A separate drinking water faucet at the kitchen sink for North York bungalows and condo suites, fitted after we test the water and check the pipe.
Most North York homes and condo suites are on municipal water. If your cold water tastes of chlorine or your tea picks up a chlorine smell, you can treat that at the kitchen sink without changing the rest of the house.
An under-sink reverse osmosis system fixes that at one faucet: carbon for chlorine taste and odour, sediment media for grit and a membrane for dissolved minerals. Other taps stay unchanged. Our guide to reverse osmosis drinking water systems across York Region covers the equipment.
What differs in North York is the pipe between meter and glass. In Willowdale, Bayview Village and Don Mills houses, we check the supply under the sink first, since older homes may still have galvanized pipe. The oldest streets may have original lead services, and towers along Yonge, Sheppard and Finch have risers under management rules. See plumbing for North York homes and condos.
An RO faucet changes what fills your glass, not the pipe feeding the sink. In North York that pipe deserves a look first.
Carbon ahead of the membrane strips the disinfectant flavour and smell, and shields the membrane from chlorine.
The membrane rejects most dissolved solids, including hardness and the sodium a softener adds.
A system certified for lead reduction lowers lead at that faucet only; an original lead service still needs replacing.
RO does not fix brown water from galvanized pipe or weak pressure; that rust just clogs the sediment cartridge sooner.
City treatment sets what leaves the plant; your house decides what reaches the sink. We measure hardness on the kitchen cold line, since hard water wears a membrane out early, and take a dissolved-solids reading as the RO benchmark. We check the service at the meter for possible lead and note any rust or low pressure that points to narrowed galvanized pipe. The test is free with every RO quote.
We agree where the faucet, filters, tank and any fridge line go and, in a condo, book the shut-off with management.
Angle stops are tested. If the line is corroded galvanized pipe, that section is replaced with copper or PEX and the RO tee or adapter goes on the new pipe.
The faucet uses a spare sink hole or one we drill, the waste line saddles onto the tailpiece above the trap, and filters hang where cartridges swap easily.
The first tankful runs to waste. We check each push-fit joint under full pressure, which matters above a neighbour's ceiling, and read the RO water against the benchmark.
Hot drinks lose the chlorine note, and a connected fridge makes ice from the same water.
The RO faucet runs slower than the main tap, and filling a large pot can empty the tank, which then takes a while to refill.
A short gurgle during refill is expected; water trickling to the drain nonstop needs a service call.
Equipment cost rises with extra stages or an optional mineral cartridge for flavour. Labour follows the kitchen: cutting stone or quartz for the faucet, replacing any rusted galvanized pipe with copper or PEX where the tee goes, routing tubing to the fridge, sometimes across a bungalow's basement ceiling, and working within a tower's shut-off window. Lead service or repiping work is priced separately, and everything is in writing before we start. We are licensed and insured, and our workmanship is guaranteed.
Where older galvanized pipe remains in the house, its rust clogs the first cartridge fastest; change that cartridge before blaming the membrane for a weak stream.
Carbon is replaced on the interval set at installation, and the membrane when its reading creeps up toward the regular tap's.
A short burst followed by a trickle means the tank has lost its air charge; we recharge or replace it and sanitize the housings.
Reverse osmosis is for drinking and cooking water at one faucet, and it is often the practical choice in a condo suite. North York's municipal water is hard enough to scale water heaters and fixtures; if that crust bothers you more, a softener treats every tap and helps the membrane last (see water softener installation in North York). To keep chlorine out of the showers too, whole-home carbon and sediment filtration treats water where it enters the house.
Asked by North York homeowners and suite owners.
Slow kitchen sink as well? See drain cleaning in North York, or go back to the AquaTec Plumbing home page for every plumbing service we offer.
We test your water free at the sink, check the line under it and give you a written RO price before any work.
