Walk into any hardware store and you’ll find shelves of water filtration products, all promising cleaner, better-tasting water. But not every system is the right fit for every home, and choosing the wrong one means paying for filtration you don’t need or missing the contaminants that actually matter for your property. Your plumber Sydney team at All Day Plumbing works with Sydney homeowners every week to match the right filtration system to their specific water quality situation. Here is a practical guide to help you understand the options.
Step 1: Know What You’re Filtering
Before choosing a system, it helps to understand what is actually in your water. Sydney mains water contains residual chlorine and chloramines from the treatment process, and in some areas, elevated levels of sediment, hardness minerals, or organic compounds depending on the source catchment and the age of the distribution infrastructure. Older Sydney homes with galvanised or copper pipes may also have elevated levels of metals entering the water from internal pipework. If you are on tank water, the profile is different again, with biological contamination being a higher priority.
A basic water test can confirm the specific issues at your property and takes the guesswork out of system selection. Your licensed plumber can advise on whether a test is warranted based on your property’s age, location, and any symptoms you’ve noticed such as taste, odour, discolouration, or scale build-up.
Point-of-Entry vs Point-of-Use
The first decision is whether you want whole-house filtration (point-of-entry) or filtration at a single tap (point-of-use). Here is how to think about it:
- Point-of-entry (whole-house): Installed on the main incoming supply line. Every tap, shower, and appliance in the home receives filtered water. Best for households concerned about chlorine and chloramines in shower water, scale build-up on appliances, or protecting the entire plumbing system from sediment and particulates.
- Point-of-use (single tap): Installed under the kitchen sink or at a dedicated drinking water tap. Filters water at that outlet only. Best for households whose primary concern is drinking water taste and quality, and who don’t need to filter shower or appliance water.
Many households combine both: a whole-house sediment and carbon filter to protect the plumbing system, paired with an under-sink reverse osmosis or multi-stage filter for premium drinking water at the kitchen tap.
The Main System Types
Sediment Filters
The simplest type. A sediment filter uses a physical barrier (typically a pleated or wound cartridge rated in microns) to remove sand, silt, rust particles, and debris. Sediment filters are almost always used as the first stage in a multi-stage system to protect more expensive downstream filters from premature clogging. On their own, they do not remove chlorine, chemicals, or biological contaminants.
Activated Carbon Filters
The most widely used filtration type for residential properties in Sydney. Activated carbon works through adsorption, trapping chlorine, chloramines, taste and odour compounds, and many organic chemicals as water passes through the carbon media. Most whole-house systems sold in Australia use activated carbon as the primary or sole filtration stage. Carbon block cartridges are more effective than granular carbon for the same filter size because the compact media forces more contact time between the water and the carbon.
Multi-Stage Under-Sink Systems
Common for point-of-use drinking water applications. A typical three-stage under-sink system combines a sediment pre-filter, an activated carbon block, and a post-carbon polishing filter. The result is clean, good-tasting drinking water from a dedicated tap. These systems are compact, straightforward to install, and cartridge replacements are affordable. A licensed plumber handles the connection to your cold water supply and the installation of the tap through the benchtop or sink.
Reverse Osmosis Systems
Reverse osmosis (RO) pushes water through a semi-permeable membrane that removes a very broad range of contaminants including dissolved solids, fluoride, nitrates, heavy metals, and most bacteria and viruses. RO systems produce the highest quality drinking water of any filtration method. The trade-off is that they produce wastewater (typically one to four litres per litre of filtered water produced), they require storage tanks because the filtration process is slow, and they need adequate incoming water pressure to function correctly. RO is almost always installed as a point-of-use drinking water system under the kitchen sink rather than as a whole-house system.
UV Filtration Systems
UV systems use ultraviolet light to deactivate bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms. They do not remove physical particles or chemicals, so they are almost always used in combination with sediment and carbon filtration rather than as standalone units. UV is most relevant for households on tank water, bore water, or rainwater where biological contamination is a realistic concern. For Sydney mains water, UV is generally not required unless there are specific reasons to suspect microbiological issues. Read our post on how to keep water fresh in a rainwater tank for more on managing tank water quality.
Sizing the System Correctly
A whole-house system must be sized to match your property’s peak flow rate. An undersized system creates a pressure restriction that makes itself known as weak flow at taps and showers throughout the house. The flow rate capacity of a whole-house filter is measured in litres per minute. A licensed plumber will measure your incoming pressure and calculate the peak demand based on the number of bathrooms, appliances, and occupants before recommending the right system size. This step is not optional. A water filter installation Sydney done without correct sizing will create problems that are more inconvenient than no filter at all.
What to Ask Before You Buy
- What contaminants am I actually trying to remove?
- Do I need whole-house filtration, drinking water filtration, or both?
- What is the flow rate capacity of the system and does it match my property’s demand?
- How often do cartridges need replacing and what is the ongoing cost?
- Is the system NSF or WaterMark certified for use in Australia?
- Who installs it and is the installation covered by a licensed plumber’s warranty?
Related Reading
- Why Has Your Water Pressure Suddenly Dropped?
- How Do You Keep Water Fresh in a Rainwater Tank?
- How Do I Know If My Hot Water System Needs Replacing or Just Repaired in Sydney?
Get the Right System Installed by All Day Plumbing
All Day Plumbing assesses, supplies, and installs water filtration systems for Sydney homes and businesses. We’ll help you choose the right system and install it correctly first time. Call us on 1300 071 280.