Whole-Home Water Filtration for Richmond-Area Homes
A catalytic carbon system on your main water line, chosen for the chloramine in Chesterfield County, Henrico County and City of Richmond water. $2,395–$2,595 installed, sized to your household.
What whole-home filtration does here
All four Richmond-area utilities disinfect with chloramine, a combination of chlorine and ammonia, and each one reports it: 2.34 ppm in Chesterfield, up to 3.8 ppm in Henrico, 3.8 ppm in Richmond and 3.1 ppm in Hanover, from the 2025 reports. Chloramine keeps water safe on its way to your house, and it is also what gives tap and shower water a chlorine smell and taste, and what many people notice on their hair and skin after a shower.
A whole-home system filters water once, where it enters the house, so every shower, faucet, washing machine and ice maker gets the same filtered water. Ours uses catalytic carbon rather than ordinary activated carbon, because ordinary carbon reduces chlorine well but works much more slowly on chloramine. The same carbon is documented for taste and odor and for chlorinated byproducts such as trihalomethanes, the TTHMs each utility reports.
EPA research has also found that activated carbon reduces PFAS (“forever chemicals”). We describe that at the technology level, not as a guarantee, and the utility pages on this site show what each report found.
What is in the system
- Carbon
- Jacobi AquaSorb CX-MCA catalytic coconut-shell carbon, 1.5, 2.0 or 2.5 cu. ft. depending on your household
- Tank and valve
- Fiberglass mineral tank with an automatic backwashing control valve and 1-inch connections. The tank is 10 to 13 in. across and 52 to 54 in. tall, depending on size, plus the valve on top.
- Connections
- Bypass valve, main-line connections and a drain line for the backwash cycle, all installed by the plumber
The valve backwashes the carbon bed on a schedule set at installation, which keeps the bed clean with nothing for you to do day to day. The carbon media’s datasheet lists NSF/ANSI 61 and 42; those references apply to the media, not to a certification of the assembled system. Full specifications are on the Our System page.
How we size it
We don’t size a whole-home filter by square footage. What matters is how much water runs at the same time, so we ask how many people live in the home, how many bathrooms it has and how many showers may run at once. More simultaneous demand needs more carbon to filter the water at that flow.
| Lower demand | $2,395 installed, 1.5 cu. ft. of catalytic carbon in a tank 10 in. across and 54 in. tall. As a rule of thumb, one or two people, one or two bathrooms, one shower at a time. |
|---|---|
| Typical demand | $2,495 installed, 2.0 cu. ft., in a tank 12 in. across and 52 in. tall. Two to four people, two or three bathrooms, two showers sometimes running together. |
| Higher demand | $2,595 installed, 2.5 cu. ft., in a tank 13 in. across and 54 in. tall. Five or more people, four or more bathrooms, or several showers and fixtures routinely running at once. |
Your quote names the size we recommend and why. Published prices can change if our equipment costs change, but the price on your written quote is the price you pay.
What installation involves
The system goes on the main water line near where water enters the house, which in most Richmond-area homes is a garage, a utility room or a crawl space. The plumber adds a bypass valve so the house can run on unfiltered water if the system is ever serviced, connects the tank to the main line, and runs the backwash drain line to a drain. 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.
If you add reverse osmosis drinking water, the under-sink system and its separate, dedicated faucet go in on the same visit.
When an installation is more than standard
Our prices are for standard installations in homes on Chesterfield County, Henrico County, City of Richmond and Hanover County public water. An installation stops being standard when the home needs more than the system itself, for example:
- No drain within reach of where the tank has to go, so the backwash line needs a longer run
- A main line in a spot with no room for the tank beside it
- Plumbing near the main line that needs repair before anything new can connect to it
If your home needs more than a standard installation, we’ll let you know before anything is scheduled. We don’t currently service homes on private wells.
What it isn’t for
Whole-home carbon isn’t designed to reduce fluoride or dissolved minerals. If limiting fluoride matters to you, or you want drinking water with dissolved impurities reduced as far as home filtration goes, reverse osmosis drinking water is the option to add. It also isn’t a softener. Scale and spotting come from hardness, which carbon doesn’t change; the softener guide covers what the local reports say about hardness and when softening makes sense.
Common questions
Is whole-home filtration worth it on city water?
Chesterfield, Henrico and Richmond all report chloramine and disinfection byproducts below EPA limits in their 2025 reports, so this isn’t a safety claim and we don’t make medical claims. Whole-home filtration is about the chlorine smell and taste of chloramine, how water feels in the shower, and reducing the byproducts those reports list. The Your Local Water page shows the figures so you can decide for your own home.
Does it filter the water I drink?
Yes. Every tap gets whole-home filtered water. Reverse osmosis is the extra step for drinking water specifically, because its membrane reduces dissolved impurities that carbon isn’t designed for.
Where does the tank go?
On the main water line where it enters the house, usually in the garage, a utility room or the crawl space. The tank takes a spot 10 to 13 in. across and stands 52 to 54 in. tall, plus the control valve on top. The plumber confirms the spot before the install.
What is covered by warranty?
The manufacturer covers the fiberglass tank for 10 years to the original owner and the control valve for 60 months from its date of manufacture, subject to the manufacturer’s terms. The warranty requires installation by a licensed plumber, which is how every system we sell is installed. Labor and shipping aren’t covered; the FAQ has the details.
Can I see the equipment before I buy?
Yes. We name the carbon, the valve and the reverse osmosis system, with the manufacturer’s figures, on the Our System page.
Sources EPA, Chloramines in Drinking WaterEPA, Reducing PFAS in Drinking Water with Treatment TechnologiesJacobi Carbons, AquaSorb CX-MCAChesterfield County 2025 report figuresHenrico County 2025 report figuresCity of Richmond 2025 report figures
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