Home / Reverse Osmosis
Point of useReverse osmosis drinking water
Under-sink, with a dedicated faucet. For Colorado Springs homes this is usually the highest-value system we install — and often the only one we recommend.
Why this one, here
Colorado Springs has soft, low-solids, well-run mountain water. The whole-home softener pitch that works in Texas doesn't apply. But there is a real gap between what the utility can control and what comes out of your kitchen tap, and that gap is exactly what reverse osmosis is for.
The utility's responsibility ends at your property. Lead in Colorado Springs drinking water comes from household plumbing and fixtures — solder, brass, older service lines. CSU's own testing found tap samples ranging from 0 to 35.4 ppb, with two of 59 homes above the 15 ppb action level, while the system-wide 90th percentile sat at a compliant 5.7 ppb. The system is fine. Individual houses vary, and the utility can't fix yours.
What RO addresses that a whole-home filter doesn't
- Lead picked up from your own plumbing downstream of any whole-house filter
- Radium — relevant in Woodland Park, where combined radium averaged 3.83 pCi/L with a high of 5.1 against a 5.0 limit, and across Denver Basin groundwater north of Monument
- Nitrate — documented in eastern El Paso County wells up to 72 mg/L against a 10 mg/L limit
- PFAS — a second barrier at the tap, for the Security-Widefield and Fountain homes that want one
- Dissolved solids and sodium — Pueblo West reported sodium averaging 206 ppm with a high of 578
To be clear about what we're claiming. Every one of the systems named above was reported by its utility as in compliance. We install RO because people want a barrier at the tap for taste, for dissolved solids, and for the things their own plumbing adds after the utility's job is done — not because anyone's water is unsafe. Actual reduction performance depends on the specific system and your water; we'll show you the manufacturer's certification documents for the unit we quote you.
Install time Typically half a day
Pricing Quoted in writing after your free water test, itemized by component. No expiring discounts.
Free water test
We'll test your tap and tell you whether RO is worth it for your house.
Common questions
Why is reverse osmosis the system you recommend most?
Because in this region it addresses the things a whole-home filter structurally can't. Lead entering water from your own household plumbing after the utility's responsibility ends — Colorado Springs' own testing found tap samples up to 35.4 ppb against a 15 ppb action level, even though the system-wide 90th percentile was 5.7. Radium in Denver Basin and Woodland Park water. Nitrate in eastern El Paso County wells. PFAS, if you want a second barrier after what happened in Security-Widefield. RO is the point-of-use technology that addresses that list.
Does RO waste a lot of water?
Traditional systems send several gallons to drain per gallon produced. Modern tankless designs are substantially more efficient. We'll tell you the actual ratio of the system we're quoting you rather than hand-waving it, because in a state that thinks about water the way Colorado does, it's a fair question.
Does RO remove minerals I want?
Yes, it reduces dissolved minerals along with everything else — that's how it works. Colorado Springs water is already low in dissolved solids, averaging 63 mg/L at the Pine Valley and McCullough plants, so there isn't much mineral content to lose. If you prefer mineral content in your drinking water, remineralization cartridges are available and we'll quote one.
Where does it go and what does it look like?
Under your kitchen sink, with a dedicated faucet at the counter. Most people run a line to the refrigerator for ice and water at the same time. If your sink has no spare hole for the faucet, we'll tell you before install day, not during it.
What's the maintenance?
Pre- and post-filters annually. The membrane every two to five years depending on your water. That's it. It's built into our service plans, or you can buy filters from us and change them yourself — we'll walk you through it on install day.
Find out what's actually in your water.
We test at your kitchen sink, walk you through the results and your utility's own published report, and give you a written recommendation. If your water doesn't need treatment, we'll say so and leave.