Under Sink Water Filter System

[kneedownnate]

Had a culligan unit in my old house and liked it but left it behind.  I am looking for a unit to filter water for sink faucet and water line to the fridge too.  So many options out there make the decision a bit daunting.  I would ultimately like one with a reasonably priced replacement filter too.  Suggestions or feedback?

[Stocker]

When I installed ours a few months ago, I just picked from our limited stock here in town. Got a Culligan US600a for $36 ( cheaper online, and probably cheaper in stores near you). Pretty sure it came with a D30 filter which looks like my best choice for replacement when the time comes. Got it plumbed to the sink dispenser and to the fridge. Refrigerator filters can be expensive so when ours needs replaced, I'll just toss it and rely on the Culligan only. No complaints with it so far.

[Dingman.]

Buddy did a reverse osmosis setup for around $180 from costco. 

(Ive just been doing research on gettin an ro system for my saltwater tank)

[TheChewMaster]

Buddy did a reverse osmosis setup for around $180 from costco. 

(Ive just been doing research on gettin an ro system for my saltwater tank)

These units are pretty legit. Definately not top of the line, but will get the job done and the water will be on par with any bottled water company. (and way better than the spring water companies, eg crystal geyser and arrowhead) I work for a local water treatment company in Davis; so I know what I'm talking about and have nearly a decade in the industry. The Culligan unit that is being mentioned is pretty much just a carbon filter. Very simple just removing the chlorine and other various contaminants in water. However no minerals will be removed, such as calcium, arsenic, manganese, nitrates ect that cause poor water taste and quality. Carbon is what is in a Britta filter and all the fridge filters. You usually need a semi permeable membrane(RO) to remove mineral contaminants from the water. With a RO you will also always have drain water, it is very difficult to create quality water with out rejecting water. In my experience I've never been satisfied with any product that doesn't reject water.

I use an RO to filter my water in Davis, but mainly because the water tastes gross and there are Chromium 3 & 6 present in the water in some areas. So I treat mine.

If anyone has any questions/advice please feel free to contact me. I do not intend to promote the business I work for just give simple advice to help out the community.

[Stocker]

^^ Very good info! I know in Nate's case and mine, we're just adding extra filtration to treated city and municipal water.

[Dingman.]

Well while you are here, lol..  what systems would you recommend for an RO.  I cannot remember the brand they had at costco.
Since i got this damn reef tank i have been getting rodi water from the fish store and i am getting tired of hauling buckets into town once a week or so.  Therefore, I am looking at buying my own RODI system since eveybody says you are "supposed" to use super pure water to prevent a lot of algae problems. If i can just get a setup where i can drink from then that would be cool too, then i wouldn't have to buy these britta filters we are using.

[TheChewMaster]

^^ Very good info! I know in Nate's case and mine, we're just adding extra filtration to treated city and municipal water.

Ok, if all you are looking to do is simple filtration, then carbon will be the ideal situation. It's a broad spectrum media removing numerous types of contaminants. And remember carbon is the primary filtration media in gas masks. A simple canister is all you need like the culligan one mentioned earlier, then fittings and line. If you do go out and buy fittings I suggest staying away from Home Depot's fittings. I've had numerous leak issues with the, right from the store. The best brand IMO is John Guest.

http://www.amazon.com/Speedfit-PPSV040808WP-4-Inch-Valve-Start/dp/B003YKF2E2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405193892&sr=8-1&keywords=john+guest

Use plastic everything, and look for NSF certification on your parts, filters, faucet, ect. NSF is an independent certification company and rates the amounts of leaching contaminants in the products. Look for symbols like this

http://www.johnguest.com/Home/applications/beverages-and-drinks-dispense/PI-and-PM-Fittings/Inch-Size-Tube-to-tube-Fittings/EQUAL-STRAIGHT-CONNECTOR.aspx

Mainly look for NSF 14, and 51. NSF 61 is pretty rare and usually only on the highest quality equipment, Kinetico mainly.

You will usually only be using 1/4inch fittings and line on the cheaper units, the nicer ones will be with 3/8 inch lines and fittings, the 3/8 giving more flow and pressure due to increased size. If I can run 3/8 I run as much as possible to increase efficiency across whatever unit I'm working on.

[TheChewMaster]

Well while you are here, lol..  what systems would you recommend for an RO.  I cannot remember the brand they had at costco.
Since i got this damn reef tank i have been getting rodi water from the fish store and i am getting tired of hauling buckets into town once a week or so.  Therefore, I am looking at buying my own RODI system since eveybody says you are "supposed" to use super pure water to prevent a lot of algae problems. If i can just get a setup where i can drink from then that would be cool too, then i wouldn't have to buy these britta filters we are using.

I would definitely use the same water, I do with my fish tanks. However I just keep freshwater fish, too much work for salt water, just my humble opinion. I believe this is the unit you are talking about:

http://www.amazon.com/Watts-Premier-RO-Pure-531411-4-Stage/dp/B0091OBMY4/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

I'm not totally sure of the advantages/disadvantages of using RODI water in the fish tank but you don't need DI water for your own consumption. If I was you I would run one or system and run one line to a faucet/fridge for drinking water, and then split the product water line and add a secondary empty canister with a DI filter you can change on your own just producing water to the fish tank.

That Costco watts or system definitely runs 1/4 line through out the unit if I remember correctly. It ain't garbage but it's not a high production unit either. The daily production rate is probably 10 to 20 gallons per day, in many of the reef or systems you will se in dr. Fosters smith catalog will be 200 GDP plus systems, very few people will use that much flow out of the membranes. Make sure you have a pressure tank to collect water over time and deliver it out at once. Mainly because an ro will use water pressure to collect and reject water, so the flow out of the membranes will be significantly reduced. So we collect water in a small pressure tank to deliver it at one time. I run 2 tanks to allow enough water to be stored to fill a 5 gal jug. Works perfect for my situation.

[Dingman.]

You're right i believe that is the model they sell at costco.  Bu i believe it was somewhere around $180.

I was looking at a rodi unit from bulkreef supply, think their 4 stage filters are rated at 75gpd but no drinking accesories.

[BigPapa]

RO is the way to go ! Aqua Pure is the best i've installed they come with all you need to do the job ! I have installed a few for some people that they got from home depot only to find out they didn't stock the filters when it was time to change them

[Rocksurfer]

I'd get one from a company that has a history with them. I've seen so many come and go that you end up having a system that you can no longer service. This comes from my days in the plumbing dept. at Home Depot. Can't tell you how many people would come looking for filters and such only to find that they no longer make that style. Culligan is a good start.