Professional Water Filtration Systems in Cary, NC

Your tap water is almost certainly safe to drink by EPA standards. But "meets minimum federal requirements" and "this is what I want my family drinking" are two different bars. City of Raleigh and Town of Apex water both pass EPA testing, but they contain chlorine and chloramine (added for disinfection), trace amounts of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the so-called "forever chemicals"), and moderate mineral hardness. A filtration system doesn't fix unsafe water. It takes already-safe water and makes it genuinely clean.

What you notice day to day without filtration: water that smells or tastes like chlorine, film on dishes and shower glass, dry skin and hair after showering, and a faint chemical taste that you've probably gotten used to but visitors notice immediately. A properly matched filtration system eliminates all of that.

What's Actually in Triangle Water

Municipal water from Raleigh and Apex goes through treatment at the E.M. Johnson Water Treatment Plant and other regional facilities. The treatment process adds chloramine (a combination of chlorine and ammonia) as a long-lasting disinfectant. Chloramine is harder to remove than free chlorine. Standard carbon pitcher filters reduce it but don't eliminate it. You need catalytic carbon or a multi-stage system to truly remove chloramine.

PFAS compounds have been detected in municipal water supplies across North Carolina. These synthetic chemicals don't break down naturally and have been linked to health concerns at elevated exposure levels. The EPA has set advisory levels, and while local water typically falls below those thresholds, many homeowners prefer zero exposure rather than "below the advisory level." Reverse osmosis and certain activated carbon systems are effective at PFAS reduction.

Wake County water registers as moderately hard, in the 3-7 grains per gallon range. That's enough to leave mineral deposits on fixtures, reduce soap lathering, and create scale buildup inside water heaters and pipes over time. Filtration and softening address different problems. A carbon filter removes chemicals and improves taste. A softener handles mineral hardness. Some homes need both.

Well Water: A Different Set of Challenges

Homes on well water in western Wake County and outlying areas face issues that municipal water doesn't have. Well water bypasses all city treatment, so what's in the ground is what's in your glass.

Common well water problems in this area include iron (causes orange staining on fixtures, metallic taste), sulfur (rotten egg smell), low pH (acidic water that corrodes copper pipes), and bacterial contamination that requires UV treatment or chlorine injection. We test for all of these during our free water quality consultation and design a system around your specific results, not a one-size-fits-all package.

Types of Filtration Systems

Under-sink reverse osmosis (RO). This is the gold standard for drinking water at a single tap, usually the kitchen. An RO system forces water through a semi-permeable membrane that removes 95-99% of dissolved contaminants, including PFAS, lead, chloramine, fluoride, and dissolved minerals. Cost is typically $400-$800 installed, with filter replacements running $50-$100 annually. Downsides: it only treats one tap, it wastes some water during the filtration process, and it strips beneficial minerals (easily solved with a remineralization stage).

Whole-home carbon filtration. This system treats every tap, shower, and appliance in the house. A quality catalytic carbon system removes chloramine, chlorine, sediment, and many organic chemicals. Your showers feel different. Your clothes come out cleaner. The chlorine smell disappears everywhere. Cost runs $1,200-$3,000 installed depending on system size and your home's plumbing configuration. Filters or media last 3-5 years before replacement.

Whole-home multi-stage systems. For homes with multiple water quality issues (hardness plus chemicals, or well water with iron plus low pH), we design systems that address each problem in sequence. The stages might include sediment pre-filtration, water softening, carbon filtration, and UV disinfection. These range from $2,500-$6,000+ depending on complexity.

How to Figure Out What You Need

Start with a water test. Element Service Group offers a free water quality consultation where our tech tests your water at the tap and reviews your most recent municipal water quality report (or tests well water directly). Based on the results, we recommend a system matched to your actual water chemistry, not the most expensive option on the shelf.

Ask yourself what you're trying to solve. If it's just drinking water taste and you want to remove PFAS, an under-sink RO system handles that affordably. If you're tired of scale buildup, dry skin, and chlorine smell throughout the house, you need a whole-home solution. If you have well water with multiple issues, you need a multi-stage approach.

Installation and Maintenance

We install every system ourselves, no subcontractors. Whole-home systems get plumbed into your main water line with a bypass valve so you can isolate the system for maintenance. Under-sink systems get connected with a dedicated filtered water faucet at your kitchen sink.

Every system needs periodic maintenance. We set you up on a schedule and can handle filter changes and system checks as part of ongoing service. A neglected filtration system can actually make water quality worse by harboring bacteria in old filters, so maintenance matters.

Element Service Group is veteran-owned with over 700 five-star reviews across the Triangle. We don't sell one brand or push oversized systems. We test your water, match a solution to the results, and install it right.