Reverse Osmosis Without Drilling a Hole? It’s Possible!
Written by: Gene Fitzgerald // Last Updated: Jun 30, 2023
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Want to install a reverse osmosis system in your home but can’t drill a hole through your countertop/sink or drain pipe for some reason?
Don’t worry, you can still enjoy reverse osmosis water in your home even without drilling any holes!
In this article, we’ll show you how to install an RO system without touching a single drill bit! Keep reading to learn all about it.
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Key Takeaways
Here is how to use reverse osmosis without drilling a hole in your countertop or sink:
- Use a countertop reverse osmosis system.
- Use your sink’s spare holes.
- Connect your RO system to the refrigerator.
- Use a 3-way faucet.
- Use the hot water hose in a mixer tap.
Here is how to use reverse osmosis without drilling a hole in your sink drain pipe:
- Use a countertop reverse osmosis system.
- Route the drain line into the sink from the top.
Reverse Osmosis Without Drilling a Hole – Here Is How It’s Done!
There are many ways to enjoy reverse osmosis water in your home without drilling a hole…
Do I Have to Drill a Hole for the RO Faucet?
No, you don’t necessarily have to drill a hole for the RO faucet. It’s a matter of choice! There are other ways to get water from an RO system. We’ve described them below.
Countertop Reverse Osmosis System
Getting a countertop reverse osmosis system is the easiest way to avoid drilling a reverse osmosis faucet hole. With a countertop RO system, there’s no need for a separate faucet or any connections that require drilling. You’ll only need to find a suitable spot on your countertop to place the filter.
Use Spare Holes
Sometimes, you already have a free hole in your sink. All you need to do here is remove the plug from it and assign it to your RO faucet. Alternatively, you could repurpose a vacant soap dispenser hole.
Also, if your kitchen faucet is a single hole type and the underside of your kitchen has 3 or more holes, you could remove its base plate. That way, you add two more holes to your sink; use one for the RO faucet and the other for a soap dispenser.
Connect Your RO System to the Refrigerator Only
This option is a bit tricky, but it’s a good alternative if you can’t install an RO faucet:
Connect the reverse osmosis system to your refrigerator and let it dispense the filtered water.
Use a 3-Way Faucet
You could also consider replacing your regular faucet with a 3-way faucet. A 3-way faucet has lines for cold, hot, and filtered water. It’s a great alternative to drilling since you can just use the existing kitchen faucet hole.
The hot and cold lines are usually ⅜” while the last line for filtered/RO water is ¼”, which is sufficient to control the slow flow. So, you enjoy fast flow rates of at least 2.5 gpm from the hot and cold lines and 1 gpm from the RO filter.
However, if you’re using a single tap as your regular kitchen faucet, chances are the hole it’s installed in will be too small to accommodate a three way faucet.
Use Hot Water Hose in a Mixer Tap
If you have a mixer tap but you don’t necessarily need hot water (or you don’t have a water heater for your kitchen sink), you can disconnect the hot water line and connect your RO system in its place.
It’s pretty simple; mixer taps usually have two hoses connected to them (one for hot water and the other for cold water). So if hot water isn’t your priority, you can connect the hot water hose to your RO system. So whenever you completely switch the tap to the “hot” side, filtered water from the RO system is dispensed instead.
Do I Have to Drill a Hole for the Drain Line?
Not if you don’t want to. As we stated earlier, you won’t need to do any drilling if you get a countertop reverse osmosis system. These systems usually have a separate tank for storing “reject” water which you’ll need to empty manually.
However, if you have an under sink system, instead of drilling a hole for the drain line, you can route it to the sink from the top.
Further Reading:
Reasons for Not Drilling Holes When Installing a Reverse Osmosis System at Home
There are several reasons why people won’t want to drill holes when installing their RO systems. Here are the most common reasons we know of:
You Are a Renter
Of course, if you’re a renter, you may not want to make so many permanent changes in your home since it’s not yours, and you may decide to leave anytime. You might also want to take things like your RO system with you, so drilling will be an unnecessary hassle. One important factor is also the consent of your landlord, who may not approve any changes to their property.
Countertop Material
Some types of countertop material are a nightmare to drill in. This includes materials like quartz, granite, and marble. Asides from the risk of damaging the expensive material, they are also quite complicated to work with. You may need to call a professional, which would incur a lot of extra costs.
If you have any questions about reverse osmosis without drilling please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
About the Author Gene Fitzgerald
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