Frequently Asked Questions

Chloramines are disinfectants made by combining chlorine and ammonia. Local water systems use them to disinfect drinking water and help control microbes as water travels through the distribution system. Chesterfield, Henrico and Richmond all report chloramine levels in their annual water-quality reports.

Sources EPA, Chloramines in Drinking WaterWater Quality Association chloramine fact sheet

TTHMs (total trihalomethanes) and HAA5 (five haloacetic acids) are disinfection byproducts. They form when the disinfectant in tap water reacts with natural organic matter from the source water. Utilities are required to monitor them, and EPA sets limits of 80 ppb for TTHMs and 60 ppb for HAA5. The Henrico and Richmond levels shown on this site are below those limits.

It depends on your utility. In their latest reports, Chesterfield found low levels of several PFAS at two of its three sources, including PFOA at up to 2.1 parts per trillion, and Henrico found PFOA averaging 1.1 ppt (up to 2.9 ppt). Richmond’s 2024 testing and Hanover’s 2024–2025 testing found none. All are below EPA’s 4.0 ppt limit for PFOA. EPA research has found that activated carbon and reverse osmosis reduce PFAS.

All four utilities report that no home they tested exceeded EPA’s lead action level. Lead usually comes from older service lines and home plumbing rather than the treatment plant, so it depends on your home. Your utility can test your tap if you’re concerned.

According to the EPA, chloramine-treated water that meets federal standards is safe to drink. The EPA limit is 4.0 parts per million, and Chesterfield, Henrico and Richmond all report levels below it. (EPA: Chloramines in Drinking Water)

There are a few known exceptions and open questions:

• People on kidney dialysis need chloramines removed from dialysis water. (Virginia Department of Health: Chloramines)
• Chloramines are harmful to fish, so aquarium water needs treatment. (Water Quality Association: Chloramine Fact Sheet)
• In 2024, researchers from the University of Arkansas, ETH Zurich and the EPA identified a previously unknown chloramine breakdown product, chloronitramide anion, in every chloraminated U.S. tap-water sample they tested. Its health effects have not been determined yet, and the researchers called for toxicity studies. (Fairey et al., Science, 2024)
• Chloramine use can also form other byproducts, such as nitrosamines, which the Water Quality Association notes are suspected carcinogens. (Water Quality Association)

Our whole-home system uses catalytic carbon selected for chloramine reduction, for better-tasting, better-smelling water throughout the house. We don’t make medical claims. If you have a health concern, talk with your doctor.

Ordinary activated carbon reduces chlorine well but is much slower with chloramines. Catalytic carbon has a modified surface that speeds up chloramine reduction, which makes it particularly well suited to Richmond-area municipal water. Our system uses Jacobi AquaSorb CX-MCA catalytic carbon.

What the media is documented to reduce Jacobi Carbons, AquaSorb CX-MCA

Many people notice their water feels different once chlorine and chloramine are reduced, especially in the shower. Everyone’s hair and skin are different, so we can’t promise a specific result, but reducing chloramine at every shower and tap is exactly what the whole-home system is built to do.

It’s designed for chloramine reduction, along with improving taste and odor and reducing a broad range of organic compounds, for every tap and shower in the house.

Reverse osmosis pushes water through a semipermeable membrane that reduces a wide range of dissolved contaminants. It’s an optional add-on we install at the kitchen sink, with a separate, dedicated faucet beside your main kitchen faucet, for drinking water.

Your reverse osmosis drinking water comes from a separate, dedicated faucet installed beside your main kitchen faucet. It does not come through your regular kitchen faucet.

We use an existing opening in your sink or countertop, such as a soap-dispenser hole, at no extra cost. Stone countertops such as quartz or granite need a countertop specialist to drill a new opening. We’re happy to recommend one, or you’re welcome to use your own, and we’ll confirm the options for your kitchen before anything is scheduled.

Your main kitchen faucet continues to supply your whole-home filtered water, while the smaller reverse osmosis faucet is reserved for drinking water. Reverse osmosis faucets typically flow a little slower than a standard faucet, and that’s completely normal.

EPA research has found that activated carbon and reverse-osmosis filtration systems reduce PFAS. We describe this as what the technologies can do; we don’t claim to remove all PFAS.

Sources EPA, Reducing PFAS in Drinking Water with Treatment TechnologiesEPA research on home point-of-use and point-of-entry systems

Yes. Research has shown that reverse osmosis reduces microplastics.

Source Remediation of Micro- and Nanoplastics by Membrane Technologies, a peer-reviewed review

Chesterfield County, Henrico County and the City of Richmond all add fluoride to their water. Our whole-home catalytic carbon system isn’t designed to reduce fluoride, and since the CDC notes that fluoride isn’t absorbed through the skin, it’s mainly a drinking-water question.

Reverse osmosis is a technology commonly used to reduce fluoride and other dissolved minerals. If limiting fluoride matters to you, add reverse osmosis drinking water, which comes from a separate, dedicated faucet beside your kitchen faucet. We describe what the technology can do; we don’t claim a specific amount of fluoride reduction.

Fluoride helps prevent cavities, so if you have young children, it’s worth asking your dentist about fluoride from other sources.

Sources CDC, Home Water Treatment SystemsCDC, Community Water Fluoridation FAQ

Not necessarily. Richmond reports hardness of about 4.7 grains per gallon (81 ppm), which is moderately hard, and Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover don’t list hardness in their 2025 reports. A softener is available if you specifically want one, but it isn’t part of every system.

Read the softener guide

For municipal customers, we primarily use the utility’s published water-quality data, which is based on extensive required testing. If you have a specific concern, we’ll collect the home-specific information we need. We don’t currently service homes on private wells.

We serve Midlothian, Chesterfield, Henrico, the West End, Short Pump, Bon Air, Glen Allen, Southside, Richmond, Mechanicsville and surrounding communities. Don’t see your area listed? Just ask, or send us your ZIP code and we’ll confirm.

Whole-home catalytic carbon filtration is $2,395–$2,595 installed, sized to your household’s water demand. Optional reverse osmosis drinking water adds $595 for the Puri 7, an under-sink system with a storage tank and a separate, dedicated faucet beside your kitchen faucet. Or choose tankless reverse osmosis for $870 added to whole-home: the Puri TL, with no storage tank and a separate, dedicated faucet. That’s $275 more than the Puri 7, and it needs an outlet under the sink. On its own, without whole-home filtration, reverse osmosis is $1,295 installed for the Puri 7 or $1,570 for the Puri TL. Prices are for standard installations in homes on Chesterfield County, Henrico County, City of Richmond and Hanover County public water. If your home needs more than a standard installation, we’ll let you know before anything is scheduled. Published prices can change if our equipment costs change, but the price on your written quote is the price you pay.

No. There’s no commissioned salesperson and no lengthy in-home presentation. Tell us about your home online, we confirm the setup and send a clear quote, and then we schedule installation.

Professionally installed by licensed and insured Virginia plumbing professionals under the direction of a Master Plumber with 31 years of experience (as of 2026).

We don’t size it by square footage alone. We look at how many people live in the home, the number of bathrooms and how many showers or fixtures may run at the same time, then match the catalytic carbon system to that demand. You get the capacity your home needs without paying for more than it uses.

• Whole-home tank: 10 in. across and 54 in. tall (1.5 cu. ft.), 12 × 52 in. (2.0) or 13 × 54 in. (2.5), plus the control valve on top. It goes on the main water line where it enters the house, usually in the garage, a utility room or the crawl space.
• Puri 7 reverse osmosis: 14 in. tall, 12 in. wide and 4 in. deep, plus a storage tank 15½ in. tall, under the kitchen sink.
• Puri TL tankless reverse osmosis: 16 in. tall, 5 in. wide and 18 in. deep, under the kitchen sink, with no storage tank.

Most installations are completed within a day. Homes with unusual plumbing can take longer, and we’ll confirm your timing as your install date gets closer.

We want you to know exactly what’s covered before you buy.

Whole-home system (manufacturer warranty):

• Tank: 10-year warranty on the fiberglass mineral tank, to the original owner, against rust, corrosion, bursting or leaking.
• Control valve: 5 years (60 months) from the date of manufacture.

Both are subject to the manufacturer’s terms and exclusions, and cover qualifying defects in those components. The carbon media itself isn’t covered by a separate warranty.

Reverse osmosis system: warranty terms will be provided in writing with your quote.

If you have a manufacturer warranty issue, contact us first and we’ll help coordinate the claim for any equipment you bought through us.

No. The manufacturer warranty covers qualifying equipment components only. It doesn’t include labor to diagnose, remove or replace a part, service calls, or shipping and freight, and some parts must be returned to the manufacturer with shipping prepaid.

Yes. The manufacturer warranty requires installation by a licensed plumber, and every system we sell is installed by one.

The manufacturer’s tank warranty is written to the original owner, so it shouldn’t be assumed to transfer to a new homeowner.

Yes, with the Puri 7. It comes with a separate, dedicated chrome faucet. For an added cost, you can upgrade to:

• Style 888, a slim, modern gooseneck, in matte black, brushed nickel, chrome, oil-rubbed bronze or gloss black
• Style 905, a traditional look with a decorative lever, in matte black, brushed nickel, chrome or oil-rubbed bronze

The tankless Puri TL comes with its own separate, dedicated smart faucet, with a light ring that shows filter life. The manufacturer doesn’t list other finishes for it, so ask us and we’ll check. See the faucet options with photos

Yes. The Puri TL is a tankless upgrade that produces up to 600 gallons per day on demand, with a live water-quality display, in a slim body 16 in. tall, 5 in. wide and 18 in. deep. It needs an existing standard outlet under the sink. If there isn’t one, an electrician will need to add it first. We don’t do electrical work, but we’re happy to recommend an electrician, or you’re welcome to use your own.

Catalytic carbon media is typically replaced every 5–7 years. In between, the system backwashes itself automatically on the schedule set at installation.

Yes. Like any reverse osmosis system, both the Puri 7 and the tankless Puri TL use replaceable filter cartridges. The pre-filtration cartridges are changed more often, while the reverse osmosis membrane typically lasts considerably longer. Timing depends on your water and how much you use, and we’ll walk you through it at installation.