Water Reverse Osmosis Systems

June 12, 2007

I don’t drink tap water at home (probably drink it at restaurants without knowing. Don’t think they server you anything but tap water).

I live in CA and I really don’t trust tap water here. There’s so much chemicals in the water that I can’t handle the taste.

So my options:

1. Buy a water cooler (I used to have one, but I live in a small condo now and really have no room for it). Plus it’s quite a hassle to carry those huge water jugs and refill them all the time.
2. Buy water bottles (cases of 24)
3. Install filters. There are several types of filters out there. From the cheap ones that you install on your kitchen faucet to the expensive Reverse Osmosis Systems.

 Currently I’m going with option 2. We buy roughly 2 cases per week (about $3.99 each when they’re on sale). With sales tax and CRV tax, that comes out to roughly $50 / month just in water.

 I don’t trust those cheap filters too. They might clean some of the particles, but don’t think they do a good job removing the chemical taste from the water.

So I started to look at Reverse Osmosis Systems. Doing a quick google search, you find systems for $150 to $450. I didn’t want to deal with installation, so I called one of the companies I found that serviced my area and they showed up at my place last week for a presentation.

After their nice presentation, they told me the price: $1500. I was in shock. I was expecting a more expensive system, since they claimed to be the best, but I wasn’t expecting it to be 4x more expensive than the ones I found on Google. I asked him about the differences, and he fed me a lot of technical stuff I didn’t really understand. So I thanked him and told him I would keep researching until I understood better how these Systems worked and why his would be so expensive.

I don’t mind paying premium money for the best system, but I need to know that I am really getting the best and that it is really worth it.

The thing that bugged me a bit was some of his sales pitches. He was telling me that I should not risk my kid’s life and I should always buy the best thing for his health. I thought that inappropriate, claiming I don’t take care of my family simply because I didn’t want to pay $1500 for the best water out there.

I would gladly pay $450 for the second best if it is good, but just not as good as the best.

Bottom line is: When trying to save money, you should always try to get a good ROI (Return On your Investment). You don’t have always to buy the best to have something good. Sometimes the second best might give you a better ROI for your money.

Well, I’ll keep looking at alternatives to see what comes up next, but spending $50 on water every month is really bugging me.

Posted in Family, Finances, Lifestyle