Flush Pros"Filter" covers two very different systems, and people often buy one expecting it to do the other's job. The short version: reverse osmosis is for drinking water at one tap. Whole-home filtration is for every tap. Neither one softens water — that's a third system.
Reverse osmosis (RO)
An RO system sits under the kitchen sink and pushes water through a membrane fine enough to remove dissolved solids — the stuff carbon can't touch: lead, arsenic, fluoride, nitrates, chromium, most PFAS, and the minerals that make Utah tap water taste like the tap. What comes out is close to bottled-water quality, from your own faucet.
- Where: one point of use — kitchen sink, sometimes the fridge line.
- What it fixes: taste, odor, dissolved contaminants in the water you drink and cook with.
- What it doesn't: anything at the shower, laundry, or water heater.
- Upkeep: pre-filters yearly, membrane every 2–4 years.
Modern units are tankless, so there's no pressure tank hogging the cabinet and no waiting for it to refill. We install Waterdrop systems from $495 (countertop) to $1,995 (the top-of-the-line X12), with under-sink options at $995–$1,395.
Whole-home filtration
A whole-home filter goes on the main line where water enters the house, so every fixture gets treated water. It's a large tank of coconut-shell activated carbon that removes chlorine, chloramine, herbicides, pesticides, and the chemical taste and smell — the things that dry out skin and hair and off-gas in a hot shower.
- Where: the main line — every tap, shower, and appliance.
- What it fixes: chlorine/chemical smell and taste house-wide, skin and hair irritation, chlorine damage to rubber seals in fixtures and appliances.
- What it doesn't: dissolved minerals (hardness) or the heavy metals RO handles. Carbon doesn't remove those.
- Upkeep: media change typically every 5–7 years depending on usage; no filters to swap monthly.
Sized by household: roughly 1 cu ft ($1,795) for smaller homes, 1.5 cu ft ($1,895) for most 3-bath homes, 2 cu ft ($1,995) for larger households. Installed price; we confirm the size by bathrooms and flow.
So which one?
| If your complaint is… | You want |
|---|---|
| Tap water tastes bad; you buy bottled water | RO |
| Chlorine smell in the shower; dry skin, dull hair | Whole-home filter |
| Spots on dishes, scale on fixtures, tankless needs flushing every year | Softener (neither of these) |
| Well water or a specific contaminant on your utility report | Test first, then usually RO — sometimes both |
| All of the above | Softener + whole-home filter on the main, RO at the sink. We install all three in one visit. |
If you're not sure, tick "quote" when you book a flush or send the quote form — we'll test your water at the visit and tell you which of these would actually change anything for your house.
Ready for your annual flush?
$225 flat · about an hour · warranty record kept on file. Softener, filter or RO? Ask for a quote when you book.