What a whole-home system does with Orr plant water
South Miami's water leaves the Alexander Orr, Jr. plant lime-softened, disinfected and filtered, then travels through the county's pipes carrying chloramine so it stays disinfected. WASD's 2025 report lists a 2.5 ppm running annual average for chloramine in the main system.
Living Water describes its Puronics whole-home systems, the Clarius iGen and Goodspring lines, as removing chloramine and chlorine. Installed on the main line, the system treats the water before it splits off to bathrooms, the kitchen, laundry and the water heater.
When it makes sense here
- You notice a pool-like smell in the shower or a chemical taste in coffee and ice.
- You want filtered water from every faucet, not only the kitchen.
- You want consistent water through WASD's yearly switch to free chlorine, when the smell often gets stronger for about two weeks.
- You are renovating an older South Miami house and the main line is already open.
If your only concern is drinking water, a kitchen RO system may be enough by itself.
Installation details that matter in South Miami
Where the line enters. Many older South Miami houses have the main line coming up near the front wall or the carport. The system needs space, a drain for backwashing models, and an electrical outlet for models that need one.
Septic or sewer. The city says large portions of South Miami still rely on septic, with conversion work active in Area K. If a model backwashes, Jorge confirms where that water will go.
Irrigation. If your sprinklers run on county water, the irrigation line is usually split off before the system so you are not filtering lawn water. If they run from a private well, that is separate and the system does not touch it.
Whole-home plus drinking water
Many families pair the whole-home system with under-sink alkaline RO at the kitchen sink: the whole-home unit handles chloramine for bathing and cleaning, and the RO handles drinking and cooking water. Compare the two approaches in whole-house filtration vs. reverse osmosis.
Certification and honest expectations
A whole-home carbon-based system is about chloramine, taste and odor. If you want a specific contaminant reduced, the model must be certified for that contaminant under the relevant NSF/ANSI standard, and you should check the exact model's listing. Jorge will tell you plainly what a system is and is not designed to do.
What changes after installation
Most households notice the difference first in the shower and at the kitchen tap: less of the pool-like smell, and coffee or ice that tastes cleaner. Laundry and dishes don't change much unless hardness was also an issue. Filters or media are replaced or serviced on a schedule set for the model and your water use, and Jorge explains that schedule before you decide, not after.
How to start
Jorge tests chloramine, hardness, pH and dissolved solids at your tap, looks at the main line and plumbing, and gives you an itemized quote after the free test. Call, text or WhatsApp (305) 793-5974.
https://www.miamidade.gov/resources/water/documents/2025-water-quality-report.pdf
https://www.southmiamifl.gov/806/Septic-to-Sewer-Information
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist