Whirlpool High Capacity Reverse Osmosis System At Lowes-$147

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HenryHill

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I know someone that just installed one of these-but not for brewing. I am struck by the name brand, capacity of 14.5 gallons per day, easy availability of filters, low waste and the fact that it's top rated by consumer reports.
It also has a membrane flush.

I'm tired of making a trip to get pure water.

Is there a down side to this that I am not seeing?

Price varies by your zipcode. $147 for me.

Whirlpool
High Capacity Reverse Osmosis System Water Filter

Item #: 129808 Model: WHER25

Filters out sediment, chlorine taste and odor, lead, cysts, chemicals and total dissolved solids
EZ change indicator light
High capacity system delivers bottle-quality water at your sink and also notifies you when it is time to replace filters
Reduces select contaminates such as: Arsenic, asbestos, cysts, lead, radium and turbidity

Whirlpool's site FAQ's:
http://ecodyne.org/rof/page4.asp

"What are the specifications of the system?

Supply water pressure limits 40-100 psi (280-689 kPa)
Supply water temperature limits 40-100 °F (5-40°C)
Maximum total dissolved solids (TDS) 2000 ppm
Maximum water hardness @ 6.9 pH 10 gpg
Maximum iron, manganese, hydrogen sulfide 0
Chlorine in water supply (max. ppm) 2.0
Supply water pH limits (pH) 4-10
Product (quality) water, 24 hours (1) 14.53 gal. (55 liters)
Waste water per gallon of product water (1) 5 gal. (18.9 liters)
Percent rejection of TDS, minimum (new membrane) (1) 90-95
Automatic shutoff control yes
Efficiency (2) 9.7 %
Recovery (3) 19.7 %

How long do the filters last?
We recommend that you change the filters every six months. Leaving the filters in place longer than six months can increase the possibility of bacteria growth on the filters, which could then enter your water supply. The Whirlpool® RO system comes with an indicator light on the faucet to inform you when it is time to change filters.

The RO system also includes a membrane, which is the center of the three filter elements. The membrane will typically last 1-3 years, depending on water usage and the quality of your incoming water supply. The membrane should be replaced when you notice a difference in the taste of your water. The life expectancy of an RO membrane will be longer if you have a water softener because the membrane will not plug up with hard water particles."
 
I bet well water with the minerals would plug it up rather fast vs tap water.
I switched over to well water and run it thru a fine stainless screen preventing any solids like a sand particle. Minerals I can live with vs the tap water I find makes for better tasting bier, I have both to draw from.
 
I would think that Michigan water would be just fine for brewing. I brew primarily with carbon filtered tap water. I do occassionally buy distilled water to blend 50/50 with my tap water for light lagers and any beer that required softer water. What makes you think that anything is wrong with your tap water? Generally, if your tap water tastes OK, it's acceptable for brewing.
 
Generally, if your tap water tastes OK, it's acceptable for brewing.

Not if you are trying to target specific chloride/sulfite ratios, residual alkalinity, mash pH etc. Sometimes its easier to start with RO water and build a profile from there. Your water might be great for light beers, but be abysmal for darker ones. Also, my water tastes fine, but I've been having problems with chloropenols caused by chloramine.

To answer your question specifically Henry, I have no clue if its good or not. The price is good, so if you can afford it right now, why not give it a shot? 14.5 gallons is plenty for 5 gallon batches.
 
the problem with michigan water is that we run off of many different aquifers. this means that what applies to a well in perry,where the op is at, doesn't apply to someone ten miles away since they'll likely be drawing from a different source.

also, the taste good brews good is only a basic rule for noobs anyway. when you start obsessing over your beer enough to get your water tested and you find that your carrying a shotload of dissolved solids/minerals in it you want an easy way to be rid of them for your brewing supply.

nice find btw henry i'll havew to look into it for ridding myself of all the iron in mine, i could build a dang battleship with the iron in my lines i bet.
 
Not if you are trying to target specific chloride/sulfite ratios, residual alkalinity, mash pH etc. Sometimes its easier to start with RO water and build a profile from there. Your water might be great for light beers, but be abysmal for darker ones. Also, my water tastes fine, but I've been having problems with chloropenols caused by chloramine.

To answer your question specifically Henry, I have no clue if its good or not. The price is good, so if you can afford it right now, why not give it a shot? 14.5 gallons is plenty for 5 gallon batches.

dangit!!1 xiang are you on city water???? is that why i have a keg full of bandaid tasting red ale?
 
Waste water per gallon of product water (1) 5 gal. (18.9 liters)
thats low waste? I would just buy a cheapo whole house filter system. I got mine for free and a set of cartridges are $10. then again my water is great. it would be nice to be able to plumb that waste water into a gray water tank for laundry or watering your hops or something.

jeez after 10 years Portland must be getting on me... eww...
 
heh, I didn't expect that everyone would know I've had my water tested and posted a sticky on water amendment software and Ward's water testing do's and don'ts. It tastes fine, but my water is the bomb for +40SRM beers. :D

I'm just looking for a an experienced opinion of the eco made RO system sold by sears and whirlpool. My understanding is that it uses non-standard filters instead of standard 10" cartridge water filters, but that's how they make any coin on these, with this low snagger introductory price.

Still, is this a trojan water filter black hole, or a gem with special requirements?
 
idk henry i like it but like chester i have a bit of a problem with the 5g waste for every 1g produced. and its probably a turn the tap on trickle and fill a carboy/kettle thing over 6hrs which would suck almost as bad as going to the store for water.
 
You get a couple gallons or whatever in small supply tank at a time, going to the store is the sukk. Remember, I only want 50% RO for a brew, and amendment of gypsum and HCl will give me a 1-5 SRM beer. So even for a 10 gallon batch, I've got it covered in milking the RO tap in under 24 hours, or I can upgrade to a bigger pressure tank...and just milk the tank once.


Having a well, I don't care about only getting 20% RO out of total water usage-it means nothing to me. You'd be amazed at how many thousand gallons of water I waste per month in current use. >shrug<
 
This thing has proprietary filters-I want the same system with standard 10" cartridge filters.

The ones at bulkreefsupply.com seem to need a lot of options to be desirable, but one stands out:

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/RO/DI...RO/DI-5-Stage-*PLUS*-System/product_info.html

Still, it seems to need the tank and faucet option.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/RO/DI...d-Faucet-Kit-for-RO-systems/product_info.html

Now we're at $270, but the filters seem to be the standard 10" cartridge type filters.

Who else does a quality system with gages and meters, using standard filters, for under $300?

The Whirlpool/Kenmore is a filter junkie, as is the GE from Home Depot. Inexpensive units but they phuck you with the filters.:(
 
I have the "Nimbus Sierra" which supposedly has the lowest waste (2.1 per 1 gallon produced) of any residential unit.
I purchased it through a local water dealer and it's been fantastic. They even test the water for me every 6 months or so for free via mail in vile and let me know when I need a replacement filter/membrane.

It is expensive but not as expensive as wasting needless gallons of water. Hell I feel bad wasting 2.1g let alone 4-5.
Good luck.
 
I've posted on a few other threads about Bulk Reef Supply. Their systems are great quality and I've had good experiences with their customer service. Someone also said that they've had good luck with the GE Merlin high output system, although I've never used one.
 
People are always concerned about wasted water. Does anyone really know what a gallon of water costs on a municipal system? It's like 1 penny per gallon. Now, I'm not suggesting anyone leave the faucet on all day during a drought but a few gallons of waste isn't the end of the world. A $150 RO system will take a while to pay for itself though if you have a source for distilled water at say 75c a gallon. Right? I mean, that's 200 gallons to break even .

What I don't like is having the waste line tap into the sewer. That water is a little higher in mineral concentration, but it's fine for so many uses. You can run it outside for irrigation of gardens, the lawn, pet drinking water or you can run it into your washing machine. I'm thinking of setting up a 30 gallon tank near my washing machine for that very purpose and also run my chiller output into it.
 
People are always concerned about wasted water. Does anyone really know what a gallon of water costs on a municipal system? It's like 1 penny per gallon. Now, I'm not suggesting anyone leave the faucet on all day during a drought but a few gallons of waste isn't the end of the world. A $150 RO system will take a while to pay for itself though if you have a source for distilled water at say 75c a gallon. Right? I mean, that's 200 gallons to break even .

What I don't like is having the waste line tap into the sewer. That water is a little higher in mineral concentration, but it's fine for so many uses. You can run it outside for irrigation of gardens, the lawn, pet drinking water or you can run it into your washing machine. I'm thinking of setting up a 30 gallon tank near my washing machine for that very purpose and also run my chiller output into it.

Bobby; that's a great way to conserve water if you need to or have to depending on where you live. In my area the city water last time we had a drought they told us to cut back 10 -15% then more if needed, this became a problem if your already cutting back before they reduce your amount more then your hit with the higher rate above your set amount. With a family of four we use a large amount allowing for plenty of reduction if needed before being billed at the higher over use rate. A few eco wacko green friends got big penalty bills at the higher rates for going over once they established their normal use amount, their bills were higher than mine plus I could cut back if needed. One house has a well for the yard plus brewing in the past, my house i'll dig a well in the future also only needs to be 35' deep for 1 hp pump. I only use a industrial stainless mesh filter allowing the natural minerals to pass.
 
The truth is, I use more water (not to mention natural gas) for my daily shower than I do chilling a batch of beer. It's extremely wasteful and I feel marginally bad about it. I'd convert to navy showers if I had any conscience.
 
Who else does a quality system with gages and meters, using standard filters, for under $300?

How about under well under $300...and great customer service to boot?

H20 Science

I bought one of these for my saltwater stuff...has auto-shutoff valve and inline TDS meters. I rigged mine to fill a 39gal brute container, and waste goes out to the front landscaping. You could replace the DI cartridge with another carbon one if you wanted to, but the DI will leave you with basically pure water.

I've been using mine for years, and change the DI media ~2 times/year, for cheap if you buy a bulk bag from them. Just don't let it freeze in your garage, or drop it off the wall-mount.....the pressure gauge will break and the canisters will crack :eek:... I just called them up, and had new parts in a few days for very little cost.


They also have some without the tds and shut-off for $130.

These guys come highly recommended!! Hope that helps,

Later,

edit: get the hose adapter for the "in" line....then hook it up to your washer valve with a y-adapter (or your outdoor faucet).
 
How about under well under $300...and great customer service to boot?

H20 Science

I bought one of these for my saltwater stuff...has auto-shutoff valve and inline TDS meters. I rigged mine to fill a 39gal brute container, and waste goes out to the front landscaping. You could replace the DI cartridge with another carbon one if you wanted to, but the DI will leave you with basically pure water.

I've been using mine for years, and change the DI media ~2 times/year, for cheap if you buy a bulk bag from them. Just don't let it freeze in your garage, or drop it off the wall-mount.....the pressure gauge will break and the canisters will crack :eek:... I just called them up, and had new parts in a few days for very little cost.


They also have some without the tds and shut-off for $130.

These guys come highly recommended!! Hope that helps,

Later,

edit: get the hose adapter for the "in" line....then hook it up to your washer valve with a y-adapter (or your outdoor faucet).

I like their sediment filter, I bet using that alone the flow can be increased to more than the 75 GPD the 3 pack unit is designed at as that's only 6.66 oz a minute with their total system. I bet the sediment filter alone would handle 5 to 10 times that amount in flow if used as a single unit. I get small particles from my well being on an island hell sand down there. That 1 to 5 microns sounds great as I also have used 7" long automotive oil filters with the remote filter adapter in the past. Flush for 20 minutes then fill the brewing system. Down side bare metal internally a one shot item rusty by the next day.
 
I do not have any conscience when it comes to water usage. Having a well, I water the yard in summer from two hose spigots at once, re-fill my pool in spring and top off all summer long, wash cars, wash off the parking pads, etc.

SO, past that moot point, I am only looking for a system to make brew water for 10 gallon batches, and my study of brewing any color of beer allows me to use 50% of my hard tap water, with amendments, for brewing, so I would need approx. 7.5 gallons of RO to brew.

What I detest is the 'feed it batteries' syndrome, or in this case, 'feed it proprietary overpriced filters'. I am leaning towards the bulkreefsupply system as it seems to be everything you could want in a system, without the bend me over prices on 1/4 twist-loc filters that GE and Whirlpool want to shove up my azz. I especially like the system pressure gage and dual tds meters, checking what comes in and what goes out. Being primarily a reef tank supply house, the system does not come with the requisite sink faucet and tank, so that is an option that I must get. My plan is to set this up under my sink which is in a corner cabinet, so I have adequate room for the system and a tank.

The GE Merlin system has many detractors. Loudness, warranty issues, and it really is an over-sized behemoth for what I need.

Fact is, GE has a very poor reputation in the repair parts industry, as the failure rate of parts is high, the parts cost is exorbitant, and they are produced in the MTD mower philosophy of 'Made To Die', so you have to always spend money on bastard/non standard parts. Sad, since GE has a good reputation for electronic things, but for appliances, they are the sukk.
 
How about under well under $300...and great customer service to boot?

H20 Science

I bought one of these for my saltwater stuff...has auto-shutoff valve and inline TDS meters. I rigged mine to fill a 39gal brute container, and waste goes out to the front landscaping. You could replace the DI cartridge with another carbon one if you wanted to, but the DI will leave you with basically pure water.

I've been using mine for years, and change the DI media ~2 times/year, for cheap if you buy a bulk bag from them. Just don't let it freeze in your garage, or drop it off the wall-mount.....the pressure gauge will break and the canisters will crack :eek:... I just called them up, and had new parts in a few days for very little cost.


They also have some without the tds and shut-off for $130.

These guys come highly recommended!! Hope that helps,

Later,

edit: get the hose adapter for the "in" line....then hook it up to your washer valve with a y-adapter (or your outdoor faucet).

I would still need to upgrade to a faucet and tank system. :(

AND, it appears to be the same price for the same stuff, minus 1 stage. :(
 
I like their sediment filter, I bet using that alone the flow can be increased to more than the 75 GPD the 3 pack unit is designed at as that's only 6.66 oz a minute with their total system. I bet the sediment filter alone would handle 5 to 10 times that amount in flow if used as a single unit.

The sediment filter is just that, only for larger particles...it is intended to greatly increase the lifespan of the other media after it. The cartridge (sediment filter) when I take it out, feels just like a roll of tightly wrapped drier sheets....I know that's not what it is, but it has that same texture.

The 75gpd is actually the the RO filter's capacity, everything else could handle more than that. The water has to actually be forced through that filter, hence 'reverse' osmosis. In order to get that 75 though, I find I need at least 50psi or the production slows down...60psi is ideal.

I don't use it for brewing water, because I don't want to mess with adding salts and stuff....I do a lot of water quality at work (worst part of the job), so I don't want to mess with it at home. What I do do, is use the extra canisters I bought when I had to replace the cracked ones (~$10 a piece), and run them in-line as a double carbon filter...this removes the chlorine from my municipal at about 0.9 gal/min, and I don't have chlorophenols (medicinal taste) anymore.

Once I start ramping up my production (kinda just maintaining now because we are gonna sell the house and move back up to the Nortwoods)...I will probably get new cartridges and start using the RO/DI. Right now I am super busy and the beer tastes good with our dechlorinated water (~85pp CaCO3 hardness, and ~110 ppm CaCO3 Alkalinity).

Later,
 
I would still need to upgrade to a faucet and tank system. :(

Here's one from H20 Science

You must live in an apartment or something then? I didn't read that part if you mentioned it already. The system I mentioned before, you would just pull it out, connect, use, store....not sure why you would need the tank and faucet set-up...

please elaborate on your situation....

Thanks,
 
I do not have any conscience when it comes to water usage. Having a well, I water the yard in summer from two hose spigots at once, re-fill my pool in spring and top off all summer long, wash cars, wash off the parking pads, etc.

SO, past that moot point, I am only looking for a system to make brew water for 10 gallon batches, and my study of brewing any color of beer allows me to use 50% of my hard tap water, with amendments, for brewing, so I would need approx. 7.5 gallons of RO to brew.

What I detest is the 'feed it batteries' syndrome, or in this case, 'feed it proprietary overpriced filters'. I am leaning towards the bulkreefsupply system as it seems to be everything you could want in a system, without the bend me over prices on 1/4 twist-loc filters that GE and Whirlpool want to shove up my azz. I especially like the system pressure gage and dual tds meters, checking what comes in and what goes out. Being primarily a reef tank supply house, the system does not come with the requisite sink faucet and tank, so that is an option that I must get. My plan is to set this up under my sink which is in a corner cabinet, so I have adequate room for the system and a tank.

The GE Merlin system has many detractors. Loudness, warranty issues, and it really is an over-sized behemoth for what I need.

Fact is, GE has a very poor reputation in the repair parts industry, as the failure rate of parts is high, the parts cost is exorbitant, and they are produced in the MTD mower philosophy of 'Made To Die', so you have to always spend money on bastard/non standard parts. Sad, since GE has a good reputation for electronic things, but for appliances, they are the sukk.

"Wash cars", eeeeekkkk! That would leave mineral spots etched into the finish not alone a few vehicles in the old nitro lacquer paint finish. Adding to this any sand scratching the finish should I wash with the well water. Just got done machining some suspension parts for my sons BMW and the well pump was running for 4 1/2 hours watering the yard. Electricity is cheap in my way of thinking vs city water. They switched from chlorine to a some other chemical that will kill your tropical fish plus we have good water. I still rather use well vs tap when brewing, I need the well water tested again next spring to see what's needed for brewing again.
 
We are in drought situation here in So California, water rationing and water rates have increased dramatically so it is an issue for me.

Yeah bro your in the 51st state pulling water away from northern Calif.
You around during the drought of 77? I dug 5 wells with a Ridgid 700 threader plus a Greenlee winch with a 22' by 8" aluminum "H" beam tripod. My first house and married I went down 114' with 6" PVC casing off the job site 20' lengths free. With a 1HP pump my neighbors at 4 houses had garden water hence plenty of free food from their gardens. Lawns looked greener than off tap water, rationing was in effect with many people going over the base price limits with big water bills. I used well water for the dishwasher, toilets and washing machine, that alone will save plenty of water plus the yard.
No rock gardens at my properties.
 

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