Having NOTHING to do with today's Zombie Apocalypse I have always wanted a GOOD RO system.
Primarily to replace the bazillian bottles we buy every week of every year.
And to especially for making good coffee.

I have considered the Zero Water filter systems that filter in a pitcher but is not really a RO system.
My parents used one of these and it is decent.

However, reading up on the RO is seems these are a better choice.
It does need to be installed (not an issue) and a little more expensive.

So what is a really good buy-once cry-once system?

One I saw recommended was on Amazon for $200 but that seems cheap to me for something that is the best.
One that is supposed to be good is the iSpring RCC7AK 6-Stage

Is water Nirvana only $200 away?

We've had a Whirlpool RO system (Model WHER25) for years - trouble free, just have to change filter cartridges now and then.

I installed this one a few years ago and it's been great. High quality components and a complete kit. The company is in California and they answered the phone promptly with friendly answers when I called with questions.

Their filters are also 100% made in the USA, and replacements are easily sourced via Amazon prime.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod..._title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I also added the 3/8" upgrade kit so the water flows quickly since we use it all the time to fill large water bottles.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod..._title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have been using the Watts 4 cartridge system from Amazon. Replace the filters every 6 months, that is the biggest costs (Annual Kit is ~$70). RO membrane is every 2 years ($70). Supplies water for the Ice Maker in the fridge and all my drinking needs

Watts Premier WP531411 Water Filtration System

We went with the Costco recommended 3rd party supplier. If you pay monthly, THEY supply the water filters as needed. If you outright buy the system, YOU have to pay for the filters. It's a small price to pay monthly for the free filters.

Check your local Costco

Excuse my ignorance but what is the benefit of reverse osmosis water over my whole house filter coupled with the filter in my fridge dispenser?

Question: My understanding is that RO filtration is very inefficient, yielding about 1 gallon of usable water for every 5 gallons put through this system. Is this what people are seeing and how does it affect your water bill?

I’ve purchased four RO systems for this USA mfr.

https://www.freedrinkingwater.com/

I would do it again.

Just make sure you get the one that you can change the filters yourself. Yes, very inefficient. Also, it is recommended to "flush" the tank with a bleach solution. The one I had used a transparent container that replaces one of the filters before replacing all.

We've had two RO systems across about 20 years. I think they wasted 2 to 3 gallons for every one they purified. Using it for all drinking, cooking, and even brushing teeth it didn't seem to affect the water bill.

Our source water isn't too bad so we only needed to change filters every few years. If you have a lot of particulate matter in your source water, it may save you time and money to add a canister particulate filter to your water line feeding the whole house and then put the RO tap after that. The canister filters are under $5 at local hardware stores.

How bad is your water? The amount of solids in your water will determine how much waste water you will have. Also how often you will need to change filters. Our well water is pretty bad. I have an iron filter first then a water softener. That is for the whole house. For drinking, coffee and fridge we use an IspringRCC-7Ak R/O unit that has an U/V unit.
Get yourself a tester and check your water. The better the water going in the longer your filters will last. If your water is really bad it might be cheaper to continue buying. The filters can get expensive so check cost of filers before purchasing any R/O unit. Filter, filter and filter before the R/O unit.

My dad just installed a system and spends weeks researching every topic before he buys. He bought the system below, including the pump. I'll be installing a system in the next few weeks, but I have not started my research yet. I have always heard they use a bunch of water. According to my dad, if you get a pump it reduces the amount of water that is wasted. It has something to do with the amount of pressure when the water goes through the membrane. He also got the pump because he has a well and not great water pressure. The pump pumps the water up 1 floor and about 30' away.

If you put a unit under a sink (not whole house) it really doesn't "waste" that much water. Even if it is 4 gallons of water for every 1 gallon you drink...How much are you drinking in a month? 100 gallons?

I'm the Treasurer for our local mountain community water system (~330 homes). We charge $6 per 1,000 gallons, and our water is expensive. Also, if you're on a septic system the water is just being returned to the ground. You can call it "wasted", but eventually it makes it back down to your water table, so I will argue that nothing is wasted.

Home Depot System

Output Pump

My dad tends to over-engineer everything, but he came up with this idea to make it easier to change the filters. he's in his early 70's now, and he didn't want to crawl under the sink to change the filters. This allows him to pull the cartridges out to change them.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Excuse my ignorance but what is the benefit of reverse osmosis water over my whole house filter coupled with the filter in my fridge dispenser?

RO membranes remove very small-size contaminants, including parasites, bacteria and viruses. They also remove many chemical contaminants with larger molecules, but not some pesticides (although they are usually combined with carbon filters that will handle the majority of those). Not the same as distilled water, but pretty close. A whole-house RO system is generally prohibitively expensive, but a point-of-use set of filters (the kitchen sink for example) combined with a water softening system is not too terribly inefficient (particularly hard or contaminated water will need filter changes sooner). Cost after installation is just filters, which may last a year, with the RO membrane up to 5 years. The main disadvantage of under-counter RO filters is their limited capacity (maybe 3 to 5 gallons), and slow filtration rate (could take 30 minutes to an hour to fill up a 5 gallon reservoir tank). A good compromise to bottled water for a - very - pure drinking water source.

Hey Goat. What is the purpose of the pump.
I just checked my water. Before the R/O it is 527 and after the R/O it is 71. Installed in 2017. Filters have not been changed. Only two of us in household.

quote:

Originally posted by 9mmnut:
Hey Goat. What is the purpose of the pump.
I just checked my water. Before the R/O it is 527 and after the R/O it is 71. Installed in 2017. Filters have not been changed. Only two of us in household.

I haven't talked to my dad in great detail about his setup, just in passing. He stated that the input water pressure to the membrane has an effect on how efficient (how much water) is used during the process. I have no idea to this claim, but I know my dad and he probably spent 100 hours researching every single aspect of the RO system before buying anything.

I will say he is on a private well so he doesn't have a lot of pressure. He also put some of the components in his mechanical room and some under sink. The pump is in the mechanical room, 1 floor below the kitchen sink and 30' away.

I think he posted a picture of his mechanical room setup in the review section of Amazon for the pump. It's the exact same picture he sent me after he finished it:

Would you split off to your fridge too even though most have a filter system in the fridge now days?

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
Would you split off to your fridge too even though most have a filter system in the fridge now days?

I would. Running a line from under the kitchen sink to the fridge should work well. Very long runs from RO source to tap can make the pressure drop, hence the need for a pump in some homes.

I looked at this and really liked the push button filter change system they use. But it didnt look very secure to me. I was afraid of the O-rings leaking and flooding the house while I was gone. Have you any any leaking issues?

quote:

Originally posted by mkueffer:
I have been using the Watts 4 cartridge system from Amazon. Replace the filters every 6 months, that is the biggest costs (Annual Kit is ~$70). RO membrane is every 2 years ($70). Supplies water for the Ice Maker in the fridge and all my drinking needs

Watts Premier WP531411 Water Filtration System

We bought this iSpring RO system from Amazon, it's not expensive, it's in stock, and it has worked fine.

I have had a RO system on my kitchen sink faucet for the last 15 years installed by Culligan. I pay an annual fee for the gold service. With gold service, they come do a complete maintenance to the system once a year to inspect everything and replace all filters. When anything needs to be replaced, including the membrane, it is included in the subscription cost. The subscription is about $200 a year and the membrane alone is about $500.