I live in Essex County, New Jersey, and received a notice from the town that we had measurable PFAS in the water supply. The town is planning on fixing this, but that means that there are some harmful chemicals in our drinking water.

I did a bunch of research and the PPT (part per trillion) that the town has is still low, based on other standards in parts of the country, and in other parts of the world. This got me into researching various filters and companies to help with installing a water filter to remove all PFAS from my family’s drinking water.

Spoiler: I chose Aqua Chill. Read more about my experience and why I didn’t DIY this, below!

This review is not sponsored in any way by Aqua Chill! I chose the company via 5 or so referrals in our community, and wrote this review because I was happy with the experience.

Why even filter your water in the first place?

You may have a Brita water filter or a water filter in your fridge. These filters are carbon-based and typically will only filter out bad tastes, like chlorine and other particulates. They’re good for something, but won’t really do much in removing the small particulates carrying the PFAS. (I researched all of this, heavily.)

You may want to generally read about PFAS here on the EPA’s website, and about the health risks here by the ATSDR.

If you don’t read the info, the main takeaway is that these chemicals are bad for you, and you shouldn’t be drinking them (if you can help it). You’ll also find out that they are in literally everything.

My main motivation is that I want to remove as much harm to everyone in my family as best as I can. Here are some other quick benefits that I’ve seen after installing a home water filter:

  • Virtually no clean-up needed on humidifiers or hot water kettles
  • Could be better for watering your house plants, if your watering schedule needs distilled water
  • Great-tasting and healthier water
  • Good for cooking, like rice, quinoa and soups, and even making tea
  • Cost savings on bottled water, because the water from your filter will taste close to what bottled water tastes like.

Why did I choose Aqua Chill?

I chose Aqua Chill because it’s popular in the neighborhood Facebook groups near me. The company came as a recommendation from a friend who also has a reverse osmosis home filtration system.

FYI, Aqua Chill does have a refer-a-friend program, so if this review was helpful and if you choose Aqua Chill, let Matt know that Dan Gold from Half Half Home referred you!

I looked at reviews online about Aqua Chill, and they were all positive. No one had anything bad to say. That was a great sign.

When making up my mind, I had 3 options:

  1. DIY: See below why I didn’t do this.
  2. Hire a plumber: I got a quote for $1700 from a plumber we had used before for different services! The quote was to put the reverse osmosis (”RO”) unit in the finished basement, so it may have been a little less if it were to be installed under our kitchen sink.
  3. Go with Aqua Chill: This is obviously the approach that I went with.

Aqua Chill process (consultation + installation)

The process starts by contacting Aqua Chill. You can call them at (646)-279-3401, or visit their website here: AquaChill.com. You’ll receive a follow-up call to schedule an appointment.

Matt came, checked out our space, gave us some options and gave us time to think about how we wanted to proceed. The consultation was low-pressure and informative. We didn’t feel like we were getting a heavy sales pitch at all. Matt answered all of our questions and even answered some more specific concerns of ours via email and phone.

My take on the in-person consultation is to get a sense of if the RO filter will fit, if you have enough room for the storage tank and if you have any questions.

Installation

The installation process was mostly smooth. Installing RO systems seems straightforward, though I can’t speak to it personally because I haven’t done it myself.

My personal experience was mostly positive. One of the Aqua Chill installers came promptly and got right to work.

He was able to get the filter installed within an hour or two. And he cleaned up when the job was done.

After a day, we noticed a slight gurgling sound coming from the drain in our kitchen sink. This is common with RO systems because they produce waste water, as they are actively filtering the water. Matt came back another time a few days later, and made an adjustment. Within a few days, the gurgling stopped. It had been so prominent that we had had friends over and we had to say, “Please don’t mind the gurgling on our brand new RO system.”

Since the fix, everything has been great so far.

How Aqua Chill works (subscription plan)

At the time of writing this (December 2024) the installation cost of an RO system with Aqua Chill is $599. Then, there is a yearly maintenance fee of $195 for filter replacement, general check-ups and servicing the tank.

They’ll also come and assist you if you have any issues, like leaks caused by the RO system or any problems that you notice.

Like in my case, the gurgling sound is something they came and fixed right away.

Do I recommend Aqua Chill?

Yes! And remember, if you end up contacting Aqua Chill, remember drop drop my name (Dan Gold). You’ll get some money off of your first year’s maintenance plan fee.

What are the off-the-shelf options for reverse osmosis water filters?

I received a few recommendations from friends and people who wanted to DIY the installation of a RO filter. It it really comes down to the filters themselves, and less on the actual casing for the filters, for what it’s worth.

Waterdrop and iSpring both came up as recommended brands and systems. You’re looking for NSF-58 in terms of water certification.

Then, there’s performance and material safety. Material safety is that the housing and filters don’t leach any harmful chemicals and the performance is that the water meets quality standards. When comparing systems, keep that in mind and make sure to look for actual certifications on water safety.

Total costs: DIY vs Aqua Chill

Like everything these days, subscriptions will end up with more money. You trade expertise and time for money.

If you own the Aqua Chill reverse osmosis filtration system for 10 years, assuming that the prices don’t increase, your 10-year costs are $2,549. That’s $599 for the installation and $195/mo.

If you DIY, your 10-year costs are roughly $1,250. That’s $500 for the filter unit and $75/year for all of the filters.

If you get a plumber to install, your 10-year cost is closer to $2,000. My quotes were really expensive, so you may have better luck with other plumbers based on the amount of time it took for the installation on my end. It also depends where you end up wanting to put your system. My house seemed to be a special case that would’ve required a lot of legwork, due to layout, so you may fare much better.

Installation process for a RO system

The installation is actually fairly simple. The RO system connects through your cold water line, and then needs to connect to your drain. The way the system works is: it takes water from your cold water line, filters it, moves clean water to a storage tank and then discards untreated water along the way.

I was initially worried about wasting water, but then realized that taking longer showers or watering the lawn uses more water than the filter discards, so wasn’t worried about it in the long run.

Helpful Tip

When you terminate your service, you’ve technically rented the housing for the filter itself. So, you may have to give it back to Aqua Chill. I’d check this out in the terms and conditions, or when you speak with your salesperson.

Why didn’t I do the installation myself?

I could have saved some money by buying an off-the-shelf model and then making the connections. In owning a house, my dad’s advice is to, “not mess with critical electrical or critical plumbing.” I agree.

The reason is that the risk of making a mistake is an expensive one (have you seen that HGTV show called “Fix My Fail” or “I Wrecked My House”?). With plumbing, I don’t want to mess with creating an unknown slow leak or creating an issue for which I need to hire an emergency plumber (that costs even more!).

I’ve changed light switches and light fixtures. I would change faucets or shower heads. I draw the line at making any changes that have bigger consequences.

Where to put the reverse osmosis system

You have 2 (kind of 3) options. The most common and easiest option is to put the filter under the kitchen sink. The filters don’t take up a lot of room. You can put the storage tank under the sink as well, or in my case, in a bottom cabinet that is hard to access.

I have a lower (base) corner cabinet that is hard to access, so it is used for storage. I had plenty of room for the small storage tank for an RO system.

The second option is to put the filter in a basement or somewhere under the kitchen. Under my kitchen is a finished storage room. You’d need to drill down from the cabinet through the floor, make a connection to a water line and run a fresh water line back up to the RO faucet. Wow, that’s a lot of work.

The 3rd option would be to buy a countertop RO system. I didn’t even consider this option, because it requires so much filling up! And I use the RO water so much, so it wouldn’t be the most convenient.

How has the RO system been?

So far, it’s been amazing. The water that comes out tastes great. It tastes like the most expensive bottled water that you can find. It’s basically pure water, almost distilled because all of the particulates are taken out. That also means all of the minerals are taken out, too.

It is common to add back in minerals to a RO system. That is called remineralization. Aqua Chill does offer this, and other RO systems can provide this service, too. It’s purely for taste, because you’re going to get the minerals you need daily, from food or multivitamins.

I also thought about the fact the a RO system removes fluoride (if your city water adds it in). As long as you brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste and have good dental hygiene, you’ll be fine, too.

I make SodaStream seltzer and the RO seltzer is pretty amazing. It tastes so much better than it did before.

There is peace of mind for me, knowing that the water we drink and cook with as a family is pure.

One of the biggest visible “wow” factors is that the hot water kettle never needs to be cleaned. Before, it was covered in calcium and other mineral deposits. After months of use, it looks brand new (after I deep cleaned it). This has become a brighter part of our day (literally), because the mineral deposits used to flake off and wind up in the bottoms of our cups and mugs.

Before we switched our humidifiers to the evaporative types, we’d need to clean our cool mist ones all the time. I wish we didn’t give them away, because it would have made the maintenance on them a lot better.

Other reasons you may want an RO system

In New Jersey, at least where I am, the water is pretty good. Aqua Chill does service a wide area, and you may have well water or be in a municipality where the water is kind of bad.

In that case, a RO system is a no-brainer. Or, if you spend money every week on bottled water, the costs will likely add up to the yearly fee of the yearly maintenance plan they provide. (And you’ll save on bottles and create less waste, or eliminate the need to have water jug deliveries like from Ready Refresh.)

Aqua Chill also provides services to businesses. When we lived in an apartment, the gym had a water filter that I’m willing to bet was never serviced. I imagine the water was good in its first year, but I have no clue as to when the last time they changed the water filter.

Knowing that you have a serviced and healthy reverse osmosis system at home feels good, for this reason.