This is the most common question we get from new clients in Rosarito. And the honest answer is that whole-house filtration and reverse osmosis aren’t competing options — they do different jobs. Here’s how to think about it.
What a Whole-House System Does
A whole-house filtration system installs where your water line enters the home. Every drop of water that flows to every tap, shower, toilet, washing machine, and water heater passes through it first.
A properly configured system for Baja conditions typically includes a sediment pre-filter to catch particles, a catalytic carbon stage to remove chlorine, chloramines, taste, and odor, and a UV sterilizer to eliminate bacteria and viruses — including anything that might have entered through a compromised cistern or tinaco.
What it does not do is remove dissolved solids, heavy metals like lead, or the mineral content that makes water ‘hard.’ For that, you need RO.
What an RO System Does
A reverse osmosis system installs under your kitchen sink and produces highly purified water at one dedicated faucet. The membrane forces water through at a molecular level, removing dissolved solids, heavy metals, nitrates, fluoride, and most other contaminants to a degree that no carbon filter can match.
The result is water that tastes genuinely clean and tests close to zero TDS. Most of our clients use it for drinking water, cooking, coffee, and the fridge line.
The tradeoff: RO systems produce purified water slowly and only at that one point of use. They don’t protect your pipes, appliances, or shower.
Why Most Baja Homes Benefit From Both
The two systems work together as a system, not as alternatives. The whole-house system protects your plumbing and appliances, removes chlorine and sediment throughout the home, and kills bacteria at the point of entry. The under-sink RO gives you drinking and cooking water that meets the highest purity standards.
We offer bundled pricing on whole-house and RO combinations for exactly this reason — it’s the most complete solution and the most common choice among our clients who’ve done a water test and seen the results.
How to Decide What You Need
- If you only care about drinking water quality and your plumbing is relatively new: start with under-sink RO.
- If you have an older cistern, notice sediment or chlorine smell in the shower, or want to protect appliances: start with whole-house.
- If you want complete protection and the best drinking water: both, bundled.
We test your water before recommending anything. The results usually make the decision obvious.
