For private water supply households
On a borehole, well or spring? Nobody's treating it but you.
Mains water is tested, filtered and disinfected around the clock before it reaches a tap. A private supply gets none of that. And if you're near an airfield, defence site or old industrial land, forever chemicals in the groundwater are a real regional concern. Out here, you are the treatment works.
The gap nobody tells you about
Mains households get all of this. You get none of it.
Mains water passes through a whole treatment process before anyone drinks it. Your borehole, well, spring or rainwater tank skips every step.
Mains water supply
- Continuous quality testing
- Filtration & disinfection
- Monitored for contaminants
- Treated for metals & bugs
Your private supply
- Occasional testing at best
- No treatment or disinfection
- No day-to-day monitoring
- Only what you install
The only treatment your water gets is the treatment you choose to put on it.
What untreated water can carry
What actually ends up in a private supply.
Rain and groundwater pick things up long before they reach your kitchen. With no treatment step in between, whatever's in the source is what you drink.
- Forever chemicals from firefighting foam and industry can move through groundwater into boreholes and wells, and don't break down.
- Heavy metals including lead can leach from roof flashing, old pipework and fittings, or occur naturally in groundwater.
- Bacteria build up in tanks and shallow sources from bird and animal droppings, with no disinfection to keep them in check.
- Sediment, rust and organic matter wash off roofs, gutters and fields straight into the supply.
Rainwater sounds pure, and spring water sounds natural. Neither means treated.
It's worth having your supply tested, especially a borehole. Your local authority can carry out or arrange a private water supply risk assessment.
Location matters more than most realise
Live near an airfield, defence site or old industrial land?
PFAS came into wide use in firefighting foam, which is why contamination tends to cluster around airports, military airfields and industrial sites. In these areas it has moved into groundwater, and that's exactly what a borehole draws from.
If your property is anywhere near one of these zones, forever chemicals are worth taking seriously, not panicking over.
Have your water tested, and filter for it. The BIO 500 MAX targets forever chemicals, pesticides and herbicides alongside heavy metals, which is the single biggest reason rural households in these areas reach for one.
The half-measures out here
Boiling, sediment filters and bottled water only go so far.
- Boiling kills bacteria, but does nothing to forever chemicals, lead or heavy metals, and can even concentrate them.
- A basic sediment filter catches grit and rust, but leaves the chemicals and metals dissolved in the water.
- Bottled water for a whole rural household is a constant cost, a lot of plastic, and a long drive to restock.
Untreated water needs proper multi-stage filtration, not a single trick that only covers one problem.
You want something that handles the chemicals, the metals and the sediment together.
The Waters Co difference
Built for water that gets no treatment but yours.
The BIO 500 MAX runs your borehole, well, spring or tank water through 13 stages, removing up to 99% of sediment, rust, bacteria, cysts, chlorine, chemicals and heavy metals, filtering microplastics down to 0.1 microns, then re-mineralising it into a 7 litre hand-blown glass reservoir. It's gravity-fed, so it needs no power and no plumbing, which is exactly what you want on a property off the mains where the electricity sometimes drops out.
- Targets forever chemicals, pesticides and herbicides, the contaminants of most concern near airfields, defence sites and industry.
- Filters heavy metals, sediment, microplastics and reduces bacteria in one 13-stage pass, plus up to 99.9% of fluoride.
- No power, no plumbing, gravity-fed and unaffected by power cuts or being off the mains.
- Re-mineralised, held in glass, alkaline water at pH 7.6 to 8.5 that isn't stripped flat like reverse osmosis.
13 stages of sterilising, filtration and mineral activation, held in hand-blown glass.
What comes out
The treatment your supply never had.
Forever chemicals
Plus pesticides and herbicides, the groundwater concern.
Lead & heavy metals
From flashing, old pipework, or naturally in groundwater.
Bacteria & cysts
Sterilising stages, for water with no disinfection.
Sediment & rust
The grit that washes off roofs and fields into the supply.
Microplastics
Filtered down to 0.1 microns with the rest of the load.
Trace minerals added
Re-mineralised at pH 7.6 to 8.5, not stripped like RO.
Made for off the mains
No power. No plumbing. Works anywhere.
Set it on the worktop
Compact and lightweight, assembled by hand in a couple of minutes. No drilling, no electrician, no connection to any mains.
Fill it from your own supply
Gravity draws it down through all 13 stages into the 7 litre glass reservoir. No pump, no power point, nothing to fail in a power cut.
Pour clean water, on tap
One filter set runs up to 12,000 litres or around 18 months, so you're not making constant trips to town for replacements.
No power needed
Gravity-fed, works in a power cut.
Up to 12,000 litres
Around 18 months of filter life, ~3p a litre.
Free UK shipping
Delivered to your door.
From rural households already doing this
The water they'd been drinking on trust.
"We're on a rainwater tank an hour from anywhere and I'd never really thought about what was in it. Once I read about forever chemicals near the old airfield, I wanted it filtered properly. Sits on the worktop, no power needed, sorted."
"Borehole water here is hard and I never fully trusted it for drinking. This changed the taste completely and I know the metals and sediment are handled now. No electricity to run it, which matters when the power drops out."
"We had our supply tested, found what we expected for the area, and put this in. The whole family drinks from it now and I've stopped hauling bottled water home from town every week. Seven litres keeps up with us easily."
Straight answers
The questions rural households ask us.
Should I get my private supply tested first?
Yes, it's a good idea, especially for a borehole or well. Testing tells you exactly what's in your supply, and the BIO 500 MAX then handles a wide range of what's commonly found, including heavy metals, chemicals, sediment and bacteria. Your local authority can carry out or arrange a private water supply risk assessment, and can point you in the right direction if anything unusual shows up.
Does it deal with forever chemicals in groundwater?
It's designed to. The filter targets forever chemicals, pesticides, herbicides and other volatile organic compounds alongside heavy metals, which is the main reason households near airfields, defence sites and old industrial land choose it. If contamination is a known issue in your area, test your supply so you know what you're dealing with.
Do I still need UV or to boil my water?
The BIO 500 MAX's sterilising stages reduce bacteria and cysts, but if your supply has a known microbiological problem, follow your local environmental health guidance, as some households combine filtration with other steps. Testing your supply is how you know what's actually needed.
We have no mains power where the filter would sit. Does that matter?
Not at all, and it's one of the best things about it for rural homes. It runs entirely on gravity, so no power point, no pump, no tap connection, and it keeps working straight through a power cut.
We're a long way from town. Is delivery and restocking a hassle?
It ships free to your door anywhere in the UK, and one filter set runs up to 12,000 litres, around 18 months of typical use. So it's one delivery and then a long stretch of clean water, rather than constant trips to restock.
Is 7 litres enough for a rural household?
For most, yes. Seven litres covers drinking, tea, coffee and cooking for a family without constant refilling, and you simply top it up from your own supply whenever it runs low.
Your purchase is 100% protected
Waters Co has led gravity-fed water filtration for over 40 years, with independent lab testing behind its removal claims and certifications including NSF International, ISO, CE, FDA and the Water Quality Association. Your BIO 500 MAX ships free to your door, runs with no power, and is covered by a lifetime warranty and a 30 day money back policy. You're not taking a risk, you're finally treating your own supply properly.
You're the treatment works. Act like one.
No mains, no treatment, no monitoring. Just you and this.
Forever chemicals, metals, sediment and bacteria, out of your borehole, well, spring or tank water. No power, no plumbing, on your worktop, at around 3p a litre.
See it in action
Watch the bench top filter at work.
No plumbing, no power, no fuss. Fill the top, and gravity does the rest, drawing your water down through 13 stages of filtration into clean, great-tasting alkaline mineral water. Press play below, and tap to unmute.
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BIO 500 MAX 7 Litre Bench Top Water Filter
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Trusted by Thousands
- Free & Fast Delivery
- 99% Forever Chemical Removal
- Easy to Use & Maintain
