Questions · Water treatment
Is reverse osmosis worth it?
It is worth it if your complaint is about drinking water rather than about the plumbing. Reverse osmosis treats water at one faucet, usually the kitchen, and it is what people install when they want to stop buying bottled water. It does not protect the heater. That is a softener's job.
What it is good at
- Drinking and cooking water at one sink
- Feeding a fridge or an ice maker, where the line can reach
- Replacing bottled water for a household that buys a lot of it
- Giving a noticeably different glass of water in hard water country
What it needs under the sink
- Room for the unit and a small storage tank
- A dedicated faucet at the sink, or a combination faucet
- A drain connection for the reject water
- A tie in to the cold supply, with its own shutoff
- Enough incoming pressure to work properly, which is worth checking first
The upkeep
Filters get changed on a schedule and the membrane lasts longer than the filters do. People do not usually notice a tired system by taste first, they notice the tank taking longer to refill.
Under sink space is the other honest constraint, particularly where a disposal is already sharing the cabinet, which is why we look at the actual cabinet rather than assuming.
Answers
Does reverse osmosis remove hardness?
At that one faucet, yes, but it is not a house solution. The heater, the fixtures and every other faucet are still on the same water, which is why a softener answers a different question.
Do I need a softener too?
If the concern is scale in the heater and on the fixtures, yes. If it is only what you drink, a system at the sink may be all you want.
Can it feed the fridge?
Often, depending on the run and the fridge. We look at how the line would get there and whether the pressure supports it.
If you need this done
- Reverse osmosisAn under-sink system for cleaner, better-tasting drinking water, installed neatly with the faucet and drain done properly.
- Whole-home water filtrationCuts sediment, chlorine and taste at every faucet, installed with a bypass so it's easy to service.
- Water softenersValley water is some of the hardest in the country. A softener removes the minerals that scale fixtures, spot glass and shorten a water heater's life.
- Where we workEvery town and ZIP across the Valley we cover.
In-home estimate
Rather have someone look at it? Tell us what's going on
We come out, look at the problem and explain what it needs before any work starts. For something urgent, calling is fastest.
Rather talk? Call or text (602) 833-4133.