About Clearwater Systems
Clearwater Systems stands at the forefront of Reverse Osmosis and EDI technology. To date Clearwater, continues to maintain many of their original installations dating back to 1989. Our strict adherence to proven design principles and attention to detail over and above expectations, backed by persistent care and operator education will give your system the longest life cycle in the business, often two to three times as long as others. Our ZERO DOWNTIME systems installed in several locations bring system dependability to a totally new level.
These excellent statistics are achieved by listening to and involving our client in the entire design application process. The end result is a system built to their exact specification. This customer-attention continues with ongoing formal on and offsite training provided by Clearwater Systems to both operators and managers.
At Clearwater Systems, we don't just deliver water treatment solutions, we build lasting partnerships based on trust, reliability, and a shared commitment to your success
Why we build with RO + EDI
The most reliable path to steam-purity water doesn't involve a single chemical
Reverse Osmosis removes 99.6% of dissolved solids
RO is the most economical, practical, and safe method for water purification today. It's now the global standard, because it works.
EDI continuously polishes RO output to 18 MΩ
No chemicals,
No downtime,
No intervention.
Pretreatment is where reliability is decided
The RO membrane is sensitive and high-performing. Protecting it is the single biggest factor in long-term system life, so we treat it that way
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How we protect the membrane
01
Cation softening - stop metal oxides before they coat
Metal oxides shed from water mains and settle on membranes, reducing salt rejection and permeate flux. We remove them before they reach the membrane.
02
Ultrafiltration to 0.1 µm - near-zero turbidity
Feedwater turbidity drops below 0.6 NTU, virtually eliminating the colloidal particles responsible for membrane abrasion degradation.
03
Activated carbon - oxidants and organics, eliminated
We oversize our carbon filters (minimum 7.5 min EBCT) so damaging oxidants and performance-inhibiting organics are fully removed — not reduced. Removed
04
Pure water flush + permeate divert, membranes preserved
These design features stretch membrane life well beyond industry expectations. Our 1998 Mississauga installation is still running on its original membranes.
Why RO + EDI
Producing deionized water used to mean hazardous chemicals, manual regeneration cycles, and operators on constant standby. We built our systems around Reverse Osmosis and Electrodeionization because they made all of that obsolete.
RO is now the heart of modern water purification and for good reason. Using a semi-permeable membrane, it removes up to 99.6% of total dissolved solids from feedwater. It's the most economical, practical, and safe purification method available, and it's now used more widely than every other method combined. We've built on this foundation since day one.
EDI takes it further. Where RO leaves off, Electrodeionization steps in, removing the remaining ions from the permeate using mixed-bed DI resins, continuously, without chemicals, and without shutdown for regeneration. The result is water with resistivity as high as 18 MΩ - on demand, every time. That's the standard required for high-purity steam generation, and it's what our systems reliably deliver.
Why pretreatment is everything
The RO membrane is the most critical and sensitive component in the system. Protect it, and the system runs indefinitely. Neglect it, and no amount of downstream engineering will save you.
This is where most systems cut corners. We don't.
Metal oxides shed constantly from aging water mains. They coat membranes, reduce salt rejection, drop permeate flux, and make every other foulant worse. Our cation softening step removes them before they ever reach the membrane. Colloidal particles are the other silent killer. They cause abrasion degradation that's invisible until it's irreversible. Our ultrafiltration step, rated to 0.1 micron, drops feedwater turbidity below 0.6 NTU, effectively eliminating them. The UF membranes we use are far more robust than their RO counterparts and easily handle long-term feedwater exposure.
Oxidants and organics are addressed through oversized activated carbon filtration — minimum 7.5 minutes EBCT. We oversize deliberately, because undersized carbon is one of the most common causes of premature membrane failure in the industry. Ours eliminate damaging oxidants and performance-inhibiting organics completely, not partially.
Why our systems last
Features like our pure water flush and permeate divert aren't marketing language, they're engineering decisions that directly extend membrane life. Combined with the pretreatment above, they push membrane longevity well beyond what the industry considers standard.
The proof is in the field. A Clearwater Duplex RO installed at Sealed Air Cryovac in Mississauga in 1998 has run 24/7 ever since. Despite one pump failure, it has never shut down. The original membranes are still performing as they did when new.
We also stay current on membrane technology. Incorporating the latest Hydranautics ESPA 4 membranes into our builds directly lowers operating pressures and lower operating pressure means lower operating costs, sustained over the life of the system.
We've been building and servicing EDI systems since 1995. Every installation is designed to maintain "as new" performance over its full lifecycle, not to impress at commissioning and degrade quietly afterward.
The combination of superior pretreatment, RO, and EDI means maximum steam purity every day, with no chance of carryover, no chemicals, and no need for an operator to babysit it. The system runs itself.
That's the standard we hold ourselves to.