McCowin Water › Water Filtration Systems

Water filtration systems and water softeners

The systems we install, and how to tell which one is yours.

We're an independent dealer, not a franchise, so we're not required to sell one manufacturer's box no matter what your water says. We carry Hague, AO Smith, Vertex and others across more than 60 configurations. Which one belongs in your house is a question the free water test answers.

Book my free water test Or call (949) 569-5736

We test before we recommend. · Independent, not a franchise. · Installed by our own technicians.

800+ five star reviews across Orange County

Brian McCowin of McCowin Water at the door of the company headquarters in Irvine, California

Brian McCowin. If you want to talk through the options before anybody comes out, he's the one who answers.

Start here

Three categories. Most homes need one or two of them.

Before you look at model names, it helps to know what the three types of system actually do, because they solve different problems and a lot of people buy the wrong one.

Water softeners

For hard water. They remove the calcium and magnesium that leave scale on your fixtures and inside your pipes and water heater.

White crust on faucets and shower heads
Spots on glassware after the dishwasher
Soap that will not lather properly
Appliances failing years early

Whole house filtration

For what you taste and smell. Installed where the main line enters the house, so every tap, shower and appliance gets treated water.

Chlorine or chloramine smell in the shower
Chemical taste at the kitchen tap
Sediment and particulate in the lines
Skin and hair feeling dry after showers

Reverse osmosis

For drinking and cooking water specifically. A multi stage system under the sink that pushes water through a semi permeable membrane.

You are buying bottled water
Coffee and tea taste off
Concerns about dissolved solids
You want one really clean tap

Plenty of Orange County homes end up with a softener and an RO together, because the hardness problem and the drinking water problem are separate problems. The test tells us which combination your house actually calls for, and occasionally the answer is that you do not need much at all.

Find out which one I need Or call (949) 569-5736

Residential systems

What we install in Orange County homes

Every one of these gets configured to the water we measure at your tap. The model matters less than the sizing, which is the part most companies get wrong.

Hague Quality Water

Hague Signature Series

Whole house softening and filtration, custom configured

The system we build when a house needs the chambers matched precisely to its water report rather than to its zip code. Media is selected against your actual contaminant profile.

Smart Touch Controller, one touchscreen, no manual required
Absolute Brining, uses only the salt and water it needs
Audible and visual salt alerts, so you are never guessing
Safety shut off, failsafe overflow protection
Protective grid plate, keeps brine stable so softening stays even
25 year limited warranty from the manufacturer

See the Hague Signature Series

Hague Quality Water

Hague Model 97 Maximizer

Whole house water conditioning

A point of entry conditioning system for homes where hard water is the main complaint. Installed on the main line so everything downstream is treated, from the shower to the washing machine to the hose bib.

A common choice for Orange County homes that do not need the full custom chamber approach but do need the scale problem genuinely handled.

See the Model 97 Maximizer

Hague Quality Water

Hague Hydroclean HC3

Whole house filtration and softening in one unit

Handles hardness and filtration together in a single point of entry system rather than two separate units bolted together over time. One install, one set of connections, one service schedule.

Worth looking at when your water test comes back showing both a hardness problem and a chlorine or sediment problem, which in this county is most of the time.

See the Hydroclean HC3

Vertex

Vertex IsoTwist

Multi stage water treatment

A multi stage Vertex system we install in Orange County homes. Like everything else here, it gets specified against your water test rather than assumed to be the right answer.

If you are comparing this against the Hague units, the honest answer is that the differences only matter once we know your numbers. That conversation is worth having in person.

See the Vertex IsoTwist

The Blue Haven

Whole house water treatment

A whole home treatment system in our lineup for Orange County houses. Sized and configured at the point of entry so every fixture in the house is downstream of it.

See The Blue Haven

A. O. Smith

AO Smith Expert Series RC Softeners

Whole house water softener

AO Smith's Expert Series softeners, installed at the point of entry for whole home hard water treatment. A solid, well supported option and a name most homeowners already recognize from their water heater.

We carry these alongside the Hague units precisely because we are independent. Different houses, different answers.

See the Expert Series RC

LC Reverse Osmosis

Light commercial reverse osmosis with storage tank

A multi stage reverse osmosis system built for higher demand than a standard under sink unit, with a storage tank and a digital display. Suited to light commercial use and to homes that go through a lot of drinking water.

If a coffee shop, salon or office is the reason you are reading this, start here.

See the LC Reverse Osmosis

A. O. Smith

AO Smith Specialized Water Solutions

Specialized configurations

For the houses where a standard softener or filter does not cover it. Well water out in the canyons, iron and staining problems, unusual pressure situations, or a combination of issues that needs something purpose built.

These are the jobs where testing first stops being a nice idea and starts being the only sensible way to proceed.

See Specialized Water Solutions

Book my free water test Or call (949) 569-5736

Not sure which of these you are looking at? That is the normal starting point, and it is exactly what the test sorts out.

Beyond the house

Commercial and specialty systems

Usage volume changes the equipment completely, so these get sized after a site visit rather than off a spec sheet.

Commercial water filtration systems and water softeners from Hague Quality Water and A.O. Smith

Commercial systems

Sized after a site visit

Restaurants, coffee shops, salons, day spas, gyms, dog groomers, dry cleaners, child care centers and car wash stations across Orange County. When water quality affects your product or your equipment, the tolerances get tighter and the sizing gets more important.

We look at your usage volume, your peak demand and your existing plumbing before quoting anything.

Talk it through: (949) 569-5736

Alkaline water system and dedicated faucet

Alkaline systems

Mineral and pH adjustment at the tap

An alkaline stage raises the pH and mineral content of your drinking water after filtration, usually delivered through its own dedicated faucet. Some people simply prefer how it tastes, particularly after reverse osmosis, which strips minerals along with everything else.

We install it as an option rather than a headline, and we will give you a straight answer about what it does and does not do before you spend anything on it.

Ask about alkaline: (949) 569-5736

The part nobody sells you on

The model name matters less than the sizing.

Every system on this page works. That is not the interesting question. The interesting question is whether the one you end up with was sized for your house, and that is where most of the failures we get called out to look at actually started.

Undersize a system and you choke the pressure in a house with five bathrooms. Oversize it and you waste salt and water for the next fifteen years. Pick the wrong media for the contaminant profile and the equipment does its job perfectly while solving a problem you did not have.

None of that is visible on a spec sheet. It comes out of a water test and a look at your plumbing, which takes about thirty minutes and costs nothing.

That is also why we stayed independent rather than signing up as somebody's franchise. When you are only allowed to sell one manufacturer, the recommendation is decided before you walk in the door.

Get my water tested first Or call (949) 569-5736

A written water test reading taken before a system is specified

What comes with it

What you can expect from McCowin Water

A system that works from day one

Configured to your water before it is installed, then tested again afterward so we both know it is doing what we said it would.

Installation without surprises

Drain lines, power and plumbing connections are part of the job. No leaks waiting to happen, no extras appearing on the invoice afterward.

Maintenance that fits your life

Filter changes, salt, membrane replacement and annual checks on a schedule we track, so you are not the one remembering it.

And all of it sits under The McCowin Guarantee. If a system we install does not do what we said it would, we come out and fix it. If we cannot fix it, we pull it out and replace it with one that does.

Before you choose

Questions people ask about the systems

Which water system do I actually need?

That depends on what your water measures, how big your house is and what your plumbing looks like. It is not something anyone can answer from a website, including us. The free in-home water test gives us your hardness, chlorine, total dissolved solids, pH and water pressure, and the right system falls out of those numbers. Sometimes the answer is a softener alone. Sometimes it is filtration alone. Often it is both, and occasionally it is nothing much at all.

What is the difference between a water softener and a water filtration system?

A water softener removes the calcium and magnesium that cause scale on fixtures and inside your pipes and water heater. A filtration system reduces what you can taste and smell, mainly chlorine, chloramine and sediment. They solve different problems, which is why many Orange County homes end up with both.

Why do you carry several brands instead of one?

Because we are independent rather than a franchise. A company tied to one manufacturer has to recommend that manufacturer's equipment whatever your water says. We carry Hague, AO Smith, Vertex and others so the recommendation can follow the water test instead of the other way around.

What does a water treatment system cost?

It depends on which system your home needs, the size of the house, your daily usage and how complicated your plumbing is. We do not quote before we test, because a price given without knowing the water is a guess. You get itemized pricing in writing at the appointment, and the number we write down is the number you pay.

Do these systems come with a warranty?

Yes. Equipment carries the manufacturer's own warranty, and terms vary by system. The Hague Signature Series, for example, carries a 25 year limited warranty from the manufacturer. On top of that, our own installation work is covered by The McCowin Guarantee, and we handle manufacturer warranty claims for you rather than handing you a phone number.

Do you install systems for businesses as well as homes?

Yes. We install and service commercial water treatment for restaurants, coffee shops, salons, day spas, gyms, groomers, dry cleaners, child care centers and car wash stations across Orange County. Commercial systems are sized after a site visit, because usage volume changes the equipment completely.

Will a whole house system reduce my water pressure?

Not when it is sized correctly. Pressure loss happens when a system is undersized for the home's flow rate, which is why the free water test includes a pressure and flow reading at the hose bib before anything is recommended.

How long does installation take?

Most whole home installations are done in a single visit of roughly three to five hours. Under sink reverse osmosis systems usually take one to two hours. Systems connect at the point of entry or under the sink using existing plumbing, so drywall work is rare, and anything unusual gets shown to you and priced before work starts.

Book my free water test Or call (949) 569-5736

Think your water's fine? Get it tested. For free.

Thirty minutes at your kitchen sink and you will know which of these systems your house actually needs, or whether it needs one at all. You keep the numbers either way, and there is nothing to buy.

Book my free water test Or call (949) 569-5736

Or come see the equipment in person. 222 Goddard, Irvine, CA 92618. (949) 569-5736. Monday through Friday, 9 to 5.