RO System Frequently Asked Questions

We recommend that you purchase Olympia replacement filters for your system from us as they are high quality, 100% compatible filters that have been tested specifically with the Olympia systems. The Olympia RO systems are manufactured to fit 10” standard filters (Stages 1-3), so other filter brands may be used with the system. Please note that with other brand filters, you may experience different results in regards to filter quality, performance and longevity.

TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids. TDS are inorganic salts and small amounts of organic matter dissolved in water (primarily calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chlorides and sulfates).

Yes, both the OROS-50 and OROS-80 systems have been evaluated and determined to possess weighted average lead content of <=0.25% and complies with lead content requirements for “lead free” plumbing as defined by California, Vermont, Maryland, and Louisiana state laws and the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act.

NSF International is a global independent organization that writes standards and protocols, and tests and certifies products for the food, water and consumer goods industries to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment. NSF operates in over 165 countries. Founded in 1944, NSF is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Center on Food Safety, Water Quality and Indoor Environment. To receive certification, Olympia Water Systems submitted product samples to NSF that underwent rigorous testing to recognized standards, and agreed to unannounced manufacturing facility audits and periodic retesting to verify continued conformance to the standards. Find us in the NSF water listings by visiting https://www.nsf.org/certified-products-systems.

Regardless of the gallons per day rating, the actual number of gallons per day produced by the system can change based on the input water temperature and pressure. When selecting which system would be best for you, think about the gallons per day rating more in the terms of the speed in which the tank can be filled. The higher the GPD rating, the faster the tank can be filled.

Keep in mind that as soon as you turn off the system faucet after use, the system will begin to filter more water to fill the tank and water will continue to be available as the tank fills. For example, if your household will go through a 5 gallon water bottle every few hours, you may want to consider a higher GPD rated system.

Our reverse osmosis systems can easily be connected to a refrigerator and ice maker as an additional dispensing location with our fridge/ice maker connection kit (sold separately). Once your reverse osmosis system is connected to your fridge, the small existing interior refrigerator filters are no longer needed. Some refrigerators include a filter by-pass plug that must be installed in place of the interior fridge filter.

The Olympia label on the RO membrane housing (the larger horizontal canister on the top of the system bracket) will indicate which system you have installed. This label will have "Reverse Osmosis System with 50GPD Membrane" or "Reverse Osmosis System with 80GPD Membrane" and will have "OROS-50" or "OROS-80" indicated at the top right corner. You can also check the Flow Restrictor (the white plastic cylinder that connects the black drain tubing to the system), it will have a green sticker with either "300" or "400". "300" indicates the OROS-50 and "400" indicates OROS-80.

Our reverse osmosis systems cannot be used as a whole house filtration system. Our systems can be connected to feed multiple outlets (system faucet, fridge, ice-maker, fish tank) however the flow rate is designed mainly for drinking and cooking purposes. Whole house filtration systems are installed at the main water line to the house and allow for a much higher water flow rate so they can be used for all the faucets in the house as well as bathrooms/laundry.

The most common in-home water filters are single-stage carbon filter pitchers or faucet/fridge filters. These single stage carbon filters usually only remove chlorine (taste & odor) from the source water. A reverse osmosis system has multiple stages of filtration (Olympia RO systems have 5 stages of filtration), including carbon filters, but also remove other sediment and impurities from the water.

The ratio of drain water to reverse osmosis (RO) water for our systems is 4:1. Similar to other home appliances that use water, such as washing machines, toilets and dishwashers, a RO system uses water to clean away impurities while it is filtering water. It is true that the RO system does use more water than it produces, however it only uses water while it is filling the storage tank. Once the storage tank is full, the RO system turns off and does not use any water.

A water softener will not negatively impact the RO system. Since the water softener is removing/reducing the magnesium and calcium that make the water hard, the RO membrane in the system does not have to remove these minerals along with the other impurities from the water.