Profile on Certain Services

Profile on Certain Services

A new profile from WCP Online covers Certain Services, a Port Charlotte company that Bill Certain launched in 2009 right in the middle of the financial recession. The business now operates with the tagline "We can do anything with water—except walk on it" and has grown from a one-person operation to a 10-employee team. Bill got his start in water treatment through dairy equipment manufacturing in Indiana back in 1979, learning that softened water made industrial cleaning more cost-effective. After moving back to Florida in 2005, he built the business largely through word-of-mouth, eventually bringing on his daughter Kelly as senior dispatcher and wife Chris as vice president.

A major turning point came when Bill purchased the entire residential division of Harn RO as that company shifted focus to municipal work. Certain Services now sells its own line of reverse osmosis systems called CertainFlow, built in-house with customizable options and lifetime warranties. The company is a certified Watercare/AO Smith dealer and provides training at 16 Lowe's locations in the area, helping store employees direct customers to local water treatment businesses.

At-Home PFAS Testing

Researchers at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Labs are working on a portable sensor that could finally make PFAS testing accessible without expensive lab analysis. The team built a sensor that can detect forever chemicals down to 250 parts per quadrillion, which is roughly one grain of sand in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Right now, testing for PFAS at these ultra-low concentrations requires sending water samples to specialized labs, which is both expensive and time-consuming. The researchers want to change that by creating a low-cost, fast testing option that homeowners can use directly from their homes. The timing matters since PFAS has been linked to cancer, reproductive issues, and thyroid problems, and the EPA issued new regulations on these chemicals last year.

Dealer Trends

Texas-based Waterworld USA published a blog post framing their dealer program around three main market trends: tightening PFAS regulations in states like California and New York, health-conscious consumers demanding contaminant removal beyond just taste, and commercial real estate developers adding whole-building filtration systems as amenities. Waterworld positions their Intelliclear tankless systems and Proline commercial units as answers to these trends, emphasizing features like real-time TDS tracking, PFAS reduction capabilities, and low-waste designs. The company highlights their U.S.-based operations, dealer pricing, white-label opportunities, and drop shipping as advantages for partners looking to grow in the water treatment space. Waterworld is making the case that the regulatory environment and consumer awareness have created a growth opportunity for dealers who partner with manufacturers that can handle PFAS reduction and provide localized support.

POU/POE Options for PFAS

Engineering firm Consor published a detailed technical guide for WCP Online explaining why point-of-use and point-of-entry systems are gaining traction as PFAS solutions, particularly for small utilities and private well owners who struggle with centralized treatment costs. The article walks through the practical advantages like lower capital costs, simplified installation, minimal operator certification requirements, and rapid deployment timelines measured in days rather than months. The team breaks down how different users face different challenges: small utilities lack the technical capacity for centralized systems but face regulatory requirements for certified devices and professional installation, while private well owners operate outside regulatory oversight with limited financial resources. The technology itself is proven, using activated carbon, ion exchange resin, and reverse osmosis that are already designated as Best Available Technologies for centralized treatment. The complication comes from certification—as of mid-2025, NSF/ANSI certification standards are still catching up to the newly finalized EPA maximum contaminant levels, creating uncertainty around device selection and regulatory acceptance.

What else is happening:

• WCP Online posted an article all about the economics of smart water and brine management

• And awarded their October Young Professional of the Month to the marketing and advertising coordinator for Douglas Water Conditioning

• Florida-based Water Medic writes their guide to well water problems and solutions

• Kinetico Columbus has a sponsored post and video in local news FOX 28 all about their high quality water solutions