Burlington NC Water Treatment & Water Filtration
Explore Burlington drinking-water information, reverse osmosis, whole-home water conditioning, PFAS filtration, private-well treatment and free in-home water evaluations from East Coast Water Quality.
Start With the Water Issue You Want to Solve
Burlington homes can have very different treatment goals depending on whether they use municipal water or a private well. Start with the local water information or treatment option that matches what you want to improve.
Water Quality Report
See Burlington's two surface-water sources, treatment plants and key findings from the city's 2025 drinking-water report.
View Burlington water report →Water Problems
Explore Burlington-specific information on disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, lead and copper, PFAS and other reported water concerns.
Explore Burlington water problems →Reverse Osmosis
Learn about highly filtered drinking and cooking water at the kitchen sink, with refrigerator connection available where practical.
Explore Burlington reverse osmosis →Water Conditioners
Compare whole-home conditioning for hardness, scale, spotting and selected taste or odor concerns based on your home's water.
Explore Burlington water conditioners →PFAS Water Filters
Review Burlington's recent PFAS monitoring and compare whole-home and drinking-water filtration options for PFAS concerns.
Explore Burlington PFAS filtration →Well Water Treatment
Find treatment guidance for iron, sulfur odor, acidity, tannins, hardness and other conditions that can occur in private well water.
Explore Burlington well-water treatment →Free Water Test
Schedule an in-home evaluation for hardness, chlorine, pH and other common water conditions without confusing it with laboratory contaminant testing.
Schedule a Burlington free water test →All Water Systems
Compare East Coast Water Quality's full lineup of whole-home and drinking-water systems.
View all products →Where Burlington Drinking Water Comes From
Burlington's 2025 Water Quality Report identifies two surface-water supplies: Lake Mackintosh and Stoney Creek Reservoir. They feed the J.D. Mackintosh, Jr. and Ed Thomas water treatment plants before finished water enters the distribution system.
If your Burlington-area property uses a private well instead of municipal water, iron and sulfur require a different treatment approach. This North Carolina well-water video explains the difference between dissolved and oxidized iron, why sulfur needs oxidation, and why iron should be addressed before downstream treatment.
How to Remove Sulfur or Iron in North Carolina Well Water
Read Transcript
How to Remove Sulfur or Iron in North Carolina Well Water
How to remove my sulfur or my iron in my North Carolina well water.
Guys, whether you're in Pasquotank County, across the Virginia line, Currituck County, we can keep going down the coast and come west. A lot of you are facing generally about the same thing in most well water. There are tannins and other things that you run into, and of course we could put out a long list.
This video is really targeting the sulfur and the iron, what to look for, and how to treat it. We'd always advise you, if you want a free consultation, give us a call. We can do a lot of things over the phone. Sometimes we do have to test in person to see whether this is oxidized iron, ferrous iron, or ferric iron.
Some of you guys, when you're moving into the home, they require you to have that well water test, and it's usually just a bacterial test. They don't care whether you can do a load of laundry or not. They just want to know if you have salmonella or E. coli. That's basically one of the main tests that you have to get done, even for refinances and things like that.
This video is just geared to point you in the right direction a little bit and to also give you a little bit of comfort that, as crazy as that water may seem, it may be coming out orange, all of it's treatable.
Water's water. It was at some point in a really nasty state whether you're on city water or well water. The city does a lot of the things that we're going to do here prior to them sending it through all the pipes and coming into people's homes.
With iron, there are two types: ferrous and ferric iron. You want to know whether or not this iron is oxidizing early or not, and then the level of iron. You can remove a little bit of iron, especially when you get into dissolved iron. Up to about two parts of iron is kind of a good number to be thinking about. I would stop trying to remove that with a water softener after that. It has to be dissolved iron.
We are the exclusive representative for over 25 to 27 Lowe's all the way down the coast, even getting west off the coast of North Carolina. We come behind people doing it themselves all the time. The associates, we love them in Lowe's and we love them in Home Depot and other places. They're doing their best with the knowledge they have, and sometimes they tell you, "Yeah, get this system here."
Especially for the sulfur, we were mainly talking about the iron to start off with, but that's a gas. You cannot take that out with a water softener. Yes, some things happen over the first two or three weeks, especially if you've got a carbon system or something. They'll help you for two or three weeks. Then you start to see those things get saturated, but that gas has to be oxidized out.
Back to the iron. If you're ever really over two parts of dissolved iron, I'd really be looking into an exclusive iron system. Behind me, you can see the Protector Series Iron Sulfur Breaker. It is a beast. It does oxidize and take out all of the iron, and we do a lifetime warranty on that equipment. It's a one-year labor warranty. Five years down the road, we couldn't stay in business if we couldn't get our labor covered if you had to have something done to it.
These machines will take out all the iron. Especially if you have any sulfur with that iron, we're straight going to that. It'll do both of those at the same time without using any salt.
It's not softening the water. That's a big difference. If we go back to taking out two parts or less of dissolved iron, you can do that with the water softener if it's not oxidized iron.
Again, we're only a phone call away. This doesn't have to be overwhelming, taking a bunch of crazy notes.
I will tell you, for the people that shop online and really go look at all the Chinese equipment on there that says Aqua this, H2O this, if their equipment was quality, they would have a dealer putting them in. As a water treatment company, I can just tell you, you can't stay in business if you're not using quality equipment because of the service costs when you have to honor those warranties and come back and come back and come back. Two or three calls and you took the profit out of your transaction already.
Using quality equipment is paramount when you're messing with iron. Iron ends up being like a tar or resin. It sticks to about everything it touches. Then it starts to accumulate on itself.
But ferric iron, if you have oxidized iron, let's just say that water's even slightly coming out orange, get water softener out of your vocabulary. You're going to have to go to an iron system that exclusively removes the iron before you ever run that into a water softener or anything else that you're going to try to filter out.
When you get into the iron, pH does need to be at least 6.0. One of the things, if you're chasing multiple problems, just know that you always have to take that iron out first. If you're chasing tannins, if you're chasing hardness, all of that equipment will be destroyed with iron if you don't remove it first.
In the spirit of trying to keep these videos short and sweet, we're going to close that out right there. Just keep in mind, with the sulfur, the Iron Sulfur Breaker here will take out all of that at one time. It doesn't use salt. In the most extreme circumstances, sometimes we have to upsize those.
We use these systems for irrigation as well. We'll go on these 20-foot irrigation wells in neighborhoods where they're staining their sidewalk, staining their house, and we'll use those systems to take that out as well.
Again, it's awesome because they don't use salt. I hope this video helps you guys out. Give us a call. Check out our videos. We have a ton of videos for all kinds of situations, especially with well water.
We try to make these videos educational, not blasting you with a product the entire time you're sitting here trying to learn something and having to close out screens and all that stuff.
Hope you enjoyed it. Any more questions, check us out or give us a call. Thanks.
What You'll Learn in This Video
- The difference between ferrous (dissolved) iron and ferric (oxidized) iron in North Carolina well water
- Why a water softener may handle small amounts of dissolved iron, but isn’t appropriate for higher levels or oxidized iron
- Why sulfur cannot be removed with a water softener and needs to be oxidized
- How an Iron Sulfur Breaker can remove both iron and sulfur without using salt
- Why pH needs to be at least 6.0 when treating iron with an iron removal system
- Why iron needs to be treated first before addressing other well-water problems such as tannins and hardness
Whole-Home Treatment and Drinking-Water Filtration
The city's 2025 report lists municipal hardness at about 1.60 to 1.67 grains per gallon at the two treatment plants and pH at 8.0. Treatment selection should still be based on what you want to improve at your home, from drinking-water filtration to whole-home conditioning or targeted PFAS treatment.
Whole-Home TreatmentBurlington Water Conditioners
Improve water throughout the home while addressing hardness, scale, spotting and selected chlorine or chloramine taste and odor concerns according to the system configuration.
- Treats showers, sinks, laundry and appliances
- Helps reduce hardness-related buildup
- Professional North Carolina installation
Drinking-Water TreatmentBurlington Reverse Osmosis
Get highly filtered drinking and cooking water from a dedicated faucet, with refrigerator connection available where practical.
- Targets a broad range of dissolved contaminants
- Improves drinking-water taste and clarity
- Alternative to bottled water
Targeted FiltrationBurlington PFAS Water Filters
Burlington's 2025 report includes PFAS monitoring at both treatment plants. Compare specialized whole-home PFAS treatment with reverse osmosis drinking-water filtration.
- Whole-home and point-of-use options
- Designed for targeted contaminant reduction
- System choice based on treatment goal
Well Water Requires Property-Specific Testing
Private-well water is separate from Burlington's municipal system, and conditions can vary from one property to the next. Iron staining, sulfur odor, acidity, tannins, sediment and hardness require treatment selected for the water at that home.
For iron and sulfur, the form and level of iron matter. The North Carolina well-water guidance above explains why oxidized iron and higher iron levels should be handled with dedicated iron treatment rather than relying on a standard water softener.
Municipal water and private well water need different recommendations.
Burlington city-water facts come from the municipal Water Quality Report. A private well should be evaluated from conditions at the individual property rather than assuming city-water results apply.
Professional Installation With Ongoing Support
Burlington NC Service
East Coast Water Quality lists Burlington among its North Carolina service areas, with support available through the Raleigh-Durham regional office.
Professional Installation
Insured work performed under a Master Plumbing license for proper system placement and connection.
Ongoing Maintenance
Available service for reverse osmosis filters, sanitation and continued system performance.
What Homeowners Say
★★★★★“I am extremely happy with the quality of my water and how clean my clothes and dishes come out after washing. My skin and hair is softer and I don't have to use as much soap or shampoo as before! I'm grateful for a healthier family and looking forward to the savings I'm already seeing.”
Ashley — Chester, Virginia
★★★★★“The guys are all very professional, friendly, and knowledgeable. The water quality has been excellent and it has saved us money on cleaning products. The equipment works flawlessly. We are very happy with our water filtration system.”
Ryan — Suffolk, Virginia
★★★★★“I can taste the difference in the water from when I was using my refrigerator filter, to the one installed at my sink. Worlds apart.”
Trevino — Portsmouth, Virginia
Burlington NC Water Treatment Questions
Where does Burlington NC drinking water come from?
The City of Burlington's 2025 Water Quality Report identifies two surface-water sources. Lake Mackintosh supplies the J.D. Mackintosh, Jr. Water Treatment Plant, and Stoney Creek Reservoir supplies the Ed Thomas Water Treatment Plant.
How hard is Burlington municipal water?
The 2025 city report lists hardness at 28.5 mg/L, or 1.67 grains per gallon, at the J.D. Mackintosh plant and 27.4 mg/L, or 1.60 grains per gallon, at the Ed Thomas plant. Whether you want whole-home conditioning depends on your household's water goals and what you notice at the tap.
Does Burlington test for PFAS?
Yes. Burlington's 2025 report includes UCMR5 PFAS results from samples collected in 2024 and 2025, along with additional 2025 monitoring for the PFAS compounds addressed by EPA's 2024 drinking-water rule. The Burlington PFAS page explains those results and filtration options in more detail.
Does a water softener remove PFAS?
A standard water softener is designed primarily for hardness minerals. PFAS concerns should be addressed with treatment specifically designed and supported for PFAS reduction, including appropriate whole-home filtration or reverse osmosis depending on the treatment goal.
What does a Burlington free water test include?
Our free in-home water evaluation can check hardness, chlorine, pH and other common water conditions and compare household water sources. It is not a certified laboratory analysis for contaminants such as PFAS, lead, arsenic, bacteria or nitrate.
Do you treat private well water in the Burlington area?
Yes. Private-well treatment is selected from the conditions at the individual property. Iron, sulfur, pH, tannins, hardness and other well-water concerns should not be assumed from Burlington's municipal water report.
Find the Right Water Treatment System for Your Burlington Home
Schedule an in-home water evaluation or explore the Burlington guide that matches your water concern.
Virginia:
Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Williamsburg, Smithfield, Gloucester, Yorktown, Poquoson, Isle of Wight, Carrollton, Seaford, Grafton, Franklin, Emporia, Cape Charles, Courtland, Wakefield, Windsor, Naval Air Station Oceana, Naval Station Norfolk, Langley Air Force Base, Fort Eustis, Fort Monroe
North Carolina:
Raleigh, Durham, Fayetteville, Wilmington, Apex, Burlington, Wake Forest, Garner, Greenville, Jacksonville, Goldsboro, New Bern, Clayton, Kinston, Elizabeth City, Havelock, Hope Mills, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Laurinburg, Lumberton, Henderson, Tarboro, Morehead City, Washington, Oak Island, Kill Devil Hills, Carolina Beach, Moyock, Shallotte, Williamston, Hampstead, Beaufort, Surf City, Whiteville, Newport, Ahoskie, Edenton, Swansboro, Plymouth, Emerald Isle, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Windsor, Sneads Ferry, Hubert, Hertford, Rocky Point, Manteo, Atlantic Beach, Camden, Castle Hayne, Bayboro, Maysville, Riegelwood, Creswell, Vanceboro, Oriental, Roper, Aulander, Rich Square, Currituck, Winton, Corolla, Camp Lejeune
Hampton Roads VA / Northeast NC
3400 Airline Boulevard, Portsmouth VA 23701
757-966-7600
Jacksonville NC / Morehead City NC
2582 NC-24, Newport NC 28570
252-777-5151

Wilmington NC / Leland NC
1026 Appleton Way NE #130, Leland, NC 28541
910-807-2300

Raleigh-Durham NC / Garner NC
313F Highway 70 East, Garner, NC 27529
919-238-9900