Aquasana AQ-4000 Drinking Water System
by Aquasana
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Our Price: $169.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $124.00 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Aquasana AQ-4000 Drinking Water System
Customer Review: Works OK, but is it what they say???
Summary: 3 Stars
Owned the countertop version for almost 6 months and just replaced the filters. Couple of points...
1. Water quality. It was about the same the whole time. I ran a little with the old filter and the new one, the new water tasted a little better but also had a little odor (not a bad odor). But that could be because the "living" material has not set up shop, or the silicon,etc. Is it better than tap? Yes. Is it better than a PUR faucet filter? probably, but not a whole lot. Is it more economical? Barely. Does it do everything Aquasana says? Probably not because of....
2. What are the filters made of? Basically the same as a PUR filter. After replacement I decided to tear one apart. The filter is Nothing but formed activated carbon. Both filters are exactly the same. I'm not sure why they mark them different, call us suckers?? Or was the second originally something else and they had trouble with mold and such. Who knows. Basically, a thick cylinder shape; water is pressurized in the middle and forced through the media, and there you go - filtered water. Same as PUR, but with 2 larger filters. Activated carbon is largely good for odors It can absorb some chemicals and such. The carbon in this design is also good as a basic "filter" as well and needs little "flushing" to get rid of loose material. Without a true "multistage" design it will not be as effective on chlorine, sediments, Ph, etc. That explains the sediment buildup on the spout that everyone talks about. Some people have tested the water and have NOT been impressed. If you want a little cleaner, nicer smelling water this filter is fine. It is a step beyond a PUR faucet filter. IF you want more than that you need to move on. I can't help but think someone could come out with something better.
2. Replacing the filters. I've read all the issues with cracking, mold, can't get filters out, etc. I had none of it. Push down on each hose and then pull out while holding down the grey ring. I used a 11/16 socket wrench to break the seal on each. There was a little mold on the bottom of one side of the housing, or was it carbon residue? As you can guess, it is irrelevant. To be absolutely honest there was NOTHING to talk about, No odor, no sediment, no build-up, no gunk! Kind of disturbing actually. I'd prefer it WAS a mess. Makes me wonder if I should bother.
Finally, there is no doubt these filters could be sold for half the price and still make a tidy profit. Might explain the need for the "WATER FILTER COMPARISON" website made by these people. They don't mention DIRECTLY the conflict of interest; kinda sleezy tactic. I think the shower filter is actually probably a better product. I haven't broken it open yet to see what's actually inside. I will review it over there later.
Customer Review: A Total Waste of Money - There Are Better Alternatives
Summary: 1 Stars
I owned this Aquasana unit for about six weeks. After just a couple of weeks the flow of water began to decrease noticeably. After six weeks it slowed to such a trickle that filling a glass of water would take so long I'd have to go do something else while waiting for it to happen. It didn't take long for the unit to become unusable.
I called the company several times. They kept blaming the problem on my water - they said that where I live there's a lot of sediment, etc. (Not that I live on the moon, I just live in a typical American city.)
Well, DUHH. If I had clean water, I wouldn't need their filter, right? Basically what the company is telling me is that the job is too tough and their filter just can't cut it. So why pay them all that money? I even used their sediment "prefilters" regularly, changing them once a week at an additional expense, and it made absolutely no difference.
I bought the Aquasana based on a lot of internet hype that this product simply does not deserve. Finally I decided to stop throwing good money after bad, canceled the expensive "Water for Life" program, and threw the thing out.
I'm not sure why the Aquasana is so inefficient, but I suspect one reason may be its small filter size. There are much better alternatives out there, with decent filters, and I got one that really works. The Multi-Pure water filtration system has a true solid carbon block filter that's large enough to handle the job, and does not need any "prefilters" that raise the cost unnecessarily. Their regular filters also last longer. Thus the Multi-Pure does a better job at a lower cost for replacement filters. I got the Multi-Pure unit with the metal case, which not only won't crack but also has a separate spout that produces a full, rich stream of water. I've had the Multi-Pure now longer than I had the Aquasana and its flow has not diminished, no matter what Aquasana may think of my troublesome water. And because there are no stupid "sediment prefilters" to jack up the expense, in the long run the Multi-Pure is cheaper to operate.
I notice that even some "good" reviews of the Aquasana complain about how slow it is, and about water pressure issues, etc. I don't worry about any of that with the Multi-Pure. So filtering water efficiently is not beyond the possible; it's the Aquasana system that's a piece of junk.
Unless your water is pristine (in which case you don't need a filter), forget the Aquasana despite the hype, and buy a good system that really works. It is not hard to find something better than Aquasana.
Customer Review: Awesome countertop alternative
Summary: 5 Stars
I've used several in-store filters (Pur, Brita, etc.) and never has the difference in taste been so apparent with this Aquasana filter. If you can't taste the chlorine in your water, you will taste it (and Lord knows what else) in a taste test between municipal water and water filtered with this particular filter.
Installation was simple. Remove the aerator attach the collar to the faucet (no adapter needed though they were included) and a 3 minute filter process and I had clean water. I had to turn the entire hose outlet (not just the swivel collar) to tighten it completely so it wouldn't leak, and that put the line in an awkward position on the countertop. This limits where I could put the filter housing. A small gripe but if you're picky about your countertop space, it's worth mentioning.
This unit is reported to filter all contaminants. It even filters 40-60% of fluoride levels, an amazing claim considering it doesn't use reverse osmosis. I will be testing that claim in the future, but several reports on the web convinced me this claim is likely true.
Operation is simple. Pull the activator plug out for filtered water. When you shut the water off the plug returns to its off position.
I emailed the company (before I ordered this unit) about claims of leakage and I got a email reply from a real person in less than five minutes. No company has ever responded through email that quickly.
Noting the taste of the water, I wish I had optioned for the under counter unit. But no worries I'll stick with this unit, get some tests of my own performed and option to upgrade in the future. But bottom line, the water tastes amazing.
Customer Review: Seems good for the price but are claims true?
Summary: 4 Stars
We've been using the AQ4000 counter top unit for several years now.
It seems to do a good job on our well water which is run thru a whole house filter and then a softner first.
Looks and tastes good and the price is right.
However, the cartridge replacement is kind of a pain.
Tended to be hard to loosen covers to get at the cartridges. This part of the plastic did eventually break and I am thinking of buying another now.
Some have reported leaks and you do have to be careful to get the O-ring greased and in just the right way or it will leak.
But it never developed a leak later on, only when changing cartridges and you'd just have to monkey with it
a bit to fix.
Wear gloves if you ever do this as I cut my hand pretty good on the hard plastic the first time I had to change them.
My problem now is their performance data claims (which another reviewer correctly pointed out are non NSF certified.
They are "UL certified by NSF standards" according to Aquasana).
But they seem too good to be true when compared to other units of the same type. (non-rev osmosis)
I looked at a 3M undersink product that has a much easier to change filter for not much more money then the AQ but it's reduction tests were not as good as the AQ4000.
I imagine 3M would know their way around filters too.....but who knows?
If anyone has any thoughts please reply.
-Scott
Customer Review: It's not difficult to change the filter in this system . . . it's impossible!
Summary: 1 Stars
The price was right, and the quality of the filtration sounded fine. So I bought one of these from the manufacturer. It wasn't easy to install one of the two original filters. I finally called tech support at the manufacturer. The tech told me to bang it on the counter to get this filter in - this wasn't explained in the instructions, but that was all right. It worked, and I was happy. The product seemed fine to me. I didn't mind switching back and forth from filtered to unfiltered water; neither did the slow flow of the filtered water bother me.
Then it came time to change the filters. It was difficult to remove one of the two filters, but finally it came loose (I can't actually remember, but I am guessing that this was the one banged on the counter during the original installation). Unfortunately I found that this filter had come apart in the casing, and the top piece of it with the O ring was stuck in the case. I could not remove this part. It was incredibly frustrating. Finally I gave up.
I have never seen any product with a filter so difficult to install and remove. The 100-day warranty (which ends conveniently before the first time a filter change is due) had passed. I threw the product in the trash and will be using bottled water again until I find a suitable alternative.