Reviews of the Best Reverse Osmosis Systems of 2018

Best Reverse Osmosis System

We tested six reverse osmosis systems and it certainly wasn’t easy picking the best one. But, we all agreed that the Home Master TMAFC Artesian Full Contact Undersink Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System is the best reverse osmosis system. It comes with a 7-stage filtration channel, has a modular “all-in-one” filter design, and of course, a remineralization filter.

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We’ve also compiled a detailed buying guide to help you pick the best RO water purification system that will outlive its warranty serving you.

Reverse Osmosis Systems: Our Top Picks

Best Overall

Home Master TMAFC Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System

Editor Rating:
5 Star Rating

Filter Stages:
7

Light Indicator:
No

Measures:
20 x 16 x 13 inches

Price

Budget Pick

iSpring 6-Stage Reverse Osmosis System

Editor Rating:
4.9 Star Rating

Filter Stages:
6

Light Indicator:
Yes

Measures:
14.5 x 5.2 x 18.5 inches

Price

Best Value

APEC Top Tier Supreme Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System

Editor Rating:
4.9 Star Rating

Filter Stages:
5

Light Indicator:
No

Measures:
22.5 x 19.8 x 11.2 inches

Price

Best Portable

Whirlpool WHER25 3-Stage Under Sink Reverse Osmosis System

Editor Rating:
4.8 Star Rating

Filter Stages:
3

Light Indicator:
Yes

Measures:
13.5 X 14.5 X 15.5 in

Price

Best Outdoor

APEC Top Tier 5-Stage Ultra Safe Reverse Osmosis System

Editor Rating:
4.9 Star Rating

Filter Stages:
5

Light Indicator:
No

Measures:
16 x 5.2 x 17.5 inches

Price

Highest Follow

iSpring RCC7 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System

Editor Rating:
4.9 Star Rating

Filter Stages:
5

Light Indicator:
No

Measures:
14.5 x 5.2 x 19.5 inches

Price

Expert Reverse Osmosis System Reviews

Overall Best: Home Master TMAFC Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System

The Home Master TMAFC RO system is our overall best Reverse Osmosis system. It is a filter system that meets most people’s needs and requirements and combines popular features, useful benefits and value in an irresistible way.

First and foremost, the design of the RO filter system is simply innovative. Unlike traditional RO system filters, this system uses a modular “all-in-one” filter design that doesn’t require only the filter to be changed, but the entire piece.

This goes a long way in preventing water contamination during filter changes and is a clear indicator of the longevity of filters. These filters are longest lasting and require changes only once in a year – a task that takes roughly two to three minutes.

Home Master TMAFC Artesian RO water purification system uses seven distinct stages of filtration. This is by far the largest we’ve seen. It ensures top-notch purification to remove up to 99% of chloramines, chlorine, chemicals, heavy metals, dissolved solids, pharmaceuticals, and other contaminants.

The water produced from this process tastes natural because this system employs two stages of remineralization during the purification process. The first stage of remineralization occurs when the water travels to the storage tank and the second occurs when the water travels to the faucet.

During remineralization, small amounts of calcium and magnesium minerals (30-60 mg/l combined) are added through a natural process. This balances the pH level of the water (making it slightly alkaline) and prevents storage tank degradation.

The efficiency of the Home Master TMAFC Artesian Full Contact is top notch. With a very low wastewater production and pure water production of up to 75 gallons per day, what more can one desire?

Meanwhile, the components of this filter system meet the National Science Foundation (NSF) standards.

The components include – a fully assembled purification unit, a storage tank, a feed-water adapter with a shut-off valve, a chrome RO faucet, and a drain saddle.

These components are very easy to install and have been designed as a DIY. No previous plumbing or RO installation experience is required. It comes with a good installation instructions manual that gives a step-by-step guide on what to do.

In addition, the work is a lot easier because the purification unit is already fully assembled. All you need to do is to make the proper connections with cables which are color-coded: it’s that easy.

The Home Master TMAFC Artesian Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System has half a decade warranty. This is undeniably longer than many traditional RO systems and is another unique selling point of the unit.

Budget Pick – iSpring 6-Stage Reverse Osmosis System

For anyone who needs a high capacity filter system on a budget, this iSpring Reverse Osmosis system is a superb pick. It is a high capacity water filter system that produces crisp clean and clear water.

It removes harmful pollutants and restores healthy minerals back to the water. There are 6 stages of filtration and in the last stage, an Alkaline remineralization filter is used to restore alkaline balance to the water.

The filtration media are made of natural stones, one of the healthiest options when it comes to filters. These 6 stages of filtration include 3 pre-filters – a sediment filter and two carbon filters. The 4^th stage (at the heart of the system) is the Reverse Osmosis system filter which removes contaminants (down to 0.0001 microns) and allows only water molecules permeate.

At the 5^th stage is the fine GAC filter, this polishes the water before it goes through the faucet.

Honestly, we love the fact that with the iSpring RCC7AK, you don’t have to imagine what is being filtered. It comes with a reinforced transparent first stage housing that allows you to visually observe the contaminants being removed. This also makes inspecting sediment filter easier.

You’ll find 98% of everything needed for installation inside the box the unit is shipped in. All of it is made of high-quality materials that meet the FDA and NSF/ANSI standards. This earned it the prestigious WQA Gold Seal certification.

Under the sink, this reverse osmosis system’s design is appealing to the eyes. It serves its purpose in any weather and produces up to 10 gallons of water per day. Hence, it is, therefore, suitable for any home – small or large.

For larger families, consider installing a whole house water filter to help save costs. Point of use water filters can add up costs significantly.

Best Value – APEC Top Tier Supreme Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System

Equipped with 5 stages of purification, this RO system purifies water twice as fast as other models. It produces pure water with great taste, suitable for drinking, for cooking and for making ice cubes, tea and coffee.

The filters – the super-efficient APEC double carbon blocks can remove chlorine, barium, arsenic, other heavy metals, chemicals, bacteria, and other contaminants in water to a high degree.

These high-performance carbon blocks ensure water purity as it passes through each stage of purification. The filter is encased in a specially designed John Guest leak-proof tubing.

Apart from being efficient, the filters have a long lifespan. The first 3 stage filters last up to 12 months, while the other stages (4 and 5) lasts up to 3 years. This means low maintenance stress and fewer filters change out.

One major selling point of the APEC Top Tier Supreme Certified RO system is that it produces a large volume of water daily and purifies twice faster than other models. It is, therefore, suitable for a lot of people especially families with high clean drinking water demand.

Having been tested and certified by the NSF and deemed worthy of the coveted  WQA gold seal, the  APEC Top Tier Supreme RO system offers ultra-safe filtration that is a good value for its price.

Installation of this reverse osmosis system is extremely simple and requires just little skills. It will take less than 2 house to complete. The high quality of the components, especially the 10% lead-free brushed nickel faucet makes the whole installation process enjoyable.

This product gives the desirable water purification results that not only keeps you and your family healthy but supplies you with enough pure and contamination-free water all year round, with little or no installation or maintenance stress.

Best Portable- APEC Top Tier 5-Stage Ultra Safe Reverse Osmosis System

The APEC Top Tier ESSENCE ROE-50 is another reverse osmosis system that qualifies as a budget pick. With great performance and a price of less than an Amazon echo device, it fits the budget of most people.

As you’d expect, it produces crystal clear and clean water. This it does by passing it through 5-stages of filtration. And the process removes up to 99% of contaminants such as chlorine, lead, arsenic, chromium, iron, toxic fluoride, taste, and odor.

It also removes bacteria and viruses during the filtration process. This is possible because of the very efficient APEC double carbon blocks inside the filter compartment. The installation of this reverse osmosis system is easy to do. This also implies that the maintenance will be a breeze – a walk in the park if you must say.

APEC ensures the system comes with high-quality leak-free fittings made with stainless steel teeth for a guaranteed grip, and special O-ring that provides a leak-proof seal, thus it requires no extra lock clips to seal leak neither does it require a water leak detector. This is one of the reasons why the APEC Top Tier ROE-50 is a very reliable and long lasting filter system.

The system comes with 100% lead-free designer faucet and is FDA Certified. In addition to that, it uses a high-quality 0.0001-micron Reverse Osmosis membrane, 3 carbon filters, and a polishing filter.

They are all designed to remove high levels of heavy metals, microorganisms, and pharmaceutical drugs from any type of water (tap or well) to produce a contamination-free water.

The long-lasting filters help you save cost. Stage 1, 2 and 3 filters (all carbon filters) lasts 6 to 12 months while the stage 4 filter –  Reverse Osmosis membrane lasts 2 to 3 years. Same applies to the 5^th stage polishing filter.

Therefore, in the first year of purchase, only the first 3 stage filters will be changed.

The unit does have a shortcoming. It produces 4 gallons of wastewater for every 1 gallon of pure water. This can slightly cause an increase in your water bill although it doesn’t compare to the benefits you’ll derive by owning it.

Best Outdoor- Whirlpool WHER25 3-Stage Under Sink Reverse Osmosis System

The Whirlpool WHER25 RO system is the cheapest unit on our review list. However, we didn’t select it for two reasons; it has only a three-stage filter and installation is not that simple.

These three stages are powerful and remove many contaminants from water. These contaminants include lead, cysts, dissolved solids, chlorine, taste, odor, sediment, and arsenic (pentavalent).

Others are barium, cadmium, chromium (VL), chromium (III), copper, nitrate, nitrite, radium, selenium, fluoride, turbidity, ammonium, bicarbonate, bromide, chloride, magnesium, sodium, sulfide, tannin, zinc and chemicals.

The WHER25 RO system is great at reducing lead and reduces it by more than 99%. You’re left with water that is

It takes up space under the sink compared to Reverse Osmosis filter systems with 5 stages and 6 stages. It has fewer filters which mean less money to spend changing them. Meanwhile, the Whirlpool WHER25 is made with a patented UltraEase Technology that allows for easy change of filters.

This filter system comes with an EZ change indicator light that indicates when it’s time to change the filters.

The Whirlpool WHER25 filter system consists of a dedicated filtered water faucet, a water storage tank, installation fittings, one-month filter set (WHEERF), one 2-year membrane (WHEERM), color coded tubing and push-in connectors.

Apart from having fewer filters to replace with ease, this reverse osmosis system uses filters that last long. These filters (pre-and-post filters) are changed once every 6 months.

Hence, you only change filters twice every year. The WHER25 membrane, however, is changed once every 2 years and that too is easy to replace.

Best Follow-iSpring RCC7 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System

For its quality, cost, and brand name, the iSpring RCC7 is another valuable reverse osmosis system worth owning. It produces 75 gallons of purified water per day, making it a high-performance filtration system, suitable for any residential use.

This efficient RO system is designed to make the water purification process seamless. It comes with a five-stage filter which filters about 75 gallons of water daily.

As a 5 stages RO system, the iSpring RCC7 purifies water by passing it through 5 different filters that eliminate contaminants. These contaminants include heavy metals, TDS and their contaminants from water to make it safe for drinking and cooking.

Keeping these filters at their maximum capacity is key to safe and contamination-free water. To function at its best capacity, the iSpring RCC7 filters should be replaced every 6 to 12 months while the RO membrane should be changed once every two years.

iSpring makes sure that the replacement filters are easy to find in addition to being easy to install.

Interestingly, this system is quiet and requires low maintenance with no moving parts. A lead-free, European design solid brass faucet with brush nickel finish is included with the system.

It is usually mounted on the counter as the primary source of drinking water, but output lines can also be connected to your ice maker, coffee maker, etc.

Installing this Ro water purifier takes a little time and with no previous experience required. The instruction manual gives a step-by-step guide.

The iSpring RCC7 RO System is NSF and QSA certified.

For optimal output, low cost of replacement filters, zero maintenance stress, easy installation, money-back guarantee, great quality, and best value for your money, choose the iSpring RCC7 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System.

Reverse Osmosis System Comparison Table

The Benefit of Osmosis Water Filter

Are you tired of buying bottled water? A reverse osmosis system ensures there is quality water in your home fit for your drinking and cooking needs. With the best reverse osmosis system, you can filter out more than a thousand harmful contaminants from your water.

Additionally, you will easily remove foul taste and odor from the water. In this section of the article, we’d like to share with you some of the benefits of using a reverse osmosis system.

Better Taste

As earlier mentioned, a reverse osmosis water system removes debris and chemicals from any water source, which makes it taste better. It’s not magic – it’s as a result of the passage of water through as much as three to seven filtration chambers in a reverse osmosis purifier.

Clean Water

With the best reverse osmosis system, you can remove many harmful aliens from your water. You’ll have rest of mind knowing that you don’t drink contaminated water.  The contaminants that are removed by a reverse osmosis system include but are not limited to lead, chlorine, taste, odor, sediment, etc. to mention a few.

Low Energy Usage

Again, a reverse osmosis water system uses less energy when compared to similar water filtration systems. A reverse osmosis machine is ideal if you want to save on energy and still enjoy quality water. However, if you have a reverse osmosis filter installed in many of the faucets in your home, your energy consumption will increase.

At this point, we suggest a faucet water filter which uses no energy at all.

Saves Space

Do you want to buy a reverse osmosis water filter but you are concerned about installation space? Don’t worry, most RO water purifiers are very compact and can fit under your sink. The image below shows the space saving design of a popular reverse osmosis water filter

Low Cost Of Maintenance

Maintaining a reverse osmosis system is as simple as ABC. Generally, a reverse osmosis machine requires a change of the filters at least once in 6 months. You’ll only need to spend on purchasing the filter but not on anything else.

Multi-stage Filtration

The best reverse osmosis system for well water offers up to 7-stages of filtration. Each stage removes different contaminants from your water and improves the quality and taste. The lowest number of stages you should go for is 3. Anything below it won’t be worth spending money.

Saves Cost

Save the money you spend on bottled water with the best reverse osmosis system. Reverse osmosis machine eliminates or lessens the amount you spend on bottled water.

Reduces Plastic Wastes

Water from reverse osmosis water filter is as good as bottled water. Installing Ro water purifier in your home or office reduce the number of plastic waste in the environment. In addition to that, it saves you a lot of money in the long run.

Imagine buying bottled water for a household of 6 or 7 not forgeting the pets!

Easy To Install

You can easily install a reverse osmosis system yourself after reading the instruction manual – no need for professionals. There are also tons of installation videos on YouTube aimed at guiding you in installing your reverse osmosis water system.

Buying Guide: Best Reverse Osmosis System

Now, that you know the benefits of having a reverse osmosis system for home, you need to know the factors to consider before buying one. Read this buying guide thoroughly to make sure you buy a unit that will meet your needs.

The first factor to consider is the cost.

Cost

Here on AvidWater, we always advocate that you buy what you can afford. However, you shouldn’t sacrifice quality and performance on the altar of price. In the long run, you may end up spending more shipping back defective or low quality products.

Faucet

Most reverse osmosis systems require a separate faucet to dispense the treated water. You can easily change the faucet in your kitchen to a RO faucet without losing the finish, style, and color of your old faucet.

The non-air gap faucet is the common type of RO system faucet. There is a valve inside the non-air gap faucet that prevents the backward flow of water into the reverse osmosis tank.

Stages of filtration

The best reverse osmosis system usually has 3 to 7 stages of filtration. But, your water source will determine the number of filtration stage your RO system should have. Typically, well water and tap water are the most common sources of water.

Treatment plants treat the water they channel to homes. So, tap water logically contains fewer contaminants compared to well water. This is not always so as the water may be contaminated in the pipes.

If you live in an urban area with tap water, an RO water purifier with 3 to 5 stages of filtration should be your base system. Well, water, on the other hand, requires a reverse osmosis system with 6 to 7 stages of filtration since they are known to have high levels of contaminants.

Efficiency

Reverse osmosis machine uses water to clean the reverse osmosis membranes after filtering for a while. RO water purifiers generate wastewater in the course of purifying your water. Most reverse osmosis systems waste up to 4 gallons of water contaminated water for every gallon of purified water.

However, once the Ro system storage tank is filled, the system shuts down. The wasting of water is referred to as pure water to waste water ratio. Opt for the best reverse osmosis system with a low pure water to waste water ratio.

You might want to ask, are there no zero-water-loss reverse osmosis machines?

There are but they re-inject concentrated wastewater into the RO system feeding pipe. The best way to make your reverse osmosis machine more efficient is to connect it to a permeate pump.

Know Your Water Hardness Level

The best RO water purifiers for home does not soften water. So, if your incoming water has a hardness of up to 7 grains per gallon (GPG), consider a softener pre-treatment. This will preserve the life of your reverse osmosis system and membranes.

Installing a whole house water softener is arguably the best solution for this.

Water Pressure

Water pressure is a not-so-important factor that should be considered when buying a reverse osmosis system. The pressure of your water source forces the water through the RO membrane for purification and removal of contaminants.

Many of the RO water systems require a minimum water pressure of 60 psi to work effectively. Most water sources in homes meet this minimum water pressure.

However, if your water source pressure is less than 40 psi, consider buying a Ro system with a booster pump.

Reverse Osmosis System Production Rate

To understand this factor, you need to understand Ro membrane GPD (gallons per day) rating.

Generally, a reverse osmosis system operates efficiently within a pressure range of 40 to 100 psi. Within this pressure range, a reverse osmosis system generates 10 to 75 gallons (45 to 340 liters of water) per day.

Note that cold water cuts the production rate of RO systems by half. In addition to that, GPD ratings are issued to reverse osmosis systems under specific conditions – contaminants, temperature, and water.

We recommend an RO system with a GPD rating between 50 to 70. One gallon per hour with a water source pressure of 60 psi, therefore, a 50 GPD rating will serve a whole house adequately.

Filter Replacement

Buy an RO system with easy to replace filters. Don’t forget to check for the price of the filters before you buy the reverse osmosis unit. If you intend to buy replacement filter, buy only half a dozen or a pack of four.

We don’t advise buying in bulk since filters are only changed once or twice yearly. Filter manufacturers can produce better filters within that period of time.

Quality Certifications

Buy a reverse osmosis system with the best quality certifications. Again, check for the number of certifications –WQA (water quality association) and safety – TDS (total dissolved solids) reduction.

Pre-Filters, Carbon Blocks And Sediment Filter

To get the value of your money, buy a reverse osmosis machine with three pre-filters, one sediment, and two carbon blocks.

Here’s why!

Pre-filters, positioned above the RO membrane filters sand, and large deposits from the water source. Carbon blocks filter chlorine, odor and taste pollutants. Also, it prevents the RO system from wearing early due to chlorine.

Sometimes sediment pre-filters (which are cheaper than carbon) replace the second carbon block after the RO membrane. There is nothing wrong in that but, don’t buy a reverse osmosis system with two sediment pre-filters since carbon blocks filter contaminants better than sediment filters.

Below we tried to answer the most common questions about using and managing a reverse osmosis system.

What Is A Reverse Osmosis Filtering System?

Reverse osmosis (RO) is a filtration process which uses pressure to force water through a semi-permeable membrane. Osmosis occurs naturally in nature, but, this machine reverses the process of osmosis using energy. The RO membrane holds solute (solid) on one side and allows pure solvents (liquid) pass through to the other side.

Normally, osmosis is the movement of liquid from a region of low solute concentration, to a region of high solute concentration, without applying pressure, through a semi-permeable membrane. The reverse osmosis system does the exact opposite.

RO membranes consist of a thin polyamide layer (<200nm) on a polyethersulfone or polysulfone porous layer (50 microns) over a non-woven fabric sheet for support. This water purifier applies a pressure greater than the osmotic pressure to successfully reverse osmosis and purify water.

The semi-permeable membrane allows water to pass through it, but, retain solid particles. The membrane has a dense layer where separation occurs (the non-woven fabric).

How Does A Reverse Osmosis System Work?

The water source flows through a sediment pre-filter placed above the RO membrane. It removes dirt and small particles in the water which flow to a carbon pre-filter. Also, the two carbon pre-filters filter organic contaminants: chlorine, taste and odor pollutants.

Next, the pre-filtered water enters the reverse osmosis semi-permeable membrane.

This membrane has a tight sheet-like filter which only allows water through whilst holding back dissolved solids, sodium, and contaminants like:

• Lead
• Arsenic
• Asbestos
• Calcium etc.

A reverse osmosis water system cleans its membrane with some of the water that passed through it. The contaminated water flows into kitchen drainpipes while the purified water collects in a storage tank until when needed.

This stored water is given a final push when you open the faucet by a post-carbon filter. The purified water in the tank is forced out of the tank by air pressure and goes through the second carbon filter. Assuredly, this final filter gives reverse osmosis water its taste and quality.

This description is for a 4-stage reverse osmosis machine. A 7-stage reverse osmosis system has other essential parts such as a flow control device, check valves and an automatic shutoff device.

Watch this video to understand how a Ro system works.

What is the Best Reverse Osmosis System for Drinking Water?

Importantly, all reverse osmosis system membranes produce purified water, though they differ in features and sizes. The best RO water purifier for drinking water would depend on your water source. As we earlier mentioned, a 5-stage RO system works best with tap water. But, for well-water, you would need a 6 or 7-stage reverse osmosis machine

RO Water Efficiency Ratio, Permeate Pump and an Air Gap Faucet Explained

Reverse osmosis system efficiency is the ratio of wasted water and pure water. A reverse osmosis machine with a ratio of 4:1 or lesser is considered efficient.

On the other hand, a reverse osmosis permeate pump is a simple device that utilizes the energy from the RO system wastewater to push pure water into the storage tank. A permeate pump isolates the tank from the Ro membrane, which acts as an atmospheric tank.

An air gap faucet creates a siphon break between itself, the Ro system, and the sink drain. Simply, the air gap system allows water to drop from one tube through the air, into another tube. So, when a sink drain is blocked, the air gap faucet pulls air instead of dirty water into the reverse osmosis system.

Pretty confusing, isn’t it? It’s not, really.

What does Reverse Osmosis Remove from Water?

The best reverse osmosis system filters up to 1000 contaminants (particles and impurities) from different water sources such as:

• Lead
• Chlorine
• Fluoride
• Arsenic
• Hormones
• Asbestos
• Sodium
• Calcium
• Bacteria
• Virus
• Chloramines

However, reverse osmosis system like the iSpring RCC7 5-Stage comes with a mineralization filter that restores healthy minerals. Some reverse osmosis systems also change the alkalinity of the water.

How Pure is Reverse Osmosis Water?

A reverse osmosis system water is as pure as bottled water. Carbon filters in RO systems remove volatile chemicals, chloramines, etc.

Is Reverse Osmosis Water bad for you?

No, reverse osmosis water is not bad for you, rather it’s very healthy for you as its free from contaminants and harmful microorganisms. Furthermore, it is good for pets – so they too can have access to clean water.

Is Reverse Osmosis Water good for Plants?

Yes. If you decide to water your plants with reverse osmosis water, please go ahead.

How To Install A Reverse Osmosis System?

Some reverse osmosis system must be installed by a licensed plumber while others come with an installation guide for you to install it yourself. Here is a list of the installation procedure:

• Install the faucet on your sink.
• Mount the faucet with someone holding it above the sink.
• Install the angle valve and tubing right under the sink.
• Fasten the valve with a drain saddle.
• Install the RO components.
• Install the RO unit.
• Pre-fill the storage tank with water to check for leaks.
• Connect the final tubing.
• Start-up the system.

Find a more detailed explanation of a reverse osmosis system installation in the video below.

How to Maintain a Reverse Osmosis Water System?

The pre and post filters of a reverse osmosis system must be changed regularly, at least after 6 months of usage. It is important to note that the frequency of changing the filter is dependent on the type of RO system and the level of contamination in the water.

How to Change The Filters In Your Reverse Osmosis Water Filter?

This instruction is for a standard Ro system, ensure proper sanitation when changing your Ro drinking water filters and membranes. Follow this steps to replace your Ro system filters:

• Turn off the water valve
• Close the valve on the reverse osmosis system and the refrigerator or ice maker
• Release pressure in the system by opening the faucet
• Place a tray the sink to avoid spillage
• Unscrew and remove the old filter
• Remove the O-rings and
• Place the new filter in the filter housing and tighten with your hand only.

Here’s a video that shows the replacement process.

Conclusion

There’s no reason not to drink clean water. Use this best reverse osmosis system review and buying guide to select a reverse osmosis machine that suits your home and your needs.

Interested in glass water bottles? Read our review of the best glass water bottles here.