Everything you need to know about home water filtration

Detected near defence bases and industrial sites across Australia, PFAS "forever chemicals" don't break down. Where they've been found, health risks, and which filters remove them.

Found in tap water, bottled water, and human tissue. The health science is developing — but the filter science is already clear. A practical, evidence-based guide.

Every major supplier scored on certifications, lock-in risk and 5-year cost. AquaCo leads at 9.1 — but the right choice depends on your state and water conditions.

What each filter stage actually does, what it removes, what it doesn't, and how they combine in a whole-home system. No jargon.

What each certification actually tests for, how to verify a supplier's claim, and the red flags that signal a supplier is bluffing about compliance.

Water Corporation publishes an annual quality report but it's dense with numbers. Here's how to find your zone, what each measurement means, and what to act on.

Step-by-step guide — shut-off, housing removal, cartridge swap and sanitising. Takes 15 minutes and saves you a service call every year.

We ran the numbers — purchase price, salt cost, water waste, service calls and energy use — over a decade for a typical 4-person Perth household.

Most homeowners compare filter quotes on price alone. Here's what else to ask for — and a template you can send to each supplier to get apples-to-apples responses.

Orange staining, chlorine taste, limescale, rotten egg smell — each symptom points to a different cause and a different filtration solution.

The electrolysis sludge, the TDS meter, the colour test — three common demos explained. Plus your ACL rights if you've already signed.

Plumbers are experts at installation — but filter selection requires different knowledge. What to trust your plumber on, and what to verify yourself.

Six steps, red flags to watch for, and the documentation you should receive before the installer leaves.

Manufacturer → distributor → plumber → you vs buying direct. The same technology at 2–4× the price depending on the route. Plus the cartridge lock-in trap.

Soft, chloramine-treated and from protected mountain catchments. Here's what's in Sydney's water and what filter — if any — makes sense.

Melbourne has the softest, best-tasting tap water of any Australian capital. Limescale is not a concern. Here's what's actually in it.

Safe — but the most challenging water profile of any Australian capital. Murray River salinity, high chlorine, variable hardness. Here's what helps.

Moderate hardness, chloramine disinfection, and outer suburbs harder than inner city. Here's what's in Brisbane's water and what to filter.

Three different providers, significantly softer than Perth, and surface-water towns like Margaret River and Manjimup have some of the best regional water in WA.

One in four Perth homes uses a bore for irrigation. But bore water is untreated groundwater — iron, bacteria and salinity each need different treatment.

"Tested to NSF" is not the same as certified. WaterMark is not a filtration standard. Six claim categories that mislead buyers and the questions that expose them.

Safe — but hard, chlorinated, and mineral-heavy depending on your suburb. Here's what's actually in Perth's water and what a filter does and doesn't fix.

Both Perth-based, both well-known. FilterOut scores them 9.1 and 6.8. The gap comes down to proprietary cartridge lock-in, pricing transparency and a $3,700+ 10-year difference.

Standard carbon filters do not remove fluoride. Only reverse osmosis reliably does — at 90–96%. Here's what every filter technology actually does (and doesn't do) to fluoride.

The filtration stage of a quality alkaline system is real and valuable. Most of the pH health claims around body chemistry and disease prevention are not. Here's the honest guide.

19% of Australians use rainwater tanks. But tank water is not automatically safe — bacteria, lead, atmospheric PFAS and acidic pH are real risks. Here's the multi-barrier treatment approach.

Most Australian city households don't need a whole-home system. Perth and Adelaide often do. Here's the honest breakdown by city, hardness, and what you're actually trying to solve.

RO removes PFAS, fluoride, lead, nitrates, dissolved salts and bacteria in one system. The most comprehensive residential filter — here's how it works and when you actually need it.

Softeners fix hardness and scale. Filters fix taste, chlorine and contaminants. They solve different problems. Here's the simple guide to which one you actually need.

An unmaintained filter is worse than no filter. Here's the complete monthly, 6-monthly and annual checklist for every residential water filter system type in Australia.

Chlorine genuinely strips skin oils and hard water damages hair. But claims that filters cure eczema or transform skin are overstated. Here’s what the clinical research actually shows.

PFOA was classified a Group 1 carcinogen by IARC in 2023. Australia updated its drinking water limits in June 2025. Here's what the science means for your tap water.

Dam inflows have fallen 80% since the 1970s. Desalination now supplies ~45% of Perth's water. Here's how the changing source mix affects hardness and what to filter.

Perth's groundwater replenishment adds purified recycled water to the drinking supply. 100BL recharged since 2017. Here's what the treatment removes.

Lead in tap water comes from household plumbing — old solder, brass fittings. Pre-1980s homes at highest risk. Detectable in 56% of NSW first-draw samples.

Australians buy 504L of bottled water per person per year. It costs 2,000x more than tap, contains more microplastics, and is less regulated. Here's the full comparison.

Nitrates in bore water near farming land can reach 200–300 mg/L. Boiling concentrates them, not removes them. Primarily a risk for infants under 3 months.

Both parasites resist chlorine. A "1 micron" claim is not enough — it must be absolute rated or NSF 53 cyst-certified. Here's exactly what the certification means.

UV kills bacteria, viruses and Cryptosporidium without chemicals. But it requires a sediment pre-filter and annual lamp replacement. A dead lamp looks identical to a working one.

Metro scheme water arsenic is well managed. The risk is bore water in WA Goldfields, SA and near historical gold mines. Here's who should test and what removes it.

Adelaide sits at the end of the Murray-Darling Basin. Murray salinity, chloramine disinfection, elevated sodium and variable hardness by suburb all play a role. Here's exactly what addresses each issue.

Greater Western Water (Tarneit, Point Cook, Melton, Fitzroy, CBD) uses chloramine. Yarra Valley and South East Water use free chlorine. The filter that works in Eltham is ineffective in Point Cook.

PFAS detected at Cascade plant in June 2024 affecting 41,000 homes. $3.4M emergency treatment installed Dec 2024. $80–100M upgrade committed. All supplies meet June 2025 ADWG limits.

Inner Brisbane gets 115 mg/L from Wivenhoe's basalt catchment. Northern suburbs get 53 mg/L from North Pine's sandstone catchment. Here's what each zone needs and why.

Adelaide averages 66 mg/L sodium — highest of any Australian capital. For CKD, dialysis and hypertension patients this is clinically relevant. Salt softeners make it worse. Only RO removes it.

MIB and Geosmin from algal blooms cause the earthy taste after rain. It's safe, recurring, and conventional treatment can't remove it. A fresh carbon block filter removes 80–90% of the taste.

Greater Western Water serves Point Cook, Melton, Sunbury, Fitzroy and the CBD using chloramine. Standard jug filters don't remove it. Catalytic carbon does. Here's exactly what to look for.

Sydney averages 43.4 mg/L hardness across all 13 supply zones. Every suburb is classified as soft. No softener needed anywhere. The actual filtration question is chloramine — here's what works.

Shower filters can't soften water. NSF 177 tests free chlorine only — not chloramine. Standard carbon fails in hot showers. Here's what each media does and what to buy in your city.

A TDS reading of 380 mg/L is not alarming. The ADWG has no health guideline for TDS. Here's what a TDS meter actually measures — and how it's used as a sales tactic.

Boiling concentrates lead, nitrates and fluoride — making them worse for infants. Here's what matters by city, what boiling fixes, and what filter actually helps.

Renters can get comprehensive water filtration without landlord approval. Countertop RO, tap-mount and gravity filters matched to your city and tap type.

Australian tap water is generally safe during pregnancy. Lead from pre-1980s plumbing and PFAS near contamination sites are the two situations warranting specific action.

Sydney 1.0 mg/L. Melbourne 0.9 mg/L. Brisbane 0.7 mg/L. Adelaide 0.56 mg/L. Carbon filters have no effect. Only RO removes fluoride. Here's the data.

Every 6mm of limescale cuts hot water efficiency by 10%. Perth outer zones exceed 300 mg/L. Heat pump systems are most vulnerable. Here's the data and what prevents damage.

Blue-green staining means your water is dissolving copper from your plumbing. Most common with rainwater tanks and low-pH water. Here's how to assess severity.

Melbourne tap is too soft for espresso (35 mg/L TDS). Adelaide causes rapid scale (480 mg/L). Here's what SCA recommends and what filter each city needs.

Adelaide: clear yes. Melbourne: optional. Perth outer zones: strong case for scale damage. Here's the city-by-city framework for deciding if a filter is worth the investment.

Installed costs range from $400 for basic carbon to $4,500+ for Perth outer zones. Here's the 2025 price breakdown by system type, ongoing costs, and what your city needs.

Standard in-line caravan filters only treat town water taste — not bacteria or protozoa. Here's what filter matches each Australian water source: creek, tank, bore and town.

TDS meters don't detect what matters. Your utility's annual report is free and more detailed than most private tests. Here's when lab testing is genuinely needed and how to do it.

Plain-language definitions of terms you'll encounter when researching water filtration: NSF 42/53/58, TAC, chloramine, TDS, PFAS, WaterMark and more — matched to Australian standards.

Hard water requires up to 2.8× more detergent and causes heating element scale. Most European dishwashers have a built-in softener most Australians don't use. Here's the city-by-city guide.

Taste returning, flow dropping, or TDS not reducing? Use our interactive diagnostic to find out if your filter needs a new cartridge, is the wrong type for your city, or is working fine.

PFAS guideline revisions, Brisbane taste events, Blue Mountains contamination response, Perth desal expansion — significant water quality developments tracked with filter implications.

Installation is separate from the filter hardware. Under-sink: $200–$350. Whole-home: $380–$700. Bore water: $800–$1,800. Here's what to ask before accepting a quote.

Melbourne is soft at 18 mg/L. Perth outer zones reach 350 mg/L. Here's which Australian cities have hard water, what it costs in appliance damage, and what actually treats it.

Hard water has the best evidence for eczema — calcium disrupts the skin barrier. Chloramine evidence is weaker. Here's what filter actually helps for dry skin in Australian cities.

The first stage of any serious filter system. How physical pore size blocks rust, sand and particles — and what micron ratings actually mean.

The most common filter technology. How adsorption traps chlorine, chloramine and taste compounds — and the long list of things carbon cannot do.

Pressure through a 0.0001-micron membrane rejects fluoride, lead, PFAS and nitrates. The four stages, the waste water ratio, and what RO removes.

TAC doesn't remove calcium — it changes how it crystallises so it can't stick to appliances. No salt, no sodium, no waste water.

UV light at 254nm damages the DNA of bacteria, viruses and Cryptosporidium. What UV does, what it can't do, and why clear water is essential.

Ion exchange resin swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium ions. How regeneration works, why salt is needed, and when to choose over TAC.

Which Australian areas have documented PFAS issues? Blue Mountains, RAAF bases and more — current status, what's been treated, and what filter removes PFAS.

Can't install a permanent filter? Benchtop carbon, countertop RO and gravity filters need no plumber. Here's what works best in each Australian city.

Brisbane's earthy, musty tap water taste returns each summer from MIB and Geosmin in Wivenhoe Dam. Safe to drink — here's what filter removes it.

Australia's PFAS drinking water guidelines were substantially lowered in June 2025 after IARC's Group 1 classification of PFOA. Most scheme water already met the new limits.