APEC Water Systems ROES-50 Essence Series Top Tier 5-Stage WQA Certified Ultra Safe Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System

> I purchased the APEC ROES-50 to replace a similar 25 year-old system, largely because I was due for a completely filter change (including the membrane), and a tank change --- which would have costed as much as a new system.> The APEC ROES-50 system includes everything you need for a complete installation, including adapters, a splitter, and a valve to attach to your cold water line, and an RO (reverse osmosis) faucet. Caveat, I recommend a dual dishwasher/RO air gap, or at least an RO air gap faucet, which are NOT included.> Since my old system was a 1/4" tubing system (like the APEC ROES-50), I used the old 1/4" water supply line (meaning that I did not have to install any adapters, splitters, valves, nor a new line). I could have used my old RO faucet --- but I chose to use the (included) new faucet.EASE OF INSTALLATION> The two hardest parts of a new installation are installing the adapter (if necessary), a spliter, valve, and a new cold water supply line, AND drilling a hole in your countertop for the reverse osmosis faucet. If you install a dual dishwasher/RO air gap, that will require a second hole. Since I did NOT have to do any of that, my installation was very easy. Essentially, all I had to do was install a valve on the new tank (very easy), install the 3 primary filters (very easy), and connect lines to the water supply, to the tank, and to the RO faucet (easy).> Connecting the lines to the water supply, to the incoming water line, water tank, and to the RO faucet was very easy: You pull out plugs from the connectors, insert the new lines (IMPORTANT -- as deep as they will go), and then pull out on the new lines to tighten the connection. Remarkable. Installing the connections on my old system was much more difficult, and almost invariably leaked. The new quick connections were ridiculously easy, and after about 15 months, have not leaked.OTHER OPTIONS> Tempted by a smaller, more compact system? That's fine for a drinking water system, say in an office. But check out the tank capacity. You need a 5 gallon tank (which can actually deliver only 2--3 gallons at-a-time) for a home kitchen system. You may never use more than a gallon at a time, but that first gallon will be delivered quickly -- the second or third gallon will be tad slower. If you want a fourth or fifth gallon, you'll have to wait a half-hour or so.> I considered a ca $30 more expensive 3/8" line system (largely because I suspected that a 3/8" system would be less leak-prone). I'm glad I did not buy it. For one thing, I would have had to install new fittings for the water supply to the RO system. It is claimed that the 3/8" system fills big cooking pots quickly, but frankly, the 1/4" system does as well --- the difference would be measured in seconds. Theoretically, if you had to fill, say, five 2-gallon pots (a hypothetical 10 gallons total) at-a-time, a few more seconds per gallon might matter --- but the actual 5-gallon tank capacity is only 2--3 gallons (depending on your water pressure) at a time, so you can't fill five 2-gallon pots at-a-time anyway. By the way a 2--3 gallon capacity might sound inadequate, but in 25 years, I've never felt the need for greater capacity -- I virtually never used more than a gallon at a time. (As I understand it, it is possible to gang more storage tanks for greater capacity). Perhaps with several tanks ganged together (easily possible), or one or more larger tanks, such a system might be useful in a small commercial kitchen.> You can pay more for a 100 gallon/day rated system, but what's the point of that? You still can get only 2--3 gallons at-a-time (with a single 5-gallon tank). Again, perhaps with several 5 tanks ganged together (easily possible), or one or more larger tanks, such a system might be useful in a small commercial kitchen. Moreover, presumably a 100 gallon/day system probably generates 2x more RO wastewater than a 50 gallon/day system -- and the difference may add up to considerably higher water bills.> It was my impression that the ROES-50 system came with standard fittings, and that I'd have to pay more for a quick-connect system. But my ROES-50 system came with quick-connect fittings. No error by APEC nor Amzn -- the box and instructions were clearly labeled "ROES-50".TIPS> When installing the cold water supply, tank, faucet, and drain lines, it is best NOT to shorten them for a neater installation (as I did for my first RO system). In the future, you may need to change the water tank and the reverse osmosis faucet, and maybe even your main sink faucet. In the past 30 years I've changed my main faucet 3 times, my RO faucet 3 times, my RO tank 3 times, and my RO membrane 4 times, plus changing the other RO filters many times. If you shorten the lines, you might have to disconnect various lines for access, which can be surprisingly confusing, and might be difficult to re-install without leakage. If you leave the lines long, you can probably simply move the RO system aside for access without having to disconnect anything.> To install the cold water supply, tank, and reverse osmosis faucet lines, keep the connection clean until installation (i.e., don't remove the plugs early, and wipe off the ends of the lines with a paper towel (or, better, a clean cloth) just before you insert them into the connectors). Insert the end of the line as deep into the connector as it will go, then pull back hard to set the connection. Leave 3--5" space with your cabinet walls (or door) so that there is no sideways strain on the lines at the connectors.> Use (food grade) silicon grease (NOT included) when installing the three big filter housings. The 3" diameter o-rings in the three big filter housings come greased already with silicon grease (be careful not to contaminate the surfaces of the greased o-rings with dust or grit). When you change the filters in the future, you should clean the o-rings (until no more black carbon comes off on a paper towel), and re-grease them with silicon grease, and wipe off the excess.> The 2 large carbon filters also have rubber disks, which are best lightly greased with silicon grease (wipe off all excess). Don't forget to remove the shrink plastic around the three big filters before installing them (as one reviewer claimed that her plumber had failed to do).> APEC recommends installing the RO drainline into your sink drain pipe as low as practical to avoid the sounds of RO waste water dripping into your sink drain. Instead, I suggest installing the RO drainline below the level that the drain line exits the RO manifold (which depends on where and how you mount the RO manifold), but otherwise as high as possible, to minimize backflow from your sink U trap, which really has disgusting stuff (mats of bacteria) in it. Beware that the water level in your sink waste line can be higher than the top of the sink drainline U-trap if your sink is draining slowly. Be vigilant to maintain your sink waste line clear at all times and that water never backs up. [See "No Air Gap" below for a better idea]> Applying silicon grease to the threads of the big filter housings makes them easier to tighten tight enough to prevent leakage, and to later loosen to change the filters. (Read some of the negative reviews which complain that it is impossible to tighten the housings tight enough to stop leaks, or that it is impossible to remove the housings to replace filters. Trust me --- use silicon grease on the housing threads. Screw the filter housings on and off several times to be sure that the silicon grease is well spread).CAUTION -- Some day, your system or your sink will leak. So, I very strongly suggest that you invest in a leak detection alarm. You don't need to get fancy. You don't need WiFi and other silly features. I bought a package of 2 alarms for $8 twenty years ago, and they have saved my hotwater heater cabinet from being destroyed, and my sink cabinet from being destroyed a half-dozen times. These days $10 (each) alarms are good enough for this purpose. Weathertek (and probably some other manufacturers) also makes a sink cabinet mat which I highly recommend. The mat catches leaks before they puddle up enough to trigger your leak alarm. Slow leaks can damage press-board cabinets without setting off a leak alarm.NO AIR GAP> RO systems require a wastewater drain line --- almost always draining into your sink drain pipe. That's because additional water is used to flush the reverse osmosis filter --- you've got to get rid of those sodium ions, calcium ions , chloride ions, etc. trapped by the osmosis filter, or the filter would be quickly hopelessly clogged up. That RO wastewater has to drain somewhere.> I was surprised by the lack of an airgap in the wastewater line in the APEC ROES-50 system (which is usually built into included RO faucets). The cheapest option is to connect your RO wastewater line to your dishwasher air gap (if your dishwasher is adjacent to your RO system, and has an airgap).> The best option is to use a "dual inlet air gap" specifically designed for a dishwasher and an RO system --about $40 from Amzn. There is even a model with a 1/4" push-in fitting on the RO side (the same type fitting as this APEC ROES-50 system for all the other connections). The only downside to a dishwasher/RO airgap is that you need another ~1" diameter hole in your countertop. Also, the APEC ROES-50 wasteline is 3/8", so you'll need a 3/8" to 1/4" tubing adapter -- but that's cheap and easy.> If your dishwasher is NOT adjacent to your RO system, you can replace the included RO faucet with an airgap RO faucet. Easy-pesy, but an extra expense, and not as good a solution as a dishwasher/RO airgap.> If your RO system drains into the highest sink in your house or building, which is also and the highest sink in your neighborhood, you do NOT live in a flood zone, and your water pressure is stable (even after severe storms, etc.) -- then you are probably okay without an airgap, albeit I'd still recommend a combined dishwasher/RO air gap.> If you are at a comparatively low elevation of a municipal sewage system (i.e., if sewage may flow into your home during a flood, etc.), then an air gap RO system is recommended (and probably mandated by law if you are connected to a municipal water system). You MAY be able to recover from a potential contamination event by replacing ALL of the filters in the system (at about the cost of an entirely new system, which would be a better idea), but the true danger is in not knowing that your system has been contaminated.> Without an air gap, your system can become contaminated simply from the sewage-like gunk in your sink drain line if your RO system ever looses water pressure (say during a widespread power outage that shuts down the municipal water pumps, or even during maintenance of the municipal water lines). If your system is for vacation home etc., where you may turn off the water for long periods (or otherwise your water pressure is not continuous), then an airgap is probably essential.WHY IS A DISHWASHER AIR GAP BETTER THAN AN AIR GAP RO FAUCET?> That sewage like bacteria in your sink U-trap can grow up into your RO drain line and clog it, causing your air gap faucet to leak onto your counter (it is designed to do this). Your air gap RO faucet wastewater drainline needs to be cleaned every 4-6 months. Read the reviews -- several reviewers claim that they replace their entire RO systems every 2 years or so because of the leakage from the RO airgap faucet (even though, obviously, it would be much more practical to simply clean the RO wastewater line).> Cleaning the wastewater line of an RO airgap faucet usually means disconnecting the RO drainline at the U-bend and running a special brush up the drain line to the RO air gap faucet. Alternatively, RO air gap faucets usually have a ~1/8" diameter drain hole on the side, and it is possible to force a blast of air, or to inject an ounce or so of Clorox through the drain hole (and down the RO waste-water line) with a large syringe. The problem is that it is easy to forget to clean the line on schedule, and wake up to a flood on your countertop some morning. It's happened to me MANY times.> WHY WON'T AN RO WASTE WATER LINE ALSO CLOG IF IT IS ROUTED THROUGH A DISHWASHER AIR GAP? A bacterial mat won't grow up your dishwasher wasteline because the drain line is much larger, much longer, and is vigorously flushed every time you run your dishwasher -- and even if the bacterial mat got to the dishwasher air gap, the airgap would stop it from getting any farther.> Why does the APEC ROES-50 have a 3/8" wastewater line even though my old RO system had a 1/4" RO waste water line? This is apparently APECs attempt to reduce the probability of clogging of the RO wasteline with a sewage-like bacterial mat growing from the U-trap of your sink drain pipe. But, in my opinion the larger wastewater line only slows down the wastewater flow velocity, making it easier for the bacterial mat to grow up the line and into your RO system (since there is no air gap to stop it).

I was a little intimidated at first about getting this to work the way I wanted to, but it was a really simple set up. I actually have this in a closet in my basement and going up to my fridge on the first floor. I just ordered extra length of 1/4" O.D. tubing so it could run further. The stock kit comes with enough for you to install directly under the sink.Some parts I recommend updating is the feed water adapter that attaches the system directly to your water supply. I ordered a brass one instead and its been working out great. Specifically this one --> www.amazon.com/dp/B09Z7NTZPGTo attach quick connect to the ice maker/fridge, I got these and it's been working great --> www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW1TRRP6I also added a permeate pump so the system runs more efficiently (doesn't waste as much water to produce clean water) --> www.amazon.com/dp/B00I3VKHSII then also added the alkaline stage which was easy enough to do to add some minerals back to the water --> www.amazon.com/dp/B01CUS46DGI'd also recommend getting some wireless leak detectors (I got the Govee ones) just for peace of mind. That way if the system leaks for any reason, you'll know right away.All said and done, the water is fantastic. My tap water wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. Testing the tap and testing the RO treated water, I can see a very clear difference. Ph is more balanced and showing no signs of contaminants. I can also taste the difference too. My ice and water kind of left a weird aftertaste in your mouth and now it doesn't. Pure, clean water.This kit was very easy to get going and if you have even a few brain cells, you should be able to just look at the diagram and understand how it works. Instructions were very helpful though.For the price, this is fantastic. Just keep in mind its limited to how much water it can provide. I originally thought I could have this hooked up to my sink, dishwasher, etc, but it's not like that. There are more expensive system out there that could handle that kind of load. This is really to provide clean water to one or two sources through the provided faucet and an ice maker. The system is simple and very easy to modify if you'd like to do so.