Reverse osmosis drinking water
A softener treats the house. Reverse osmosis treats the glass you actually drink from.
What reverse osmosis is for
Reverse osmosis pushes water through a semi-permeable membrane that rejects dissolved solids far smaller than any sediment or carbon filter catches. What comes out of the dedicated faucet is water with the dissolved mineral load, taste and odour stripped out.
It is a point-of-use system, not a whole-house one, and that is deliberate. You do not need drinking-grade water going to the shower or the garden hose, and treating the whole supply to that standard would be enormously wasteful. Reverse osmosis goes under the kitchen sink, where the drinking and cooking water is drawn.
Configurations installed
Which one suits you depends on how much filtered water the household draws and how fast.
- Standard 5-stage tank system — the common choice for a family kitchen
- Tankless and high-flow systems — faster delivery, no storage tank under the sink
- Alkaline remineralisation stage — puts selected minerals back for taste
- Refrigerator and ice maker line — filtered water at the fridge as well as the tap
- Reverse osmosis paired with a whole-home softener, which is the usual combination
Published service pricing
Unlike the systems themselves, reverse osmosis service work has fixed published prices:
| InstallationIncludes leak detection | $160 |
| Line to the refrigerator | $200–$340 |
| Annual service with filters | $90–$140 |
| Membrane replacementEvery 3–6 years | $60–$100 |
| Alkaline stage replacementEvery 2 years | $100 |
Warranty
| Standard 5-stage systems | 5 years |
| Onsite service | 1 year free |
| Installation and leak detection | Free |
| Filter reminders and product support | Lifetime |
Questions people ask about this
Does a softener make the water safe to drink?
A softener is not a drinking water filter. It exchanges hardness minerals for a small amount of sodium and does nothing about taste, odour or dissolved solids. If drinking water quality is what you care about, the answer is a reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink. Most households that install a softener install reverse osmosis alongside it.
Do I still need a water test if you already show my city’s number?
Yes, and it is free. The published figure is a district-wide average across a year. Your actual tap depends on where you sit in the distribution system, which source was blended in that week, and what your own plumbing has accumulated. The number on this site tells you whether to bother; the test tells you what to install.
When do I pay?
When the job is done. That is the installer’s stated policy — no deposit taken up front for the work.
Who does the work
Meet the licensed team behind the work
This site does the measuring. Crystal Clear Water is the licensed team we partner with on every install — your trusted expert in water quality and energy-efficient home solutions. Here's what that license covers, what the warranty promises, and what people who've had them in the house actually said.
Crystal Clear Water LLC
The licensed team we work with on every install. State-licensed in California and operating in Orange County since 2008. If warranty work is needed years later, you get their crew — not a call center.
- License
- CSLB #872771
- Status
- Bonded & insured
- Operating since
- 2008
- Service area
- Orange County · Los Angeles County · Riverside County
Rating from Google Reviews, not collected by us. See the profile (opens in a new tab) · Verify the license (opens in a new tab)
Water softener systems
| Full system warranty | 10 years |
| Brine tank, tank housing and control valve housing | Lifetime |
| Free onsite service | 1 year |
Reverse osmosis systems
| Standard 5-stage reverse osmosis systems | 5 years |
| Free onsite service | 1 year |
| Filter replacement reminders and product support | Lifetime |
What upkeep costs later
| Softener service maintenanceEvery 5 years | $200 |
| Resin replacementEvery 15–20 years | $500–$800 |
Warranty and maintenance terms exactly as the installer publishes them. Source (opens in a new tab)
In their own words
“I can see why they have so many 5 stars. Got to give credit where credit is due, CCW was amazing. Quick to quote, quick to answer and easy to schedule. They arrived right on the dot and got my water softener system running fast. The guys who came were all honest, professional and friendly. Set up my unit outside and it looked super clean. I shopped around and their pricing was by far the best for the best system (Clack). I already recommended them to my family and now my sister is looking to get a system done by them too. Loving my soft water so far, thanks Tony and team!”
“Tony is very professional and knowledgeable. I spent $98 on an inspection from another technician, but they couldn't figure out why my water softener wasn't working. Another company then quoted me nearly $2,500 to replace the circuit board, resin, and other parts. Tony spent about 45 minutes and fixed everything for just a little over $300. Highly recommended!!!!”
“We had a wonderful experience with Crystal Clear Water. Tony came out and gave us a quote for a water softener and RO system hookup. The quote was detailed, competitive, and included everything we needed to make sure the softener worked properly. When it came time to do the job, the team showed up on time and asked clarifying questions to make sure it was done the way we wanted it. Once everything was all hooked up, they walked me through what was done and how we needed to care for it. I really appreciated how detailed they were and the fact that I received a text when they were on their way that included a picture and the name of the technician that would be arriving.”
The other systems
What each one is actually for, in plain terms.
Water softenersRemoves the calcium and magnesium that scale your pipes, water heater and fixtures.
The whole-home system. It is the only one of these that actually removes hardness, so it is the one that protects the building.
Whole-home filtration & conditionersCarbon filtration for taste and odour, and salt-free conditioning where a softener is not an option.
Worth knowing before you buy: a conditioner prevents some scale but does not remove hardness. It cannot do most of what a softener does.
Tankless & tank water heatersSupply and installation, and the softener that keeps a tankless unit from scaling shut.
Hard water and tankless heaters are a bad combination. If you are installing one in Orange County, size the softener at the same time.
Commercial & officeCommercial softeners, commercial reverse osmosis, and bottleless office drinking water.
For restaurants, salons, offices and property managers. Bottleless coolers usually replace a delivery contract outright.
Book the free water test
A licensed installer tests your tap, checks the plumbing loop, sizes the system and quotes it. No charge, and no obligation at the end of it.
- We send your details to the installerCrystal Clear Water LLC, CSLB #872771.
- They call to arrange a timeUsually the same day, and they work around your schedule.
- They test, size, and quote on siteYou get the number for your tap, not your district’s average.