Pericombobulation53 |
2016-04-19

We've had three RO units thus far - a Kinetico, which was ridiculously overpriced, then the very common Whirlpool WHER25, which is frankly a pretty good value and lasted for years until the spigot broke and we got a bad membrane, which kinda ticked me off. Now finally we're on to this model from iSpring, which is by far the best RO unit we have had yet. It was the easiest to set up, had the best instructions, and best overall workmanship. The chrome spigot is much more attractive than either the Kinetico or Whirlpool, and it does not have the annoying air gap that the Whirlpool used. To clarify - the WHER25 routed the waste water up to the spigot, along a parallel line to the drinking water. There was a small air gap inside the spigot base, and then the waste water continued on to the drain. I guess the point was to prevent water from your sink drain from backing up into the RO unit. Good idea in principle, until the air gap would start gurgling and eventually get plugged and leak water. Anyway, it's water under the bridge, so to speak, because the iSpring has no similar contraption for the waste line. You simply drill a hole in the kitchen drain line and attach the flexible train tubing, using the supplied saddle. I positioned ours in the basement, in an area right under the kitchen sink. I would highly recommend doing this if you can, because it makes the system so much easier to service, and it frees up space under your sink. I also installed a dedicated copper tee, gate valve, and riser for the feed water, rather than using the included adapter. This is not necessary, but it's a bit more elegant, and I can turn off the feed water to the entire system simply by operating the gate valve. If you know how to solder copper pipes, it's well worth doing. I had to buy some extra 1/4 inch tubing at the local Hommedeepot to get everything positioned where I wanted it in the basement, but I love this setup. So much better that cramming everything under the sink. See picture. Anyway, the system works extremely well. Our well water is pretty bad. It goes through several stages of treatment to soften it and remove iron, and it still has very high TDS. It's so bad that I'm embarrassed to say how high. OK fine, you twisted my arm... 1450 ppm! Yep, that's right - our water contains around 1450 ppm of total dissolved solids. So you're probably wondering what is the TDS after going through the iSpring? Drum roll please! .... 42! You read it right folks - the iSpring RO brought our TDS down from 1450 to 42. That's pretty impressive! This model includes an electric pump, which seemed like a good idea because low flow is a common complaint among RO users. The pump does indeed keep the water flowing at a steady rate, but if you're expecting it to come blasting out of the spigot, then you're expecting too much. Really, what the pump seems to do is to keep the flow rate consistent. This kit comes with everything you'd need to install it and then some. Extra fittings and bits and pieces in case you lose something, plus a water detection sensor which I have not hooked up because as you can see, my system basically hangs from the basement ceiling. If you install yours under the sink, then the water detector should alert you if something leaks. Anyway, nicely done, iSpring! Don't change a thing!

Toddstick |
2018-07-16

UPDATE: I also purchased a second system for my neighbor, and he is equally satisfied. I purchased this system after previously installing a similar Watts system in another house. There are several features that make this superior, such as the clear bowl for the stage one filter. What I really like about this product is the option to add the boost pump, which I very much recommend. I installed this in the basement just under the kitchen as shown in the picture. After running upstairs several times to refill my water glass, it occurred to me to add second RO faucet on the laundry tub in the basement and so now the unit is feeding two RO faucets as well as the fridge icemaker. My only minor quibble is that the bracket flexes a bit (instructions suggest supporting filter canisters from below). I ended up pop-riveting on some side brackets (see pic), which I would recommend iSpring consider for future design updates.

Brett N |
2019-01-04

I’ve been running this system for about 9 months now and am completely satisfied and very impressed. Many RO systems are very wasteful of water, and are very slow to recover when depleted. Not so for the system. The high-pressure pump and large membrane waste very little water and provide a very high-quality result. Recovery for 3 gallons of water (YMMV) is

F.A. |
2019-04-05

This filter is excellent. It's very well made, works great, quiet, and efficient. Installation was relatively easy. You can tell from packaging that the company that made it really cares about its product and wants to make the experience in installing and using this filter as easy as possible. I love it and have been using it daily (about 10-15 gallon/day) for the past 2 weeks without any problems. It brought down TDS from ~ 330 to ~ 15, which is great. I didn't buy the UV option as I'm not sure any microorganisms can pass though the RO filter in the first place. I recommend the pump option as it improves efficency, unless your water pressure is high already.

JR |
2018-10-08

I've been using this unit for around a month, and it's been amazing so far. Pros - Installation was easy with the included directions, and around 2/3 of the hose connections ware already in place. - - - The water quality is wonderful: my ice cubes are actually transparent now, and soups and drinks no longer have an unpleasant taste from the high mineral content in my tap water. You'll notice a plastic taste at first, so fully drain the reserve tank every few hours the first couple days. If you do that, you should have completely odorless and tasteless water. - The filters are all standardized models and can be replaced with models from multiple manufacturers. Different types of filter can also be installed in each housing if you have specialized needs due to specific contaminants. - The booster pump is extremely quiet. I'd compare it to a low noise aquarium pump. Cons: - The reserve tank is a bit small. You'll get good pressure for the first half gallon or so, followed by slower and slower flow until you're literally tapping your foot in frustration. It only takes an hour or so to refill, but I often use up to 2 gallons at a time, which can take three or four minutes to dispense. I'll be buying a second tank to expand the reserve and reduce the amount of waiting.

J. SOWARD |
2018-04-29

Had the unit for about 7 months now, and just completed the first filter change ( 3 of 5 filters ), so I can deliver and informed review by now. I bought the unit for multiple purposes: Drinking water, Aquarium & Plant use, deep cycle battery maintenance, and misc other uses where pure water is beneficial. The water quality in my area is good, but has a high mineral content. My home is a bit older, and the water pressure at the kitchen sink leaves a bit to be desired, so I went with the electric pump assisted unit, I would recommend this unless you have _very_ high water pressure, as it will reduce the amount of waste water and potentially extend the life of the RO membrane. Installation was really pretty simple, and the documentation is clear. Took me a moment to get my head around how the pressurized storage tank works as it has only one line leading into it, which serves as both input and output. The tubing is all color coded and easy to work with; I'm reasonably 'handy', but plumbing is definitely not my forte, but from unboxing until first water was about 2 hours, which included cleaning under the sink and removing an old instant hot water system. ( Which failed to to calcium build up, though if fed from this filter would probably still be working ) That did mean that I had a pre-drilled hole in the sink for the faucet, as well as a below sink GFCI outlet. If not, drilling the hole for the faucet could be a bit of a chore, depending on your sink. The unit does require a fair amount of space, so wherever you are installing check the dimensions and be sure you have enough space for the unit and to reach in and work, you'll need access to change the filters periodically as well, which involves using a plastic wrench on the filter holders. I hung it on the side of the cabinet but left lots of play in the hoses so I could lift it off and pull it out into the open to change the filters. I also put a board under the filters to take some strain off the frame. TDS readings with a cheap tester run from 170-200 on my tap water, bounce around from 2-5 after it comes out of this filter, where they were always over 100 out of my refrigerator with its built-in filter. I did connect my refrigerator after the initial install, and you can tell the difference in the water and the ice both. The pump is pretty quiet, the main sound is the waste water in the drain, which is minimal. The filter cans are a standard size and fit, so alternative branded filters can probably be used, but no real reason since the iSpring ones seem to be a good quality at a reasonable price. But if you are worried about iSpring not being around in 5 years and being stuck with an unusual system, don't be, it's all modular and standardized. If I had an negatives, it would be that the frame could use some stiffeners on the corners so it doesn't flex under the weight of the water filled filter canisters. If I have some spare time, I might try to design and print some plastic corner braces for it, but it's not a huge deal. It's also impossible to change the filters w/o water going everywhere. This isn't unique to iSpring or this model, there's just generally no way to drain the water form the filter cans, so some is going to spill out as you detach them. So just fine a pail or tub that can sit under the unit when you change it. Perhaps a drain plug in the bottom of them would let one drain it in a controlled fashion, but that might be overkill!

Jason Hayward |
2017-12-10

Claudia from iSpring just sent me an email asking for a review, and I did not realize it has been 6 months since I installed this system. I have been very satisfied with my system, using anywhere from a half gallon to one gallon a day. It was very easy to install, and iSpring even swapped out the included faucet for one that matched my kitchen faucet better. I do recommend making a mark on the lines at the proper seating depth, so you know you have pushed them all the way into the fittings and fully seated it. I have been periodically testing my water with a Total Dissolved Solids meter (also purchased on Amazon) at both my normal faucet and this RO faucet. I am on a private with, with a whole-house iron filter and water softener. My kitchen faucet reads between 195-205ppm on any day, and the RO faucet will come in at 4-6ppm. Family and friends all ask if I really have well water. The RO water is odor free and tasteless. Just cold and refreshing. The booster pump is pretty quiet, I can notice it, but no one else has ever noticed it. I'm looking forward to many gallons of excellent drinking water from my system!

RickyN29 |
2019-12-15

Update: Installed and amazed! This was so incredibly simple to install. Works incredibly well. My tap TDS is 400ppm, with Brita, it is 375 TDS...with iSpring system, 13TDS!!!! Way better than I could have expected. Everyone noticed how wonderful the water tastes too! I ended up ordering another system for my grandmothers home so she doesn't have to lug bottles of water from the store any more. ---- When looking for a quality RO system with inexpensive filter costs, everything and everyone pointed me to iSpring systems. I could not be happier. The build quality of every component is top notch and I really cannot believe how low in price these kits are! This is comparable to systems nearly double the price and yet they keep their filter costs incredibly low and affordable. Instructions are extremely clear, kit is very easy to install, and I look forward to years and years of amazing water. I would also like to point out that customer service is fantastic. The spigot with the kit really did not match my faucet finish and one simple contact to iSpring and a different finish is on the way to me! That's great as I was expecting I would have to go out and buy one on my own. Super fast and friendly communication. A happy customer!

amazoncassius |
2019-08-11

No flow through a device between stage 1 and stage 2. I emailed iSpring, with pictures; haven't received a response. I'm on the west coast and their helpline closes at 5 pm Eastern time. I will try calling them earlier tomorrow. Update 08/14/2019 The help staff are kinda on a permanent holiday. The outgoing message says emails will be answered in one business day, but it doesn't work out that way. Eventually, I called, and iSpring was going to send out a replacement part; I send in and email, and the respond by email that the part will ship. 24hrs later, after not receiving an email, I call back, and they inform me that they don't see either of my first two emails, but quickly find it. Then I'm asked if I plugged the unit in, I say yes. Then I'm asked if it was plugged into the garbage disposal outlet, while the switch to the garbaged disposal was in the OFF position...I say , apologize for being an idiot, and thank them for their help. I turned the switch to the tank to OFF and unplugged the tube to the RO filter and ran the RCC7P RO unit until TDS match output from kitchen faucent, then I restored to normal configuration and ran the until TDS

Yosemite |
2018-06-08

This unit provides supply to a 25 gallon per day water distiller. Because I now have higher quality water supplied to the distiller, the boil tank has to be cleaned every six months instead of once per week: credit of $212 dollars per year. The distiller operates more efficiently thus reducing its run time: power consumption credit of $197 per year. The frequency of automatic boil tank flushing is now once every 36 hours (the max possible setting), down from once every 12 hours. The net water credit, after accounting for R/O back-flushing is $288 dollars per year. By creating a water purification system with our existing distiller and this R/O unit, we are saving $700 every year, less R/O filter replacement, and the small pump motor operation. Speaking of the motor, I recommend the manufacturer install a visual indicator. I nearly shipped the entire unit back because I thought the motor wasn't operating. As I reached over the unit to unplug, my arm came to briefly rest on the pump, and it was then after I felt a slight vibration, I realized it was actually operating.