About Island Water Systems

Who We Are

Island Water Systems was founded by Nick Thorne in 1995, having learned the trade before he moved to Martha's Vineyard from Vermont. Nick still owns and operates the company and brings his decades of experience as well as a deep understanding of water chemistry, water quality, and the methods of effective remediation of water quality issues to all the work that Island Water Systems performs.

Nick is personally involved in the design of every water filtration system that Island Water Systems installs and that now counts in the thousands of systems on this island. Nick also takes personable responsibility for training his staff and it typically requires two years of apprenticeship before they can make independent service calls.

We service all of Martha's Vineyard, including Chappaquiddick, and we are familiar with the particular water quality issues in all locales.
Nick Thorne—The Water Quality Expert in Vineyard Haven, MA

Who We Are

Island Water Systems was founded by Nick Thorne in 1995, having learned the trade before he moved to Martha's Vineyard from Vermont. Nick still owns and operates the company and brings his decades of experience as well as a deep understanding of water chemistry, water quality, and the methods of effective remediation of water quality issues to all the work that Island Water Systems performs.

Nick is personally involved in the design of every water filtration system that Island Water Systems installs and that now counts in the thousands of systems on this island. Nick also takes personable responsibility for training his staff and it typically requires two years of apprenticeship before they can make independent service calls.

We service all of Martha's Vineyard, including Chappaquiddick, and we are familiar with the particular water quality issues in all locales.
Nick Thorne—The Water Quality Expert in Vineyard Haven, MA

What We Do

Island Water Systems is solely in the business of providing a safe, clean, delicious, and abundant water supply to you and your family through water quality analysis and the design, installation and servicing of those systems. We don't drill wells, we don't do general plumbing (though we have a licensed plumber on staff as part of our installation team), we don't install irrigation systems and we most certainly don't sell "one size fits all" water filtration systems.

We work with our customers in three distinct phases. First, because there is no point in selling you a water filter you don't need or worse, a water filter that won't properly meet your needs, we do a thorough water analysis, measuring everything from pH and alkalinity, to mineral content, to contaminants. (If you're interested in the details of the many factors we test for, please visit our FAQ page.) Our aim is to give our customers all they need to make well-informed decisions about their water source.

In the second phase, we engineer a water filtration system specifically designed to meet the needs of your particular water quality issues and scaled for your water utilization needs. Once designed, we install the system and integrate it with your plumbing system with all the bypasses and drains required for it to be properly maintained and drained down for off-season shutdown.

In the final phase, we provide ongoing service and maintenance to assure that your water filtration continues to provide a clean, safe, delicious, and abundant water supply for years to come. We track the maintenance schedules for all your equipment so that you don't have to and call to make service appointments as they come due.

For more detail on all of this, please visit our Services page.

Examples of Island Water Systems Installations on Martha's Vineyard

A common Acid Neutralizer and Water Softener combination for pH balance and iron removal
A common Acid Neutralizer and Water Softener
combination for pH balance and iron removal
An unobtrusively placed under-sink Reverse Osmosis system
An unobtrusively placed under-sink Reverse Osmosis system
An Ultra-Violet Light Disinfection System with its attendant Big-Blue Sediment Pre-filter
An Ultra-Violet Light Disinfection System with its attendant Big-Blue Sediment Pre-filter
For really complex water we use a select group of filters to provide maximum flow to the house while removing multiple problems such as odor, staining and other contaminant issues
For really complex water we use a select group of filters to provide maximum flow to the house while removing multiple problems such as odor, staining and other contaminant issues
An Arsenic Reduction System
This Arsenic Reduction System was installed in response to the increasing presence of Arsenic in our tap water
Tom Buchert, Chief Water Quality Technician
Tom Buchert, Chief Water Quality Technician, on site.
The ideal Town Water System should consist of; From right to left; A Granular Activated Carbon Filter for Chlorine, Rust and other Organics, a Water Softener and an Ultra-Violet Light Disinfection System
The ideal Town Water System should consist of; From right to left; A Granular Activated Carbon Filter for Chlorine, Rust and other Organics, a Water Softener and an Ultra-Violet Light Disinfection System
An Acid Neutralizer for an average home in any town on Martha's Vineyard
An Acid Neutralizer for an average home in any town on Martha's Vineyard.

Contact us to learn more about our water filters for sale.