Hydroviv individually optimizes every system that leaves our production facility. Our “Water Nerds” analyze water quality data from local, county, state, and federal databases to help determine present contaminants in your drinking water. Using your shipping address, we’re able to assemble a filter based on what we find. If you’re on a private well, we use the USGS groundwater database, source water assessments, and land use data. If you've recently had your well water tested, you're more than welcome to email us a copy at hello@hydroviv.com. When it comes time to order a replacement cartridge, we’ll check your municipalities most recent Consumer Confidence Report to see if anything has changed. We've got your back!

No. Our water filters blend different types of filtration media that remove toxic chemicals from your water. We believe that this intelligent approach to water filtration is superior for most people for a number of reasons:

1. With reverse osmosis, you need to drill permanent holes in your drain pipe and your counter top - both jobs that are best left to a professional. This can add hundreds of dollars to the overall cost of the system, and means that you are married to the reverse osmosis system. Hydroviv's water filter connects using screw on connections that are easily removed without permanently damaging your plumbing. 

2. Maintenance on reverse osmosis is critical to the longevity of the system and can be complicated. The critical piece of a reverse osmosis is the final RO stage. This stage is what removes lead, chromium 6, arsenic, and other things. Unfortunately, these RO stages can be degraded when they come in contact with chlorine or are otherwise "fouled," which is why RO systems have several prefilters. This means that if you fail to change out the prefilters before they become saturated (which is very common), the sensitive RO stage is exposed to untreated feed water and can become irreversibly damaged (and extremely expensive to replace). The eliminates your protection against lead, chromium 6, and arsenic. If you forget to change out a Hydroviv cartridge (hey, it happens!)... you just swap out the cartridge, and the system is as good as new. We find that most of our customers live very busy lives, and would rather not babysit their water filter!

That being said, we are committed to making sure you have the best product for your home, so if you have decided to get an RO, reach out at hello@hydroviv.com and we'll take a quick look at your water and recommend a system that will work best for you!

We have assembled some of the other reasons why people have told us that they have switched from reverse osmosis systems to a Hydroviv system in a blog post, which can be viewed HERE.

Yes.  Hydroviv's filters carry NSF certifications to Standards 42 (aesthetic effects) and 53 (health effects) and are independently tested to remove hundreds of contaminants.  If you'd like to see a data sheet for the filter that is optimized for your water, reach out to hello@hydroviv.com

Yes. We have customers in Wilmington who are part of an ongoing monitoring program. In these studies, GenX and other PFAS are not detectable in water that has been filtered by Hydroviv's under sink and refrigerator line filters, through the lifetime of the filter cartridge. You can see graphs from the report HERE, but please keep in mind that Hydroviv is NOT endorsed by NC State or CFPUA.

Yes. Our systems meet or exceed filtration performance standards set forth by NSF Standard 53 for dissolved/particulate lead removal. 

No. If you'd like a system that removes fluoride, our Customer Support team is available to help guide you in the right direction.

Yes. Our systems meet or exceed filtration performance standards set forth by NSF Standard 53 for chromium 6 removal.

This is where the customization process kicks in but the list includes: arsenic, lead, chromium 6, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), PCBs, MTBE, mercury, cysts, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, petroleum-based chemicals, chlorine, chloramine, disinfection byproducts, PFOA, PFOS, PFAS and many, many more. 

If you want a more complete list, reach out to our technical support team: hello@hydroviv.com

Providing blanket lists can be misleading, and we're not willing to mislead you for the sake of marketing & simplicity.

When other water filter companies advertise lists of contaminants with generic percentages for removal, they're assuming that your water's chemistry is the same as their test conditions. This is often not true because when you you change factors like pH or hardness, which vary greatly across different areas, the removal percentages of certain contaminants (including lead) can change dramatically.

Our approach is different, because our water filter systems are not one-size-fits-all. Our Water Nerds are happy to share 3rd party test results with you if you drop us an email at hello@hydroviv.com. Be sure to let them know your zip code so we can get you the correct data!

Of course not. Everything that goes into our cartridges is NSF and/or WQA certified. There's nothing weird or unproven. What we do differently than other water filter companies is blend the different types of filtration media in the ideal ratio for your water, and make sure that the system we sell has the best cartridge for YOUR water.  Everyone else uses one-size-fits-all filtration media blends.

While we don't pay for PR (perhaps to our detriment), we've been fortunate enough to receive some great coverage. Here are links to some of the more prominent articles we've been a part of:

Shark Tank! In April of 2019 we aired on ABC's Shark Tank.

CNBC wrote an article recapping our experience on Shark Tank. 

Chicago Tribune wrote about us being the first water filter company to give away water filters during the Flint lead crisis, months ahead of the government response and widespread media attention

BBC News did a recent piece on our technology, charitable efforts, and a profile of our Founder

Our Founder was quoted in The New York Times on an article about the Flint Water Crisis

Federal News Radio did a nice interview with our Founder

We Won Tech Crunch's DC Event

AmericanInno did a nice piece on us in our early days

Absolutely not.  People who leave reviews are not paid or incentivized in any way, shape or form.  We don't even offer coupons for their next purchase.

You can see reviews from real customers (3rd party verified) HERE.

We're aware of our users posting reviews on the following platforms:

Yelp

Facebook

Google

We also recently added review forums to each of our product pages.  Unlike other companies, we do NOT pull down bad reviews from customers.  What you see is what real customers say! 

As easy as it gets!  All connections are screw-on, screw-off.  No cutting, drilling, or anything of the sort.  A video that shows all of the installation steps can be viewed HERE

Even though our system is built for people without plumbing experience to connect (watch installation here), some people prefer to have someone else do it. If that's the case, you can easily find an insured/reputable handyman or plumber using a service like TaskRabbit.com.  Installation is a 5 minute job for a professional.

Faucets in apartments use the same connections that are used in houses.  Unlike reverse osmosis (RO) systems, hooking up a Hydroviv water filter does not require you to drill a hole in your drain pipe or counter top.  If you move out of your apartment, you can easily disconnect your Hydroviv filter and reconnect the faucet to how it was beforehand. This process takes about 5 minutes, and a video showing how to do so is HERE.

If for whatever reason you cannot connect your Hydroviv filter to your faucet, contact
our support team for return instructions.

Nothing special.

When you swap out the cartridge, we recommend giving the housing a quick cleaning with dish soap.

We also recommend cleaning out your faucet's aerator periodically to ensure that no foreign material comes in contact with your filtered water.

Under normal use, 6 months (don't worry, this accounts for the marginal use of filtered water for things like washing dishes, hands, etc.).  If you have a large family or live alone, reach out to us and we'll offer advice on replacement intervals.  

As the time comes close, we'll reach out to you via email.  At this time, you can either purchase a single replacement cartridge or sign up for auto-ship. 

About 45 seconds.  See the video HERE

Absolutely.  About 98% of our users opt for this!  You can sign up to have cartridges automatically shipped by selecting "subscribe and save" on any of our replacement filter products. You can find them all here.  There are no contracts, and it's super easy to have the auto shipments paused or cancelled.

A few reasons:

1.  We custom-build each system according to the customer's water.

2.  You'd end up paying about $575 for the same system with retail markup.  

3.  We can provide better support through our website than we can through a 3rd party marketplace.

We're currently looking at a 1-2 business day turnaround.  

Yes.  When the label is printed, you'll automatically get a notification email that includes the tracking number.

30 days from the date the shipment arrives. Instructions on how to return a product can be viewed HERE.

Just a couple things:

1. Leave a note in the "order notes" section during checkout that it should be optimized for a different address, e.g. "Optimize for 123 Main St, Washington, DC, 20002."

2. Have the recipient get in touch with us so we have his or her email, and can send replacement reminders. 

There are a couple of ways:

Live Chat:  This is operated by a real person.  Not a chat bot or call center.  

Email:  Drop us a line at hello@hydroviv.com.  

Note:  If you are a company offering goods or services to improve our business, we would love to hear from you, but please drop us an email at hello@hydroviv.com with a summary of your offering, and the correct person will contact you to set up a meeting where you will have their full attention.  The people who answer the phone will not transfer the incoming call.  

Media inquiries should be sent to press@hydroviv.com.