Most reverse osmosis problems are filters, pressure, or a worn membrane — not a dead system. Kind Water Co services RO systems across Eastern Iowa, including units we did not install. Our annual plan is $199/year for a tank RO home and $249/year for a tankless home, and it includes all three filters, a water test and a full system check.
| Symptom | Usual cause | What it takes to fix |
|---|---|---|
| Trickle at the faucet, slow to refill | Clogged prefilters, low incoming pressure, or a storage tank that has lost its air charge | Filter change; tank re-pressurization; occasionally a booster |
| No water at all | Closed supply valve, frozen or kinked line, failed shutoff valve, or an empty tank that never refilled | Diagnostic visit — usually a valve or a line, not the membrane |
| Water tastes or smells off again | Carbon filters past their life, or a membrane at end of service | Filter set first; membrane if TDS confirms it |
| Constant drain noise / never stops running | Failed automatic shutoff valve or check valve | Valve replacement |
| Leak under the sink | A fitting, the faucet base, or a filter housing O-ring | Usually a fitting or O-ring — shut the supply valve and call |
| White film still on glasses | That is hardness, not an RO problem — RO treats the drinking tap only | A softener, not RO service |
An RO system has three things to maintain. Sediment and carbon prefilters protect the membrane and handle taste — these are the ones people neglect, and neglecting them is what actually kills membranes. The membrane itself lasts years, not months, when the prefilters are kept up. The post-filter polishes taste on the way to the faucet.
We bundle all three filters into the annual visit rather than selling them separately, because a filter set priced above the visit that includes it is a service nobody buys. The visit also includes a water test, so you find out whether the membrane is still doing its job instead of guessing.
The honest signal that a membrane is finished: rising TDS at the RO faucet compared to when it was installed. Not age, not a sales calendar — a measurement.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Annual service plan — tank RO home (all three filters, water test, system check) | $199/year |
| Annual service plan — tankless RO home | $249/year |
| Diagnostic visit — we do not know what is wrong yet | $199 |
| Known-issue visit — you know what it needs, we come do it | $99 trip + the part |
| System removal | $200 |
| System reinstallation (moving house, remodel) | $500 |
| New RO system installed — tank style | $800 |
| New RO system installed — tankless | $900 |
First-year trip fees are waived on systems we installed. The trip charge is a charge for the drive, not the repair — a warranty-covered part is still free, but the warranty covers the part, not the truck. Travel within 50 miles of Marion is free, then $1 per mile beyond.
Straight answer: if the housings are sound and the fittings are not brittle, repair. A filter set and a valve are a fraction of a new system, and there is nothing noble about replacing hardware that works.
Replace when the housings are cracked or crazed, when the faucet or fittings have gone brittle, when parts for a discontinued unit are not obtainable, or when the running cost of proprietary filters exceeds what a new system with standard filters would cost over a few years. At $800 installed for a tank RO, that math arrives sooner than people expect on some older proprietary units.
One Iowa-specific note: we never put a tankless RO on a well. Well water runs high TDS and tankless units lose pressure on it. On a well, a tank RO is the right build, and it is the only one we will quote.
Sometimes the answer is no. If you are in West Liberty or Atkins, your city already runs a municipal reverse osmosis plant, and what you want from a home RO is a final polish rather than heavy lifting. If your complaint is spotted glassware or soap that will not lather, that is hardness and an RO will not touch it — RO treats one tap.
We will tell you which of those you have before quoting anything. See also how reverse osmosis works, RO cost in Iowa, and water softener repair.
Tell us the symptom and we will tell you honestly whether it sounds like a $99 part or an $800 replacement before we drive out. Call or text 319-319-6566, email ryan@kindwaterco.com, or get an instant quote. We serve Cedar Rapids, Marion, Iowa City, Dubuque, Waterloo and Cedar Falls and the towns between.
Prefilters and the post-filter are annual items on most households; the membrane lasts years when the prefilters are kept up. Neglected prefilters are the single most common reason a membrane dies early. Our annual visit at $199 for a tank RO home includes all three filters, a water test and a system check.
Usually clogged prefilters, low incoming pressure, or a storage tank that has lost its air charge — in that order. All three are inexpensive fixes and none of them means the system is finished. A diagnostic visit is $199, or $99 plus the part if you already know what it needs.
Yes. We service reverse osmosis systems across Eastern Iowa regardless of who sold them, as long as parts are obtainable. If it is a discontinued proprietary unit with no parts available, we will tell you that rather than charging for a diagnostic to reach the same conclusion.
By measurement, not age: rising total dissolved solids at the RO faucet compared with when it was installed. That is why our annual visit includes a water test. Anyone recommending a membrane replacement without a TDS reading is guessing.
We will not install one. Well water runs high total dissolved solids and tankless units lose pressure on it — on a well the correct build is a tank RO, at $800 installed, or $3,800 as part of a well dual-tank system. On city water either style works.
Whole-home water softening, filtration, and reverse-osmosis drinking water — professionally installed and built to last a lifetime.
Serving Marion, Cedar Rapids & surrounding Linn County communities
Kind Water Co is a d/b/a of Zero Cap Investments LLC · 2258 Bison St, Apt B, Marion, IA 52302
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