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What is the best home water filtration system for a Perth home?
When people start looking into a home water filtration system, the first question is usually:
Do I need a whole house water filter system, or just an under-sink water filter?
It’s a fair question.
In Perth, choosing a home water filtration system usually comes down to what you’ve noticed and want to improve about your water, and how much you want to invest to fix it.
Municipal mains water is already safe to drink, so this is really about preference and improving how the water tastes, smells and behaves in your home.
For most Perth households, the most noticeable issue is chlorine and how it affects the taste of your drinking water, whether it makes your skin feel dry after a shower and how much hard water scale buildup you see on your glass, taps and appliances.
These issues can be addressed individually or across the whole home.
What does a Whole-House water filter system do?
A whole house water filter system is usually installed outside your property and treats water before in enters your home.
It filters water from every outlet fed by your mains water, including showers, bathroom and kitchen taps, washing machines, some air conditioning systems and hot water appliances.
Most whole house systems use sediment and carbon filtration to treat water.
Sediment filters remove particles including sand, rust, and fine grit that gets into the water network, and the carbon filter removes unwanted chemicals, including chlorine.
Water Corporation adds chlorine to all WA water supply schemes as a disinfectant. The reaction of natural organic compounds with chlorine is what causes the taste and smell many Perth households notice.
Standard sediment and carbon filtration does not remove minerals like calcium that cause hard water and scale buildup.
Specialist scale-reducing filters will help break down calcium but only a dedicated water softener combined with a whole house filtration system will provide contaminant and calcium-free soft water and provide complete home filtration.
Our whole-house filters and water softeners shows the main systems we install and service across WA.
What does an under-sink water filter do?
For most homes on mains water, the kitchen tap is where you first notice the effects of chlorine on your water.
An under-sink water filter is connected to the mains water supply under the sink and treats water before it comes out of the tap.
Most kitchen filter systems use sediment and carbon filtration to reduce chlorine taste and odours and remove sand, dirt and other particles to improve the quality and enjoyment of your drinking and cooking water.
Under sink filter systems can have separate sediment and carbon filters (Twin Filter Systems) or a single combined sediment and carbon filter (Maxiflow and Mixerflow systems).
The choice often comes down to the amount of water your household uses and the amount of space you have under the sink.
Water filter cartridges need replacing every 6 to 12 months to keep your system working properly and protect the quality of your drinking water. We’ll send a reminder when yours is due.
Entry-level under-sink systems start from $500 to $600 with free standard installation offered to domestic customers in Perth metro and many areas in regional WA.
These mains-fed systems are usually the starting point for the home water filtration system Perth homeowners choose, especially if the main aim is improving water taste.
Browse the under-sink and on-tap filter range to see what suits your setup.
What neither system addresses on its own
Perth water is generally hard across many metro suburbs, although it varies by area. Northern coastal suburbs such as Yanchep and Two Rocks tend to run harder, while southern suburbs and the hills are usually a bit softer. This comes down to how much calcium and magnesium is present in the water supply.
Water Corporation data, reflected in independent summaries such as WaterScore’s provides an overview of the variation across WA.
In practical terms, higher levels of calcium mean more scale build-up on taps, shower screens and inside appliances, along with reduced soap lathering, as described in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
A standard sediment and carbon water filtration system will reduce chlorine, contaminants, sediment and improve taste, but it will not remove calcium or soften water. Scale will continue to form unless water hardness is specifically addressed. The filter system hasn’t failed; it’s just designed for a different job.
There are specialised scale reduction filter options available for some under sink water filter systems, designed to reduce the impact of calcium at the kitchen tap.
These filters can help minimise scale in kettles and improve drinking water, but they only work at the point of use and don’t treat the whole house.
If scale buildup is a problem across your home, a water softener is the right choice. It breaks down and reduces calcium before mains water enters the property, reducing scale and helping protect appliances and keep shower screens clean.
In the Pilbara, water is much harder again, particularly in Karratha, Tom Price and Paraburdoo, where scale builds faster and the difference is often more noticeable.
Which home water filtration system suits your Perth home?
| What you are noticing | Right filter system | Why it fits |
| Chlorine taste and odour at the kitchen tap | Under-sink sediment and carbon filters (e.g. Twin, Maxiflow and Mixerflow) | Most Perth homes start here. From $500 to $600. |
| Chlorine taste and odour across every tap and shower | Whole-house sediment and carbon filter | Treats water at the point of entry. Every outlet benefits. |
| Scale in kettles or at the kitchen tap | Under-sink system with special scale-reduction filters | Helps manage scale buildup from kitchen tap water and less expensive than whole house treatment |
| Hard water scale on kettles, taps, shower screens and appliances | Water softener | Standard sediment and Carbon filtration alone does not address water hardness scale |
| Chlorine taste, water quality and scale buildup throughout the home | Whole-house filtration and water softener | Addresses water taste, quality and hardness from every outlet for complete home filtration |
If the concern is drinking and cooking water only, an under-sink filter system is a cost-effective starting point. A whole-house system is a bigger investment. If the benefit is only needed at one tap, a single-point solution is the right call.
If chlorine taste and odour from every shower and tap is the issue, a whole-house system makes sense. It treats water before it reaches any outlet.
If scale is the main issue, a water softener is the right system. Paired with a whole-house filtration system, the combination addresses both chlorine and scale across the entire home.
Honest exception: if you rent, only drink a few litres of water a day and cannot modify plumbing, a jug or benchtop filter may be the right short-term option.
How to get the recommendation right
Start with what you don’t like about your home’s water.
Taste issues usually point to an under-sink filter system.
If you’re also concerned about the effects of chlorine on your shower water, laundry and household cleaning, it’s time to look at a whole house system.
If scale buildup is the main issue, treating water hardness with a water softener is the answer.
Free standard installation is available with domestic mains-fed systems in many parts of WA, including Perth Metro, Mandurah, Rockingham, Joondalup, Karratha, Tom Price and Port Hedland. We’ll confirm eligibility before you make a purchase. See our installation service for details.
We pride ourselves on the level of servicing and maintenance we provide after installation and we will remind you when it’s time to change your filters and do this for you as part of a regular service visit.
For a full view of residential filtration options, water filtration for your home is the starting point.
Frequently asked questions
A whole house water filter system treats water at the point it enters your home, so every tap, shower and appliance receives filtered water.
An under sink water filter treats water at a single point, usually the kitchen tap, for drinking and cooking.
Both systems reduce chlorine and sediment, but neither removes calcium which causes hard water scale.
No. A standard whole house water filter system will reduce chlorine, contaminants and improve taste, but it does not remove the minerals that cause scale. Hard water requires a dedicated water softener.
The best home water filtration system depends on what you’re trying to fix.
If the issue is taste at the kitchen tap, an under sink water filter is usually the starting point.
If chlorine is noticeable across showers and taps, a whole house water filter system makes more sense.
If the issue is scale, a water softener is needed.
Where homes have both chlorine and scale issues, a combination of whole house filtration and softening is the most effective solution for complete home filtration.
The cost of a home water filtration system depends on the type of system and what it’s designed to do.
As a guide, an under sink water filter is usually the most cost-effective starting point, typically from around $500 to $600 with free standard installation depending on eligibility.
A whole house water filter system is a larger investment, as it treats water across the entire home and is matched to the property size and plumbing setup.
Systems that include a water softener will vary further depending on the size of the home and the level of water hardness being treated.
We’re always happy to provide free quotations based on the size of your home, the quality of your source water and where you live.
Yes. All home water filtration systems require some level of ongoing maintenance to keep them working properly.
Water filter cartridges in both under sink and whole house water filter systems need to be replaced regularly to maintain performance and protect water quality.
How often this happens depends on the system, how much water you use and local water conditions. For most customers, we recommend changing the filters every 6 to 12 months.
Water Softeners need salt to be added at regular intervals to maintain performance.
Regular maintenance isn’t a downside, it’s what ensures your filtration system continues to do the job it was installed for.
There isn’t one single best home water filtration system. It depends on what you are trying to fix.
Call us on 1300 880 303 and your call will be answered in person by a member of our friendly, knowledgeable team, with no automated systems or buttons to press.