Clean Water Starts at Home

Educating H2O- the Ins and Outs of Water Quality, Chemical Exposure and the Need to Address Aging Infrastructure

Most Australians turn on their taps without giving it a second thought. However, behind the scenes, growing concerns around water quality, chemical exposure, and aging infrastructure are prompting a quiet revolution, and it’s being led by a company that believes knowledge is just as important as filtration.

“So much of this journey has been about education,” explains Suzanne Dodds, Founder and CEO of Complete Home Filtration. “People weren’t aware that the water they drink, cook with, and shower in every day could be improved in such meaningful ways.”

Dodds didn’t start with a boardroom or a product on shelves. She began with a box of filters in her garage, a homemade brochure, and a bold idea: that Australian households deserved more than chlorine-heavy tap water and one-size-fits-all solutions. What followed was a grassroots movement built on transparency, science-based advocacy, and empowering consumers to make informed choices about their water.

Her first venture, co-founding a commercial water cooler rental company in 2007, mainly catered to businesses, but customers kept asking for something more. “People were coming to us wanting water coolers for their homes because they weren’t happy with the quality of their tap water,” she explains. “They didn’t like the taste and didn’t know there were other options.”

A Market Gap Becomes a Mission

Dodds realized that the Australian residential market was underserved. The only widely available options were cheap under-sink filters or shower attachments. What was missing were whole-house filtration systems, solutions that treat water at the point of entry, before it flows through the entire home. Globally, these systems were not uncommon. In Australia, they were virtually unheard of.

“Nobody knew about them here,” Dodds says. “But globally, they were slightly more of a recognized solution than in Australia.”

She began testing these systems back in 2014. However, licensing constraints from her previous business meant she couldn’t sell competing products in her territory. She experimented with installations in Sydney and even partnered with a friend’s home services business in Auckland. Despite her efforts, the project stalled. Fifty unsold units had been collecting dust in her garage for years.

“It was like that scene from ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’ where he has all those machines he can’t sell. That was me,” she laughs.

Accelerating Growth with Strategic Investment

When her licensing restriction expired in 2018 with IAPMO, Dodds made a bold move. She quit her corporate role—a brief detour with PwC after completing her MBA—and returned to entrepreneurship.

“I got a little $300 website built, printed some brochures at Officeworks, and started going door-to-door offering to test people’s water,” she says.

This grassroots approach gave her the proof of concept she needed. She recruited a small team, organized community events, and set up booths at the mall. Unlike her past ventures, she knew she wanted to scale quickly and decided to bring in outside investment.

“I wasn’t a spring chicken anymore. I didn’t have ten years to build this slowly,” Dodds says.

Her pitch landed with RAC, Western Australia’s century-old roadside assistance and insurance provider. Their newly formed venture capital fund invested, helping fuel the company’s rapid growth.

“We tripled revenue in the first year, tripled again in the second year, and then tripled again in the third year. We doubled the fourth year.”

Today, Complete Home Filtration employs over 115 full-time staff members and 100 contractors nationwide. In 2023, Dodds bought back RAC’s shares to consolidate ownership.

Innovation on a Global Stage

Now, Dodds is eyeing global expansion, a strategic move that builds on the company’s solid foundation and proven success across Australia. She recently returned from a research trip to Los Angeles, where she explored potential entry points into the U.S. market, a region experiencing growing concerns about water contaminants, particularly PFAS. With rising consumer demand for clean water and regulatory bodies tightening standards, the U.S. represents a promising opportunity for the next chapter of growth. The company is also evaluating the United Kingdom as another potential market, given its similar water quality concerns and increasing awareness of the benefits of household filtration.

Expansion goes beyond geography. At the core of Complete Home Filtration’s forward momentum is a commitment to product innovation. One of the most significant breakthroughs the company is preparing to bring to market is a revolutionary whole-house filtration system that removes PFAS, a class of harmful, long-lasting chemicals often referred to as “forever chemicals.” These substances have been linked to serious health concerns and are notoriously difficult to remove from water supplies.

“We began developing our PFAS system in 2019, well before the media started talking about it,” Dodds says. “Our certification partner, IATMO, says they haven’t seen anything perform quite like ours.”

The system is currently undergoing NSF 53 certification in New Jersey, a globally recognized standard for removing health-related contaminants. Dodds explains that early testing results have far exceeded initial expectations, with the system consistently performing above the required benchmarks and demonstrating durability well beyond the targeted capacity.

“We’re excited to launch this in the next three to four months,” she says. “This system could be a game changer for households around the world concerned with emerging water contaminants.”

Educating the Market

Dodds believes that building a successful business goes beyond selling a product; it requires shifting mindsets. One of Complete Home Filtration’s primary missions is to raise awareness and educate consumers about the actual quality of their tap water.

“Chlorine is essential for water safety during transport, but once the water gets to your home, it makes sense to remove it,” she explains. The chemical plays a vital role in disinfecting water as it travels long distances through pipes. However, by the time it reaches households, chlorine can pose its own set of risks.

Among those risks are disinfection byproducts, or DBPs, which form when chlorine reacts with organic matter in water. “It doesn’t discriminate,” Dodds says. “It kills good and bad bacteria. And when you shower in it, your body absorbs it.”

The impact on human health can be more significant than most people realize. Dodds cites studies showing that a 10-minute hot shower can expose an individual to the same number of chlorinated byproducts as drinking two liters of unfiltered water.

“Your skin is your largest organ. And the hot steam in showers causes inhalation of these toxins,” she adds.

A Complete Solution

What sets Complete Home Filtration apart is its end-to-end model. The company designs and manufactures its products, sells them directly to consumers, and handles all after-sales care and maintenance.

“We’re not just a sales company. We look after the customer from beginning to end,” Dodds emphasizes.

This comprehensive approach has won the trust of major builders across Australia, who rely on the company to fulfill product and warranty obligations.

“Once one of our systems is installed, they don’t have to worry. We handle everything.”

Creating a Workplace that People Love

A strong, people-first culture drives the company’s success. From entry-level roles to leadership, Dodds is committed to promoting from within. “That’s how we maintain our culture. People who started in telemarketing or admin roles are now running teams,” Dodds says.

Even as the company brings in senior experts, such as a new CFO and Head of IT, cultural fit remains a top priority. “People comment on our office vibe all the time. There’s laughter, music, and collaboration. We like to celebrate wins,” Dodds adds.

Industry Recognition and Responsibility

Complete Home Filtration has received numerous accolades, including the 2024 WA Business of the Year and the 2021 Telstra Business of the Year for Outstanding Growth.

“It’s great for team morale and gives consumers confidence,” Dodds says. “We bring as many staff as we can to the awards. They earned it.”

The company also uses these platforms to differentiate itself from competitors flooding the market with inferior products.

“We’re seeing companies that know how to sell but don’t understand the science or customer care. It hurts the industry,” she notes.

Clean Water for the Next Generation

Looking ahead, Dodds is focused on scaling responsibly and staying ahead of emerging threats to water contamination. “We’re developing solutions not just for chlorine and hard water, but for microplastics, nanoplastics, atrazine, and PFAS,” Dodds says. Many of these contaminants remained undetected for years due to the limited testing methods available at the time.

“Just because tests didn’t detect them doesn’t mean they weren’t there. Now we have the science to prove it, and we’re building systems to remove them,” Dodds explains.

The company’s existing product line addresses a total addressable market of over seven million Australian homes. With international interest on the rise, Dodds sees vast potential.

PFAS has been in everything from frying pans to firefighting foam. It’s nearly indestructible. The same properties that made it valuable commercially make it hard to remove,” Dodds notes.

Empowering Health-Conscious Consumers

Thanks to the rise of social media and health influencers, consumers are becoming more aware of what they put in and on their bodies.

“People are taking responsibility for their health. They want to know what’s in their water.”

“We’re not reacting to media coverage. We’ve been working on this for years,” Dodds says. “Our mission is to make clean water accessible, from the first pipe into your home to the glass in your hand.”

At a Glance

Who: Complete Home Filtration

What: An award-winning company providing fully customised, whole-home water filtration and softening systems

Where: Western Australia (Head Office)

Website: www.completehomefiltration.com.au

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