Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter

[dealcatcher]

We're considering buying an RO water filter and had several questions.

1) Are there any cons with getting an RO water filter? Is the water wastage really something to consider?

2) How much does it cost to install, labor only? (fyi, they would need to drill a hole into my Caesarstone countertop to mount the faucet)

3) Any contractors you can recommend for this?

4) Ideally, I'd want the filter to be hooked up before the water hits the fridge so we can utilize the water dispenser already built into the fridge. Is this possible? I read somewhere that the water pressure (post RO filter) may not be strong enough for the fridge.

5) Any recommended systems? I was thinking of going with one of the iSpring systems on Amazon (either 5 or 6 stage) that run between $170-210 or the Premier brand at Costco. Which one do you think is more effective and which one would be cheaper to maintain/replace filters in the long run?

Thanks for the advice!

 

[daedalus]

I'll give you my experience; we have the Watts Premiere.  We knew it was going in then we had our Caesarstone done, so they put in the holes at the time.  Drilling it seems easy enough, just with special drill bits.  I would not hesitate to do something like this myself.  It might be a bit harder if they also have to drill through the sink flange.
http://www.renovateforum.com/f200/drilling-hole-caesarstone-benchtop-104430/

We installed the filter ourselves, and it was pretty straightforward.  We installed it with the faucet, but if I had to do it by itself, it might take  2-3 hours.  A competent fixit person should be able to do the whole job in under 4 hours.  Make sure you have enough space under the sink for the reservoir.  It's maybe a bit bigger than a basketball.  Plus the filter bank takes up about 3-4" along one wall.  There's a threaded plumbing adapter fitting that's easy enough to put on with pipe wrenches and teflon tape.  The PEX hoses are easy to connect, just slide them into the fittings.

My fridge manual states water pressure needs to be 40psi to work the dispenser and water filter actuators.  I took their word for it.  I verified the RO filter puts out around 7psi.    There was already a separate filter under our kitchen in the crawlspace, so we use that for the icemaker.  Not as good as RO, but better than a bolt-on faucet filter.  Your fridge may have different pressure needs than ours.

One thing I don't like is we get a "replace filter" error sooner than I think we should.  We make coffee in the morning, have 3-4 glasses of water at night, and the replace filter light comes on every 3-4 months.  I tested the water with an ion meter and it's still  saying the water is nearly the same purity as the day we installed it, so we ignore the warning and just go by time.  Different filters have different replacement intervals, but we will spend about $75/year on filters.  Just FYI, our normal tapwater has around 300 ppm ions (unsoftened).  The RO water has under 20ppm.

Water waste--not really something I'm concerned with for this thing.  It's probably 2-3x what we drink, which isn't all that much in the grand scheme.  I think the average family uses over 200 gallons of water per day.  Our HE washing machine more than makes up for it, and we will save even more once I get a recirculation pump installed in the back master bath.

 

[woodburyowner]

Make sure to purchase the "quick-change" filter model if you decide to go with the Watts one.  There is another one that requires you to unscrew the housing to replace the filters.  The maintenance on this one is a pain since you have to drain the tank, unscrew the housing, remove all filters, run bleach through the system, then put in new filters and then screw back the housing.  The only downside with the quick-change filter model is the cost of the filters is a little higher.  I think it's like $15 per 6 months?  Not a big deal in my opinion for the trade-off in convenience.

Waste waster is about 3-4x of what you generate.  As Daedalus mentioned, it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

As for the maintenance light going off, just remove the battery and mark the date when you changed the filters on a calendar.  I would also recommend purchasing a TDS meter (cheap on ebay) to monitor the life of the membrane.

 

[daedalus]

Nice write up, i'd probably go the DiY route myself as well.

What made you pull the trigger to get the RO filter?  A preference for filtered water on demand?

You mean as opposed to bottled water?  Too much of a hassle, plus RO water is the purest next to distilled.  I'm the guy that actually reads the county water report every year when it comes in the mail, and I like having one more buffer to not knowing exactly what's in the next glass out of the tap or even in bottled water.  We used to use PUR filters, which removed the chlorine taste, and a few other things, but RO will remove most of even the tiniest trace nasty stuff.  It is more of a convenience than I realized, and our current Delta faucet wouldn't work with the PUR housing anyway.

Make sure to purchase the "quick-change" filter model if you decide to go with the Watts one.  There is another one that requires you to unscrew the housing to replace the filters.  The maintenance on this one is a pain since you have to drain the tank, unscrew the housing, remove all filters, run bleach through the system, then put in new filters and then screw back the housing.  The only downside with the quick-change filter model is the cost of the filters is a little higher.  I think it's like $15 per 6 months?  Not a big deal in my opinion for the trade-off in convenience.

  I haven't shopped around, but Costco sell the filters in 2 buckets.  There's 5 filters that are good for a year (2 pairs of 6-mo filters, and 1 12-mo filter), and a single green label filter that's good for 2-5 years.  Each set is $50.  I wasn't aware of the different Watts models, but the 1 Costco sells are quick-change.  It still requires annual bleach disinfecting. A syringe with a blunt needle works wonders around the house (DIY termite control, anyone?  No?  Just me?).

 

[daedalus]

One more tidbit on using external filters to feed a fridge.  The fridge probably has its own filter, which you won't need anymore.  But you can't just remove it.  The water will shut off if the filter is removed.  You need to buy a bypass filter body, which is just an outer shell that plugs in where the filter goes.  Expect to be gouged.  I think I paid $40 for ours, with shipping...more than an actual filter!  But it's a 1-time purchase.

 

[dealcatcher]

One more tidbit on using external filters to feed a fridge.  The fridge probably has its own filter, which you won't need anymore.  But you can't just remove it.  The water will shut off if the filter is removed.  You need to buy a bypass filter body, which is just an outer shell that plugs in where the filter goes.  Expect to be gouged.  I think I paid $40 for ours, with shipping...more than an actual filter!  But it's a 1-time purchase.

Was your fridge's water pressure requirement low enough to allow you to use a pre-RO?

 

[nosuchreality]

Water waste--not really something I'm concerned with for this thing.  It's probably 2-3x what we drink, which isn't all that much in the grand scheme.  I think the average family uses over 200 gallons of water per day.  Our HE washing machine more than makes up for it, and we will save even more once I get a recirculation pump installed in the back master bath.

Minor nit, RO is very water intensive, the rejection rate for under sink system is between 5-20 gallons per gallon produced depending on your water pressure and very typically 10 gallons or more.  The filter companies really down play the waste water.

Also stay on top of your pre-filters.

 

[daedalus]

Was your fridge's water pressure requirement low enough to allow you to use a pre-RO?

Not sure what you mean by pre-RO.  Most other types of filters will always produce the same static water pressure as the incoming line, which for me is around 80psi.  The fridge solenoids need 40psi.  The dynamic pressure when water is running will be lower than municipal since the filter adds a constriction, and will continue to drop as the filter gets clogged up.  We've had our icemaker filter (dedicated filter in the crawlspace) installed for over 6 months now.  Hopefully it'll keep putting out over 40psi until we replace it on the 12 month interval.

 

[irvinerealtor]

Some observations from the sidelines and added notes to consider:

1. Water utility supply line pressure to most of the homes here in OC is/should be between 40-80psi. Too much lower than this range, and you'll grow old waiting for your water to get to you. Too much higher than this range, and you run an increased chance of finding the weak link in your plumbing, the not-so-fun way.

2. The connection lines for the undersink RO systems are one of the most frequent places for water leaks inside the home to occur. Strongly suggest to isolate connection tubing and filter tubes away from your other items that get shoved under the sink.

3. I'm with Daedalus on reading the water quality reports. Every little bit of knowledge helps. Arm yourselves.

-IR2

 

[Park]

We have RO under the sink which also connects to our whirlpool refrigerator.  It was a upgrade by the builder. 
Its great. 

 

[dealcatcher]

Ok, I think I've got sufficient water pressure then to feed to the fridge. Do you think a water permeate pump is worth it then to save on wasted water? My installer said it would cost an extra $120 for parts and labor.

 

[Park]

My water bill is under $35/month without a permeate pump for my RO and I have sprinklers in use everyday for about 2-3 min.
Its never gone over $45/month.  But for $120 its probably a $40 part and rest labor.  Negotiate.....