Best Reverse Osmosis System Reviews 2017 & Guide

It is normal that you would want to always drink clean and safe water. If you were always unsure where your water is coming from, then you would want to take the time to find a way of filtering the water first before using it.

Multiple filters are now available on the market, but most people today find themselves often opting for the best reverse osmosis systems.

The technology has been around for a while and it always delivers the right performance to the users. 

Best Reverse Osmosis Systems on the Market

Now that you have an idea of where to start, you would be looking to get the best RO system for the money. If you are going to end up with a good model, you have to consider the features it has to offer. Not all models are created the same. Find a model that you come with superior filtration features, compact construction, ease of installation and maintenance, and still affordable.

With this guide, you should be in a position to make up your mind easily on the model to get for water filtration in the house.

Picture	Model	Filtration System	Link
	iSpring RCC7 WQA Gold Seal Certified	5 Stage
	iSpring RCC7AK 6-Stage Under-Sink Reverse Osmosis Filtration System	6 Stage
	APEC Top Tier 5-Stage Ultra Safe Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System	5 Stage
	APEC Top Tier Supreme Certified High Flow 90 GPD	5 Stage
	Home Master TMAFC Artesian Full Contact Undersink	7 Stage
	Global Water RO-505 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis System Water Quality Filter	5 Stage
	Express Water 5 Stage Undersink Reverse Osmosis System	5 Stage
	Express Water RO10MX 5 Stage Home Drinking	5 Stage

Best Reverse Osmosis System Reviews

1. iSpring RCC7 WQA Gold Seal Certified – Top Rated Reverse Osmosis Systems

You are going to like the fact that there will always be WQA gold seal with this model, which is an assurance that it is a great model. There is also the use of the NSF certifications that are another assurance that you are getting a model that meets the build quality standards.

Being a five-stage filtration system, it is further important to note how it will bring you the best water in the water. Not many models you will get on the market would be made to be five-stage, so you can always end up with this model without any worries at all. According to some studies, it shows that the system would end up removing over 99 percent of the chemicals and contaminants in the water. You should have refreshing drinking water at the end of the process.

The model is designed in a way that should make even the inexperienced handymen find it easy to install in no time. This is also thanks to the detailed manual you get with the model. You could also check out some DIY videos on YouTube on the same and find the installation being easy.

The affordable pricing is another thing that should get you love to use this model even further. Being cost effective should make it possible for you to save some money and still end up with clean water.

Pros

• Easy to install
• Impressive water pressure
• Can deliver 75 gallons per day
• Water tastes better

Cons

• Tends to be leaky
• Water wastage is high

2. iSpring RCC7AK 6-Stage Under-Sink Reverse Osmosis Filtration System

This model comes with something new to offer to those people looking to get a new reverse osmosis system for their homes. It comes enhanced with alkaline, which is important for restoring the minerals that were lost when the reverse osmosis process was happening. You will get that magnesium and calcium minerals would be added back to the water even after being stripped away. This will further help with improving the taste of the water as compared to some of the bottled water that people buy in stores.

The rejection rate for the contaminants is up to 99 percent. This type of figure is important to help you know just how much would be removed when it comes to the reverse osmosis process. Since reverse osmosis is one of the most effective ways of water filtration, you should now easily get to remove the common contaminants to the highest degree.

Its design is something you will also like having. As much as it would be under the sink, it still looks great. With its upgrade in terms of functionality, you should find that the model would deliver the best performance at all times.

Being a six-stage model, it is further proof that the performance would always be what you need. It will still deliver around 75 gallons per day of filtered water. At this rate, you should always have some clean water to use every hour.

Pros

• Relatively inexpensive
• Cheap filters
• Six-stage filter
• Low waste water ratio

Cons

• More skills needed for installation

3. APEC Top Tier Ultra Safe – Best Rated Reverse Osmosis Systems

You can always expect to find more benefits when it comes to using a top product from such a brand. The APEC Company is known for making some of the best water filtration systems in the market today. If you are looking to get one of the best models, then you can always settle for this one and it will give you the right performance. It is still made to be small enough so that fitting into the kitchen cabinets should not be a problem.

To make sure that you end up with a model made to the right quality standards, this one is made in USA. Any person who is looking for a high-end model would want one made in USA. This goes on further to show that the model has met the different quality standards before it had to go on sale.

The model filtration system is designed to make sure that it delivers high quality, clean and filtered water at all times in your home. With the capability to remove over 99 percent of the contaminants commonly found in the water, you should end up with clean water for drinking always. You should still be in a position to remove the bad taste and odor and thus end up with water that tastes better.

Pros

• Small size
• No leaks
• Great performance
• Removes odor

Cons

• The faucet is low quality

4. APEC Top Tier Supreme Certified High Flow 90 GPD

This is still another small RO system that you can use today. With its small size, you should easily fit it in most cabinets in the kitchen. Since it comes from a top brand, then you should use it knowing that it will deliver on the best performance at all times. With the highest amount of contaminants removed, you should have no problem producing pure water.

The model features a 5-stage filtration process. This kind of system should deliver the right performance that you need at all times when it comes to using the model. With the inclusion of the extruded double carbon blocks, you can now get rid of the unpleasant taste, color, and other contaminants that might make the water taste worse.

Since it delivers up to 90 gallons per day of filtered water, it is one of the best in terms of capacity. You should find yourself using it more often without lacking clean drinking water.

Pros

• No more leaks
• Impressive quality
• Great capacity filters
• Double carbon blocks

Cons

• It has low water pressure

5. Home Master TMAFC Artesian Full Contact Undersink – Top Rated RO Water Systems

This model is going to give you something different than what you have used before. It is often liked due to its innovative design that should help in keeping the system delivering the best drinking water each time when you need it to do so.

It is amazing how it can filter the water in just seven stages. These stages are built to make sure that you end up maximizing the purity and the quality of the water at all times. When you compare it to the other models, you will realize that you might have to use a few stages in the filtration process. This model uses the catalytic carbon filtration media important for eliminating most of the chlorine in the water at all times.

Compared to some other models, this one comes with a stage that helps in restoring the balance in the water pH level. This is important so that you end up drinking water with the right pH level and still improved in terms of taste also.

If you get to check out other reviews, you should easily note that the model comes with many positive reviews. This goes on to show that this model is one of the best and will always deliver on your needs for clean water.

Pros

• Seven-stage filtration system
• Eliminate most contaminants
• Helps with having balanced pH level
• Catalytic carbon system

Cons

• The processed water might not always have the right pH balance

6. Global Water RO-505 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis System Water Quality Filter

With more people looking to filter their water first before using, it seems like that more people would need a model that works. Well, this one is here to give you all that you need when it comes to the reverse osmosis filtration systems. You no longer have to spend a lot of money buying the bottled water when there is a chance that you can get a reverse osmosis water filtration such as this one.

The model features a high-performance 5-stage filtration system. This should ensure you end up removing most of the contaminants and also having a better taste in the water.

The filtration is better thanks to the premium NSF filters found in the system. These filters are great in terms of performance as they can reduce the quantity of the dissolved solids and also remove them up to 99 percent. Some of the common contaminants include lead, chlorine, bacteria and much more.

The system should also be up and running in no time. This is because of the high quality connect fittings that should be easy to put together even for someone new to the system. With the parts of the system made to be 100 percent lead-free, you should have no problem using it more often without worrying about any contaminants.

Pros

• Impressive water filtration
• No operation noise
• Durable construction
• Easy to install

Cons

• High waste ratio

7. Express Water 5 Stage Undersink Reverse Osmosis System

This is definitely one of the best most rated water filtration systems you will get on the market. Starting with its size, you should find that it is a perfect fit for using it in different kitchen cabinets. The manufacturer also made it simple to install so that you can do it at home without necessarily needing the services of a plumber.

The use of the 5-stage filtration system is common, but for this model, you get to experience a lot more. You will always get to experience the best performance, as you will end up with increased efficiency of water filtration process. The 5-Micon filter in the first stage is important for removing the large and fine particles from the water. The other stages come in to ensure you always end up with clean water for drinking.

A number of people who have used before can agree that it is one of the simplest ways you could use when it comes to filtering the water at home. You can get one today to find out more benefits of owning one today.

Pros

• Impressive water filtration
• Removes 99 percent of the contaminants
• Free filters included
• Comes with advanced technology

Cons

• Instructions might not be clear for all

8. Express Water RO10MX 5 Stage Home Drinking

This is another top model that has been the favorite for most people over a long time. Many people will always find this type of model being great as it can deliver on the performances with ease. One of the things that should make it great and likeable among people would be the capacity. It can deliver up to 100 gallons per day of filtered water.

The size is also great for fitting it easily under the kitchen cabinets. You will not have to worry about getting the right location for fitting it, as the size is perfect.

The materials are made with material that is 100 percent lead-free. This should help you end up with a model that makes filtering of the water safe to the users to consume.

The use of the 5-stage filtration system might be common, but for this model it always delivers. You will end up with a model that actually delivers on performance to keep you going. This type of filtration will end up removing all the contaminants and odor too in the water. You should end up with water that tastes better.

Pros

• Affordable
• Improved filtration technology
• Impressive build

Cons

• The instructions could be improved

What is the Best Reverse Osmosis System for Drinking Water?

In order to be qualified as a top notch reverse osmosis system, a water filter needs to qualify a few most important standards.

• Size: Unlike in the past, water filters nowadays are built with newly developed technology letting them have smaller, more compact size while still delivering quality process. A good reverse osmosis water filter should be not too chunky, making it easier for customers to move and setup the system.
• Efficiency: A reverse osmosis water filter needs to be able to filter out as many contaminants as possible from the water, up to 99%.
• Taste: It is important to care about how the processed water taste like after the whole filtering process. Clean and pure water is good but it also needs to be enjoyable. If the final water comes out tasting bad or smelling strange, the water filter is not good enough.

There are more standards of a good reverse osmosis. However, that depends on you and your standards and about what you are looking for. We will discuss more what is the best reverse osmosis water filtration system for you later.

Best Brand Reverse Osmosis System

More and more people realize the benefits and necessity of having clean and pure drinking water. This makes the water filter market expanding day by day. Proven as one of the best methods for water filtration, the reverse osmosis water filter’s market is especially expanding at a rapid rate.

Among all the brands in the market, there are a few brands that have built for themselves an excellent reputation. These brands constantly produce good quality models. Here is the top of the brands in the reverse osmosis on the market nowadays.

• ISpring
• Home Master
• APEC
• Water Express
• …

How to Choose a Reverse Osmosis System for Home use?

To be honest, it is not easy to answer this question. Among this list, there is no ‘bad’ water filter. Anyone of these filters performs excellently. However, there will be some filters that suit you better than others.

How do you find the best reverse osmosis filter for you?

You need to ask yourself a few questions before choosing a reverse osmosis system.

• Do you want to setup your reverse osmosis system inside a kitchen cabinet or under-sink cabinet? What are the sizes of your cabinet?
  If you want to set up your system inside the cabinet, make sure that the size of the whole system, including both the filter and the tank, can fit in your cabinet.
• How does your tap water taste like?
  If your water tastes strange, to begin with, you may consider buying a reverse osmosis system that has an extra stage to adjust the taste and smell of your water.
• What is the pH level of your tap water?
  Test your tap water. If it is acidic, consider buying a system that has an extra stage to stabilize and balance the pH level of the water. pH balanced water is not only good for your health but also taste better.
• What about the accessories?
  How much do you care about the accessories that come with the system? If you do care about their quality as well as the system itself, remember to check the quality of the faucet and the included filters.

Depending on the original state of your tap water, you can judge what is the best reverse osmosis water filter for you and your house. Since not every tap water starts at the same starting line, choosing a water filter system based on the tap water quality will help you reach a better finish line.

Benefits of Reverse Osmosis System for drinking?

There are many benefits of drinking filtered reverse osmosis water. Here are some of the most important benefits.

Reduce Sodium from Soft Water

Reverse osmosis filtration system can filter out many dissolved chemicals, one of them is sodium. Sodium is not a dangerous chemical so it is not often filtered out by other filtering systems. However, high level of sodium in the water is not only bad for your health but also makes the water taste bad.

The reverse osmosis system is a system that is efficient enough to eliminate up to 99% of all dissolved chemicals and compounds, sodium included. Thanks to this, the reverse osmosis water is healthier than tap water.

Better for Cooking

When cooking, any ingredients can affect the taste of the food. As water is an important part of many dishes, the impurities in water will affect the quality of your food. When you boil pasta, make soup or bake, strange tasting water will clearly have a negative effect on the food.

By using reverse osmosis system, all impurities and contaminants including sodium, dissolved chemicals are removed, leaving the water as pure as possible. Therefore, it will not cause the food to taste odd or change the color.

Clear Ice Cubes

When you freeze water to make ice, have you ever seen the tiny particles or the cloudy clouds in the ice cubes? That is because of the impurities of the tap water.

Using a reverse osmosis system will clear out 99% of all contaminants including dirty particles, odd taste, and cloudiness. Using reverse osmosis processed water to make ice will create crystal clear ice cubes. Similar to drinking clean and pure water will be beneficial for your health, using pure ice in your drinks will also be beneficial for your health.

Better Taste

Impurities and chemicals in water can affect the taste of water. The reverse osmosis system can eliminate impurities as well as bad taste and strange odor. With a reverse osmosis system, the process will leave your water with no strange taste left and sometimes added minerals, making your water taste much better.

Health Benefits

The most important and obvious benefit of reverse osmosis water is the health benefits. Contaminated water can dangerously affect drinkers’ health. By using a reverse osmosis system, 99% of all contaminants are eliminated including dangerous chemicals and impurities. This will leave the water contaminants free and disease free, ensuring you and your family’s health. 

How to Install Reverse Osmosis System?

A reverse osmosis system is one of the efficient systems that requires not much effort to install. The whole system is simple enough to be self-install by anyone at home. You will just need to follow these steps.

Location

Before installing anything, you will need to decide where you want to install the system. Most of the system can fit neatly into any kitchen cabinet and under-sink cabinet.

Connect to the cold water line

There are a few options to connect the cold water line to the reverse osmosis system. There is a standard method called the saddle valve.

The package often comes with a saddle valve. You will need to assemble saddle valve clamp on the cold water line. Adjust the valve by tightening the belt so it is tight enough to fit the contour of the pipe.

Drain line connection

About 6 inches above the trap, drill a 5/16″ diameter hole through one wall of the pipe. Now, you can take out the drain clamp and start attaching the drain clamp to the pipe. Remember to make sure that the hole in the clamp is aligned nicely with the hole in the pipe. Then tighten the clamp. You are done with this step.

Faucet space preparation

For installation on porcelain, enamel, ceramic or metal or cast iron, you can start with marking the center of the counter a ¼” pilot hole. Then carefully drill a hole with masonry pit through the porcelain level. You just keep going until the metal shows. Remember to use light pressure and slow speed to not go overboard. When you reach the metal section, switch to a standard metal cutting and continue to cut through the metal. Keep enlarging the pilot hole until the hole reaches ½ inch diameter.

Faucet mounting

Now, take the faucet out of the package. Disassemble hardware from the trodden shank. Then, you need to feed threaded shank through the sinkhole. Adjust and orient the faucet to make sure your faucet facing the correct way.

From below sink, slide lock washer and hex nut through the threaded shank. Then, use a wrench to tighten the faucet carefully.

Color coded system hook up

Most of the reverse osmosis system comes with color coded tubes to help you install the system better.

• Connect the saddle valve to the units orange feed water line. Normally, there will be a plastic Delrin sleeve included in the installation kit. Use the plastic Delrin sleeve to help you with this step.
• Connect the black line directly to the drain clamp assembly you have set up earlier.
• Connect the green line to the reverse osmosis water storage tank
• Connect the blue line to the faucet from the system.

Start the system

Remember to turn on the system step by step. First, turn off the storage tank ball valve so no water can enter the tank.

Then open the reverse osmosis faucet on the sink. The initial water dripping out from the faucet can be black or very cloudy in color, this is the water system flushing the carbon fines from the carbon filtering system. Let it keep dripping for 10 to 15 minutes before closing the faucet.

Finally, open the valve of the reverse osmosis storage tank. Leave it open to allow the tank to fill. Once the tank is full, turn on the faucet and drain the whole system completely. Then do this process again. Shut the reverse osmosis faucet off and allow the system to refill.

Installing a reverse osmosis water filter from APEC 5 stage (RO-ES50) – Video

How does a home Reverse Osmosis System work?

The home reverse osmosis system is connected to the cold water line of your home water system. When the water source turned on, the tap water will go through the reverse osmosis system. The water will be processed through many different stages of filtration. Then the water will be stored in the tank, ready to be used anytime.

Whenever needed to be used, the faucet will be turned on and reverse osmosis processed water will come out. No more hassle or complications. Once installed, you can enjoy pure and tasty water anytime.

How does reverse osmosis work? – Video

Where to buy Reverse Osmosis System?

There are many places you can buy a reverse osmosis system. With an expanding market of reverse osmosis system, you can buy a reverse osmosis system everywhere both online and in stores.

You can find a reverse osmosis filter in many local hardware stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot.

You can easily find these products on famous online retail stores like Amazon, eBay or the hardware stores’ online websites.

If you want to find one, you can easily find one anywhere no matter where you are. So there is no obstacle in the way of you having pure and clean water for a healthier life. 

What does Reverse Osmosis Remove from Water?

A reverse osmosis system can remove up to 99% of all impurities and chemicals in the water. It can remove hard particles, organic compounds, dissolved chemicals and even bacteria. The system removes everything, no matter if the particle or chemical is good for your health or not.

+ Does reverse osmosis remove fluoride?

+ Does reverse osmosis remove chlorine?

+ Does reverse osmosis remove lead?

+ Does reverse osmosis remove bacteria?

+ Does reverse osmosis remove nitrates?

+ Does reverse osmosis remove salt?

+ Does reverse osmosis remove calcium?

Of course. Answer is Yes

How Pure is Reverse Osmosis Water?

Reverse osmosis system uses a semipermeable membrane to remove ions, molecules, large particles, dangerous compounds and chemicals from drinking water.

There are typically two types of membranes: CTA (Cellulose Triacetate) and TFC (thin film composite).

The CTA membranes are made to allow contact between chlorine in the water and the membrane. This type of membrane needs a small amount of chlorine from the water to prevent bacteria from forming a layer on it. Reverse osmosis system that uses this membrane often has a rejection rate for impurities at 85 to 95%.

The TFC membranes are made of synthetic material and do not require any chlorine to work. On the other hand, the TFC membrane needs most of the chlorine to be removed before the water runs through. This type of membrane has a rejection rate for impurities of 95 to 98%.

In general, reverse osmosis water is at least 85% pure, making it one of the purest form of water for daily consumption.

How to Maintain a Reverse Osmosis Water System?

Many reverse osmosis may last 10 to 15 years depending on how well you take care of your system. The most important thing you need to pay attention to is changing the filter.

You should set up a schedule to regularly change the filters. Read your manual carefully to know how many stages are there in your system. Depending on the number of stages, you can know how many filters and what filter you can use for what stage.

Much reverse osmosis systems use carbon filters. Carbon filters should be generally replaced once every 12 months to make sure the filters always stay in top notch condition.

There is nothing as important as the filters in your system. They take care of the most important jobs within the reverse osmosis system. Take care of your filters carefully so you can make the whole system not only last longer but also provide more efficient and quality water.

Is Reverse Osmosis Water bad for you?

As mentioned before, reverse osmosis water is very beneficial for your health. However, reverse osmosis water also has its fair share of disadvantages.

The water becomes ‘too pure’. The reverse osmosis system removes up to 99% of all particles including good bacteria and mineral particles. Together with many dangerous and harmful particles, many good and necessary-for-health particles. Your water will become tasteless and will do nothing for your health neither improving nor degrading your health.

Most of the water coming out of the reverse osmosis system is acidic. When all the minerals are removed from the water, the water will be left acidic. Acidic water is not good for maintaining a healthy pH balance in your blood since your blood needs to be slightly alkaline. Some medical research also proved that drinking acidic water in a long time will cause a mineral imbalance in the body.

Is Reverse Osmosis Water good for Plants?

There is both benefits and disadvantages of using reverse osmosis water for plants.

For growers who need to control the level of nutrients and minerals feeding to their plants, using a pure water will give no effect for your plants, neither good or bad. There is no impurities or any form of minerals in the water, so you can use as much reverse osmosis water as you want with no worries that the balance of minerals and nutrients of your plants is disturbed.

The problem with reverse osmosis water is the waste of water while going through the process. With one gallon of water, after going through the filtration system, there will be maximum about ½ of the gallon of water left. Normally, the water wastage is about 1:3 ratio for an average reverse osmosis water. If you have a large garden, be prepared for a big water bill.

Conclusion

Nothing is perfect. So is reverse osmosis water. However, the benefits of reverse osmosis water are worth more than the disadvantages. Having clean and healthy water is very important. And nowadays, when it is easy to buy yourself and set up a reverse osmosis system at your home, there should be nothing stopping you from drinking healthy reverse osmosis water. What are you still waiting for? If you worry about your tap water at home, get yourself the best reverse osmosis system.