Reverse Osmosis System Installation in Troutdale: Is It the Right Fix for Your Water?

Here's the honest version before you spend a dime. Reverse osmosis is a point-of-use system. It usually sits under your kitchen sink and feeds its own small faucet. Water gets pushed through a very fine membrane, plus a few filter stages, and the clean water collects in a little storage tank. That makes it really good at one job: giving you better water for drinking, coffee, ice and cooking.

It's not built to treat every drop that comes into your house. It makes a few gallons at a time, slowly. Your showers, washer, dishwasher and water heater never see that water.

• Water that tastes flat, metallic or off. RO is a strong fit here.
• A chlorine or chemical smell in your glass. The carbon stages in most RO systems handle this well.
• Worry about dissolved contaminants in drinking water. RO removes a wide range of them, which is why many families pick it for kids or for baby formula.
• White crust on shower doors, faucets and tile. RO won't help, because that water never passes through it.
• Scale in your water heater or dry, itchy skin after a shower. RO won't help here either. You need a whole-home approach.

If your trouble shows up all over the house, a point-of-use system is the wrong tool. We also do whole-house water filtration installation, and that's the better conversation when the problem is in every room and not just in your glass. Hard water that leaves scale behind is usually handled by a softener, not by RO.

There are a few trade-offs to know about too. RO pulls out minerals along with the stuff you don't want, so some folks think the water tastes a little plain at first. The process also sends some water down the drain while it makes clean water. And the filters and membrane need changing on a schedule, so it's not a set-it-and-forget-it item.

And sometimes you don't need a system at all. If your water tastes fine, smells fine and your city's water quality report looks clean, you can skip it. A basic pitcher or fridge filter might be all you need for a slight chlorine taste. That's a real answer, and we'd rather tell you that than sell you something you'll resent paying for.

A quick way to sort it out: fill a clear glass from the kitchen tap and a second one from a bathroom sink. Smell them and taste them. Then look at your shower glass and faucet bases. If the problem lives in the glass, RO makes sense. If it lives on the fixtures, look at a whole-home fix instead. If it's both, you might want both, but start with the problem that bugs you most.

After 20 years in this trade, Kevin's view is simple. The right system is the one that fixes the problem you have. We'll tell you which one that is, even if it's the smaller job or no job at all.

Once you know RO is the right fit for your drinking water, the install itself is pretty simple. It all happens under your kitchen sink and at the countertop. Here's what a good install covers, so you know what to look for and what to ask.

It starts with a quick check that RO still makes sense for your home. A good plumber asks what's bugging you about your water and looks at your water report or well test if you have one. If the problem really lives in the showers and on the fixtures, this is the moment to say so, before anything gets drilled.

• Space under the sink. The filter housings and the small storage tank need room, often off to one side of the cabinet. A garbage disposal, pull-out trash bin or crowded pipes can change where things go.
• Water pressure. RO needs decent pressure to push water through the membrane. If yours runs low, the system makes water slowly and wastes more. That's worth fixing first. We also handle low water pressure repair and water pressure regulator replacement if that turns out to be the real issue.
• The cold water line. The system gets its feed from the cold supply under the sink, so the shut-off valve there should be in good shape. Old valves that drip or won't close all the way are worth replacing while the cabinet is open.
• Your countertop. The RO faucet needs a hole. Sometimes an unused sprayer or soap dispenser hole works. If not, a new hole gets drilled. Laminate is easy. Granite and quartz take the right bit and a careful hand.

Then the actual install. The feed line taps into the cold water supply. A drain line connects to the sink drain above the trap, so the reject water has somewhere to go. Some faucets include an air gap, which helps keep drain water from backing up into the system. The filters, membrane and tank get hooked together, and the faucet goes in. If you want filtered water run to the fridge or ice maker, that line can be added at the same time.

The last part matters just as much. A new system needs to be flushed before you drink from it. Most makers say to fill the tank and drain it at least once to clear out the carbon fines and preservatives. Every fitting should be checked for drips, and checked again after the system has built up pressure. A slow leak under a sink can sit unnoticed for weeks and quietly ruin a cabinet floor.

Before you're left on your own, you should know where the shut-off is, what each filter does, and roughly when each one needs changing. That's the part that keeps your water tasting good a year from now.

To get ready, clear out everything under the kitchen sink and find your water report or well test results. Know your countertop material, and decide whether you want that fridge line added. That's it.

Bigfoot Plumbing is family-owned, licensed, bonded and insured in Oregon under CCB# 257405, with 20 years of plumbing experience behind every job. We'll give you a straight answer about what your sink and your water need, and nothing you don't.

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There's no single price tag for an RO install. Some kitchens take an easy hookup. Others need a few fixes first. Here's what moves the cost up or down, so you know what you're paying for before anyone touches your sink.

The system itself is the biggest piece. A basic under-sink unit with a storage tank costs less than one with more filter stages, a tankless design, a booster pump or a stage that adds minerals back for taste. More parts aren't always better. Pick the system that matches what your water test shows, not the one with the longest feature list. If you've already bought a kit, ask if the plumber will install it, and how that changes the labor charge.

Your kitchen shapes the labor. These are the things that can add time or parts:

• Countertop material. Using an existing sprayer hole is quick, and laminate is easy to drill. Stone takes more time and care.
• A crowded cabinet. A disposal, pull-out trash bin or tangled pipes can make it harder to fit the tank and filters.
• A fridge line. A short run next to the sink is simple. A run across the kitchen, through a floor or down into a basement takes more tubing and more time.
• Repairs found along the way. A worn shut-off valve, low water pressure or a tired sink trap all need fixing before the system goes in.

If you're on a well, plan for the bigger picture. As covered above, raw well water can wear out an RO membrane fast. Pretreatment may come first, and that's a separate cost from the RO install.

Don't forget what it costs to own one. Filters and the membrane need changing on a schedule, so ask what replacement parts cost and how often you'll need them. A cheap system with pricey, hard-to-find filters can cost you more over a few years than a better one with common parts. RO also sends some water down the drain as it works, which adds a little to your water bill.

Most plumbers price this work one of two ways. A flat price covers the whole job, so you know the total up front. Time and materials bills for the hours worked plus parts. Either can be fair. What matters is that you understand it before the work starts. Ask these questions before you hire anyone:

• Does the quote include the system, or just labor?
• What's included if I want a fridge line run?
• If you find a problem under the sink, will you tell me and price it before fixing it?
• What do replacement filters and membranes cost, and how often do I change them?
• Are you licensed, bonded and insured in Oregon?

We'll give you a clear price before we start and explain each part of it. If we spot something under your sink that needs work, we'll show you and let you decide. Bigfoot Plumbing offers 10% off for veterans, first responders and seniors, so mention it when you call if that's you.

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