Metro index / Methodology
How a metro earns its ratings
Every plate in this index is built the same way: published criteria, a fixed field-scoring process, and a plain rule about what we will and will not put a number on. This page is the whole standard, in the open.
The criteria
Five criteria, weighted in the open
A provider's score is a weighted judgment across five criteria. The weights below apply identically in every metro we rate.
Water testing and diagnosis
25%Does the provider measure before recommending? We weight in-home testing, what is actually measured, and whether the results are explained in plain language the homeowner can keep.
Recommendation quality
20%Whether the proposed equipment matches the measured problems and the household, and whether the homeowner is given a clear reason for each component proposed.
Responsiveness and scheduling
20%How the provider handles first contact: whether calls are answered or returned, how quickly a visit is offered, and whether the appointment happens as scheduled.
Local accountability
20%The distance between the person selling the system and the person responsible for it afterward. Owner-operated firms and dealers with clear local ownership are evaluated on that accountability.
Aftercare and warranty clarity
15%What happens after installation: how service is arranged, and whether warranty terms are stated clearly enough to be understood before purchase.
Field scoring
The field-scoring process
Desk research can build a provider list; it cannot produce a score. A number is issued only after all five steps below are complete in the metro being rated. The steps run in this order every time.
Desk research
We assemble the metro's provider list and document each company's history, product approach, service area, and stated process, using public information.
Contact and scheduling
We contact the provider the way a homeowner would and record how the first call, the callback, and the booking are handled.
Observed in-home water test
We observe an in-home water test in the market: what is measured, how it is explained, and what the homeowner is left with.
Recommendation review
We review the resulting recommendation against the measured water conditions and the criteria above.
Follow-up and scoring
After post-visit follow-up, the editors score the provider against the five weighted criteria and the result is published on the metro's plate.
Status marks
What each mark means
Used on a metro plate: at least one provider in that market has completed the full field-scoring process and carries a published score.
Used on a metro plate: desk research is underway and no field work has been completed. No scores are published for that market.
Used on a provider entry: the provider appears on desk research alone. It carries no number, and its position implies no relative ranking.
Editorial judgment statement
Where the numbers come from
Ratings on this site are editorial judgments, made by our editors under the criteria and process published on this page. Compensation, including sponsored placements and quote referrals, does not set a score and cannot buy one; the criteria do the scoring. Where field work is incomplete, we say so plainly and publish no number rather than publishing a guess. When a provider's status changes, the plate is updated and the edition date on every page reflects it.
The editors · Midwest Water Ratings