How to remove PFAS from tap water in Sydney.

Sydney’s tap water already meets the Australian limits for PFAS. If you want to take what is left out of your drinking water, the method matters: boiling does nothing, jug filters vary, and reverse osmosis at the kitchen tap is the most reliable option. Here is how each approach compares, with links to the official results.

By the PH Water Filters installation team, Revesby Heights · Updated 25 October 2026

The short version

Five things worth knowing.

Sydney Water tests every water filtration plant for PFAS and publishes the results. All supplies are below the 2025 guideline values (Sydney Water).
Boiling does not remove PFAS. It can concentrate them slightly as water evaporates.
Reverse osmosis at the kitchen tap is the most reliable way to reduce PFAS in drinking and cooking water.
Carbon block filters reduce many PFAS, but work best on long-chain types and need cartridges replaced on schedule.
A whole house system covers showers and every tap; pair it with reverse osmosis if drinking water is your main concern.

Step 1 · Know your water

What Sydney’s PFAS results actually show.

Sydney Water samples drinking water from each filtration plant for four PFAS and publishes the numbers on its PFAS monitoring results page. In samples taken 28 September to 1 October 2026, water leaving the Prospect plant — which supplies most of western and south-western Sydney — measured 0.0007 µg/L of PFOS, against a guideline value of 0.008 µg/L.

PFAS	Australian guideline (2025)	Prospect plant, Sep–Oct 2026
PFOS	0.008 µg/L (8 ng/L)	0.0007 µg/L
PFHxS	0.03 µg/L (30 ng/L)	0.0006 µg/L
PFOA	0.2 µg/L (200 ng/L)	0.0002 µg/L
PFBS	1.0 µg/L (1,000 ng/L)	0.0003 µg/L

Sources: NHMRC Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, PFAS fact sheet; Sydney Water PFAS monitoring results. Figures change with each round of testing — check the Sydney Water page for your plant.

The upper Blue Mountains (Cascade plant) had higher PFAS readings in 2024. A treatment system has run there since early 2025, and NSW Health’s expert panel noted that Blue Mountains drinking water now complies with the new guideline levels.

Step 2 · Rule out what doesn’t work

Boiling, jugs and basic carbon.

PFAS are extremely heat-stable. Boiling does not break them down, and as water evaporates you end up with slightly less water for the same amount of PFAS, as researchers told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Jug and pitcher filters are inconsistent. A 2025 Duke University study that tested 89 filters in real homes found pitcher and fridge filters reduced PFAS far less reliably than under-sink reverse osmosis. A basic sediment or taste filter is not designed for PFAS at all.

Step 3 · Choose the right filter

How the options compare.

Method	PFAS reduction	Covers	Our option
Boiling	None	—	—
Jug / pitcher filter	Variable, often low	A jug at a time	—
Carbon block (under-sink)	Good on long-chain PFAS (PFOS, PFOA); lower on short-chain	Kitchen tap	3 Stage Under-Sink — taste and chlorine; not sold as a PFAS filter
Reverse osmosis	Typically more than 90% across a wide range of PFAS, including short-chain	Kitchen tap	6 Stage reverse osmosis $649, ED600 tankless $1,100
Whole house carbon block	Around 95% (manufacturer data); results depend on servicing	Every tap and shower	Whole House 3-Stage $2,599

Reverse osmosis figure: US EPA research on home PFAS treatment. Whole-house figure is the carbon block manufacturer’s rating — see our carbon block guide. Prices include installation and GST.

For drinking and cooking water, reverse osmosis is the strongest choice. Water is pushed through a membrane fine enough to hold back PFAS molecules, and our six-stage systems then add minerals back so the water tastes right. If cupboard space is tight, the tankless ED600 does the same job without a storage tank.

Step 4 · Check the certification

Look for NSF/ANSI 53 or 58.

The US EPA recommends choosing a filter certified to reduce PFAS — NSF/ANSI 53 for carbon filters or NSF/ANSI 58 for reverse osmosis. Ask for the certificate or test report for the exact model, and check whether the figure is independent or the manufacturer’s own. Where a number on our site comes from a manufacturer, we say so.

Step 5 · Keep it serviced

A filter stops reducing PFAS before it stops tasting clean.

Carbon fills up with PFAS long before it fills up with chlorine, so water can taste fine after a cartridge has stopped working on PFAS. Replace cartridges on a fixed schedule, not by taste. We service under-sink systems for $199 a year and whole house systems for $250 — see filter servicing.

Which one is right for you

Our recommendation by household.

Renting, or just want clean drinking water: 6 Stage reverse osmosis at the kitchen sink, $649 installed.
Small cupboard or apartment: the ED600 tankless reverse osmosis, $1,100 installed.
Want filtered water in showers and every tap: whole house water filtration, $2,599 installed, plus reverse osmosis in the kitchen for drinking water.
Already have a filter: book a service so the cartridges are actually working. Compare all PFAS water filters.

Questions

Quick answers.

Is there PFAS in Sydney tap water?

Trace amounts are detected, but Sydney Water’s published results show all supplies below the 2025 Australian guideline values. For example, water leaving the Prospect plant measured 0.0007 µg/L of PFOS in late September 2026, against a guideline of 0.008 µg/L.

Does boiling water remove PFAS?

No. PFAS are heat-stable and do not break down when boiled. Boiling can slightly concentrate them as water evaporates.

What is the best way to remove PFAS from drinking water at home?

Under-sink reverse osmosis. US EPA research found reverse osmosis typically reduced a wide range of PFAS by more than 90%, including short-chain types that carbon handles less well.

Do whole house filters remove PFAS?

A whole house system with a good carbon block reduces many PFAS at every tap and shower, but real-home results vary and depend on changing cartridges on time. For drinking water, reverse osmosis at the kitchen tap is more reliable.

How much does a PFAS water filter cost in Sydney?

Our six-stage reverse osmosis is $649 installed, the ED600 tankless reverse osmosis is $1,100, and the Whole House 3-Stage is $2,599. Prices include installation and GST.

Sydney enquiries

Get your fixed price.

We are a mobile business based in Revesby Heights and we come to you — call and you will usually speak to the person who will do the install.

Phone: 0409 408 993
Email: [email protected]
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 7am – 6pm

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