Cahaba Water Co.
Four published prices. One that has to be measured first.
Our drinking-water systems are the same in every house, so every one has a published installed price. Whole-home systems are built around the house they go into, so we measure yours, size it, and put the price in writing before anything is scheduled. Both ways are honest, and either way you have the number in hand first.
systems, $995 to $1,295
measured sizing
holds on install day
confirmed before we schedule
Every drinking-water price, in the open. Drinking water
The four under-sink systems, and what each one costs installed.
All four are reverse osmosis systems, or RO, and each one installs under a single sink. Installed means the equipment, the licensed plumber, the startup and the warranty. Each figure is the whole cost, not a starting point, and it is the same figure on install day.
| Published | Cahaba Pure 50ESSENTIAL | Cahaba Performance 75PERFORMANCE | Cahaba Signature 75SIGNATURE | Cahaba Slim 800TANKLESS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Installed price | $995All in — equipment, labor, warranty | $1,095All in — equipment, labor, warranty | $1,295All in — equipment, labor, warranty | $1,295All in — equipment, labor, warranty |
| What it is | Premium reverse osmosis drinking water, at our lowest installed price. | More production and boosted RO performance. | Our premium traditional-tank RO system. | High-output RO without the storage tank. A premium alternative to the traditional-tank systems, priced alongside them. |
| Best for | You mainly want better drinking water. Normal household use, and enough incoming pressure to run it. | You want more water per day. Or the pressure coming in needs help. | You want the top traditional-tank RO system we offer. | You want the cabinet space, and fast production. |
| Storage | Approximately 4-gallon metal tank | NSF-certified 3.0-gallon tank | NSF-certified 3.0-gallon tank | None — tankless |
| Nominal production | 50 GPD | 75 GPD | 75 GPD | 800 GPD |
| Certification, documented | IAPMO R&T certifies this configuration to NSF/ANSI 58 and CSA B483.1, including PFOA and PFOS reduction. | The manufacturer identifies the membrane and the storage tank as NSF certified. We do not claim complete-system certification for this platform. | The storage tank is identified as NSF certified. We do not claim complete-system certification for this platform. | Not on file. This page makes no certification claim for this platform. |
| Full specification | Cahaba Pure 50 | Cahaba Performance 75 | Cahaba Signature 75 | Cahaba Slim 800 |
A higher price buys capacity and hardware. Three things move it: how fast the system makes water, the hardware inside it, and how it is built. GPD means gallons per day, and nominal means the rated figure. We hold no documentation ranking these systems by contaminant reduction, so we publish no such ranking. 800 GPD describes how quickly the system makes water. Cahaba Slim 800 costs exactly what Cahaba Signature 75 costs, because it is a different design rather than a higher one.
How your whole-home price is set. Whole home
Two decisions set the build, and the build sets the price.
A single published number would be simpler to shop. It would also assume every house needs the same equipment. A published price is honest where the equipment is identical in every house, so here we publish the method and measure yours.
Two separate decisions set the build. The first is the treatment level, which is what you want treated. The second is the system size, which is how much water your house has to move at once. Each one is measured on its own, and both come from your house rather than from the curb.
So we publish the method instead, along with the parts we use and the installation terms below. Then you get a firm written number before anything is scheduled. That protects you the same way a published price does, and it fits the house you actually have.
What is documented, and where the claim stops
The sizing method, published in full
The actual manufacturers in every system
The installation terms below, in writing
A firm written quote before anything is scheduled
Added work priced from photographs, in writing
No price that drops if you decide tonight
What does this home want or need treated?
How much water must this home handle at peak demand?
Three levels: Cahaba Whole Home Essential, Cahaba Whole Home Complete, or Cahaba Whole Home Signature.
Your water sets this, and so do your own goals. If your only complaint is chlorine and taste, Cahaba Whole Home Essential is the right fit, and it is the level we would put on your quote.
Four sizes: S Standard Flow, M Enhanced Flow, L High Flow, or XL Estate Flow.
Your plumbing sets this. We measure the service line, the pipe that brings water in from the street. We count your fixtures and check how many can run at once. Then we take real pressure readings. Your system is sized from your home's actual water demand.
A build is named like Cahaba Whole Home Complete ‑ M. Treatment level first, then size. A big house with six bathrooms, where the only complaint is the chlorine taste, may be Whole Home Essential at XL. A small house with two bathrooms, where the owner wants everything — filtered water at every tap, softer water, our best drinking-water system, and UV — may be Whole Home Signature at S. Both are correct builds. Every corner of that pairing belongs to some house.
"Standard installation" — defined in writing.
What the price includes, and what we quote separately.
Here is exactly what standard installation covers in your house, and here is the work we quote separately. The line is drawn in writing, before install day, so the figure you approve is the figure you pay.
We publish this early on purpose. The structure should be public before the charges are. The line between standard installation and separately quoted work is not final yet, because it waits on our plumbing partner's pricing. So no amount on this page below the drinking-water prices is a live offer. When the schedule is approved, we will publish the figures in the right-hand column and date them. Until then, anything beyond standard installation is quoted to you in writing, from photographs, before we schedule.
- We deliver the system, set it in place, and connect it.
- We start it up, then check the pressure and check for leaks.
- We walk you through the service intervals before we leave.
- We haul away the packaging, and the old unit if there is one.
- A single-family home on public water, not a well
- An address inside our service area
- A main water line you can reach, in a garage, basement or utility space
- A workable spot for the equipment near that main, with room to service it
- Normal pipe routing in copper, PEX or CPVC, in serviceable condition
- A drain within 10 feet where the system needs one, for the backwash rinse that cleans the filter media
- A grounded outlet within 6 feet, already there
- Static water pressure between 40 and 80 psi
- A cold-water shutoff you can reach under the sink
- A spare faucet hole, or a countertop we can drill
- A standard trap we can fit a drain saddle to
- Room in the cabinet for the unit, and for its tank if it has one
Work quoted separately
We do all of this work. It sits outside the standard number because it sits outside most houses. You send us photographs, we price the work in writing, and you approve it before anything is scheduled.
Every additional-work charge, published in full
| Condition | What's involved | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Finished-wall access | Opening a finished wall or ceiling to reach the line, then closing it. We patch. We do not paint. | Quoted in writing |
| Extensive crawlspace work | Running pipe through a low, wet or blocked crawlspace instead of an open garage wall. Common in older Birmingham homes. | Quoted in writing |
| Long pipe runs | Carrying supply, return or drain well past the equipment location to reach a usable tie-in. | Quoted in writing |
| Trenching | Excavating to reach a buried service line, and restoring the ground afterwards. | Quoted in writing |
| Core drilling | Cutting through a slab, foundation or masonry wall for a pipe penetration. | Quoted in writing |
| Electrical additions | Bringing in a licensed electrician where no suitable outlet is within reach of the valve. | Quoted in writing |
| Unusual service sizes | Service-line sizes or fittings outside what a standard installation carries on the truck. | Quoted in writing |
| Pressure boosters | Adding pressure support where the measured pressure will not keep the system flowing. | Quoted in writing |
| Storage | Atmospheric or pressurized storage, where your supply or backup goals call for it. | Quoted in writing |
| Backflow requirements | Backflow prevention, and testing, where the jurisdiction or the configuration requires it. | Quoted in writing |
| Structural modifications | Framing, platforms or supports, where the equipment spot has to be built first. | Quoted in writing |
| Granite or quartz drilling | Drilling a faucet hole in a stone countertop for the RO tap, where there is no spare hole. | Quoted in writing |
| Permit | Where your municipality requires one — passed through at cost. | At cost |
| Warranty callback | Anything that's our workmanship, for 12 months. | Included |
Does your home need something beyond that list? We'll quote it honestly, or we'll tell you when another trade is the better fit. Either way, the number is settled in writing before install day — never in your driveway.
What it costs to keep running.
Filters, salt, carbon and a UV lamp, and what each one needs.
Questions we get about this.
What do the Cahaba drinking-water systems cost?
Why is the whole-home price quoted instead of published?
Does a higher price mean cleaner water?
Can the price change on installation day?
Get your number
Our drinking-water prices are published, and you can book one today. Whole-home systems start with an assessment, and we usually answer the same day.