Terms of Use

WaterDecoder provides general information and tools to help you understand home water quality and compare ways to treat it. It includes product information, certification records, calculators, guided tools and some AI-assisted answers.

WaterDecoder is an information service. We do not test water, sell or install equipment, or provide medical, engineering, plumbing, legal or other professional services.

Everything on WaterDecoder is general information. It is not medical or health advice, and it is not a substitute for advice from a qualified professional who can assess your water, your home and your circumstances.

• Testing. Only a test of your own water can tell you what is in it. Area data, public water-system reports and estimates describe an area or a water system, not your tap. For decisions that affect health, use a certified laboratory.
• Health. If you are worried about a health effect, or your household includes someone who is pregnant, an infant or someone with a weakened immune system, speak to a doctor or your local health department.
• Urgent situations. If your water utility or health authority issues a notice (for example, a boil-water notice), follow it. Most home filters are not a substitute for boiled or bottled water during such a notice. If you have a sudden loss of water pressure, a leak, or a problem with electrical, gas or well equipment, contact a qualified professional or your utility.
• Installation. Have treatment equipment installed and maintained as its manufacturer and local codes require, by a qualified installer where needed.

Our tools turn the information you give them into results. A result is only as complete as the information it is based on.

• Estimates. Cost figures, savings, softener sizing, hardness estimates, replacement intervals and similar figures are estimates based on the assumptions we show, on public data and on what you enter. Actual costs and performance can differ.
• Results can change. Our data, prices and methods change. A saved report is a fixed copy from the day you saved it and does not update.
• Scores. The Decode Score and our rankings are our own editorial assessment of the evidence we hold, as explained on our methodology page. They are not a guarantee that a product will perform in your home.

We show the certification listings, laboratory reports and manufacturer documents we hold for each product.

• When we say a product is certified to reduce something, we mean that we hold a record of a certification listing for that product and that claim. Certification is based on testing under set conditions. It does not guarantee the result in your home, which depends on your water, installation, use and maintenance.
• When we say we hold no certification record for a claim, we mean that our database has none. A product may be certified even if our records do not show it. Check with the certifying body.
• Claims we label as manufacturer claims come from the manufacturer and have not been confirmed by an independent certifier.
• Certifications can change, lapse or be withdrawn. Check the certifier's current listing before relying on one.

Some answers on WaterDecoder are produced with the help of AI. We limit these answers to records we hold and show where each statement comes from. AI does not make final decisions about product rankings or recommendations.

AI-assisted answers may still be incomplete or wrong. Check the sources shown before relying on an answer, and do not treat an answer as professional advice. An answer cannot tell you what is in your water or which system suits your home. Do not include personal details such as your name, address or health information in a question.

You can use most of WaterDecoder without an account. If you create one, you agree to give a real email address that you control and to keep access to it secure, because anyone who can read your email can sign in to your account. You are responsible for what happens in your account. Contact us at hello@waterdecoder.com if you think someone else has access to your account.

You can delete your account at any time from My Water.

If you create a share link, anyone who has the link can see what it shows without signing in. You choose who receives it and are responsible for sharing it only with people you intend to. You can stop a link at any time. We may pause share links for everyone for a period, as our Privacy Policy explains. We cannot recall a copy that someone has already opened or saved. Before sharing a report, check any notes or other text it includes, because personal details you put there may be visible to recipients.

"Your content" means anything you upload or submit, including lab reports, readings, answers, notes, feedback, reviews, questions and quote requests.

• You confirm that you have the right to submit your content, and that it does not break the law or anyone else's rights.
• Lab reports. Upload water reports only. Do not upload medical records or other personal health documents, or documents containing other people's personal information that you are not entitled to share.
• Private content. You allow us to store and process your private content only to provide the features you use it for, as our Privacy Policy describes.
• Public content. If you post a review, question or answer for publication, you allow us to publish it on WaterDecoder, to edit it for length or format or to remove personal details, and to keep or remove it. You keep ownership of what you write.
• We may decline, edit or remove content that is unlawful, misleading, abusive or off topic, or that includes personal information.
• If you send us suggestions or corrections, we may use them without any obligation to you.

Please use WaterDecoder lawfully and as intended. Do not:

• try to disrupt the site, get around its security or limits, or access accounts or data that are not yours;
• copy our data in bulk, or use automated programs to collect it, without our permission;
• submit false information, impersonate anyone, or post spam or advertising;
• use the site to harm, harass or mislead anyone.

We may limit, suspend or end access for anyone who does.

WaterDecoder links to retailers, laboratories, installers, manufacturers and other sites we do not run. Some links earn us a commission or referral fee, as our Affiliate Disclosure explains. Retailers set prices and availability, which can change. Check the retailer's current price and terms before you buy.

When you follow a link, the other site's terms and privacy policy apply. Any purchase, test or service you arrange is between you and that business. We are not responsible for their products, services, prices or conduct.

Quote requests. If you ask us to find a local dealer or installer, we try to match you with one business. We do not guarantee a match, a price or the quality of their work. Any agreement you make is between you and that business.

The site's text, design, software and compiled data belong to us or to the people who license them to us. You may use WaterDecoder for your own personal, non-commercial purposes, including sharing links to its pages. Product names, brands and certification marks belong to their owners. Showing them does not mean their owners endorse WaterDecoder.

We may change, add or remove features at any time, including switching a feature off for a period. We may also correct our data and results when we find an error.

WaterDecoder is provided "as is" and "as available". To the fullest extent the law allows, we make no promises, express or implied, about the site or its content, including that it will be accurate, complete, current, uninterrupted, free of errors or suitable for a particular purpose.

To the fullest extent the law allows, we are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special or consequential loss, or for any decision you make or action you take based on WaterDecoder. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law.

You can stop using WaterDecoder and delete your account at any time. We may suspend or end your access if you break these terms. Sections that by their nature should continue (for example, sections 8, 10, 11, 13 and 14) continue to apply after your access ends.

We may update these terms. When we do, we will change the date at the top, and if a change is significant, we will say so clearly on the site before it takes effect. If you keep using WaterDecoder after a change takes effect, the updated terms apply.

If you have a concern about WaterDecoder or these terms, please write to hello@waterdecoder.com first and give us 30 days to try to resolve it informally.

Questions about these terms: hello@waterdecoder.com.