2018-03-02
TL:DR: I have this RO system. Yes, I did the math. Its worth it.The capital cost is what will turn most people off. My 5-stage RO system cost me about $135 five years ago and I got it on a summer sale, the same system today costs about $200. The one I purchased was actually the RCC7 model--without the added pump, but I added an aftermarket pump to mine (the RCC7P was not offered at the time) I expect the performance would be very similar. Amortized over ten years, that price difference doesnt affect the conclusion.With calculations like this, one has to make some assumptions. I chose to assume that the usable life of the system is ten years, so I amortize that initial capital cost (linearly) over ten years. In actuality, its a very simple machine and I see no reason that it should fail within ten years or even double that. I replace all the filters on their recommended schedule, and that cost is about $20 every six months (I buy a three-year bulk pack of filters for $115).Using my average actual cost of supplied water ($2.55/1000 gallons) (not counting wastewater charges, stormwater charges), and estimating that we use about 2 gallons/day in my household of RO water, the cost comes out to about $0.08/gallon. The grocery charges about $0.10/gallon before taxes. So its slightly more economical to have the RO system in house.(That figure may not be entirely accurate, as an RO system will waste some water as an inherent part of its operation--some part of the neglected wastewater charge is due to the RO, however I assume that its small compared to the rest of the waste water charges--a single 2.5 gallon flush of the toilet >> RO waste)But not so much more economical that Id recommend it on that basis. Its the intangible reasons that Id recommend it, considering the financials to be roughly equivalent.The convenience of having delicious, filtered water available on tap cannot be overstated. I used to buy 5-10 gallons at a time at the grocery--what a PITA and having water delivered isnt economical or environmentally sound. We use the RO water in all of our cooking, and we drink a lot of water. My morning coffee tastes soooooo much better too, with filtered water. We drink a lot more especially now the filter is in place; so theres an intangible health benefit. "We"==a family of four in an arid climate.All in all, I highly recommend it.Installation is fairly simple; any reasonably DIY/handy person should be able to get it done in 1-2 hours depending...