Reverse osmosis (RO) is one of the most effective ways to improve drinking water quality at home. It removes dissolved solids, reduces contaminants, and helps eliminate the unpleasant tastes and odors that many Tampa-area residents notice in their tap water. Homes throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, and Polk Counties often experience changes in taste or water quality due to chloramines, seasonal fluctuations in the Hillsborough River, and trace contaminants that survive traditional treatment methods. An RO system helps remove what your municipal treatment doesn’t — giving you cleaner, clearer water right from your tap.

Reverse osmosis doesn’t just impact your drinking water — it impacts your ice, your cooking, your coffee, and your peace of mind. A high-quality RO system can help you feel confident about what’s coming out of your faucet.

Most Tampa residents receive their water from the Hillsborough River, which undergoes several stages of treatment before it reaches your home. While the City of Tampa maintains safety standards, the treatment process still leaves behind dissolved minerals, chloramines, and trace contaminants that affect taste and clarity.

Reverse osmosis helps minimize the impact of these issues by reducing the dissolved impurities that carbon filtration alone cannot remove.

You can determine whether an RO filtration system could benefit your home by looking for common indicators. Here are a few signs that suggest an RO filter may be the right fit for your household:

Chloramines and seasonal river changes often cause chemical or earthy tastes in drinking water. RO filtration helps strip out dissolved solids and compounds that influence flavor.

If you notice a chalky film in your kettle or pots, this is a sign of high total dissolved solids (TDS). Reverse osmosis is specifically designed to reduce TDS at the source.

Many Tampa homeowners rely on bottled water because they prefer the taste. RO systems create bottled-water-quality drinking water right at your faucet — without the ongoing cost or plastic waste.

RO membranes help reduce lead, PFAS, nitrates, arsenic, microplastics, and other contaminants that may appear in small amounts despite municipal treatment.

Minerals and dissolved solids freeze unevenly, creating cloudy or off-tasting ice. RO-filtered water creates clearer, better-tasting cubes.

If you notice any of these signs, it may be time to consider whether an RO filtration system could help improve your home’s water quality.

Reverse osmosis offers a variety of benefits for households looking to improve their drinking water. A few of the most common advantages include:

RO systems filter out particles as small as 0.0001 microns, helping reduce PFAS, lead, nitrates, arsenic, microplastics, and TDS.

By removing dissolved solids and chemical byproducts, reverse osmosis creates water that tastes cleaner and smoother.

Coffee, tea, soups, homemade baby formula, and ice all benefit from ultra-filtered water.

With RO, many homeowners eliminate bottle purchases altogether — saving money and reducing plastic use.

RO provides a reliable source of high-quality drinking water, even when seasonal or environmental factors affect Tampa’s water supply.

Reverse osmosis works by forcing water through a semi-permeable membrane that filters out microscopic impurities. Here’s a simplified breakdown of how a typical RO system operates:

The heart of the system is a multi-stage filtration process, which generally includes:

During filtration, dissolved impurities are separated from the water and flushed out through a drain line. The purified water is stored in a tank (or immediately delivered in tankless RO systems) until it’s needed.

By removing dissolved solids and trace contaminants, a reverse osmosis system helps improve flavor, reduce unwanted odors, and provide a consistent source of clean, great-tasting drinking water.

RO installation begins with a water test to understand your home’s specific needs and TDS levels. This determines which RO system is best suited for your household.

You’ll receive guidance on how the system works, when to change the filters, and how to maintain long-term performance.

Renting a reverse osmosis system is one of the simplest ways to get high-quality drinking water in your home without committing to a full system purchase. Many homeowners across Hillsborough, Pasco, and Polk Counties choose rentals because they offer predictable monthly costs, no large upfront investment, and full-service support from local water experts.

With an RO rental, you receive professional installation, ongoing system care, and routine filter replacements, making it a convenient long-term option for families who want cleaner, better-tasting water without the responsibility of maintaining the system themselves.

Consistent and simple maintenance helps keep your RO system operating at peak performance. Filter changes are scheduled based on your usage and incoming water quality, while membrane replacement typically happens less often. Monitoring flow rate, taste changes, or TDS readings can help identify when service is due.

Whether you rent or own, routine maintenance ensures your drinking water stays clean, fresh, and great-tasting.

Responsible homeowners across Hillsborough, Pasco, and Polk Counties know that improving their drinking water quality can help avoid long-term issues with taste, clarity, and dissolved impurities. But knowing which reverse osmosis system is right for your home isn’t always straightforward.

Does your water taste overly chlorinated? Are you relying on bottled water because your tap water doesn’t taste as clean as you’d like? Or have you noticed residue in kettles or pots caused by high total dissolved solids? These signs often point to a need for more advanced filtration — and that’s where an RO system can make a meaningful difference.

There are several factors that influence which RO system is best suited for you. The ideal system varies depending on your household size, the level of filtration you want, available installation space, and whether you prefer a traditional tanked system or a high-flow tankless model. Culligan of Tampa provides in-home testing and personalized recommendations to help you understand these variables and select the system that fits your home’s needs — ensuring clean, consistent, great-tasting water for years to come.