Water Filtration Christchurch

For many years Christchurch supplied drinking water straight from deep aquifers with no treatment at all. That changed in 2018, when the council began chlorinating much of the city, and chlorine has since been added to every supply zone. The water is safe to drink, but for many households it no longer tastes the way it used to.

We install filters that take out the chlorine taste and smell, catch sediment after mains work, and treat tank water on rural properties. We start with your water source and what you want to change, then recommend the simplest system that does the job.

Pricing: quotes are free, and every job gets a fixed price before we start, so there are no surprises on the invoice.

Water Filtration Jobs We Handle Across Christchurch

• Under sink water filters
• Whole house water filters
• UV water treatment
• Tank water filtration
• Cartridge replacements
• Filter low pressure fixes

Why Christchurch water is chlorinated now

Christchurch's drinking water comes from wells drilled 28 to 230 metres into confined aquifers beneath the city. For many years it went into the network untreated. After the 2016 Havelock North contamination, an independent assessment found Christchurch's well heads did not meet the standard, and the supply lost its provisionally secure status. Temporary chlorination of much of the city began in March 2018.

Since then the council has upgraded most well heads, installed UV at six wells, closed a number of shallow wells and drilled ten new ones. The Water Services Act now requires residual disinfection unless a supplier holds an exemption, and Taumata Arowai declined the council's first exemption applications in November 2023. Chlorine is now added in all zones. The council says most of the city is dosed at about 0.2 ppm, while some stations still being upgraded run at 0.5 or 1 ppm.

Do you need a filter on Christchurch town water?

For safety, no. Chlorine is there to keep the water safe as it travels through more than 1,700 km of mains. A filter is about taste, smell and comfort. A good activated carbon filter removes most of the chlorine taste at the kitchen tap, and a whole-house carbon unit does the same for showers and baths.

Hardness is not a big issue here. The council's typical analysis gives a total hardness of about 45 g/m3 as calcium carbonate and a pH of 7.8, so a full water softener is rarely needed on Christchurch town supply. It is the same story in Selwyn, where the district council has chlorinated all its supplies, and in Waimakariri, where the council was required to start chlorinating after its exemption was declined. Woodend, Tuahiwi and Pegasus water is now chlorinated and UV treated, and some residents told a 2024 zone committee meeting they had bought filters.

How It Works

Types of filtration we install

The right system depends on your water source and what you want to remove:

• Under-sink carbon filters with a dedicated drinking tap, for chlorine taste and smell
• Whole-house sediment and carbon filters, so every tap and shower is filtered
• Reverse osmosis units for the lowest dissolved solids at one drinking tap
• UV sterilisers for tank water, to treat bacteria and protozoa
• Sediment pre-filters to protect pumps, valves and appliances

Tank water needs a different approach

Not everyone around Christchurch is on a town supply. On Banks Peninsula, Birdlings Flat, Little River, Pigeon Bay and Wainui are restricted supplies, where each property stores water in its own tank. Rural Waimakariri properties on restricted supplies get water trickled through a restrictor into a property tank. Once water sits in a private tank, keeping it safe is the household's job.

Taumata Arowai's acceptable solution for roof water supplies and BRANZ guidance both point to staged treatment: first-flush diversion, fine filtration and UV disinfection. We set those up in the right order, with a sediment filter ahead of the UV lamp so the light can do its job, and a clear schedule for cartridges and lamps. Sludge in the tank shortens cartridge life, so regular water tank cleaning helps too.

What affects the cost

Larger systems cost more depending on:

• Under-sink versus whole-house installation
• Number of filter stages and the cartridge type
• Whether UV or reverse osmosis is needed
• Access to the incoming supply or the cylinder feed
• Whether an electrical point is needed for a UV unit

Keeping your system working

A filter that is never changed can end up worse than no filter, because a clogged cartridge restricts flow and can harbour bacteria. Most domestic cartridges need replacing every six to twelve months, depending on the cartridge and how much water you use, and UV lamps usually need replacing every year.

We record your cartridge types and install date and remind you when replacements are due. If your water pressure has dropped since the filter went in, a blocked cartridge is the first thing to check.

Why Choose Cheeky's Plumbers for Water Filtration

Water Filtration FAQs

Water Filtration Near You

Find your suburb for local water filtration information, response times and nearby areas.

Water Filtration Guides

• Bore Water on Selwyn and Waimakariri Blocks: Testing, UV and Tanks
• Is Christchurch Water Chlorinated? Filters for the Chlorine Taste

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