We have been looking too!
The Ro System Guide Team has selected what we feel are the best Reverse Osmosis Systems for your consideration.
We live in a truly marvelous world! There have been so many technological advances that make daily life both exciting and fulfilling.
The reverse side of these advancements is the unfortunate pollutants that result from the production of goods and the ever-larger carbon footprints we are leaving on our planet.
In recent years we have come to learn more about the impact that oil spills and chemical leaks can have on our water sources. Rainfall and runoff collect and carry pollutants into lakes, rivers, and into the ground itself.
Even the fertilizer that we use to make our lawns green can have an adverse effect if it enters our water source.
At RO System Guide, we believe in being proactive when it comes to our drinking water. We want to know for sure that the essential water we ingest every day will promote health.
Using a Reverse Osmosis (RO) System will ensure that the water we ingest, essential to life itself is clean and safe.
An RO system makes water safe for consumption by removing lead, iron, arsenic, sodium, and other contaminants that enter our water sources.
Even the water lines going into our homes can contribute to chemicals being added to our water.
While many of us are purchasing bottled water, make sure that you look at your choice carefully. If the bottled water says “municipal,” that will mean that it is tap water.
Use water from your RO to be sure that you are getting the safest water possible. Not only will it save you money; if you are like me, you will appreciate not having to lug and store all those bottles of water!
Reverse Osmosis Has Other Uses
Military Uses: Reverse osmosis is not a new process, as the military has used a portable, self-contained water treatment plant.
These units, sometimes contained in trailers, can provide drinking water from nearly any water source using the RO system.
Both the United States armed forces and Canadian forces have relied on the RO systems to provide water for troops.
Food industry: In the food industry, reverse osmosis is an economical way to concentrate liquids, such as fruit juices.
Before the use of RO, a conventional heat-treatment process was used. The advantage of RO is that it costs less, and it kinder to heat-sensitive proteins and enzymes found in foods.
Dairy Industry: Another industry that benefits from RO, the dairy industry uses Ro for the production of whey protein powders and the concentration of milk.
Window cleaning: Rather than using a detergent to wash windows conventionally, window cleaners are using the highly purified water from an RO system and a “water-fed pole” that has a brush on the end to clean windows.
RO water will not leave any deposits or white residue on glass surfaces.
Aquariums: Tap water contains chlorine, copper, nitrates, silicates, and other chemicals that are harmful to organisms in a reed environment.
These contaminants can also contribute to excessive algae growth. Reef aquarium keepers prefer a process that includes reverse osmosis for water purification.
Freshwater aquarists feel that RO water duplicates the soft waters that are found in tropical bodies of water.
Tropical fish can live in tap water, but might not breed. Aquarium stores will sell a container of RO water for this use.
There Is A Trade-Off
If there is a drawback to using a reverse osmosis system, it is that the RO system will use a lot of water because the system has low backpressure.
In some units, for every gallon of clean water produced, there might be three or four gallons that are discharged as waste.
This wastewater contains all of the contaminants, and so it would not be practical to try to recover this water. Some RO systems have a non-electric permeate pump that improves the efficiency of the system.
Using one of these pumps will reduce the water waste by as much as 80%, and can give you 1:1 ratio of clean water to wastewater.
Even though this wastewater is a by-product of the reverse osmosis process, we feel strongly it is still preferable to be drinking clean and safe water and would highly recommend using a permeate pump to minimize the waste to a more acceptable level.
Best Reverse Osmosis System Review & Guide
Here are the Reverse Osmosis Systems that we have reviewed. They are listed in order from the least expensive unit to the most expensive.
GE Reverse Osmosis Filtration System GXRM10RBL
The GE reverse osmosis system is a smaller unit than the others we reviewed. This unit has a three-stage filter system that will reduce over 15 different contaminants, including lead, chromium, and arsenic.
It is a perfect compact size for an apartment or an office setting.
Dedicated faucet
You can use your existing faucet, or use the dedicated faucet that comes with the system. The dedicated faucet has a reminder light that will signal when the filter needs changing.
Filters and Membrane
With this unit, it is recommended to change the filters every six months and the membrane once every year.
Certified
The GE Reverse Osmosis system is NSF/ANSI certified. NSF/ANSI is a set of national standards that relates to water treatment.
NSF establishes stringent requirements for the control of equipment that comes in contact with either potable water or products that support the production of clean water.
iSpring RCC7 – Built in the USA, WQA Certified Reverse Osmosis
If you like coffee in the morning or are a tea drinker like I am, your beverage is going to taste much better when you use the water from the iSpring RCC7.
This RO system will remove 99% of any chlorine, fluoride, arsenic, asbestos, calcium, sodium, and hundreds of other contaminants.
The pasta you cook will also taste better, and this RO system will give you much-needed peace of mind when mixing up baby formula.
Solid Construction
Made from quality components, the transparent 1st stage housing allows you to both inspect the sediment filter and see the contaminants that have been removed from your water.
Layered Protection
This RO system has five stages, with each stage being designed to remove contaminants and deliver safer water. The system allows the filter and membrane to function at maximum efficiency.
Customer Service
Those buyers who needed to contact iSpring were impressed with the quality of their customer service and pleased with the resolution to any difficulties that had arisen.
The system is backed by a one-year manufacturer warranty and a lifetime support line located in Alpharetta, Georgia.
APEC Top Tier Premium 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis System
With 803 customer reviews, the APEC Premium RO system has garnered a high rating of 4.8 stars out of 5 stars on Amazon.
Customers reported that they were able to install the unit themselves, which is a bonus. You will receive a detailed installation guide, and visual learners will be able to access step by step online installation videos. Even if you will need to call in the pros, having clean water is well worth it.
APEC has over 20 years of experience of delivering safe water through their RO system. They use America’s No. 1 rated filter brands to ensure contaminants are eliminated from your water source.
Ease of Set-up
The system will come with all the items that you need to install the system under your sink. It will take a moderate level of homeowner skills to complete the installation.
5-Stage RO
The 5-stage system will deliver better-tasting water than a 3-stage system. Will remove heavy metals, bacteria, arsenic, chlorine, and lead from your water. Ice cubes made from the RO water will be crystal clear.
Quality Construction
Designed, engineered, and assembled in the United States, this RO system will remove harmful contaminants out of the water you drink and cook with. Compact size to fit easily under your sink.
Versatile
You will be able to use the APEC-5 stage system if you are on a private well or if you have a municipal water source. The operation of the RO system will not be impacted by an in house water softener either.
iSpring RCC7AK Reverse Osmosis Systems
We spoke in a previous review about the fact that all reverse osmosis systems remove harmful contaminants and, at the same time, remove calcium and magnesium, two useful minerals from the water.
We also spoke about being able to get those minerals from a healthy diet or how to add them back into the water.
The iSpring RCC7AK system is a six-stage RO system. Stage six is designed to restore the natural alkalinity and mineral balance of the water.
The red mineral stone portion of the AK filter adds back healthy minerals, including not just calcium, but also other beneficial minerals, like magnesium, that other systems don’t. Re-mineralization restores just the right proportion of healthy minerals.
Large capacity.
It features a 75 gallon-per-day capacity RO membrane, which is larger than most in its class and provides the capacity to economically handle the drinking water needs of even a large family.
Installation
As with the other RO systems that we have reviewed, the iSpring has been designed for the homeowner to be able to install the unit themselves. Everything that you need will be included, along with written directions and access to instructional videos and their customer support.
This unit will fit under the standard kitchen sink. It is possible to connect lines to your ice maker or even to your coffee maker.
Customer Service
iSpring has an industry-leading customer service support in the eventuality that you need assistance installing or using the RO system.
APEC Water High-Flow 90 GPD Reverse Osmosis
Another RO system from APEC, they consider this unit to be their workhorse. This five-stage system has been tested and certified to remove up to 99% of contaminants. This includes arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, fluoride, copper, lead, radium, and more.
What is nice about this unit is the large capacity total contamination removal (TCR) filters that will require fewer changes.
Rather than purchasing bottled water, fill up your container at home so that you are assured that you are ingesting water that is safe.
If you are in the habit of adding flavors to your water, they will taste even better than before.
Safe Throughout
Comes with 100% lead-free designer faucet, plus FDA Certified JG Food grade tubing to provide safe, contamination-free pure water.
Has the WQA Gold Seal
The Water Quality Association’s (WQA) Gold Seal is the international “Mark of Product Quality” and has become one of the most recognized drinking water treatment certification programs in the world. Not all water treatment systems have the “Gold Seal.” The WQA awards this certification to the most reliable and trusted producers of quality drinking water systems.
Warranty
Has a two-year manufacturer’s warranty and lifetime support. The APEC Water Systems RO-90 is designed, engineered, and assembled in the United States.
If you are in the habit of adding flavors to your water, they will taste even better than before.
Home Master TMAF C-ERP Full Contact Undersink RO System
Previously doing business under the name of Perfect Water Technologies, Home Master felt that the new name better reflected their commitment to delivering safe water throughout the home.
The Home Master Artesian with Permeate Pump has the advantage of generating less wastewater. The water to waste ratio is 1:1 with this unit.
The reverse osmosis system will remove up to 98 percent of chemicals, including chloramines and other contaminants while adding back minerals to the water in the end process.
There are those people who feel that a disadvantage to reverse osmosis systems is that the process also removes helpful minerals from the water, but also removes minerals that are essential for the human body like calcium and magnesium.
While a person should be able to get those minerals from a healthy diet, some people choose to add knifepoint of mineral-rich salts, such as Himalayan Salt, to each gallon of filtered water. Without making the water taste salty, Himalaya Salt can provide you with more than 60 different trace elements.
With the Home Master, they had taken that extra step for you and added the minerals back in.
Seven Stages of Filtration
During the seven-stage filtration process, this RO system will remove 98% of chemical contaminants. The system will add back to calcium and magnesium twice during the purification process.
Permeate Pump
The non-electric pump is designed to give you a faster flow rate. This might be important to some, as the flow from the designated faucet on an RO system tends to be less pressurized than your standard faucet.
The pump reduces water waste by up to 80 percent and increases water production by up to 50 percent.
Warranty
Home Master components included in the design and construction of this product meet or exceed NSF standards for material safety and water purification performance. This system is backed up by a five-year warranty.
Home Master TMULTRA Ultra RO Undersink Reverse Osmosis System
Another RO system from Home Master, this unit has an “all in one” design for the filter. The filter is incorporated into the housing, and the entire filter is disposable. This is designed to make the annual filter changes quick and easy, with no tool needed.
While the “all in one” is a great design, the fact that the filter only needs to be changed on an annual basis or every 2000 gallons, is a real bonus.
Faster Flow Rate
What we liked about this unit is that it uses larger fittings and tubing. When you compare that to other Ro systems, you will get about double the flow rate to the faucet with this unit.
Can Be Used On a Well
The Home Master Ultra removes up to 98% of iron, hydrogen sulfide, chloramines, chlorine, chemicals, dissolved solids, metals, and other contaminants. The type of iron that is commonly found in well water can destroy the RO membrane. With this unit, there is an iron filter that protects the RO membrane, and Home Masters says that this unit can be used if you draw your water from a well rather than a municipality.
Customers who have this unit feel that it has added to their quality of life with the assurance of clean, safe water.
Home Master TMHP HydroPerfection Undersink RO System
While this unit is the most expensive one that we reviewed, owners felt that the purchase price was well worth the value they received in this RO unit.
The Home Master removes up to 98% of the iron and other chemicals and sterilizes 99.99% of microorganisms at the same time. This unit includes a permeate pump, which will reduce wastewater by 80% while increasing water production by 50%.
These features appeal to the conservation side of the RO process and, for me, makes the additional cost well worth it. When you take into consideration that a unit will last for years, the price spread over that time is more than manageable.
Long-Lasting Filters
The filters are easy to change and last a long time. They will need to be changed only once a year or every 2000 gallons of water. You will not need any wrenches to change the filter.
Re-mineralization
This RO system will provide small amounts of calcium and magnesium into the water at two different points in the purification process.
Ultraviolet Light Filter
Home Master uses an ultraviolet light filter to sterilize microorganisms. They have found that the light filter is effective in destroying viruses, and does so without chemicals. The light module operates for a full year at 17,000-microwatt seconds. It is recommended that the filter is changed once a year for optimal performance.
In conclusion
Reviewing this range of reverse osmosis systems that are out there has further convinced us here at Ro System Guide, that reverse osmosis systems are affordable and necessary.
While not wanting to put too fine a point on the subject, clean water is essential to our well being. It impacts every aspect of our health and can be hazardous if we ingest contaminants.
Those of us with families and young children need to be especially careful with the water we are providing to those in our care. Mixing baby formulas, adding to concentrated juices, and our tea and coffees should be free from pollutants that can leach into our water sources.
A reverse osmosis system for your home can provide the peace of mind that you are doing all you can to protect your loved ones with clean, safe water.