NHS White Paper

and water treatment systems provide certain benefits in improving water clarity and reducing water hardness, neither effectively solves both food and beverage consistency issues and scale and mineralization problems. Only reverse osmosis (RO) systems can effectively remove particles, chemicals, and contaminants, thereby eliminating local variances in water taste, look, and smell and significantly reducing scaling-related maintenance and service issues.

Although RO systems provide the most effective water purification process, in the past the accompanying high price and expensive maintenance placed these systems "outside the spec" for many cost-conscious restaurant planners/owners.

A new type of RO system presents a cost-effective solution for restaurants. With installation costs one-third to one-fifth the cost of typical high-pressure RO systems and significant maintenance reduction for all associated equipment, the new RO system may be the solution to balance cost, maintenance, and water quality needs of restaurants. This white paper will discuss PureOFlow™, an emerging technology in reverse osmosis systems that makes the benefits of RO technology affordable for restaurant applications and provides additional, significant cost saving benefits.

removes larger suspended solids, such as silt, sand, and dirt, from water. These filtration systems are maintenance intensive, requiring filter replacement up to  twelve times per year. Sediment filtration removes particles larger than 0.5 microns. Unfortunately, most of the contaminants found in water that adversely affect the taste of foods and beverages and reduce the life and efficiency of appliances are significantly smaller than 0.5 microns – typically 1,000 times smaller. For more information on particle removal capabilities of available water process technologies, please see Appendix A, Filtration Spectrum.

removes chlorine, along with some sediment and organics along with small amounts of some metals, but does not remove minerals or other chemicals. These systems also require repetitive maintenance with filter replacement needed up to six times per year.

add chemicals to water to reduce scaling potential. As with sediment and carbon systems, these systems also require attentive maintenance to be effective.  Filter replacement is required up to 4 times per year.

use ion exchange to remove calcium carbonate/magnesium carbonate (hardness), and replace it with sodium or potassium chloride. Because these systems add an average of 9,125 lbs. of salt per unit per year to the local water supply and discharge chlorine during their regeneration process, they are banned in certain regions in the United States due to environmental risks. In addition to environmental concerns, many restaurants have operating costs concerns because an average system will require over $900 per year for salt in addition to regular system maintenance.

is a reverse osmosis purification system which removes particles, minerals, chemicals, and other contaminants from tap water, resulting in purified water with exceptional clarity, bottled water taste, and zero smell. A distinct advantage of purification versus filtration or chemical treatment is a reduction or elimination of scale build up, which dramatically extends the life of water heaters, ice-makers, dishwashers, steamers, humidifiers, coffee makers, and cooling systems.

PureOFlow™'s reverse osmosis water increases water heating equipment efficiency up to 30%¹ and offers an 85% reduction in evaporative cooler maintenance and a 95% reduction in steamer cleaning.² One PureOFlow™ system can purify water for multiple ice machines, thereby  eliminating the need for individual filters and reducing yearly filter maintenance and descaling by 31%.³ PureOFlow™ not only takes the place of sediment, carbon, and phosphate filters, but also eliminates the need for chemical water treatment by removing up to 98% of all sodium, calcium, magnesium, and iron from water, saving restaurants an average of $77 per month on salt alone.

In contrast to high pressure reverse osmosis systems, PureOFlow™ combines cost effective installation and operation with the benefits of purified water. PureOFlow™ systems can be installed for one-third to one-fifth of the cost of high-pressure RO systems, which typically cost $15,000 to $25,000 to install. Maintenance costs are also reduced for the PureOFlow™ system and other equipment connected to the system – e.g. ice machines, drink machines, dishwashers,  evaporative coolers, steamers, water heaters, etc.

This section provides an explanation of how the PureOFlow™ system works and outlines its four main applications. Finally, maintenance costs for the PureOFlow™ system and the resulting  savings for associated equipment is detailed in a cost savings chart.

by the Water Quality Association (WQA), PureOFlow™ is a line pressure reverse osmosis system, which uses patented GE Water and Process Technologies to provide the most effective water filtration process available for commercial applications. Incoming water flows through PureOFlow™'s four-stage purification process, which uses Carbon/KDF™ Prefiltration, meltblown 25-50 micron sediment filtration, multiple custom designed reverse osmosis membrane elements (GE patented technology), an ozone generator, and multiple location delivery pump to deliver the highest quality water with exceptional taste, zero smell, and absolute clarity.

PureOFlow™ reduces or eliminates harmful chemicals and substances such as arsenic, barium, chlorine, cadmium, chromium (Hexavalent), chromium (Trivalent), copper, fluoride, lead, nitrate/nitrite, selenium, radium 226/228 and TDS—improving water quality and taste while reducing scale and build-up on appliances, plumbing, HVAC equipment, and evaporative coolers.⁵ For a comparison of substance removal between PureOFlow™ and other water treatment options, see the following Table 1.2, Water Treatment Options: Substance Removal Comparison.

¹30% average based on calculations of water heater efficiency affected by sediment and mineral build-up in water heater applications using non-RO purified water.

²Based on a survey of restaurant owners comparing cleaning and maintenance before and after PureOFlow™ Reverse Osmosis System installation and use.

³Ice-maker maintenance reduced from 3 hrs at $75/hr with de-scaling and sanitizing ($550 per year) to 1 hr plus sanitizer ($170 per year) after installation of the PureOFlow™ RO System. Service rates based on three different service companies average service tickets on moderately hard water. Data collected from service performed at the Orleans Casino, Las Vegas, NV, from July through October of 2007.

⁴Percentage based on case study of Las Vegas, NV, convenience store chain using the PureOFlow™ RO system with their beverage dispensers. Study shows a per store savings of over $200/month on beverage syrups. The case study was initiated in 2005 and conducted through June of 2007.

⁵In particular, the RO Component of the PureOFlow™ System has been tested according to NSF/ANSI 58 for reduction of the substances listed above. The concentration of the indicated substances in water entering the system was reduced to a concentration less than or equal to the permissible limit for water leaving the system, as specified in NSF/ANSI 58.