Compare equipment for softer water, better-tasting drinking water and less buildup. Our published system prices include equipment, professional installation, warranty and taxes.
Start with the result you want, then compare the right equipment and installed price. A softener, a carbon filter and a kitchen reverse-osmosis system each do a different job.
| Your priority | What to compare |
|---|---|
| Fewer spots, less soap film and less mineral buildup | Whole-home water softening, sized to tested hardness and household demand. |
| Less chlorine taste and odor throughout the house | Whole-home carbon filtration, with media chosen for your water supply. |
| Filtered water for drinking and cooking | Kitchen reverse osmosis, with tank and tankless options. |
| Well-water staining, odor or sediment | A well-water treatment plan, selected from your water results. |
The tables below separate complete packages, individual components and optional work. Compare the same equipment and installation scope when you compare quotes.
For your Des Moines metro home, get your installed estimate or call 515-709-4674. Our Des Moines water softener and water treatment team will help you compare the options.
Every system price on this page includes:
| System | What it does | Installed |
|---|---|---|
| Standard System | Softener, whole-home carbon filtration, and a reverse-osmosis drinking-water system with alkaline mineral filter at the kitchen tap. Covers most homes with one to six people. | $2,850 |
| Standard System — no RO | The same softener and whole-home filtration, without the drinking-water system. | $2,500 |
| Whole Home XL | Larger tank for households of eight or more, or homes with four or more bathrooms. Includes reverse osmosis. | $3,150 |
| Whole Home XL — no RO | The XL build without the drinking-water system. | $2,800 |
| Dual Tank City + RO | Separate softening and carbon tanks. The self-cleaning carbon tank is our longest-lasting city build. | $3,550 |
| Salt-Free System | Scale conditioning without salt, plus a separate carbon tank. Not recommended for well water. | $3,050 |
Standard activated carbon reduces chloramine, but not as thoroughly as we would like. If your city treats with chloramine rather than plain chlorine, a full catalytic carbon tank is the honest answer. Cedar Rapids and Robins are chloraminated; Marion and Hiawatha run plain chlorine, where standard activated carbon is genuinely fine.
| On this system | Upgrade | New total with RO |
|---|---|---|
| Standard System | +$150 | $3,000 |
| Whole Home XL | +$225 | $3,375 |
| Dual Tank City | +$300 | $3,850 |
We do not sell this upgrade on a well system. Our well builds already include catalytic carbon — charging for it separately would be charging you twice.
| System | What it does | Installed from |
|---|---|---|
| Dual Tank Well + Tank RO | Air-injection iron filtration with catalytic carbon, plus softening, plus a tank reverse-osmosis system with alkaline filter. For iron under 6 ppm without significant sulfur or manganese. | $3,950 |
| Dual Tank Well — no RO | The same well build without the drinking-water system. | $3,650 |
| Heavy iron, sulfur or manganese | Iron above 6 ppm, or real sulfur or manganese, needs a dedicated iron tank sized to your actual water. We quote this after a test, not before. | Quoted |
Well prices are floors, not ceilings. Distance from the well, trenching and rock push the number up. We only ever put a tank reverse-osmosis system on a well — well water runs high in dissolved solids and a tankless unit loses pressure on it.
| Item | Notes | Installed |
|---|---|---|
| Tankless reverse osmosis | Seven-stage with alkaline built in. Our pick for city water. | $997 |
| Tank reverse osmosis | Seven-stage with alkaline mineral filter, roughly two and a half to three usable gallons on tap. The only RO we put on a well. | $897 |
| Softener only | Softening with no carbon, so it does not remove chlorine or chloramine. Best as an add-on rather than a standalone job. | $1,900 |
| Carbon tank only | Filtration without softening. | $1,150 |
| Carbon tank only — catalytic | For chloraminated city water. | $1,450 |
| Item | Notes | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-sediment filter | A genuine upgrade on well water. City water rarely needs one, because the carbon tank backflushes itself — we will tell you that rather than sell it to you. | $500 |
| UV system | Well water only. Never sold on city water. | $700 |
| Rock | When the install hits rock. | $175 |
| Bury system | Quoted from photos, depending on the run to the house or garage. | $400–$1,000 |
| Trenching | Priced on the actual distance, rock and access. A standard system needing a trench starts at $3,000. | Quoted |
| Attic tie-in | $250 | |
| Garbage-disposal air switch | Frees a blocked outlet so a tankless RO can go in, and gives you a countertop button. This one is close to cost — it is a solution, not a profit line. | $200 |
| Specialty or digital faucet | Beyond chrome, brushed nickel, matte black, oil-rubbed bronze and brushed gold. | $200 |
| Refrigerator or ice-maker line | Two things to know first: it is not possible if your sink is in an island, and even by the refrigerator it works out roughly half the time. We say so before you agree to it. A tank RO line needs a delivery pump, so it costs more. | $300 tankless RO · $350 tank RO |
| Old-system disposal | We haul the old unit away. | ~$100 |
| System removal | $200 | |
| System reinstallation | Moving a system to a new home. | $500 |
| Service | What it covers | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Annual service — tank RO home | All three RO filters, a water test and a full system check. | $199/yr |
| Annual service — tankless RO home | The same visit. Tankless filters cost substantially more than tank filters, which is the entire reason for the difference. | $249/yr |
| Semi-annual well service | Well systems only, every six months. | $250/visit |
| Diagnostic call | Something is wrong and we do not yet know what. This is a charge for the trip, not the repair. | $199 |
| Known-issue call | We already know the problem and are coming to fix it. Trip charge plus the part. | $99 + part |
| UV bulb replacement | Every six to twelve months on well systems. | $300 |
| Tank swap | When the media is finally spent, which can take up to 12 years. | $1,000 |
First-year trip fees are waived. A service call and annual service do not stack on the same visit. Warranty-covered parts remain covered; a trip charge is separate. Travel is free for the first 50 miles from our Des Moines or Marion office, then $1 per mile beyond that.
0% financing is available through a third-party lender, with approved credit. Terms, rates and eligibility are set by the lender, not by us.
Payment options: we accept all major credit and debit cards and Apple Pay, processed securely through Stripe.
Your whole-home package includes lifetime parts coverage, five years on media and one year on installation labor. Review the written warranty and guarantee alongside your quote so you understand coverage and service charges.
Salt-based softeners need salt replenishment. RO systems need periodic filter changes. Our service table separates tank and tankless RO care, well-system visits and repair work, making ongoing costs easier to plan. Explore annual service and softener salt and maintenance.
We check the selected equipment, water results and installation layout. Plumbing access, trenching, rock and optional work can change the scope. The agreed equipment and work are confirmed before installation.
If a repair or setting adjustment can restore performance, compare that option first. Our Des Moines repair page explains diagnosis, parts checks and repair versus replacement.
Whole-home water softening, filtration, and reverse-osmosis drinking water — professionally installed and built to last a lifetime.
Serving Des Moines, Polk County & homes across Iowa
Kind Water Co is a d/b/a of Zero Cap Investments LLC · 600 SE 15th St, Des Moines, IA 50317
Looking for another location? North Des Moines · West Des Moines
Popular Des Moines-area pages: Ankeny · Waukee · Altoona · Des Moines water guide
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