Overall, I am very pleased with this system. After flushing 3 times, it reduced the reading on our TDS meter from 58 PPM to 1 PPM. I also noticed an improvement in taste compared to the refrigerator filter. It seems that there may be a very subtle difference in water texture...perhaps a little more slippery, but I haven't identified the exact difference. The engineers for Hydroviv actually recommended APEC as a preferred system, even though they are considered competitors. Customer service was excellent and timely. The speed of the flow was worth the extra cost to us. The flow rate is definitely faster than the refrigerator. It will make using filtered water for cooking a breeze. I have used reverse osmosis systems that seem to take forever to fill a cup of water. That is not the case at all with this system. Installation was not easy, but it is manageable if you have someone in the household with maintenance experience. The manual was OK, but could use some improvement (with concise wording in some sections, more detail in other sections, and improved grammar and wording for clarity). The color picture that showed an overview of the entire setup was very helpful. A hole needs to be drilled in a pipe under the sink for drainage in an ideal spot to prevent noise. Also, there would need to be a hole in the counter top or sink for the faucet. We had an existing hole with a diameter of 1.5 inches, which just barely worked for the faucet. Anything larger would not have worked without some sort of creative adapter and a larger washer to reduce the hole diameter. We also made the mistake of not tightening the filters enough (the manual said not to overtighten). This made a mess on the first trial. I cannot comment on ease of filter change yet since we are not due for one. Under a cabinet, it definitely seems like a tray would be needed to collect spilled water if it is mounted. Otherwise, in our case, there is enough give in the tubing to pull the system out for a filter change. The cost of filter changes at this time would be $40.95 to $52 annually for stages 1, 2, and 3. Water with high sediment may need to be changed more frequently. I was told that noticing the water flow slow down and seeing buildup in the filter would indicate a need for a filter change to prevent damage to the RO membrane. These are sediment and carbon block filters. Stage 4 replacement is $78.95 to $98.95 every 3 to 5 years. I was told that using a TDS meter to see if the water quality has changed would indicate a need for this filter change. This is the actual RO membrane that makes the system work by filtering larger particles than the tiny holes in the membrane. Stage 5 replacement is $20.95 to $26.99 every 3 to 5 years. This filter improves taste and reduces chlorine. Well water would need more frequent changes (2 to 4 years?) if the sediments are higher. Overall, I am extremely happy with this system so far. I hope this is helpful. Read more
I am 100% pleased with this APEC Water Systems Ultimate RO-Hi Top Tier Supreme High Output Fast Flow. I think the hardest part was getting the hole drilled for the faucet in my granite counter tops. Since a hole had to be drilled, a 1 3/8" bit was used to drill out a soap dispenser, air switch for the garbage disposal, RO faucet, and instant hot water heater faucet. Figured I'd do these upgrades all at once when I bought the RO system. That one bit did all of those holes, same size hole/diamond bit. Next hardest was running a line out from the RO to the instant hot water heater (InSinkErator HOT150 Instant Hot Water Dispenser System) run under the house from the kitchen sink to the kitchen island sink. Those things aside, installing the RO system was fairly easy. The instructions were very well written along with a rendering showing what goes where. I have oil rubbed bronze finish on all my plumbing fixtures. There was no oil rubbed bronze finish faucet available to purchase at the time I bought this, so I had to sand and properly paint the faucet. It turned out really great and matches the other fixtures. Was not a big deal to paint and had that part done in about an hour, leaving it to dry over night. I was reading about TDS meters being virtually useless, but bought one nonetheless in the absence of any other testing device I thought I'd try at the time of purchasing the RO system. If you look at the picture, when I tested the water, these were the tests I did sorted from worst TDS reading to best. Tap water: 38 TDS Brita filter pitcher: 30 TDS Dasini bottled water: 22 TDS RO system to Water Heater: 4 TDS RO system: 3 TDS I let the above water samples reach room temperature, took those readings, let them sit for an hour, and ran them again. Every reading was spot on with the exception of 1 of them was 1 point off, so the meter seemed pretty accurate for what it does. I had 3 leaks after installing, but having done quite a bit of plumbing work over the years, I know to check for leaks after install, and even into the next day. The leaks were my fault for not tightening the filter housings tight enough (they are plastic so I didn't know how tight was too tight...better to not break/strip them by over tightening...and if it leaks from not being tight enough - just tighten them up, so that's what I did). Instructions tell you over and over to check for leaks as well. I have never owned an RO system before, so I have nothing to compare, but I am glad I bought the fast flow. That water comes out fast in high volume. I get my 32 ounce water bottle filled up in 13 seconds (I have 120 PSI to my house which may help a bit with that). I've done a bit of reading about adding back some minerals to the water in order to hydrate better, and will look into a cartridge to add Electrolytes back to the water now that most potential contaminants are removed by the RO system. All in all - I'm very happy with this system. I bought this glass bottle to use as my drink bottle instead of single use plastics (Kanrel Glass Water Bottle BPA Free & Eco Friendly with Purple Silicone Sleeve (32 Ounce) Reusable, Leak Proof, Dishwasher Safe, Easy Clean). I'm all set and good to go now. Will see how this RO system performs over the years and will update if anything goes wrong aside from routine maintenance. Buy this system with confidence! Read more
