Reverse osmosis · Placitas
Clean drinking water at the kitchen sink, sized for life in the foothills
For the water your family actually drinks and cooks with, reverse osmosis is the most targeted treatment there is. It works on one faucet, so it treats only the few gallons a day you need.
- 600 GPD tankless system with an alkaline stage
- $895 installed, or part of the Complete Home System
- Fitted by our own installers, lifetime warranty
Arsenic, wells and why RO is the usual answer
Arsenic occurs naturally in groundwater in parts of the Middle Rio Grande region, and Placitas is no stranger to it. The Anasazi Trails Water Cooperative, for one, treats its wells for naturally occurring arsenic. Regulated systems like that must treat to the federal limit and report on it. A private well or a small shared well has no one doing that job except the owners.
Because Placitas groundwater moves through fractured rock, your well's chemistry can differ from a neighbor's. You won't taste or see arsenic, and a softener or carbon filter won't remove it. Reverse osmosis is the standard point-of-use approach for reducing arsenic, along with nitrate, fluoride and lead, by pushing water through a membrane that holds back dissolved solids. How well it works depends on the specific contaminant and your water, which is why we confirm with testing.
On a co-op?
Your co-op's annual water quality report is the official source for what's in your water. Choosing RO on co-op water is a matter of preference, such as taste at the kitchen tap. It isn't a substitute for reading that report.
What the free test covers here
At your sink, in about 15 minutes, we measure hardness, total dissolved solids, pH, chlorine, iron and manganese, and sulfur, and hand you a printed report in plain English. TDS is especially useful for RO, since it gives us a before-and-after number. On a private or shared well, we help you arrange a lab test for arsenic, nitrate and bacteria. RO isn't a bacteria treatment; a positive bacteria result calls for disinfection, and we'll refer you.
RO in a Placitas home, at a glance
- Where it goes
- Under the kitchen sink, with its own drinking water faucet.
- Storage tank
- None. It's tankless, which frees up cabinet space.
- Water use
- RO sends some water to drain as it works. We'll explain what to expect for your household so you can weigh it against your well or co-op supply.
- With a softener
- Feeding RO with softened water is easier on the membrane. The Complete Home System at $4,599 combines both, plus carbon.
- Cost
- $895 installed on its own. Financing from $59/mo.
Getting RO into your Placitas kitchen
- 1
Test and lab results
We test at the tap and help with lab work, so we know what the RO needs to handle.
- 2
Plan the sink
We check cabinet space, a cold-water connection, a drain and an outlet for the unit.
- 3
Install
Our own installer fits the system and faucet, typically within our usual half-day visit.
For more on how the stages work, visit our main reverse osmosis page. To see RO alongside softening and filtration, check the packages. For the bigger picture on wells, co-ops and conservation, read our Placitas water overview.
Placitas RO questions
Does reverse osmosis remove arsenic from Placitas well water?
RO is the standard point-of-use method for reducing arsenic in drinking water. Results depend on the form of arsenic and your water chemistry, so we pair it with lab testing to confirm.
Is RO too wasteful for a home on a low-producing well?
RO does send some water to drain, but it only runs for the drinking water faucet, not the whole house. We'll talk through the numbers for your household before you decide.
Our co-op already treats for arsenic. Why would we want RO?
You may not need it for arsenic; your co-op's annual report covers that. Some households still like RO for lower dissolved solids and taste at the kitchen tap.
Find out exactly what's in your water — free.
A 15-minute on-site test with results in real time, a plain-English report, and an honest recommendation. No pressure, no obligation.