The Costco RO Pure link you provided for the was for replacement filters, not the system itself, so there are many bits which are not pictured there.
The Premier RO Pure (which I currently own) is a reverse osmosis deal and removes just about everything from your water. The resulting output isn’t as pure as distilled but it’s close. For water of dicey origin, like a private well, IMHO it’s an absolute must. But if you have safe treated municipal water it may be overkill.
The main drawback of reverse osmosis is it is very slow and thus requires a rather bulky undersink holding tank to store the filtered water. If you use all 5 gallons at once making a big batch of Kool-Aid then you will not have any more water until the system regenerates some. It takes a couple hours to completely refill.
I should also note that this wastes a TON of water in the process. Each morning when I make coffee, the resulting regeneration dumps about 8 gallons right down the drain. It does make a gurgling sound while it’s running which some folks may not like. You have to drill a hole in your drain pipe in order to connect the wastewater line. You will also need to drill a hole in your sink for the dedicated faucet unless your existing setup already had a hole for one.
The Everpure H-300, on the other hand, appears to be a straightforward filter without reverse osmosis. It’s not going to remove nearly as many nasties as reverse osmosis does. The benefit here is there’s no need for a holding tank, no water waste, no waiting for regeneration.
I’m not familiar with the Everpure model, but it looks so simple that I’m not sure how it could have “died”. When’s the last time you replaced the filter cartridge? If your muni water is safe, and if you’ve been happy with the quality of your drinking water to date, I think I’d just buy a replacement filter for the H-300 that you already own. Or a replacement model if yours really is dead and cracked, etc.
I have the same Watts RO from Costco and it does put out some awesome water. I understand our municipal water is highly regulated and 100% safe to drink and I’m probably a snob for filtering it, but the resultant water is really tasty and I drink a lot more with the RO filter than without. I found it on sale 2 years ago and got the filter and few sets of replacement elements for around $250. IIRC my unit has a 7:1 rejection rate. Assuming 3 gallons use per day 30 days per month I drink 90 gallons and put 630 more down the drain on each water bill. According to my bill I have a minimum charge that includes 11000 gallons and I use about 1/3 that much.
When was the last time you replaced your RO filter? When I notice that I have a high rejection rate it has been a long time on the filter. At the same time my TDS reading of the water will increase.
As far as the city water being safe to drink I am not sure. I know it is treated for live bugs. But I do not know whatis in San Jose water but brass valves are good for only about 2 years before they begin to fail. I will not drink tap water in this city.
Coming from a water treatment and well water background I find this type thought process very comical. The idea that private well water is inherently unsafe while municipal water is always treated and safe has little connection to the reality.
In many cases the water source and treatment is exactly the same. Not all water needs to be treated and this includes municipal water. It’s a case of if it isn’t broken don’t fix it. Treatments expensive and the preferred water sources are ones that require no treatment.
Generically because the water demands of municipalities is so much higher it requires them using water sources that are not safe, thus they have to treat it. Where as private drilled wells are safe sources that don’t require treatment to be safe.
Some of the highest bacteria counts I’ve seen in domestic water tests have been the result of RO treatment. The concept and use of RO as a panacea has become very prevalent and has resulted in a lot of people opting for it without understanding it. Companies like Cosco are pumping them out the door to people that don’t understand or even know about the regular maintenance required. Changing filters is not the only thing you do. Without them being occasionally sanitized the membrane becomes a breading ground for bacteria.
Knew I was going to get tagged on this before I even finished typing it. I will say though, at no point did I say municipal water was safe. I said twice if, referring to the safety of the municipal water. I used italics in one case for emphasis. I do not know how to be much clearer than that.
However what I should have said (meant to say) instead of “private well” was “private dug well”.
Whether shallow or deep, though, how are you going to know water a private well is not contaminated? Sure, you tested it last year. That doesn’t tell you what’s in there right now. There’s an ag lot right across the road with some nasty *** in it and a culvert sloping right down towards my shallow well. I can almost guarantee you after some heavy rains and runoff any previous tests aren’t valid in the least.
The whole point of that last paragraph is: I’d like to think that municipalities test the water a little more frequently than your average homeowner. I have little faith in government but average folks just aren’t going to knock themselves out doing anything until problems arise.
Point well taken about the RO maintenance. You could have also mentioned the possibility of holes in the membrane. With post-membrane UV sterilization I feel pretty confident about drinking mine. I would have preferred something with residual effects though.
Oh, and you won’t catch me drinking tap water from a municipality that sucks water straight out of a lake and blasts it out untreated. You can tell me all about how safe it supposedly is; I do not care. There’s a rural water association around here that tells residents “If the water tastes fishy, that’s just because of a temperature inversion and the crud is turning in the lake”. Deee-sgusting.
The H-300 does not look like a reverse osmosis system to me.
I am on city water.
I have a whole house system to block sediment from entering my house, this makes my faucet washers last just about forever. I use the cheapest filter media available for this filter, as I am just trying to stop the sand in the city water supply from entering my house. Works like a champ, I have not had to replace a faucet washer in YEARS.
Under my kitchen sink I have a filter that looks like the H-300. Not that my city water tastes bad ( it doesn’t) but this filter feeds the icemaker and insta hot on my sink and for those I want the best tasting water possible.
I replace the whole house filter every 5-6 months and the under sink filter every 2-3 years.
Anyway this works for me
