protects the RO membrane which follows.

• 2. RO membrane. This is an extremely tight sheet of a specially prepared filtering film that water is forced through under pressure. Dissolved solids are left behind and washed to drain. The membrane typically “rejects” about 95% of dissolved solids like sodium and fluoride. This produces water that is virtually mineral-free and has an exceptionally clean taste. After passing through the membrane, the processed water is stored in a pressurized storage tank. (For more detail's see the list of contaminants and typical membrane performance.)

• 3. A MatriKX KX+1 carbon block. This exceptionally fine filter gives the water a final polish, removing any tastes and odors it might have picked up in the storage tank plus any chemicals that could have survived the two previous stages. The MatriKX +5 coconut shell carbon block is a popular substitute.

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“But Sam's Discount Store Has a 5-stage Unit. That Must Be Better...”

Actually, 5-stage systems aren't any better than three, unless there's a reason for the extra stages. Mass merchandisers build big systems with extra stages for several reasons. They're building for a national market, so they throw in a little something for everyone. For example, a pre-sediment filter is necessary if the unit is to process well water that has sand in it, but for most city water customers the sediment filter is just a bother and an added expense to replace. The store-clerks who sell the systems usually don't know much about them, so the manufacturer builds something that looks impressive to the buyer. Bigger is assumed to be better, and five-stages must be better than three or four. The result is a unit that has to be serviced often (cheap cartridges don't last long), is hard to service (you have four cartridges to replace rather than two), and has a lot more things that can go wrong.

What we prefer is talk to each customer who buys one of our Black & Whites to determine exactly what you need and want. Then we build the unit accordingly. We start with our basic three-stage system. Then we add anything else you might need. Cartridges can be added or substituted as you wish without changing the basic unit price.

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The following options are free. They do not add to the price:

1. Increased Production. The 24-gallon-per-day system almost always makes a lot more water than people need. But if you want more, we'll build a 36-gallon or 50-gallon system or even larger at no extra charge. (No disadvantages to the bigger system except that smaller membranes usually last longer than high production models and the TDS reduction performance is a bit better.)

2. Filter Substitutions. If you have special requests for filter cartridges, we'll substitute whatever we have in stock at no additional charge. For example, if you have iron in your water, we'll give you a KDF-based prefilter or perhaps a Filox to protect the RO membrane from iron. Or, if you want all coconut shell carbon filters, we'll supply them. We have specialty cartridges that remove bacteria, deal with chloramines, or increase the pH of water leaving the RO unit--lots of choices for special needs.

3. Miniturization. If you have a really small space to work with, we can make compact units that fit the space you have. We'll also provide a scaled-down storage tank if the regular one won't fit your space. (Smaller tanks cost us more than standard-sized tanks.)

4. Plumbing Extras. If you need a tee to hook your refrigerator to the RO unit, just tell us and we'll supply it. We also have a great John Guest refrigerator connector that lets you hook to the back of your refrigerator without so much as a wrench. We'll also throw in inline valves, extra tubing, etc. If you'll describe your installation, we'll include everything you need.

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Here are some Add-ons that you have to pay extra for:

1. A ceramic post filter. If you want to assure that your water is absolutely bacteria free, we'll add a Doulton Sterasyl cartridge after the last carbon filter. It's a 99.999% bacteria remover. You'll never have to replace it. But, like everything else, it has disadvantages. It's so tight it will cut the pressure of the water you get from the faucet some, and you'll have to clean it once a year. (Not a hard job, but sometimes messy.) Please note that if you want a ceramic added as one of the regular filters of the RO unit, there's no charge. The AddOn unit below is in addition to the regular RO unit.

Part #	Description	Price
ao300	Ceramic Addon — Parts (Vessel & Fittings, cartridge not included)	$28
fc700	Ceramic Addon — Sterasyl Filter Cartridge	$36

2. UV Lamp. If you prefer ultra-violet treated water, we'll add a Pura UV lamp as the final stage. The purpose—the only purpose—of ultraviolet treatment is to assure that the water you drink is absolutely bacteria-free. In addition to the high quality Pura unit below, we have a less expensive UV system that simply clips to the top of the membrane housing. It isn't on the website, but ask and we'll tell you about it.

Part #	Description	Price
uv002	Pura UV Add-On option	$197

3. Aquatec 6800 Pump. If you don't have enough water pressure to run the unit, we'll equip it with an Aquatec RO pump that will run it royally on any inlet pressure. This is an electric pump, so you'll need a source of 110 volt electricity at your place of installation. This option can be added to RO001 and RO002, below. It is not for use with our permeate pump models. And if you choose a unit with a membrane of larger than 50 gallons per day production, you'll need the Aquatec 8800 pump, described on the page below:

Go here for pump picture and information.

Part #	Description	Price
rp003	Aquatec 6800 Booster Pump — RO Add-On	$138

4. Permeate Pump. This is a special non-electric pump that gets its power from the RO unit's brine (drain water). It's a great performance enhancer. It's especially valuable if you have low inlet pressure. No matter what your water pressure, it puts a lot more water in your storage tank and improves efficiency in many ways. Although the permeate pump can be added to an existing RO unit, it's much easier to buy the unit with the pump installed. (The Aquatec electric pump above can be easily added to existing RO units—ours or anyone else's.) You won't need a source of electricity for this pump.
Go here for pump picture and more information.

Part #	Description	Price
rp100	Aquatec Permeate Pump	$68

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