Water filter suppliers in Australia rarely use the same terminology — even when selling the same underlying technology. This guide maps every common filter type to its technical name, the marketing names you'll encounter in quotes, and the local suppliers known to offer it.
Because standard filters, RO, and UV work very differently, use the selector below to jump to the category most relevant to your situation.
Most whole-home systems combine two or three filter types in sequence. Understanding each stage separately is the key to reading a quote clearly — and knowing whether you're being upsold.
- →A whole-home system works best with multiple stages in sequence — each handles different contaminants. Don't skip the sediment stage.
- →Stage order matters: sediment → carbon → KDF/TAC → UV. A UV lamp placed before a sediment filter will underperform.
- ✓Carbon block is the workhorse — removes chlorine, taste, odour, and with a fine enough rating, microplastics. Most homes need this stage.
- →TAC treats hardness without salt or waste water. It doesn't filter — it prevents scale. Right choice for most Perth homes.
- ✗KDF and UV don't remove PFAS, microplastics, hardness, or chlorine taste. Don't pay for stages you don't need.
Where filters sit in your home
Whole-Home (POE)
Installed at the mains entry. Treats all water — showers, laundry, every tap.
Under-Sink (POU)
One tap only. Higher performance per dollar for drinking and cooking water.
Benchtop / Inline
No plumbing required. Lower cost, lower flow rate, smaller capacity.
Filter types by category
Select a category to see the relevant filter technologies, trade names, and Australian suppliers.
Standard filters cover the technologies used in most whole-home systems — sediment, activated carbon, TAC scale prevention, ceramic, KDF redox media, and iron reduction. They are typically combined in sequence: sediment first (to protect the other stages), then carbon, then any specialist media.
Sediment Filter
Mechanical particle removal — rated by micron size (1–50μm)
- Sand, silt, rust particles
- Dirt and turbidity
- Pipe scale fragments
- Sediment from tanks and bores
- Dissolved chemicals or chlorine
- Heavy metals (dissolved)
- Bacteria or viruses
- Taste or odour
Activated Carbon Filter
Adsorption — NSF 42 (taste/odour) or NSF 53 (health contaminants)
- Chlorine and chloramines
- Taste and odour compounds
- VOCs and some pesticides
- Some heavy metals (NSF 53 only)
- Cysts at ≤0.5 micron rating
- Dissolved salts, fluoride
- Nitrates
- Bacteria and viruses
- Hardness minerals
NSF 42 covers taste and odour only. NSF 53 covers health contaminants including lead and mercury. Many budget systems carry only NSF 42 — ask specifically which standard applies to the carbon stage in any quote you receive.
TAC — Scale Prevention
Template Assisted Crystallisation — no salt, no electricity, no wastewater
- Limescale on pipes and appliances
- Scale on hot water systems
- Deposits on shower screens and taps
- Reduces soap scum buildup
- Does not soften water (TDS unchanged)
- No effect on chemicals or chlorine
- Not effective above ~500 mg/L hardness
- No bacteria or pathogen removal
Ceramic Filter
Sub-micron mechanical filtration — 0.2–0.9 micron pore size
- Bacteria (E. coli, Coliforms)
- Protozoan cysts (Giardia, Cryptosporidium)
- Sediment and turbidity
- Rust and pipe particles
- Dissolved chemicals, chlorine
- Most viruses (too small)
- Nitrates, fluoride
- Taste and odour
KDF Redox Media
Electrochemical removal — copper/zinc alloy granules
- Chlorine and hydrogen sulphide
- Heavy metals — lead, mercury, chromium
- Soluble iron
- Inhibits bacterial growth within filter
- Chloramines (limited)
- VOCs, pesticides
- Nitrates, fluoride
- Bacteria and viruses
Iron Reduction Media
Catalytic oxidation — for bore water and high-iron zones
- Dissolved (ferrous) iron
- Manganese
- Hydrogen sulphide (rotten egg odour)
- Iron staining at source
- Chlorine, chemicals
- Bacteria, viruses
- Hardness minerals
- Other heavy metals
UV sterilisation uses UV-C light (254nm) to damage the DNA of microorganisms — bacteria, viruses and cysts are rendered unable to reproduce. It does not filter or remove anything chemically. Water clarity and taste are completely unaffected.
UV is most relevant for rainwater tanks, bore water, and rural private supplies where microbiological contamination is a genuine risk. For town water in capital cities, municipal treatment already handles pathogens effectively. UV becomes valuable where post-treatment recontamination is possible — aged mains infrastructure, long rural distribution lines, or any unchlorinated private supply.
UV Steriliser
UV-C disinfection — neutralises microorganisms without chemicals or filters
- Bacteria — E. coli, Legionella, Salmonella
- Viruses — Hepatitis A, Norovirus
- Protozoan cysts — Giardia, Cryptosporidium
- Algae and moulds
- 99.99%+ effective when water is clear
- Chemicals, heavy metals, chlorine
- Taste or odour
- Turbid water blocks UV — pre-filter required
- Dead organisms remain in water (harmless)
How a UV system is configured
UV must always be installed after sediment pre-filtration. Particulates in the water cast shadows around microorganisms, reducing UV dose and allowing pathogens to pass through unaffected. A correctly configured UV system has at minimum:
- Stage 1 — Sediment filter (5 micron or finer) to remove turbidity
- Stage 2 — UV steriliser (254nm, sized for your flow rate in L/min)
- Optional Stage 3 — Carbon block if taste or chemical improvement is also needed
UV dosage is measured in mJ/cm². Australian drinking water guidelines require a minimum of 40 mJ/cm². When evaluating UV systems, ask for the validated flow rate at which this dose is achieved — a system rated at 40 mJ/cm² at 10 L/min is inadequate if your household peak demand exceeds 10 L/min.
UV vs RO for microbiological risk
| UV | RO | |
|---|---|---|
| Bacteria & viruses | ✓ Neutralises | ✓ Excludes |
| Dead organisms in water | Remain (harmless) | Removed |
| Chemical contaminants | ✗ | ✓ |
| Wastewater produced | None | 2–4 L per litre filtered |
| Installed cost | $300–$800 | $800–$2,500 |
| Annual running cost | ~$80–$150 (lamp) | $150–$400 (multiple cartridges) |
| Flow rate impact | Minimal | Significant — uses storage tank |
Reverse osmosis forces water under pressure through a semi-permeable membrane with pores small enough to block dissolved salts, heavy metals, fluoride, nitrates, and most other dissolved contaminants. It is the most comprehensive residential filtration technology available — and the most expensive to buy and run.
RO is almost always installed under a single kitchen sink for drinking and cooking water only. It is not suited to whole-home installation — flow rate is too low and wastewater production too high. Most households pair a whole-home carbon + TAC system with a separate under-sink RO for drinking water.
Reverse Osmosis Membrane
Semi-permeable membrane — removes 95–99% of dissolved solids (TDS)
- Dissolved salts (TDS 95–99% reduction)
- Heavy metals — lead, arsenic, chromium
- Fluoride
- Nitrates and nitrites
- Bacteria and viruses
- PFAS compounds
- Pharmaceutical residues
- Removes beneficial minerals too
- Produces 2–4 L waste per litre filtered
- Slow fill — uses a storage tank
- Requires sediment + carbon pre-filtration
- Not suited to whole-home
What "5-stage RO" actually means
The stage count in RO marketing is widely misused. Here's what a well-designed system contains — and what some cut-price systems substitute:
| Stage | What it should be | Budget substitution |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5μm sediment cartridge | Same — this is standard |
| 2 | Carbon block (NSF 53) | GAC only (NSF 42 — lower performance) |
| 3 | 1μm carbon pre-membrane | Sometimes omitted |
| 4 | TFC RO membrane (NSF 58) | Same, but rejection rate varies |
| 5 | Post-carbon + remineralisation | Carbon only (no remineralisation) |
The wastewater ratio is a real consideration. Standard RO produces 2–4 litres of concentrate down the drain for every litre of drinking water. High-efficiency systems (permeate pump) improve this to roughly 1:1. If water usage matters, ask for the system's recovery rate before committing.
When RO is the right choice
RO makes sense when one or more of the following apply:
- High TDS (above 300 mg/L) in your drinking water
- Detectable heavy metals — particularly lead (older homes with copper or lead pipe), arsenic, or chromium
- Nitrate contamination (agricultural areas, older rural bores)
- PFAS concern near industrial sites or airports with historical firefighting foam use
- You want fluoride removed from drinking water
- You want the highest achievable purity regardless of cost
For most Perth town water users whose primary concern is chlorine taste and limescale, a whole-home carbon + TAC system plus a simple under-sink carbon block is often sufficient — and significantly cheaper to buy and run than RO.
Why supplier naming is confusing
Suppliers rarely use generic technology names. Here are the most common phrases to decode:
If a quote doesn't name the specific media and certifications for each stage, ask for that detail in writing before signing. A reputable supplier will provide it without hesitation. Use our buyer's checklist to guide the conversation.