Our System
A whole-home catalytic carbon system for chloramine reduction, with optional reverse osmosis at the kitchen sink for drinking water. Two technologies, each doing the job it does best.
Catalytic Carbon Filtration
The whole-home system is installed on your main water line, so water is filtered before it reaches your faucets, showers and appliances. Its filter media is Jacobi AquaSorb CX-MCA, a catalytic coconut-shell activated carbon made for drinking-water filtration and suited specifically to chloramine reduction.
Ordinary activated carbon handles chlorine well but works much more slowly on chloramines. Catalytic carbon has a modified surface that speeds up the reaction, which is why we chose it for Richmond-area water.
Jacobi’s technical datasheet also describes the carbon’s large micropore volume as well suited to low-molecular-weight organic compounds and chlorinated byproducts such as trihalomethanes (THMs), the same TTHMs each local utility reports.
The tank backwashes itself automatically to keep the carbon bed clean, so there’s nothing for you to do day to day.
How whole-home filtration works in a Richmond-area home, and how we size it
Carbon media data
- Raw material
- Selected coconut-shell charcoal, steam activated
- Type
- Catalytic, high-activity granular activated carbon
- Iodine number
- 1,000 mg/g minimum
- Surface area
- About 1,050 m²/g (typical)
- Hardness
- 98% minimum ball-pan hardness, extensively dedusted for low turbidity
- Standards listed
- NSF/ANSI 61 & 42, AWWA B604, EN 12915-1
From the Jacobi AquaSorb CX-MCA technical datasheet. Typical values are the manufacturer’s, for information only. See Jacobi Carbons for the product line.
At a glance
- Media
- Jacobi AquaSorb CX-MCA catalytic carbon
- Focus
- Chloramine reduction, taste and odor, organics
- Sizes
- 1.5, 2.0 or 2.5 cu. ft. of catalytic carbon, sized to how your household uses water
- Tank size
- 10 in. across × 54 in. tall (1.5 cu. ft.), 12 × 52 in. (2.0) or 13 × 54 in. (2.5), plus the control valve on top
- Valve
- Automatic backwashing control valve, 1-inch connections
- Media standards
- Media datasheet lists NSF/ANSI 61 & 42
- Warranty
- Manufacturer-backed coverage on the tank and control valve. See warranty details
We size the system to how your household uses water, not square footage alone.
The NSF references apply to the carbon media’s documentation, not to a certification of the assembled whole-home system.
Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water
Reverse osmosis pushes water through a semipermeable membrane with extremely small pores. It’s a proven process that can reduce dissolved impurities, and EPA research shows it reduces PFAS, the “forever chemicals.”
Reverse osmosis is also commonly used to reduce fluoride and other dissolved minerals. Our whole-home carbon isn’t designed to reduce fluoride, so if that matters to you, reverse osmosis is the option to consider.
The Puri 7 sits under your kitchen sink and fills a small storage tank, so filtered water is ready from a separate, dedicated faucet beside your main one whenever you want it: for drinking, coffee and ice.
That faucet is separate from your regular kitchen faucet, which keeps supplying your whole-home filtered water for everything else. Reverse osmosis faucets typically flow a little slower than a standard faucet, which is completely normal.
Its compact design uses fewer connections to help reduce potential leak points.
Reverse osmosis drinking water: tank or tankless, the faucet, and what installation involves
More on the technology EPA, Reducing PFAS in Drinking Water with Treatment TechnologiesEPA research on home point-of-use and point-of-entry systemsEPA, Identifying Drinking Water Filters Certified to Reduce PFASCDC, Home Water Treatment Systems
Puri 7 reverse osmosis
- Capacity
- 50 gallons per day
- Stages
- Sediment, pre-carbon, TFC reverse osmosis membrane, post-carbon
- Size
- 14 in. tall, 12 in. wide and 4 in. deep, not including the tank
- Storage
- 3.2-gallon water capacity tank, 15½ in. tall
- Included
- Separate, dedicated chrome faucet (other styles and finishes available for an added cost), tubing, automatic shutoff
Four Stages at the Kitchen Sink
Each cartridge does one job, in order, before water reaches your faucet.
Sediment filter
Traps dirt, rust and particles, protecting the stages after it.
Pre-carbon filter
Reduces chlorine and common taste and odor compounds before the membrane.
TFC reverse osmosis membrane
Filters out dissolved impurities for highly filtered drinking water.
Post-carbon filter
A final polish for taste on the way to your faucet.
Storage tank and separate, dedicated faucet included
A 3.2-gallon water capacity storage tank, 15½ in. tall, keeps pressure consistent, and a separate, dedicated chrome faucet is included.
Faucet upgrades to match your kitchen
For an added cost, swap the included chrome faucet for style 888 (matte black, brushed nickel, chrome, oil-rubbed bronze or gloss black) or style 905 (matte black, brushed nickel, chrome or oil-rubbed bronze). See the faucet options
Optional alkaline filter
An add-on cartridge that returns some minerals to reverse osmosis water and raises its pH, which some people prefer for taste. It mounts on its own filter head beside the system.
Tankless Reverse Osmosis
For homes that want more drinking-water capacity and more room under the sink, the Puri TL makes reverse osmosis water on demand, with no storage tank.
- Capacity
- 600 gallons per day, on demand
- Efficiency
- 2:1 purified-to-drain water ratio
- Monitoring
- Live water-quality (TDS) display
- Faucet
- Separate, dedicated smart faucet included, with a light ring that shows filter life
- Self-cleaning
- Automatic membrane flush
- Size
- 16 in. tall, 5 in. wide and 18 in. deep
- Requires
- An existing standard 120V outlet under the sink (if there isn’t one, an electrician adds it first; we’re happy to recommend one, or use your own)
Optional water softening
Softening is available when it makes sense, but we don’t add it to every home. Richmond’s 2025 report lists hardness at 81 ppm, about 4.7 grains per gallon, which is moderate. Chesterfield’s and Henrico’s 2025 reports don’t list hardness. If you specifically want softening for scale or spotting, we can add one.
- 10% cross-link resin, which the manufacturer rates as more durable than standard 8% resin, particularly on chlorinated water
- Smart valve adjusts regeneration to your household’s water use to reduce salt and water waste
- Battery backup keeps settings through power outages
- Sized to your home; requires room for a brine tank
Professional installation
Professionally installed by licensed Virginia plumbing professionals under the direction of a Master Plumber licensed since 1995.
We provide both the equipment and the plumber. Our licensed plumbing professionals handle all of the installation: bypass valve, drain connection, main-line connections, and, if you add it, the under-sink reverse osmosis system and its separate, dedicated faucet. If your home needs more than a standard installation, we’ll let you know before anything is scheduled.
How We Size Your System
We don’t size a whole-home filter by square footage alone. We look at how many people live in the home, the number of bathrooms and how much water may be used at the same time.
A household where several showers or fixtures routinely run together needs more filtration capacity than one with lower simultaneous demand. We size the catalytic carbon system accordingly, so you aren’t paying for more equipment than you need or getting a system that’s too small for the way your home uses water.
Add reverse osmosis drinking water: +$595 for the Puri 7, with its own separate, dedicated kitchen faucet.
Prefer tankless? Upgrade to the Puri TL for $275 more. The tankless price assumes an existing, suitable 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.
Choose whole-home filtration, reverse osmosis drinking water, or both. Reverse osmosis on its own is $1,295 installed for the Puri 7, or $1,570 for the tankless Puri TL. Published prices can change if our equipment costs change, but the price on your written quote is the price you pay.
Whole-home carbon tank
Installed on your main line, so filtered water reaches every tap and shower.
Under-sink reverse osmosis
Tucks under the kitchen sink and feeds a separate, dedicated faucet for drinking water.
Tankless reverse osmosis
A slim unit that makes drinking water on demand for a separate, dedicated faucet. No storage tank; needs an outlet under the sink.
Ready to learn what makes sense for your home?
Tell us a little about your home and we’ll help you determine the right next step.