Anyone know about Aquasana (water filters)? Is their reputation real or just advertising?

[arendt]

We have well-water, which we pass through an Ecowater softener. (It came with the house.) But, even with that, the water has a lot of iron and tested marginal for some contaminants. As a result, we buy bottled for drinking. I'm looking for an under-sink system for drinking water - in order to stop buying plastic bottles.

So, I google up water filter reviews, and find all these rankings that list Aquasana, which I never heard of. Problem is, when I chain back, most of them are either aquasana or unknown blogs. According to all these sites, Aquasana has the best numbers by far, and it is quite affordable and cheap to operate. Sounds to good to be true.

My question is: is Aquasana some Amway cult? Is this reputation deserved or some kind of scam?

Thanks for any feedback

arendt

[Ian David]

1. Check with Consumer Reports? n/t

[arendt]

2. Aquasana advertises their #1 ranking with Consumer Digest, which I never heard of. n/t

[arendt]

3. I don't subscribe to CR. So, I can't. n/t

[Ian David]

4. Go to the book store, find their book in the magazine section, and look it up for free. n/t

[arendt]

7. Thanks. No offense, but that's obvious. I'm looking for something more expansive...

and personal.

I find CR to be a bit dry and terse. If I'm familiar with a product/technology, that's fine. But I don't know water filters at all. Almost made the mistake of going for reverse osmosis before I did some studying. So, I'm hoping someone who's into alternative tech wants to preach to me.

BTW - thanks for all your posts about Massachusetts.

arendt

[safeinOhio]

5. I recall reading CR

I remember the Sears counter top model, $50.00 was rated best. Not sure about iron. The best you can get, if money is no object, would be a distiller unit. A friend of mine had one and it was great. It was used only for drinking water and not household use. Hit your local library to back check old CRs.

[johnaries]

6. At least it looks like they don't use reverse osmosis.

Make sure you don't get a system using reverse osmosis. It takes over 5 gallons of waste water to make 1 gallon of filtered water! It will overload your septic and may drain your well.

[arendt]

8. Right. RO also takes out too many good minerals. Its wrong tech. Knew about the 5:1...

didn't realize it could damage the septic. Thanks.

arendt

[madokie]

9. We use a pur brand under the sink filter

we're on rural water and when we filled our pool a couple years back I took a sample up to the pool place to have them check it so I would know what chemicals I needed to put in and guess what, the water out of our tap is perfect for a swimming pool, I didn't have to add anything initially. The filter we use has a cartridge that cost about 25 bucks and for drinking and cooking with it will last for a couple years and the water taste so good coming out of it that when we go somewhere and want to take some water with us we just fill a few empty water bottles we have saved and viola we have bottled water, cheaply.

[Mrs. Overall]

10. I installed an Aquasana water filter and shower filter at the beginning of Dec.--

So far, I have been very pleased. Previously I had been using a PUR filter on my kitchen faucet for about the last six years and became frustrated with the short life and expense of the filters. I also did some research (Consumer Digest) and found a chart actually listing the contaminants various filtration systems removed http://www.waterfiltercomparisons.com/Water_Filter_Comparison_Matrix.cfm.

I was surprised how few chemicals/biological agents that PUR actually removed, and I discovered that for a life time warranty, I could install an Aquasana filter and have everything filtered out and only change the filter every six months. I bought Model #: AQ-4000. I just looked at their website and this model is on sale: http://www.aquasana.com/category.php?category_id=1 The undersink system is on sale as well.

What an incredible difference in the taste and the "feel" of the water. Even my children noticed it. The water has an amazing freshness with absolutely no background taste. The filter was very easy to install on our faucet, and so far I love it. (the bulkiness of the PUR on the faucet-head had always bugged me, and I had also replaced it several times because of the plastic cracking @ $50.00 a pop)

I decided to purchase an Aquasana for our shower as well--I had been reading about the effects of chlorine on the skin and also about the effects of breathing in chlorinated steam, which delivers much more chlorine into the body than merely drinking chlorinated water. I love the shower filter as well--it is simply a shower-head with a filter attachment and took less than a minute to install. I have noticed that my usual rough, dry, winter skin has vanished.

Hope this is helpful! I recommend Aquasana. I did not, however, sign up for a program they have which automatically sends a replacement filter every six months. I may eventually do that, but for now I'll just order replacements in May.

[arendt]

11. I appeciate the personal experience. And, I caution about the websites:

From http://www.waterfiltercomparisons.com/

Who are the companies behind the products?
# Brita = Clorox Bleach Co./ Retail
# PUR = Recovery Engineering, Inc./ Retail
# Amway = Amway Inc./ Multi-Level Sales
# Culigan = U.S. Filter = Vavendi/ Retail
# Kenmore = Sears/ Retail
# Multi-Pure = MultiPure, Inc./ Multi-Level Sales
# Seagull IV = General Ecology/ Retail
# Aquasana = Sun Water Systems, Inc/ Factory Direct & Retail

...

This site is owned and operated by Doss Holdings Inc., a "For Profit" Texas Corporation owned by Charles, Mindy and Noah Strand. Charles Strand is also a shareholder and has affilaitions with Sun Water Systems, Inc.

As I said in the OP, I can't find much in the way of independent corroboration. Your experience is useful. And, the waterfiltercomparisons is also useful. I wish I weren't so skeptical of self-promoting green business-folk.

arendt

[Muttocracy]

12. get a good test, treat for what's really there

Hope you've had a good water quality test by an independent state-certified lab. If you need help finding one I can post a link from EPA's site.

Bottled water may be sold as "safer" but it isn't necessarily - unless your water has some serious biological or chemical contaminants.

Buy treatment equipment based on what problems you have. I don't know anything about Aquasana though I'll take a look at it. One strategy is to get treatment equipment that has been 3rd-party certified for the type of contaminant you have, e.g., by NSF International:

http://nsf.org/consumer/drinking_water/dw_treatment.asp?program=WaterTre

Page has general info and link to their directory of equipment (classified by problems equipment treats and the type of system (e.g., whole house vs. under sink))

Check with cooperative extension in your state and see what info they have (disclosure - I work for cooperative extension, in part on water issues).

[eco_life]

13. Company Info

Here's some more information I found on the web about Aquasana...hope it helps.

Looks like they were ranked in Inc 500 fastest growing companies for 2007...

http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2007/company-profile.html?id=200704110



No. 411 Sun Water Systems
Fort Worth, TX


Year 2007
Industry Consumer Products
Founded 1998
Growth 703.8%
2003 Revenue $941,002
2006 Revenue $7.6 million
Employees 31
Website www.Aquasana.com


Ranked No. 10 in the Top Companies in Consumer Products
Ranked No. 13 in the Top Companies in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
What it does: Makes and sells high-end home water-filtration systems, primarily under the Aquasana brand.

Why it's growing: Recent studies showing that chloroform and other carcinogens are absorbed and inhaled in the shower have driven sales of Aquasana shower filters. Sun Water also makes the Beauty Water shower filter, a private label for celebrity hairstylist Jonathan Antin. Marketed for its ability to soften hair and skin, the filter has been selling well on QVC and in the Sephora and Victoria's Secret catalogs.