Drinking Water Systems for Kitchens in Orange
An under sink reverse osmosis system gives you one faucet of genuinely clean water for drinking, cooking, coffee and ice, while the rest of the house runs on city water. That split is deliberate. There is no sense polishing the water that fills a washing machine.
It is the smallest piece of water treatment most households ever buy. The three models are compared on the Orange County drinking water systems page.
You May Be Reading the Wrong Water Report
This comes up more in Orange than almost anywhere else we work. The city is served by two utilities: the City of Orange for most addresses, and Golden State Water Company for other portions plus Cowan Heights and Lemon Heights.
Homeowners researching their water usually find one report and assume it applies. Half the time it does not. That is a genuinely poor basis for deciding whether to spend money on treatment, and it is a large part of why we test the tap rather than reason from documents. Your bill tells you who supplies you. The test tells you what they are delivering to your kitchen today.
"Somebody in Orange once showed me a printed water report to explain why they needed a system. It was the wrong utility's report. Their actual water was different in a couple of ways that mattered. That is not the homeowner's fault, it is a genuinely confusing setup, and it is exactly why I put a meter in the glass instead of arguing about paperwork."
Gregg Stewart, Owner, Puronics of Orange County, CA C-55 #904801, (714) 545-3022
What the Stages Do
- Carbon. Takes out sediment and chlorine, and shields the membrane behind it, since chlorine damages membranes.
- Ultrafiltration. Fine enough to act as a barrier to waterborne cysts such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia if present, and self cleaning.
- Reverse osmosis. Water crosses the membrane and most dissolved solids stay behind, including dissolved metals and the TDS load behind a heavy or flat taste.
- Carbon block polish. The last pass on taste and odor before the dedicated faucet.
The Pur Alkaline filter can be fitted after the final stage to return calcium and magnesium and raise the pH, which most people notice as a fuller taste.
Choosing a System for Your Kitchen
The MICROMAX 7000 is the low profile four stage unit and the usual pick in the older Orange homes where cabinet space is limited. The MICROMAX 6500 adds a fifth stage by separating sediment and carbon, which suits a heavier dissolved solids reading and stretches the service interval. The MICROMAX 6000 is the value option running the same four stage process as the 7000.
What This Will Not Do
It treats one faucet. It will not help the shower, the dishwasher or the water heater, and it will not stop scale forming on your fixtures. Scale is hardness, and that needs a water softener in Orange on the main line. If the smell rather than the scale is the issue and it bothers you at every tap, whole house filtration is the right scope.
The free water test at your home tells you which of the three problems you actually have, before anyone quotes you for anything.
Drinking Water FAQ: Orange, CA
Which water quality report applies to my house in Orange?
Whichever one your supplier publishes, and Orange has two. The City of Orange serves most of the city while Golden State Water Company covers other portions along with Cowan Heights and Lemon Heights. If you have been reading the wrong report you have been comparing your tap against somebody else's water. Your bill settles which one is yours.
Why does Orange tap water taste the way it does?
The imported Metropolitan share of the supply is disinfected with chloramines, which is chlorine combined with ammonia, and it blends with locally pumped groundwater. Chloramine is the one people describe as a swimming pool taste and it lingers more than plain chlorine does. It is there for a good reason, which is keeping the water safe over a long distance.
What does reverse osmosis remove that a jug filter does not?
Dissolved solids. A carbon jug or fridge filter deals with chlorine, taste and odor and does it honestly well. It cannot reduce the dissolved load, which includes the mineral content that makes water taste heavy and, where present, dissolved metals. The membrane is the difference between the two approaches.
Will a system fit under an Old Towne kitchen sink?
Usually, though the cabinet is worth measuring first. Kitchens in the historic districts were not designed around modern under sink hardware, and many already hold a disposal. The MICROMAX 7000 is the low profile unit in the range and exists for exactly this problem. We check the space during the water test.
Does it need power or new plumbing?
No to both. The Micromax systems run on household water pressure alone and connect to the cold supply with a faucet adapter rather than needle valves or special plumbing. In an older house that is the difference between a straightforward fit and a job involving an electrician.
Do I need this as well as a softener?
They cover different ground. A softener treats the whole house for hardness, which is about protecting appliances and fixing scale symptoms. A drinking water system treats one faucet for taste and dissolved solids. Many Orange households have both, and if the budget only stretches to one, the free test tells you which complaint is actually bigger at your address.
More from Puronics of Orange County: the Orange water treatment overview, water softeners in Orange, plus drinking water systems in Fullerton, Yorba Linda, Lake Forest and Mission Viejo.
