What is in Adelaide's tap water, and which filter fixes what
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Philips 75 GPD reverse osmosis tap water station with remineraliser
WaterMark-listed reverse osmosis with a remineraliser: it addresses all three of Adelaide's complaints at the kitchen tap.
$499 at Bunnings, checked 9 Nov 2026 · Amazon's price is on its page
Paid links: we may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn't change which product is here.
Adelaide's water is hard, chloraminated and fluoridated, and a jug does almost nothing about any of it. What SA Water delivers and the filters that actually change it.
Our picks at a glance
| Product | Hardness, fluoride, tastePhilips 75 GPD reverse osmosis tap water station with remineraliser $499 at Bunnings | Shower: chloramineQuoss Universal chlorine shower filter $128 at Bunnings | Tankless RO, minerals backPhilips AUT8950/79 400 GPD tankless reverse osmosis tap water station with remineraliser $699 at Bunnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cartridge | — | — | — |
| Install | Plumbed, licensed plumber | — | Plumbed with its own tap, licensed plumber; 11 cm wide unit |
| Why it's here | WaterMark-listed reverse osmosis with a remineraliser: it addresses all three of Adelaide's complaints at the kitchen tap. | Metropolitan Adelaide is chloraminated; vitamin C is the media that works. | WaterMark-listed, no tank, a remineraliser, and about 70 percent recovery on the listing, so less water down the drain. |
| Watch out for | A tank system, so it fills the cupboard and sends water to the drain like any tank RO | A Special Order at Bunnings, not a shelf item | Dearest RO system at Bunnings short of the multi-temperature models |
| Buy | Today's price on Amazon$499 at Bunnings | Today's price on Amazon$128 at Bunnings (Special Order) | Today's price on Amazon$699 at Bunnings |
WaterMark-listed reverse osmosis with a remineraliser: it addresses all three of Adelaide's complaints at the kitchen tap.
WaterMark-listed reverse osmosis with a remineraliser: it addresses all three of Adelaide's…
Watch out: A tank system, so it fills the cupboard and sends water to the drain like any tank RO
- Install: Plumbed, licensed plumber
$499 at Bunnings, checked 9 Nov 2026 · Amazon's price is on its page
Metropolitan Adelaide is chloraminated; vitamin C is the media that works.
Metropolitan Adelaide is chloraminated; vitamin C is the media that works.
Watch out: A Special Order at Bunnings, not a shelf item
$128 at Bunnings, checked 9 Nov 2026 · Amazon's price is on its page
WaterMark-listed, no tank, a remineraliser, and about 70 percent recovery on the listing, so less water down the drain.
WaterMark-listed, no tank, a remineraliser, and about 70 percent recovery on the listing, so…
Watch out: Dearest RO system at Bunnings short of the multi-temperature models
- Install: Plumbed with its own tap, licensed plumber; 11 cm wide unit
$699 at Bunnings, checked 9 Nov 2026 · Amazon's price is on its page
How we picked: We picked these 3 from the water filters sold in Australia, judged on cartridge, install and price, using maker specs, Australian retailer prices and owner reports. We haven't tested them hands-on yet, and maker claims are labelled as theirs. Commission never puts a worse product ahead of a better one, but between equal products or shops, one that pays us can go first. Full method.
Adelaide’s water is the most-filtered in Australia for a reason: it is hard, it can be high in dissolved solids when the River Murray share of the blend rises, and it is chloraminated. A jug does little here. Here is what actually works.
The three things that matter
Hardness and dissolved solids. Roughly 130 to 200 milligrams per litre of hardness, higher in summer. Scale on kettles and shower screens, soap that will not lather, and a mineral taste.
Chloramine. SA Water disinfects metropolitan Adelaide with chloramine. Standard carbon and KDF media are weak against it; catalytic carbon and vitamin C are not.
Fluoride. Present, as in every capital.
What to buy in Adelaide
- Kitchen: reverse osmosis. It is the only common home treatment that removes hardness, dissolved solids and fluoride at once, and Adelaide is the city where it earns its running cost. Choose a remineralising model if flat-tasting water bothers you, and a WaterMark-listed one so a licensed plumber can fit it: the cheapest online kits (Geekpure, iSpring) aren’t on the register.
- Shower: the Quoss vitamin C filter. Nothing on a shower arm softens the water; read the hard water guide for what does.
- Whole house: a softener installed by a plumber, with a sediment and carbon pre-filter in front of it.
- Your own water: test your own tap water with hardness strips or a TDS meter before you buy. The test kit guide covers what a home kit can and can’t tell you, and when to use a NATA-accredited lab instead.
Sources: SA Water water quality reporting and its published disinfection information; Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (NHMRC). Hardness varies with the seasonal blend; check SA Water’s current figures for your area.
Where to buy our picks
- Philips 75 GPD reverse osmosis tap water station with remineraliserSee today's price on Amazon
- Quoss Universal chlorine shower filterSee today's price on Amazon
- Philips AUT8950/79 400 GPD tankless reverse osmosis tap water station with remineraliserSee today's price on Amazon
Paid links: we may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Prices change; the shop's page is the final word.
The picks in detail
Tap a pick for its full specs, pros and cons and every shop.
Hardness, fluoride, tastePhilips 75 GPD reverse osmosis tap water station with remineraliser
$499 at Bunnings · checked 9 Nov 2026Specs, pros and cons, all 2 shops
WaterMark-listed reverse osmosis with a remineraliser: it addresses all three of Adelaide's complaints at the kitchen tap.
- Output: 75 GPD
- Remineraliser: Yes
- Install: Plumbed, licensed plumber
- Certification: WaterMark, licence 060214
- WaterMark: Yes, licence 060214
- Yearly running cost: About $215 to $335 at Philips RRP (AUT515, AUT514, AUT521 sets)
Pros
- RO with remineralisation from a brand you can buy in-store
- Bunnings warranty and returns
Cons
- A tank system, so it fills the cupboard and sends water to the drain like any tank RO
Paid links: we may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Price checked 9 Nov 2026.
Shower: chloramineQuoss Universal chlorine shower filter
$128 at Bunnings · checked 9 Nov 2026Specs, pros and cons, all 2 shops
Metropolitan Adelaide is chloraminated; vitamin C is the media that works.
- Media: Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) cartridge
- Fits: Standard half-inch thread, before your head or hand-shower hose
- How to buy at Bunnings: Special Order (online or the Special Orders desk)
- Refill life: 2-4 months per stick (Quoss claim)
- Reduces: Chlorine (Quoss claim; Quoss doesn't claim chloramine)
- Certification: None shown on the Bunnings listing
Pros
- Vitamin C reacts with chloramine as well as chlorine (shown in a bath test by San Francisco's water utility)
- Bunnings takes unused items back for change of mind, in any store
Cons
- A Special Order at Bunnings, not a shelf item
- Dearest shower filter here and cartridges are pricey
- Skin and hair benefits are anecdotal; we only credit chlorine reduction
Paid links: we may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Price checked 9 Nov 2026.
Tankless RO, minerals backPhilips AUT8950/79 400 GPD tankless reverse osmosis tap water station with remineraliser
$699 at Bunnings · checked 9 Nov 2026Specs, pros and cons, all 2 shops
WaterMark-listed, no tank, a remineraliser, and about 70 percent recovery on the listing, so less water down the drain.
- Stages: Aquaporin Inside RO with remineraliser; dual-outlet tap gives RO or micro-filtered water
- Install: Plumbed with its own tap, licensed plumber; 11 cm wide unit
- Flow rate: 1.05 L/min RO, 2.4 L/min micro-filtered, no tank (listing)
- Filter life: Up to 3 years or 11,000 L (listing)
- Certification: WaterMark certified (Amazon AU listing)
- WaterMark: Yes, licence 060214
- Yearly running cost: About $192 at Philips RRP (AUT619 yearly, AUT620R400 every 3 years)
Pros
- 70 percent recovery: two litres of purified water from every three (listing), against 25 to 33 percent for tank systems
- Tankless and slim, so the cupboard stays usable
- Sold at Bunnings and Amazon AU, so service and returns are local
Cons
- Dearest RO system at Bunnings short of the multi-temperature models
- Proprietary cartridges
Paid links: we may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Price checked 9 Nov 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is Adelaide water hard?
Yes, the hardest capital after Perth and often quoted as the hardest. SA Water's data puts metropolitan hardness roughly between 130 and 200 milligrams per litre depending on how much River Murray water is in the blend, which rises in summer.
Does Adelaide use chloramine?
Metropolitan Adelaide is chloraminated. SA Water uses chloramine because the network is long and the climate warm, and it holds a residual better than chlorine. Standard carbon and KDF filters remove only part of it.
Why does Adelaide water taste the way it does?
A combination of hardness, dissolved solids from the Murray, and chloramine. Reverse osmosis is the treatment that changes all three; a jug changes almost none of it.