Not sure whether you need reverse osmosis, whole home filtration, or both? Let's figure it out at your free water test.
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Both systems filter your water, but they cover completely different territory. Here's the difference between treating one tap and treating your entire home — and why many households end up wanting both.
The simplest way to tell these apart is by asking where the water is being treated: at a single point of use, or at the point where water enters your home.
A reverse osmosis system installs under your kitchen sink and treats only the water that comes out of that one dedicated faucet. Multi-stage RO filtration removes the vast majority of dissolved contaminants — things like chlorine, lead, nitrates, and fluoride — that other filtration methods can't touch. It's built specifically for the water you drink and cook with.
A whole home filtration system installs at your home's main water line, so every fixture — showers, laundry, kitchen, bathrooms, and outdoor taps — receives filtered water. It won't reach the same level of purity as reverse osmosis, but it reduces chlorine taste and smell, chemicals, and sediment across the entire house, not just one faucet.
Because these two systems solve different problems, they're not really in competition with each other — plenty of homes run them side by side. Reverse osmosis handles the highest standard of purity for the water you actually drink and cook with, while whole home filtration takes care of everything else: better-feeling showers, gentler laundry, and less chlorine and sediment reaching your water heater and appliances over time. Neither one replaces the other; they cover different ground.
If you're only dealing with a chlorine taste at the kitchen tap, reverse osmosis alone might be all you need. If you're noticing chlorine smell in the shower or sediment throughout the house, whole home filtration addresses that on its own. For most households, though, pairing the two gives complete coverage — see our reverse osmosis systems and our whole home filtration page for the specifics on each.
Not sure whether you need reverse osmosis, whole home filtration, or both? Let's figure it out at your free water test.
Book your free on-site water test today. No commitment, no pressure — just honest answers about what's in your water and what you can do about it. We come to you, on your schedule.