Water treatment in Mallorca
Official hardness for each network, the regulations and which unit each water needs.
Reverse osmosis · Mallorca
Reverse osmosis in Mallorca:
drinking water without carrying bottles.
An under-sink reverse osmosis unit removes salts, limescale and taste from the water you drink and cook with. It is not compulsory: mains water that meets RD 3/2023 is drinkable. But in Mallorca, where water tastes of lime and some wells of salt, it is the easiest way to give up bottled water. We tell you the good side and what it rejects, with the manufacturer's data sheet in front of us. We fit every brand; the one we recommend is the Kinetico RO Premier.
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- Drinking water
- No limescale or salt
- UNE 149101
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Kinetico RO Premier · Image: Kinetico
What it is
A membrane that lets water through and holds back salts
Water first goes through a pre-filter, then a membrane that holds back most dissolved salts, and ends in a post-filter before the tap. What the membrane keeps back goes down the drain with part of the water: that is the reject water, and it is worth knowing before you buy.
It is a point-of-use unit: it supplies the drinking tap and, if you want, the fridge or coffee machine. For limescale in the whole house you need a water softener; they are different things.
Before you buy
How much water reverse osmosis rejects
It depends on the unit, and the figure is on the manufacturer's data sheet. Units tested to NSF/ANSI 58 state their efficiency rating: the share of the incoming water that reaches the drinking tap. The rest goes to the drain with the salts. Always ask for that figure before you buy.
Since it is only used for drinking and cooking, that is a few litres a day, but in a house on a well or cistern that water counts. We show you the data sheet of the unit we propose so you can compare.
The one we recommend
Kinetico RO Premier: what its data sheet says
We fit every brand; the one we recommend is the Kinetico RO Premier. It is a direct-flow reverse osmosis unit: there is no storage tank, and it makes the water the moment you open the tap. These are the figures the manufacturer publishes:
- Output: 2.1 litres per minute, with a reject flow of 0.9 litres per minute. The manufacturer puts it this way: for every litre that goes to the drain, the unit gives 2 litres of filtered water.
- 800 GPD membrane (gallons per day), which flushes itself automatically.
- Incoming water: 5 to 38 °C, 1 to 4 bar and up to 1,500 ppm of dissolved salts (TDS).
- Original spares: a combined sediment and carbon-block cartridge and the membrane. The cartridge is changed with a twist, no tools needed.
- LED panel with light and sound warnings when the cartridge is nearly exhausted and when it must be replaced, a membrane life indicator, water quality control by conductivity and a leak sensor (Aquastop).
- Size: 485 × 415 × 155 mm and 11.5 kg. It runs on 36 V through a 230 V adapter, so it needs a socket in the sink cabinet.
- Kinetico declares that the range meets UNE 149101, the standard RD 3/2023 refers to for devices at a tap, with a laboratory test, and it carries an EU (CE) declaration of conformity.
If your water comes from a well, the figure that matters is the 1,500 ppm at the inlet: with the lab analysis in front of us we check whether it fits or whether the water needs treating first.
Source: Kinetico, technical and commercial data sheet «RO Kinetico Premier» (Ref. 910530, 05/2026), «Kinetico Premier RO» brochure and declaration of conformity with UNE 149101 (Kinetico Export, 2022), published at kinetico.eu/ro-premier-kinetico, consulted on 1 October 2026.
The regulations
What the law asks of an osmosis unit at the tap
Article 46 of RD 3/2023 says a treatment device installed at a tap must follow the Spanish standard UNE 149101 or another that protects health equally. The product standard for membrane units is EN 14652. And, like any unit connected to the mains, it has a non-return valve as the CTE DB HS 4 building code requires.
Another point from the same regulation: RD 3/2023 asks desalinated water to keep at least 55 mg/L of hardness. Some units remineralise at the outlet; we explain the options for each one.
Upkeep
Filters, membrane and a test now and then
An osmosis unit without upkeep is worse than none: old filters breed bacteria. We give you the stricter interval between the regulations and your unit's manual: the manual sets how often the pre-filter and post-filter are replaced, even if the unit gives no warning, and how often the product water is tested; the membrane is replaced when that test shows it is no longer performing.
If you are away part of the year, we look after it through JSL Villa Care.
How we work
Your reverse osmosis in four steps
1
Photos and details
A photo of the sink cabinet, the tap and where your water comes from: mains, well or cistern.
2
We test
The salts and hardness of your water, to choose the unit and know how much it will reject.
3
Installation
Under the sink, with its own tap, drain connection and non-return valve.
4
Upkeep
Filters and membrane at the interval the manufacturer requires.
Common questions
FAQ about reverse osmosis in Mallorca
Do I need reverse osmosis if Mallorca's mains water is drinkable?
You don't need it: mains water that meets RD 3/2023 is drinkable. Reverse osmosis improves taste and convenience. In Mallorca water tends to be hard, with figures SINAC records network by network, and many people don't drink it because of the taste. If that is you, an under-sink unit takes the bottled water off your hands.
How much water does reverse osmosis waste?
The manufacturer's data sheet tells you: units tested to NSF/ANSI 58 state their efficiency rating, the share of the incoming water that comes out of the tap; the rest goes to the drain with the salts. The Kinetico RO Premier, the one we recommend, gives 2.1 litres per minute and rejects 0.9, according to its data sheet. As it is only for drinking and cooking, that is a few litres a day, but on a Mallorca finca with a well or cistern it is worth bearing in mind.
Does reverse osmosis remove the salt from a brackish well?
It is the treatment that removes dissolved salts, yes, and in several parts of Mallorca wells come out salty. But the result depends on the incoming water: RD 3/2023 sets, among others, 250 mg/L of chloride and 200 mg/L of sodium, and you need an analysis before choosing a unit; the Kinetico RO Premier, for example, accepts up to 1,500 ppm of dissolved salts at the inlet according to its data sheet. With well water, osmosis also does not replace disinfection: the lab analysis decides that.
What upkeep does it need, and how often?
The stricter of the regulations and your unit's manual: the manual sets how often the pre- and post-filter are replaced, even without a warning, and how often the product water is tested. In Mallorca, with hard water (according to SINAC, most networks are above 30 °fH), the membrane works harder, which is why that test matters.
Which standard should a home reverse osmosis unit meet?
Article 46 of RD 3/2023 refers devices installed at a tap to the Spanish standard UNE 149101 or an equivalent one. The product standard for membrane units is EN 14652, and the installation has a non-return valve under the CTE DB HS 4 building code. That is how we fit it in any kitchen in Mallorca.
Is reverse osmosis water stripped of minerals?
It is left with very few salts, which is the point. RD 3/2023 asks desalinated water to keep at least 55 mg/L of hardness, and that is why some units remineralise at the outlet. If it concerns you, we discuss it before choosing the unit; with Mallorca's very hard water, the difference in taste is usually striking.
Can I have reverse osmosis and a water softener together?
Yes, and in Mallorca it is a very common combination: the softener at the inlet for limescale in the whole house, and osmosis in the kitchen for drinking. The softener adds sodium (about 46 mg/L for every 10 °fH it removes) and the osmosis takes it out at the drinking tap, so they complement each other.
You may also like
More on your home's water
Osmosis is for drinking; for the rest of the house, this.
Water softeners
Limescale out of the water heater, heat pump, taps and appliances.
Well and cistern water
What to test before treating your finca's water.
Plumbing
Hot and cold water, pressure sets, well pumps, repairs and pipe renewal throughout the house.
JSL Villa Care
Maintenance for owners who are not in Mallorca all year, water included.
Want drinking water from the tap?
Send us a photo of your sink cabinet and we'll tell you which unit fits. Itemised quote.