.product_section .product_form, .product_gallery { opacity: 1; } .multi_select, form .select { display: block !important; } .image-element__wrap { display: none; }

Water Filters & Purifiers

8 STAGE WATER FILTERS

large-blue-stripe-porcelain-water-dispenser-bottle-set-water-filter

Bottle Set w/ Filter

Awesome Ceramic Dome Filter

97% Fluoride Removal Ceramic Filter

Awesome Magnesium Prill Beads

Whole House Water Filter Vs. Reverse Osmosis

June 10, 2021 4 min read

Whole House Water Filters vs. Reverse Osmosis: The Ultimate Guide

We can’t emphasize enough how important pure, clean water is for your family's daily life. It is the absolute foundation of good health.

Investing in a premium filtration system is one of the best ways to protect the wellbeing of everyone in your Aussie home. But when it comes to upgrading your hydration, many homeowners find themselves confused by the ultimate showdown: Whole House Water Filters vs. Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems.

In this complete guide, we’ll walk you through these two powerful filtration methods to help you decide what’s best for your home. Both processes share one goal—providing you with exceptional water—but they take very different paths to get there.

Why Choosing the Right System Matters

💧 Targeted Filtration: Different systems tackle different local tap water issues.
💧 Appliance Protection: Clean water extends the life of your plumbing and whitegoods.
💧 Ultimate Taste: Removes harsh chlorine and heavy metals for a crisp, refreshing brew.
💧 Family Health: Blocks bacteria, viruses, and chemicals from entering your body.

Whole house water filter vs reverse osmosis

Understanding the Processes: POE vs. POU

Whole House Water Filter (Point of Entry)

The first major difference is scale. A Whole House Filter is a "Point of Entry" (POE) system, meaning it is installed directly at your property's main water line. Rather than focusing on a single tap, it filters absolutely all of the water entering your home.

These systems have a much higher flow rate, rapidly cleansing water for general purposes like bathing, laundry, and dishwasher use. Using filtration micron sizes typically ranging from 10 to 30 microns, water is filtered swiftly across the house, ensuring every showerhead and faucet delivers chlorine-free, sediment-free water.

Reverse Osmosis (Point of Use)

Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a "Point of Use" (POU) system, typically installed under the kitchen sink specifically for drinking and cooking water. Originally designed to desalinate seawater, RO is widely considered the most effective form of water purification available (it's the exact same filtration method used for premium bottled water).

By forcing water through a semipermeable membrane—a microscopic barrier that allows water molecules to pass but blocks almost everything else—the process removes a massive percentage of stubborn pollutants, including dissolved inorganic solids, fluoride, and heavy metals. Because standard RO strips the water of everything, our premium Awesome Water RO systems feature an Alkaline cartridge to remineralize the water with healthy magnesium and calcium before you drink it!

The Ultimate Comparison Guide

Contaminants Removed (Side-by-Side)

Both systems are incredibly effective, but they target pollutants in slightly different ways based on their micron ratings.

Whole House Filters Tackle:	Reverse Osmosis Tackles:
Chlorine & Chloramines	Fluoride (Up to 93.8% reduction)
Heavy Sediment, Rust & Silt	Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) & Salts
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)	Heavy Metals (Lead, Arsenic, Cadmium)
Dangerous Disinfectant Byproducts	Microscopic Cysts, Protozoa & Viruses
*Can kill 99.9% of bacteria/viruses if an ultraviolet (UV) light add-on is installed.	Nitrates, Barium, Selenium & Radium

Key Differences at a Glance

Location: RO systems are usually installed under the kitchen sink. Whole House systems are installed outside at the main water line.
Flow Rate: Whole House systems process water quickly to flow freely throughout every tap in the home. RO systems are highly concentrated and filter water much more slowly, storing it in a small pressure tank.
Scope: Whole house filters excel at removing broad, chemical toxins (like chlorine) from all your home's water. RO excels at removing microscopic dissolved solids strictly from your drinking water.

Which Type is Best for Your Home?

Do you want healthier showers and protected plumbing? Go with a Whole House system. It prevents chlorine from drying out your skin and stops sediment from ruining your washing machine.

Do you want absolute bottled-quality drinking water? Go with a Reverse Osmosis system under your sink. It takes up little space and provides hundreds of gallons of flawlessly clean drinking water.

Want the ultimate setup? Combine them! Many Aussie households install a Whole House carbon filter to treat the general water, and an RO system under the sink for flawless drinking water. This dual approach ensures your whole home is protected and your RO membranes last significantly longer.

Final Thoughts & Testing Your Water

You won't know exactly what you need until you know what's in your water. We highly recommend reading the water quality report issued by your local municipal water supplier to get a rough sense of what toxins are present in your tap water. This gives you a better overview of which filtration method fits your home perfectly.

Comparing a whole house water filter vs. reverse osmosis can be confusing at first, but we hope this guide has made the decision clearer. Whether you want bottled-quality drinking water from an RO system, or clean, chlorine-free water flowing from every showerhead via a whole-house filter, we have you covered.

Do you still have questions about your specific water setup? Don’t hesitate to contact the friendly Aussie team at Awesome Water Filters today!

Common Questions

Question: Can I use both a Whole House filter and a Reverse Osmosis system? Answer: Absolutely. This is considered the "gold standard" for home water treatment. The whole house filter removes harsh sediment and chlorine at the main water line, protecting your plumbing and making your showers healthier. The RO system under the sink then polishes your drinking water to absolute perfection.

Question: Does Reverse Osmosis remove healthy minerals? Answer: Yes, the semipermeable membrane in a standard RO system is so fine that it removes everything, including healthy minerals like calcium and magnesium. However, premium systems (like our Awesome Water Alkaline RO units) include an extra remineralizing cartridge that adds these healthy electrolytes back into your water before you drink it.

Question: Will a Whole House water filter drop my shower pressure? Answer: If sized correctly, no. High-quality whole house filters (like our Big Blue systems) are designed with 1-inch or 1.5-inch ports to handle high flow rates of 8 to 15 Gallons Per Minute (GPM). This ensures your showers remain powerful and uninterrupted.

```html

```