Septic & well
Reverse Osmosis Cost Calculator
Prices a reverse osmosis system, where the choice between a tap and a whole house unit changes the cost by an order of magnitude.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Labour, the unit, fittings and the call-out. The scale decision dominates. A point of use system under a sink treats drinking and cooking water only, is a modest plumbing job with a faucet, a small tank and a drain saddle, and is what most households actually need. A whole house system treats everything including water used for laundry and showers, which means far greater capacity, a storage tank, a repressurisation pump and considerably more installation. Since the contaminants people install reverse osmosis for are almost always ingested rather than absorbed through washing, the point of use option usually solves the actual problem for a fraction of the cost.
What moves the number
- Point of use against whole house, which is the largest single cost decision.
- Incoming water quality, because reverse osmosis membranes foul quickly without adequate pre-filtration for sediment, chlorine and hardness.
- Recurring costs, since pre-filters need changing on a schedule and the membrane periodically.
- Whether the drain connection and, for a whole house unit, a pump and tank location exist.
Where this one goes wrong
Reverse osmosis produces waste water, and on a point of use system the volume sent to drain is typically several times the treated water produced. That matters for a property on a septic system, where it is an added hydraulic load, and it matters for anyone on a low yielding well. Pre-treatment is the other thing that decides whether a system lives or dies: feeding untreated hard or sediment laden water into a membrane will destroy an expensive component quickly, so a softener or sediment filter ahead of it is often not optional. Reverse osmosis also removes beneficial minerals along with contaminants, which some systems address with a remineralisation stage, and it is not a treatment for bacteria on its own.
Before you quote
- Test the water first and confirm reverse osmosis treats what is actually present.
- Specify the pre-filtration the membrane needs for this water.
- Account for waste water volume, especially on a septic system or a low yielding well.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
Do I need whole house reverse osmosis?
Usually not. The contaminants reverse osmosis is chosen for are ingested, so treating drinking and cooking water at one tap addresses the health concern at a fraction of the cost. Whole house systems need far more capacity, a storage tank and a repressurisation pump, and treat water that is only going down a drain.
How much water does reverse osmosis waste?
A point of use system typically sends several times more water to drain than it produces as treated water. That is worth knowing if you are on a septic system, where it is additional hydraulic load, or on a well with limited yield. Some systems recover more than others, and it is a specification worth comparing.
What maintenance does reverse osmosis need?
Pre-filters on a regular schedule and the membrane periodically, with the interval depending heavily on incoming water quality. Neglecting the pre-filters is what kills membranes early, so the cheap consumables protect the expensive component. Budget for them as a recurring cost rather than a surprise.
Does reverse osmosis remove bacteria?
It is not a reliable treatment for microbiological safety on its own, and water with a bacterial problem needs disinfection addressed separately. If a test has found coliform bacteria, that is the finding to act on first rather than assuming a filtration system covers it.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 2.5 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $155.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $120.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 2.5 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $155 |
| Parts and materials | $120 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $602.50 |
| Labour | $387.50 |
| Before tax | $602.50 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $602.50: $387.50 of labour, $120 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $78 | $410 |
| $116 | $505 |
| $155 example above | $602.50 |
| $233 | $797.50 |
| $310 | $990 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 2.5 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $155.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $120.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.