Point-of-use drinking water
A dedicated tap of highly polished water
Reverse osmosis is the finishing step: a compact system under the kitchen sink that gives your family purpose-made drinking water — and a good reason to stop hauling bottled water home.
How it works
Five stages, one exceptional faucet
Reverse osmosis works by pressure: water is pushed through a membrane fine enough that most dissolved solids can't follow. Pre- and post-filters handle the rest.
- 1Sediment pre-filterCaptures fine particulates so they never reach the membrane.
- 2Carbon pre-filterDesigned to reduce chlorine and protect the membrane, which chlorine can degrade.
- 3RO membraneWater is forced through a semi-permeable membrane designed to reduce a broad range of dissolved solids.
- 4Storage tankPolished water is held under pressure so it's ready the moment you open the faucet.
- 5Carbon polish & dedicated faucetA final carbon pass refines taste on the way to the RO faucet at your sink.
What RO is designed to reduce
A properly maintained RO system is designed to reduce a broad range of dissolved solids and, together with its carbon stages, the tastes and odors that come with them. Actual reduction depends on the specific membrane, your water chemistry, and system condition — we're glad to share the performance documentation for the exact configuration we recommend for your home, rather than quoting blanket percentages here.
Good to know
- Installs under the kitchen sink with its own dedicated faucet.
- Filter cartridges are typically replaced every 6–12 months; the membrane less often, depending on use and water conditions.
- Pairs especially well with whole-home softening, which protects the membrane from scale.
- RO water is low in minerals by design — some people love the clean taste immediately; others adjust within a week.
Where you'll notice it
One faucet, used all day long
Drinking water
Chilled, room temperature, or straight from the tap — without reaching for a bottle.
Coffee & tea
Low-mineral water lets the flavors you paid for come through.
Ice & fridge dispensers
Many households tee the RO line to the refrigerator for clearer, better-tasting ice.
Cooking
Soups, rice, pasta water — anything where water is an ingredient.
The bottled-water math
A family that buys a case or two of bottled water each week is paying, hauling, and storing water by the pound. An RO tap replaces that routine with better water on demand — ask us to walk through the comparison for your household.
Drinking water FAQs
Common questions about RO
What is the difference between filtration and softening?
Softening uses ion-exchange resin to reduce dissolved calcium and magnesium — the minerals that cause scale and spotting. Filtration passes water through media such as activated carbon or sediment filters to reduce things like chlorine taste, odor, and particulates. Many whole-home systems combine both, because they solve different problems.
Do I need a water test before choosing a system?
For city water, a quick on-site test plus your utility's published water quality report usually gives us what we need. For private wells, testing isn't optional — iron, manganese, sulfur, pH, and hardness vary well to well, and the right equipment depends entirely on those numbers. That's why every Seastone recommendation starts with a water analysis.
Can one system treat both hardness and chlorine?
Yes. A common city-water configuration layers catalytic activated carbon and softening resin so a single, properly sized system is designed to reduce both hardness and chlorine taste and odor. Whether one tank or two makes more sense depends on your household size and water conditions.
Will a system reduce my water pressure?
Any device plumbed into a water line introduces some resistance, so honest sizing matters. We select valve and tank sizes around your home's service line, fixture count, and peak demand so the system is designed to maintain the flow your household actually uses. Undersized equipment is the usual cause of pressure complaints — and it's avoidable.
How much maintenance is required?
For most softening systems: keep salt in the brine tank and let the metered valve handle regeneration. Carbon and specialty media are inspected periodically and replaced when exhausted, and RO systems need filter changes roughly every 6–12 months depending on use. At installation we set out a plain-English maintenance schedule for your exact configuration.
Where is the equipment installed?
Whole-home equipment is installed at the main water line — in this area that's usually in the garage or at an exterior wall near where the line enters the home. RO drinking-water systems typically mount under the kitchen sink with their own dedicated faucet. We confirm placement during the in-home visit.
Start with your water — not a sales package.
Schedule a professional water analysis and receive a clear recommendation based on your home and water source. No pressure, no mystery equipment — just answers.