Service
Reverse Osmosis Installation
Installing reverse osmosis for drinking water, which removes more than any other filter, produces slowly, and needs a drain connection.
- Licensed and insured
- Price agreed before work
- A plumber who works your area
Slow by design, which is why it goes at the sink
Reverse osmosis works by forcing water through a membrane that rejects almost everything dissolved in it. That process is thorough and it is slow, producing a few litres an hour rather than a flowing supply.
Which is why the whole system is arranged the way it is: a small pressurised storage tank holds what has been produced, and a dedicated tap at the sink delivers it. The main supply carries on serving everything else untreated.
That arrangement is not a limitation to work around. It is the correct application. Treating an entire house this way would need enormous capacity and would waste a great deal of water to produce shower and laundry supply that gains nothing from it.
Two trade-offs worth knowing first
It rejects water to drain. The water that does not pass the membrane carries the contaminants away, so producing treated water uses more than it delivers. Modern systems have improved the ratio a good deal, but there is always some. For a few litres a day it is a small absolute amount, and it is one reason RO stays at the point of use.
It removes minerals you may want. The membrane is not selective, so calcium and magnesium go along with everything else. Some people find the result tastes flat.
A remineralisation stage after the membrane adds a controlled amount back and fixes the taste. It is inexpensive at installation and means opening the system up again if it is decided later, so it is worth settling at the time.
Does this sound familiar?
Problems this service solves
- A test showing dissolved contaminants carbon cannot remove
- Drinking water that tastes poor despite filtering
- A well supply with high total dissolved solids
- Wanting better drinking water without buying bottles
- Feeding an ice maker or coffee machine with treated water
Signs you need reverse osmosis installation
If more than one of these is true, the problem is usually past the point a plunger or a store-bought cleaner will fix.
- A water test has found dissolved solids or specific contaminants
- Carbon filtering has not fixed the taste
- The supply is a private well
- You are buying bottled water for drinking
What to expect
How the visit works
Confirm RO is the right answer
It removes the widest range, and for a chlorine taste a carbon filter is cheaper and quicker. The test decides which you need.
Plan the drain and the space
RO needs a drain connection for the reject water and cabinet space for the membrane housings and the storage tank.
Fit the tank and dedicated tap
Production is slow, so treated water is stored in a small pressurised tank and delivered through its own tap at the sink.
Consider the fridge and remineralisation
The line can feed an ice maker, and where taste is flat a remineralisation stage puts back some of what was removed.
What's included
What you get on every job, whoever we send.
- Specified from a test rather than as a default upgrade
- Drain and cabinet space planned before installation
- A dedicated tap and correctly sized storage tank
- Fridge feed and remineralisation considered at the time
Questions
Reverse Osmosis Installation questions
Why is reverse osmosis only for drinking water?
Because of how it works. Water is pushed through a membrane that rejects almost everything dissolved, which is slow and produces a few litres an hour rather than a flowing supply. That is why the treated water is stored in a small tank and delivered through its own tap. Trying to treat a whole house this way would need enormous capacity and would waste a great deal of water for no benefit at a shower or a washing machine.
Does reverse osmosis waste water?
Yes, and it is worth knowing before installing one. Water rejected by the membrane carries away the contaminants and goes to the drain, so producing treated water uses more than it makes. Newer systems have improved the ratio considerably, but there is always some. For a few litres a day of drinking water it is a small absolute quantity; it is one of the reasons RO is not used whole house.
Does it remove things I want to keep?
It does. The membrane is not selective, so beneficial minerals such as calcium and magnesium are removed along with everything else, and some people find the water tastes flat as a result. A remineralisation stage after the membrane puts a controlled amount back and restores the taste. It is worth deciding at installation, since adding it later means opening the system up again.
Related services
Water Filtration Systems
Choosing and maintaining filtration, since carbon, sediment, reverse osmosis and specialist media each remove different things and none removes everything.
See what this coversWater Testing
Testing what is actually in the water, which is the step that turns a filtration decision from guesswork into a specification.
See what this coversWhole House Water Filter
Filtering everything entering the property, which suits sediment and chlorine problems affecting every fixture, and needs sizing for flow not just capacity.
See what this coversWater Heater Repair
Diagnosis and repair of gas, electric and tankless water heaters, including no-hot-water calls, leaks, pilot problems and sediment flushing.
See what this covers
Get it fixed
Reverse Osmosis Installation, handled locally
Call with your ZIP code and what you are seeing. We route you to a licensed plumber in your area who does reverse osmosis installation every week.
- Licensed and insured
- Answered 24/7
- Price before work