Express Water EZRO5 Countertop Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System, RO, White

My tap water is 150ppm-180ppm which is quite good, but my plants and soil want less TDS in their water. With some plumbers tape to prevent any leaks and leaving the system running for 2 hours, you can begin using the water thereafter. Altogether a simple process as long as you have: a little foreknowledge of threading and plumbing tape, and the measurement of the fitting on your sink. This was a workaround for one of my sinks, as my main kitchen sink does not function with the system because of a large extendable spray head. This works great and my filtered water tests 6ppm and an approximate 6.8PH. Previously the tap water tested 150ppm-180ppm and had approximately a 7.5PH. I’m satisfied and it tastes good.

I live in an area with very poor water quality. The unfiltered water that comes from the tap has a TDS rating of 575. Absolutely hideous tasting tap water. My first attempt at cleaning up my water was a Brita pitcher. It did absolutely nothing to improve water texture or taste, but it may have been effective in filtering various unwanted particles, etc. My second attempt was a PūR faucet filter. Again, it did nothing regarding improvement of taste or texture. I did however like the convenience of the faucet attachment, and I was impressed with the amount of potentially harmful elements the manufacturer claimed it could remove. My third attempt was a Zerowater pitcher. Wow! This was the first time my tap water ever tasted as good as bottled water. I'm not sure how each of the three mentioned filters compare concerning the removal of harmful contaminants, but I do know that the Zerowater filter produced the best tasting water. Using the included TDS (total dissolved solids) meter, Zerowater delivered a zero reading just as promised. If Zerowater is perfect, then why am I here discussing an Express Water system? The expected lifespan of Zerowater filters is dependant on initial water quality. My TDS rating of 575 means that I would only get 8 gallons or less per filter. Even when buying filters in a bulk pack it would be MUCH more expensive than buying bottled water. It's simply NOT cost effective. Finally, my last and best solution: An EXPRESS WATER countertop Reverse Osmosis system. The Express Water system is incredibly easy to install. A simple to understand instruction sheet is included. (1) Remove the blue lock pins from the connector on the SED filter and also from the connector on the black hose coming from the ROM filter. (2) Pull out the protective pins, insert the two color coded hoses (that lead to the faucet connector), and then put the blue lock pins back on. (3) Attach the faucet connector and you're ready to go! It took me about 10 minutes to set everything up. It's recommended to let the water run through the filter for roughly two hours before you'll achieve the best quality. My results: Express Water fills a 64oz (half gallon) bottle in 13 minutes. One gallon in 26 minutes. It reduces my 575 TDS rated water to a rating of 9 and delivers water that has a very pleasing texture and taste. * Your results may vary depending on water pressure and quality. How I use it: I fill a couple of 64oz bottles with filtered water and keep them in the fridge. I also still use the Zerowater pitcher. The water going into the pitcher now has a TDS rating of 9, so the Zerowater filters last much longer (40 gallons or more) and the filtering process is much faster. No more carrying multiple bottles of water home from the store each week, and I feel better about not generating so much plastic waste. If you live in an area with a relatively mild TDS rating, the Zerowater pitcher may be all that you need. But, the only cost effective solution for those in areas with a high TDS rating is to use a Reverse Osmosis system. The Express Water is one of the least expensive to buy, maintain, and operate. I highly recommend the Express Water countertop system. Special Notes: Make sure the faucet attachment is correctly on the threads and tight. If too much water is leaking you'll reduce water pressure and end up wasting water. Even though the overall build quality is excellent, my ROM filter is leaking (directly under the large side of the filter on the left). Initially it was losing about a drop or two a minute, which adds up quickly. I was able to turn the large portion of the filter clockwise which stopped part of the leaking (now it's a few drops an hour). I'm going to give Express Water customer service a call to see if I can get it resolved. I'll update this review after I go through that process. Some people claim that it's not healthy to drink water with a low TDS rating. In my opinion that's nonsense. You don't have to suffer with foul hard water taste and a heavy texture just to get minerals and nutrients in your diet, you'll get plenty from other sources. Plus, there are simple methods to add minerals back into the water should you wish to. Keep in mind that the process of Reverse Osmosis generates a lot of waste water. It isn't like a pitcher or faucet filter system that only outputs clean, filtered water. With Reverse Osmosis you have a special faucet that outputs purified water, and at the same time you have another outlet that rejects the "bad water". For every one gallon of filtered water you're going to create a few gallons of "bad water". Probably a 3:1 ratio. You CAN collect the bad water and use it for watering plants, cleaning floors, etc. But it definitely should not be consumed. You may need to consider the extra usage of water in a Reverse Osmosis system if you have concerns about your overall water usage / water bill. If you plan on using filtered water in an aquarium the manual recommends that you add the DEIONIZATION filter upgrade. Required water pressure: Minimum 45 PSI / maximum 80 PSI. If your water pressure is too high you can add a pressure regulator to make it work. Beyond the brands that I mentioned, there are many other very effective pitcher filter systems available. Some do an amazing job of removing very specific elements (like Floride) and some remove a broad range. Most are incredibly expensive to maintain and in most cases they don't reduce TDS levels (which may not be an issue for you). My advice is to research the quality of your tap water and decide what is most important for you to remove. Then seek out the filter system that best suits your needs.

Highly recommended if you receive hard tap water in your area and are considering getting a reverse osmosis filtration system. One of the best RO on the market, at a very reasonable price. Best part of having a RO system is the long filter life, giving the cheapest water at this purity. Had a good experience with ExpressWater's customer support as well. Installation was easy on the kitchen faucet using the included adapter. Worked without any leakage from the faucet. Water tastes great, similar to bottled or from ZeroWater filter. Water flow rate is as expected from a RO system, very satisfactory. There's also no Deionizing Filter meaning the < 10 ppm water comes directly from RO membrane, shows good quality. One small issue I had: I noticed a small leak at the ROM filter cap (a drop every 2 secs). I tried to take the ROM filter out and tighten its cap using the included key. It did tighten it very well, however, when I tried to reconnect the pipes back together, the mouth of the ROM cap was now facing a different direction causing the white tubing to fall short to secure a connection to the GAC or PAC filter. So I contacted ExpressWater, explained the issue and asked for additional white tubing. They responded in time and mailed me additional white tubing for no extra cost. I was easily able to connect the tightened ROM filter now by cutting the required length of white tubing. There were no leaks at all after that.

Simple to install, everything came well fitted and the printed instructions were clear. I followed another review's advice to do the initial setup in the sink, just in case there were leaks anywhere, and all went well with no leaks anywhere. The water tastes great and is a nice improvement over the previous apartment solution I was using. Filter replacements are also more reasonable. I'll come back and update this review in a few months.

Unit leaks faucet connector, probably could be fixed. Its cheap connector, Installation videos say to be careful because of plastic threads. I had every thing nice & tight & was hit in the face by high pressure stream, multiple streams loosen then tighten again. I have a couple connector from carbon countertop filter but are not compatible with this unit, a shame because they are nice stainless steel. I replace my countertop filter every year so when I saw this Reverse Osmosis unit, I wanted an upgrade. I was under the impression that these filter were good for a year, from what I read & videos. I was surprised to see in the manual filters need to be change every six month. Connecting to the sink is extent of effort I wanted to put into this type of unit, After a year I would give it to a friend or toss it. I had no plans on disconnected tube clips filter cutting zip ties. I Could not tell you how the water taste as I did not use unit, put back in the box for return. I have been using a Watts Premier 500315 & other brands of this carbon type filter that state 2yr filtration. Water comes out crystal clear & taste just like bottle water. Before this I used Brita & Pure their would always be stuff floating in water & taste bad. I can recommend any countertop carbon type filter like the Watts . I was not happy with cost of Countertop Reverse Osmosis system, replacement filters & cheap parts for what I paid I was expecting a quality product. Maybe RO water taste great but I'll stick with carbon style filter for now.