The Best Reverse Osmosis System Reviews in 2018 – Purify Your Water
Has your tap water ever had a strange taste to it? Maybe it smelled weird or just looked somewhat off? Are you worried about old piping contaminating the water you drink and use for cooking?
Well, if you have had any of these problems or concerns, you might want to look into purifying your water before using to for anything. One of the most effective ways to do that is by using the best reverse osmosis system out there, and today we will tell you something about this great machine and how it can help your household.
Why Buying a Reverse Osmosis System?
Well, there are a ton of different reasons to get a reverse osmosis system for your household, but to get to that, we must first explain how these machines work, for the uninitiated among you.
To understand what reverse osmosis is, you must first know what osmosis is. It’s an important and natural process where less concentrated solutions naturally migrate to solutions that are more highly concentrated. It’s what allows plant roots to absorb water, for example. It happens in our bodies as well, all the time.
Reverse osmosis is, well, the reverse of that. It is mainly performed to desalinate and demineralize water, thus separating it from any contaminants in the process and getting pure water. This removes things like pesticides, chlorine, lead, fluoride, detergents and other substances that might be dissolved in the water.
Reverse osmosis systems are used to perform this process, and they work by pushing the water through a semipermeable membrane, leaving all the materials that can’t pass through the membrane on one side and the water on the other. It’s simple stuff, in essence.
Now, of course, it gets more complicated than that. There are multiple filters and membranes involved in a reverse osmosis system to ensure that the water is perfectly clean after it comes out of the machine. You can use it for drinking, preparing food and beverages for your family, even for use in baby formula because the water will be perfectly safe.
You might think that such water might taste bad, as most filtrated water does, but that’s the thing with reverse osmosis systems – the water that comes out of them still tastes fine. That’s why these systems are often used in the food and beverage industries as well as in hospitals and the military.
Get Pure Water with the Reverse Osmosis System
If you get a reverse osmosis system, you won’t have to worry about the quality of your tap water anymore, and you can stop wasting money on bottled water as well. Unfortunately, a reverse osmosis will remove some beneficial minerals from the water in the process, but that is a small price to pay to get some perfectly clean and delicious water.
Of course, not all reverse osmosis systems perform the same, and some are better at removing different materials than others. For example, some systems may not remove things like fluoride due to having fewer filters or a membrane that allows larger particles to pass through it.
You should be extremely careful when you buy a system like this and consider all the important aspects. We are here to help you with that by reviewing some of the best products out there right now and offering some useful tips on what to keep your eye on when you get to the shop. For starters, here are the top three products out there right now.
Meet the Best Reverse Osmosis Systems
The Good: A compact system that removes most materials and produces water that tastes great.
The Bad: It makes plenty of noise, and the hoses on it can be a bit short.
The Bottom Line: Overall, this is a great system that doesn’t have a lot of significant downsides, so it is more than worth purchasing.
The Good: It filters through a lot of water per day and removes most materials from it.
The Bad: You might have trouble finding space for it, the filters fail quickly and replacing them costs a lot.
The Bottom Line: There are both some great upsides as well as downsides to this product, so it is worth considering, but we can’t wholeheartedly recommend it.
The Good: This is an affordable system that comes with extra filters that last for a long time.
The Bad: Takes up a ton of space, underperforms and wastes a lot of water in the process of purifying.
The Bottom Line: For people who are on a tight budget, this is a great product, but otherwise, you might want to avoid it due to its downsides.
Our more detailed opinions on these products are contained below, so keep on reading.
All of the Factors Considered
Reverse osmosis systems are complex pieces of kit with a lot of different parts contained within them. Lots of different stats and numbers will be listed on the box, so if you’re just getting into this whole reverse osmosis business, you might find it all confusing. Fret not, for we have tested a ton of machines and compiled the definitive list of the most important things to consider when buying a reverse osmosis system.
Water Production Rate
This refers to the amount of water that a reverse osmosis system can purify in a single day, and is measured in gallons per day or gpd for short. Most systems have a gpd value of somewhere between 50 gpd at the lower end and 90 gpd at the higher end of the spectrum.
However, these numbers can be deceptive, and they are not realistic most of the time. You’re more likely to be able to achieve somewhere around 80% of the stated water production rate.
Still, even a lower end reverse osmosis system can produce more than enough clean water for the average household. If you want to use one for your business or something more demanding, however, you will need a higher end system for sure.
Filter Effectiveness
The effectiveness of a filter can only be measured by the number of materials it removes from the water that goes through it. To do this, we must look at the TDS.
TDS stands for “total dissolved solids, ” and it is the measure of how many solid materials are dissolved in a certain amount of water. The amount of TDS in tap water shouldn’t be over 500mg per liter.
Any decent reverse osmosis system should reduce the amount of TDS in the water by around 90%, though this can vary. If you want, you can check the amount of dissolved solids in water by buying a simple device that measures this. With such a device you can check how much materials your reverse osmosis system removes from the tap water you put into it. Some reverse osmosis systems even come with the device!
Filter Lifespan
Filters will need to be replaced sooner or later since they get progressively dirtier and eventually becomes useless. That’s just the nature of things. However, some filters do last longer than others, and you should always aim for filters that last as long as possible. That way you won’t have to waste a ton of money replacing them.
Most filters have a lifespan of somewhere between 6 and 12 months, and it is inadvisable to use them after that time.
Tank Size
Most reverse osmosis systems come with an inbuilt tank for water storage, and it’s important to consider the size of the tank relative to the water production you need. Having a reverse osmosis system that can produce a lot of clean water is of no use if you don’t have any place to store it, right?
Most machines come with a tank that’s somewhere between 3 and 9 gallons in size. Though larger sizes will cost you a bit more, they might be worth it if you need to store that much water on a regular basis.
In-Depth Reviews of 3 Reverse Osmosis Systems
Key Features
Removes Almost All Solid Materials
This machine can remove most of the solids in the water. The manufacturer claims it can remove up to 99% of them, but a more realistic and consistently achievable figure is around 90%. That’s still quite good and will get rid of most harmful.
Decent Water Output
This machine can put out around 50 gallons of purified water per day, which is a decent amount and will cover the needs of most households. If you need more than that, though, you might want to get a second machine or a different one.
Long-lasting Filters Make Water Taste Great
The filters in this system can last for quite a while, over a year in fact. That is good because changing them is a huge hassle and you don’t want to do it if you can avoid it. They also make the water that goes through them taste quite good.
Compact and Useful
This is quite a compact system that can fit almost anywhere and still works as well as larger systems. The tank is of a decent size, 3 gallons, which should be enough for most. The only problem with this is that the tubes are quite short.
Customer Reviews
Who Should Buy This Product
This is a great reverse osmosis system for people who don’t have a lot of space and need a system which will do the job as well as larger pieces of kit but won’t take up a ton of space. It will do the job and make the water safe and great in taste while being able to fit into most sinks.
What to Watch Out For
There are a couple of issues with this system, but most of them are solvable. The tubes on it are quite short, and they might not fit you, but you can easily replace them if needed. The filters are difficult to change, but you won’t have to change them more than once a year if even that. The system can be noisy as well.
The Conclusion
Overall, this is a great reverse osmosis system that comes at a decent price and does everything as advertised. The best part about it is that it takes up less space than most, but it still does the job equally well, if not better. There are some issues with it, the worst of which are maybe the short pipes and the noise, but that can be solved, and this machine is more than worth its price.
Key Features
Incredible Water Output
The amount of water this system can purify per day is an astounding 75 gallons, which will be enough for most household and a lot of business. It is quite a large amount and, though you might not get exactly that much, it is still above average.
Removes Most Solids from The Water
This system can remove most of the solids from the water, somewhere around 80 to 90% of them on most tests, which is more than enough, though there are systems out there that can remove more. It is commendable though.
Filters don’t Last Long
The filters will fail in a matter of six months or less and need to be replaced. That is the main downside of this system. The water that goes through them also doesn’t taste great after it comes out, though it is clean. The replacement filters also cost quite a lot.
Takes up a Ton of Space
This system is quite spacious, and you might have trouble making it fit when you’re installing it. Despite that, the tank it comes with is only a 3-gallon tank, and you would expect something larger from a machine with this sort of output.
Customer Reviews
We used a simple TDS tester we have to compare the difference between the tap water and the filtered water. It came down from around 43 TDS to only 8 TDS. The taste of the water isn’t great, but it is significantly cleaner. We like it a lot so far, and we will see how it fares in the long run.
It is a better system than my old one though, and it works well. The reason I gave it four stars is because of the setup problems. The water from it tastes well, and it had no leaks so far, so I like it in that regard. The faucet is good as well, better than my old one. I just hope the filters last for a good while.
Who Should Buy This Product
If you want a system that has a large output, this is a good one to get since it can output up to 75 gallons per day without a problem. That will be more than enough for most and water will be quite clean since this system can remove most substances from it without an issue.
What to Watch Out For
There are a couple of problems with this system, but the worst one is that it takes up quite a lot of space so some people might have trouble installing it due to that. The other major problem is the fact that the filters don’t last long and replacing them is quite costly so you might have problems in the long run.
The Conclusion
Overall, this is a decent system that won’t set you back a lot, but that produces a lot of water per day so it will cover the needs for most people. However, the taste of water that comes out of it is not the greatest, it takes up a lot of space, and the filters don’t last for a long time. It has quite a few downsides, so you should think twice before getting it.
Key Features
Produces a Decent Amount of Water
The gpd of this unit is 50, which will be more than enough for most, but if you need to purify a ton of water, you might want to look into other systems. However, some users have also reported it underperforming and barely making 30 gallons per day. It also wastes more than half the water put into it.
Removes a Decent Amount of Materials
This machine can easily remove up to 80 or 90% of the materials in the water you put into it. That is decent for a reverse osmosis system like this. However, it is nothing exceptional, and there are other machines out there that do a better job.
Longlasting Filters and Extras
The filters in this unit are quite good, and they will last for a year or more, so you don’t need to replace them often. You also get extra filters with the unit so you won’t have to spend any extra cash on them, which is great.
Takes up a Massive Amount of Space
One of the largest issues with this system is the fact that it takes up so much space. Most people won’t be able to find enough space for it under their sink, and that is a huge problem. Check the dimensions and don’t buy it if it doesn’t fit. The 3-gallon tank it comes with does not justify the size.
Customer Reviews
Who Should Buy This Product
If you’re looking for a reverse osmosis system that won’t cost you a lot and you have modest needs when it comes to the amount of water, this will be a great machine for you. It pays off in the long term as well, since it comes with additional filters included and you won’t need to change filters for a long time.
What to Watch Out For
There are a ton of issues with this system, the largest of which is, well, how large the entire thing is. It takes up more space than is reasonable and most people won’t be able to handle it. It also underperforms when it comes to how much water it can purify and wastes a lot of water in the process.
The Conclusion
When it comes down to it, this machine is a good budget option, especially due to the quality of the filters in it and the replacements you get. However, it is plagued by many issues, and most of them can’t be easily ignored, especially its bulkiness. In short, if you have money for something better, look into it instead of this.
The Best Pick – APEC ESSENCE ROES-50
Choosing the best product among many was a difficult task, especially considering how complex reverse osmosis systems can be and how many things you need to consider. However, in the end, one of the products here impressed us more than others, and that is the APEC ESSENCE ROES-50. The reason is simple – it offers the most benefits out of all the systems here and has the least downsides. Sure, it’s not without its flaws, but none of them are significant deal breakers, and it performs well, making it our top pick for this roundup.
Video Review
The Conclusion
So, that’s it, in the end, we chose the APEC ESSENCE ROES-50 as the best product in our opinion, and that was after a lot of deliberation. However, that doesn’t mean it will be the ideal product for you since you might have different standards and requirements when it comes to products like these. You should use all the info we presented to make a good choice and pick the reverse osmosis system which fits you the best. If we managed to help you do that, share this article around and stay tuned for our next article that will surely be as helpful as this one. Until next time, have a good day.
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