Customer Reviews With Photos

I received a used item. It wasn't wraped and it was dirty.

I've had this system set up and running for 3 weeks now. No complaints. The water quality (measured by taste) has improved drastically. I also see fewer calcium deposits on my tea kettles and glassware. The tap water here in San Diego is pretty gnarly, so much that guests from out of town have trouble drinking it. I enjoy the filtered water to much I find I am drinking more water than usual (a health plus, for me). The sleek case looks fine and nondescript in my kitchen. I purchased a 2.5 gallon BPA free water jug from Walmart (it was about 10 dollars), which I fill each day from the RO system. The jug sits resident on the counter-top, and makes dispensing water easy and fast. In the summer I plan to keep it in the fridge. It takes 15 minutes to top off the jug each day, which may be 2 gallons worth. One must monitor the filling process, or else water will spill all over the counter. I do this in the morning while cooking breakfast and making coffee, so I can keep an eye on it. It's a good routine, and it helps me track how much water I've been consuming. I'm impressed and have recommended the RO approach to my friends when they come over and taste the water. It beats carrying 5 gallon jugs up the stairs every few days!

APEC RO 50 Filters Replaced: 11/16/24 * Shut off the tank valve and red main water valve from water line, and the open the faucet * 1st filter: large particle filter (change once a year) * 2nd & 3rd are carbon block filters (change every 2 years) (Bottom three can be easily changed independently of the top two). Just unscrew, rinse and replace with new filters, making sure the they are centered and lined correctly. Make sure the O Ring is in place, not damaged. * 4th small filter: just push on the collet/collar and pull out the hose from both ends. Easy. (Pull out a plastic pin plug from the new replacement and dip both ends in a light bleach water to avoid contamination before installing. * 5th is a Membrane filter (green). Use strap wrench and special plastic wrench. This is the hardest. Tools: Flash light, kneeling pad, tray, towels, pliers, plastic wrench and spammer, bleach water and clean rag.

Final Result is 6 Stars for Good Tasting Water EDIT on TASTE After testing this filter installed on the existing kitchen faucet for two weeks... he taste dramatically improved over the "tap water" with has excessive levels of chlorine, chloramine, and other ingredients added by city. Then I added a new separate single line cold water faucet just for this Apec filter. Dramatically improved the taste and scale reduction. Likely down to having all new lines and new faucet and aerator. Be aware that this Apec does not remove the dissolved minerals so it will not affect the TDS readings . However in my case the existing minerals are still there and water tastes good. The hard water aspect of excess Calcium and Magnesium is "conditioned" by Apec filter to reduce scaling but not removed. If the "scale reduction conditioning" from the CS-2500P only lasts for the predicted life of 1000 gallons, the better taste should still be there for 5000 gallons by removing chlorine, I'll know for sure in 6 to 12 months. First Review after Installation + Installed to the cold water line on existing kitchen faucet. 10 minutes. Used teflon tape. + Opened the cold water faucet. No leaks. Let it run for 10 minutes to get air out of the filter and lines. Afterwards, slightly cloudy water, but cleared up in a glass less than a minute. It's just micro air bubbles. 2 days no cloudy, no bubbles. + Taste Test: Apec Filter VS Original City water. Taste like RO water, with a hint of mineral taste. No more chlorine taste. No more aftertaste. + Scale Inhibitor Works: see photos. Heated water in Microwave 3 minutes in two Completely Clear glass containers. Left Photo us original city water in 1 cup. On Right is Apec filtered water in large container + Hard Water Limescale accumulation occurs with heated water. The Apec 2000P is rated for 1000 gallons of scale inhibiting. 5000 gallons for removing Chlorine, Odor, Various Chemicals. + Better Tasting Water - What matters most to me, and it passes my test for my water supply. Secondarily it also works for getting rid of LimeScale inside my electric kettle, pots on stove, and microwave containers. How long the filter actually lasts time will tell. I did not test with a TDS meter. This filter will not remove calcium, magnesium or other minerals which are dissolved solids in my city water supply. With this filter removing he excessive chlorine, flouride, chloramine, it tastes 10 times better, with a slight mineral taste. For me taste is great and better buy than the Reverse Osmosis water I was buying in bulk for 35 cents a gallon which has TDS rating of 1 Initial Review before Installation Purchased (CS-2500P) but not installed yet, but will return to update this review; I do a thorough job researching all products I consider. Two items seem to flummox most buyers looking for a better water supply. Better Taste: The bad taste from tap water in most city water supplies is primarily from high levels of Chlorine and Chloramine, any filter with Activated Carbon removes most of it. Bad taste can also be from undissolved solids including algae/bacteria/organic solids, unlikely to see this is municipal water supplies. Activates silver components in some Filters can remove most of that if present. A Brita pitcher covers all this pretty well for better taste Hard Water: 90% of US water supplies contain dissolved minerals you cannot see. TDS meters show Total Dissolved Solids. "Hard Water" solids are primarily a higher % of Calcium and Magnesium creating Scale accumulation, aka LimeScale, showing up in plumbing pipes, fixtures, dishes, glasses, pots, and coffee makers, water heaters. Excessively high Calcium and Magnesium affects Taste factor for most people. Excessive levels shorten life of appliances. Water Softeners: These actually remove solids (TDS) including Calcium and Magnesium by using Ion Exchange flushing water through resin materials. Benefits for excessively hard water supply... no scaling, better taste. Negatives are high cost and large amounts of Salt used to back-flush the Resin particles to remove the minerals. All this salt water goes down the drain. Reverse Osmosis (RO): These also soften water by removing solids and removing sediment/bacteria/algae/etc with pre-filters. Water tastes like plain water with no mineral content. Undersink systems have various Pros and Cons. Water Conditioning for Hard Water: This concerns the (CS-2500P). And conditionin Filter contain a layer of polysulfate crystals which breaks apart the larger solids into micro-crystals still dissolved in the water. The claim is better taste and less scaling. This do not remove any solids, only changes the size. Your satisfaction will vary depending on the amount of Calcium/Magnesium in your water supply The Apec (CS-2500P) filter should: + Remove 97% of chlorine with its bad taste + Remove 95% of organic material including bacteria/algae IF that is in your water supply. + Condition the water with plyphospates or polysulfate. Which will inhibit/reduce scaling and potentially give better taste. NOTE: your Satisfaction from any filtration system depends on the composition and quality of your Water Supply

This product has no instructions and no data on what KDF materials are in it. "KDF" just part the model number but it's NOT a KDF filter. The listing says "Material: Coconut Shell,Activated Carbon." Where's the KDF material? KDF stands for kinetic degradation fluxion, one type of copper zinc water filtration whose main filtration line consists of brass granules with varying proportions of zinc and copper alloy. This cartridge doesn't seem to have that.

As a woman I feel it’s okay to handle the installation with the instruction sheet, and some luck. This is the very first time I do any plumbing work in my whole life, and I’m proud of myself. My RO system stops working recently and I did research for trouble shooting. Re-pressurizing the tank, getting a new tank, getting the new filters, etc. I’ve tried everything I could but still the system is not working. At meanwhile I just found out how much waste water the black tube is making every single second. I didn’t have this shut-off valve installed at all. After moving in my current house, I had a plumber to help installing the RO system and I just realized that he didn’t even install the individual valve for RO system. I have to turn off the main cold water valve and the black tube is gonna stop leaking water. I can’t believe how much water I’ve wasted in the last years. I found this valve from a YouTube video and wondered why I’ve never seen this little valve under my sink. Finally I found the model number and ordered from apecwateroutlet.com. Started the installation right after the kit delivered. It took me like 2 hours to figure out the pipes and which outlet is the right place I should put this T-fitting. The second photo shows the amount of water the black tube leaks after turn off the valve.

Super easy. Just splice onto the main line and let’s go!!! No cap but it really does taste wetter

We've had our Apec RO system for close to 10 years, we love it. Finally decided to upgrade the faucet to this one. This has faster flow and we're loving the handle on this vs the lever of the old one that wouldn't stay on unless you held it. This is great for filling a pot and the dog water. Wish it came in oil rubbed bronze but the gloss black is an acceptable match.

I'd like to first comment on how happy my husband and I are with this system now, but first I will note some errors on my journey to find the best filter. I did not know much about RO systems or much about any water filter or water specifications (what's good, bad or necessary for our health). I was also looking for an affordable but top quality way of drinking clean water so I had assumed that getting this filter would solve all my problems. I bought this countertop RO filter (without the calcium carbonate filter which is about $20 bucks cheaper), about two weeks later my husband had his first gout attack. I then started to do my research and I learned that there are studies suggesting that because the RO filter system removes EVERYTHING (good and bad minerals and impurities) out of the water and because when water is acidic it tends to compesate by taking from other sources on its path, so it will take minerals out of your body. Absolute clean will also corrode metals, it will leach minerals in contact with metals, it will do the same to our bodies. I started to panic on the inside knowing that my husband was suffering in terrible amounts of pain that wouldn't stop and to know that it was my fault, my lack of research. I contacted the seller and they helped me to get the calcium filter that I needed to stabilize the water. To see my husband in so much pain as I hand't seen before I was considering returning the filter. But I did more research and I found that we needed the calcium and other minerals in our water. The RO filter alone can potentially be a problem for some people but with proper research you'll be fine. My suggestion is to buy the APEC countertop RO filter with the CALCIUM CARBONATE FILTER. It's called Alkaline, instead of saving a few bucks. Why? Because studies suggest the importance of minerals in the water and that acidic water will leach the minerals out of your body. Our body will try to balance it out and water does the same thing. Our body needs a certain level of PH, around 7.3 PH, and acidic water will have the PH at the different level that our bodies need. I strongly suggest that if you are considering RO filter to include the filter that balances the PH in the water. Some side effects can potentially show signs long time after you've been drinking acidic water and it's not worth saving a few bucks and putting your health at risk. If you bought this filter you can buy the calcium carbonate filter and add to this. Simply contact APEC CS if unsure which one, they were super fantastic and helpful. It's been almost a month and we only installed the calcium filter yesterday (feb/ 05/18), my husband is still recorvering from the gout but we believe that this will help him a lot and hopefully never suffer from gout again. Another thing worth mentioning is that this filter will waste a lot of water but as a conscious green person I cannot bear the idea of adding more waste and not reclycling or reusing what we already have. So, be creative. My creative way of not letting the waste water go to waste is that I fill jars and I reause for dishes or for plants. If you use for plants it's better to let the water sit for at least a couple of days before watering the plants. To me, it makes sense to repurpose something that otherwise would go to waste. If you don't like the idea of doing your dishes with "waste" tap water then you can water your garden or find some other ways of reausing it. The TDS result will change when you add the calcium filter but THAT'S OKAY, it's only the good stuff. TDS RESULTS: TAP = avg of 44 RO (without calcium filter) = 3 RO with Calcium filter = 15 But it also changed the PH level. Please see the images and also note that this isn't the best PH tester because it's one that we bought for the aquarium but we decided to use what we had to notice the difference. We will buy a specific PH tester for drinking water in the filter and maybe I will add it to the review. Because I only had the idea to take a photo minutes later it's not showing result exactly as I first saw it but it will give you an idea. The PH comparison image: Notice that that the yellow square highlights the ph. Notice that with the calcium filter that the color is more neutral and to the desired level that we need? Below the old filter, constitutes this RO filter without a calcium filter. The color looks more pale and acidic. Inside the pink squares it analylizes the alkalinity of the water. Again, the colors aren't as vibrant because the strips were drying when I had the idea of taking a photo. But in the future I will possibly add it here the results of my future tests for the specific PH tests. Bottom line is: We are VERY happy to finally undestand more what is that we need and how to achieve clean and healthy water. Do your proper research to learn for yourself more. It's not worth saving a few bucks to get the filter without the calcium filter. It's better to think long term. Also, this filter generates water to be wasted can you find ways to reuse and recycle the water? The customer service was extremely helpful and I can't thank them enough for helping me out. Specially because I was freaking out on the inside to see my husband in such terrible pain. We suspected that it was this issue w/ the water because gout can be formed by many things such as eating meat, which we don't do, we also discarded some other things, which lead us to believe that it was the difference in the water. But, we can solve everything and what I learned from this is the importance of doing extra research to make sure it's a good, healthy decision. I almost forgot to mention that when you use the filter, the filtered water will pour slower than your tap. Here our tactic plan is to fill up 1 gallon of glass jars while we are in the kitchen taking care of things. I timed and for me it takes me about 18 minutes to fill up one gallon. It's not a problem at all for us because while in kitchen cleaning or cooking I am also filling up the daily jugs of water. We strive to drink 1 gallon of water each. Now that we figured it out I'd say that this system with the calcium filter is a 10 out of 10. Buy with confidence but do your research beforehand.

We added this into our APEC RO90. We used it about a week and didn’t really like the flavor. I decided to test it to see how alkaline it was to incentivize myself to keep it. I was expecting it to be alkaline, but not only was it not alkaline, it was way worse than tap, even more than I expected since RO removes minerals too. We decided to remove it and wait awhile to test the RO again with the tanks flushed. I was upset to find that removing the filter made the RO water more alkaline and not the reverse, which is why we’re all buying this thing I assume. So, APEC please try again. We need alkaline water, but this was a HUGE failure. I am returning.

Awesome for filtering water to the fridge. Taste good!

The quality of the filters are getting diminished. Parts are broken inside the pakage. I tried to use the parts because the system and couldn't exchange he part because the RO system is already disassembled.

Got a second unit for my house after installed one at my mom's house. I too returned the rental unit and for the past 6 months this unit paid for itself. Installation was super easy.

This is how got my Stage 1 and Stage 2 filter today. The stickers are peeling off and I am not entirely sure which one is which, to be frank.