Reverse Osmosis Systems in Des Moines, IA

Get convenient drinking and cooking water from a dedicated faucet in your Des Moines kitchen. Kind installs tank RO for $897 or tankless RO for $997, with professional installation and taxes included. Our main Des Moines team helps you compare the layout, water needs and annual care before coordinating installation.

Des Moines water, from the utilities that make it

Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW), a regional water production authority formed on 11 April 2024, began operating on 1 January 2025. Des Moines Water Works operates three treatment plants for CIWW. All three plants soften the water as part of treatment, and Saylorville uses ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis to do it, according to the 2026 water quality report.

Des Moines Water Works' goal is to keep hardness below 150 mg/L, about 8.76 grains per gallon. That's a goal, not a reading from your tap. Softened at the plant isn't the same as soft at your tap, so we don't assume either way; the test at your sink decides. In 2025 the three plants averaged about 145 to 152 mg/L, roughly 8.5 to 8.9 grains. Southern Des Moines is served by the L.D. McMullen plant, homes north of the city by Saylorville, and the rest of Des Moines by Fleur Drive.

The nitrate removal facility at Fleur Drive, an ion-exchange plant that can treat up to 10 million gallons a day, ran for 193 days during the 2026 season before going offline on 23 July 2026 (CIWW, 27 July 2026). Your utility's annual water quality report lists its nitrate results, and a certified laboratory can test your own tap. More about the city is on our Des Moines water page.

Who does the work

Every install is done by licensed local plumbing professionals we vet, schedule, and stand behind. We handle the estimate, the scheduling and any follow-up, and we install and repair reverse osmosis systems in Des Moines. Kind Water Co is licensed and insured, and every system price here includes the equipment, the installation, taxes and our lifetime parts warranty.

Tank or tankless?

Both do the same job at the same faucet. The difference is where the treated water waits and how much room your sink cabinet has.

Tankless RO needs an appropriate outlet under the sink. If the disposal occupies a suitable outlet, the published air-switch option is $200; the installer reviews the setup before recommending it. For private wells, Kind offers tank-style RO.

Space, the faucet and a fridge line

A tank system needs cabinet room for the tank as well as the unit, so we look under your sink at the estimate. Either system gets its own drinking faucet at the sink deck, drilled if there's no spare hole. Chrome, brushed nickel, matte black, oil-rubbed bronze and brushed gold finishes are included; any other specialty finish is $200.

Want RO water at the refrigerator or ice maker? We tell you two things first. It can't be done if your sink sits in an island, and even when the fridge is close, it's roughly a 50/50 chance whether the line works out, with no way to predict which. It works with either system: $300 with a tankless unit or $350 with a tank unit.

What's included on install day

• The reverse osmosis unit, tank or tankless, mounted in your sink cabinet
• A connection to the cold water line and a drain connection
• A dedicated drinking-water faucet
• A flush before anyone leaves, and a walk-through of which filter is which

Adding reverse osmosis to our softener and whole-home filtration system at the same visit takes the total from $2,500 to $2,850. Iowa-wide figures are in our reverse osmosis cost guide, and the systems are on our tank and tankless pages.

Filter changes and yearly service

The plan is one annual service visit: it's $199 a year on a tank system and $249 on a tankless, and it covers the RO filter changes, a water test and a full system check. If something isn't right between visits, a diagnostic call for an unknown issue is $199, and a known issue is a $99 trip plus the part.

Match the equipment to your water priorities

Total dissolved solids, or TDS, is the overall amount of minerals and other material dissolved in water, and it's one of the things our free screening measures. Our tank reverse osmosis system is certified to NSF/ANSI 58 by IAPMO R&T for total dissolved solids (TDS) reduction.

EPA rules name reverse osmosis as a type of technology, not any particular product:

• Nitrate concerns: EPA lists ion exchange, reverse osmosis and electrodialysis as the best available technologies for nitrate. Kind Water Co installs Whole-Home Nitrate Removal, its own tank installed after the softener; we have your water tested for nitrate and arsenic first, choose the system from the lab results and test again after installation. We use your water source and appropriate test results to help select suitable equipment.
• Other specific concerns: Tell us which water issue matters to you. We review appropriate water information and the selected equipment’s documented performance before making a targeted treatment recommendation.

EPA's 2024 limits are 4.0 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and 4.0 ppt for PFOS, each measured separately, plus 10 ppt each for PFHxS, PFNA and GenX and a Hazard Index limit for mixtures of PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS. Water systems have until 2029 to meet them.

Build the water improvements you want

• Your complaint is scale. Crust on faucets and spots on glasses come from hardness throughout the house, and an RO serves one faucet. A water softener removes the calcium and magnesium that cause scale. See our water softener page.
• Start with your water priorities: Our free test measures hardness, iron, TDS and a nitrate screening reading. For nitrate or another specific contaminant concern, we explain the appropriate laboratory test and use those results to help select treatment.
• A private well had a bacteria result. A bacteria result needs professional follow-up. Your county environmental health office or a certified well contractor can assess the well, find the cause, repair or disinfect it as needed, and retest before you rely on the water. Our UV is a Class B supplemental unit for water that has already tested safe; it isn't the fix for a contaminated well.
• Your screening shows little to treat and the water tastes fine. Then you may not need anything, and we'll tell you so.

Start with a free test and a Des Moines quote

Book a free in-home hardness, iron, TDS and nitrate screening test with the main Des Moines team. We explain the readings, compare tank and tankless options and review the kitchen fit. Tell us about nitrate or another specific concern so we can discuss appropriate laboratory testing. Call (515) 709-4674 or start your installed quote; scheduling and any travel charge are explained before booking.

See what we install in Des Moines, or book a free hardness, iron, TDS and nitrate screening. You can also call or text 515-709-4674, email hello@kindwaterco.com, or get a number in about a minute from our instant quote. To reach our Des Moines installation team directly, call 515-709-4674.

Towns next door

We also serve West Des Moines, Ankeny and Urbandale. There is a separate guide to reverse osmosis in West Des Moines.

Under-sink reverse osmosis or a whole-home softener and filter?

Under-sink RO supplies drinking and cooking water at the kitchen. Whole-home softening tackles hardness, and carbon filtration reduces chlorine taste and odor throughout the house. Compare the $2,500 softener-and-carbon package or $2,850 with tank RO added at the same visit. Standalone tank RO is $897 and tankless is $997. Explore installed prices, Des Moines systems or get your local quote.