- APEC Water System ROES-PHUV75 Essence Series Top Tier Alkaline Mineral pH+ and UV Ultra-Violet Sterilizer 75 GPD 7-Stage Ultra Safe Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System

Our water here in Southern Arizona is pretty good. However, like most municipal water supplies, there's always room for improvement. Being the copper capital of the world, we have a lot of mining down here, and there's always the opportunity for contamination of the aquifers, despite their constant monitoring. We moved from a large house up north to being full-time RV'ers. SPACE is the biggest challenge for us, but we still love it - mo mortgage, no debt, etc. While I really wanted this RO system, I was concerned about where it would get installed, but I was determined to do whatever. The manufacturer provides everything you need. I got the unit with the re-alkaline canister and the final UV sterilization. More on that in a minute. The set-up is well designed with post-processing filters attached with snap-in clamps to the main body of large particulate and taste filters on a frame. They use quick-connect sharkbite-type connectors and hoses, which work well. No leaks. Installation was straightforward. Turns out, there is a space under my kitchen sink in the far back that was empty and not very usable. The canister frame fit perfectly there. The bladder holder tank sits nicely on top of my rig water heater, also under the sink. The usable space that I lost installing this: ZERO. See pictures I have a caution for you and two problems; both of which were promptly addressed by the manufacturer customer support, and both concern the UV sterilization canister. During installation, you place a very long test tube-like glass inside of a stainless canister and screw its lid on. DO NOT USE TOOLS; HAND-TIGHTEN ONLY. GENTLY. I did so, but I may have cranked too hard and broke the glass tube. On the second attempt, I put a thin, soft washer in the top of the lid so that I had a little cushion. Metal on glass can be an issue. See pictures. The second problem was the UV bulb itself. The power supply started beeping and blinking red, which means that something is wrong. I unplugged the power supply and plugged it back in and it worked - for awhile - then failed again. The manufacturer is sending me a new bulb. FINAL STATS: Using a particulate meter, I measured (1) at the city outlet, (2) after my 3-stage particulate filters (not part of the RO), and (3) at the RO tap outlet. The measurements were: (1) 245, (2) 143, and (3) 14. I would call that a win.

I bought this to get away from bottled water. Installation was easy, just be sure to check for leaks. I had a few pre installed connections need to be tightened up. Follow the instructions on first use. I have had no issues with noise or water flow. The only issue, is that when you turn it on after not using for hours, the water will be warm to hot for a few seconds. It’s the water that has been in the UV light for a while. Not a big deal to me. Just run it for a few seconds and it’ll be tap water temp. The water tastes great! I’m sure it’ll pay for itself within six months, not having to buy bottled water. I would definitely recommend!

I received this unit on Jan 17th. Right off the bat, the UV housing was leaking at the plastic inlet. I called the company and they suggested that I re-install the inlet elbow with extra tape. I did, and it continued to leak. I responded to them, took pictures, etc. They told me that a replacement elbow was being sent out. A week later, I was told to be patient. Two weeks later, I was told that the elbow would arrive at the beginning of April. And if that was too long for me, I can go to Home Depot myself and find a replacement elbow and install it myself. I was shocked that they asked me to troubleshoot and replace my own parts in a brand new product which was defective right out of the box. I didn't buy the product to have to replace parts on my own at my cost just to get it working without any leaks. I've gone through other reviews and am not looking forward to when it completely goes sideways in about a year. I would not recommend this product to anyone if you want to keep your sanity, and not destroy your house.

Excellent product quality. I had no trouble installing everything. I also installed a filter for the dishwasher, which is visible on the right. The tap water is perfectly clean. One drawback is that it takes a long time to fill. But I am very happy with the system.

Must have with well water that is both hard and has very high iron content! Easily fits under mud room sink providing kids with easy access to water without tracking through the house and I split the feed to the fridge for filtered water & ice (especially for our bourbon). Much better than the fridge filter which we were able to bypass, ice is now clear! Pictures 2 & 3 are stage #1, given our source I preemptively change stage #1 every three months. Stage #2 has noticeable color but no where near like stage #1 and only change every 6-months. Stage #3 has no color at all! Love the UV given our source but water is hotttt for first minute, haven’t sprung for it yet but the UV power supply triggered by use would be recommended and curious why it wasn’t an option with small up change with original purchase. While I’d consider myself handy I don’t do plumbing at all although this was easy to installed myself without issue! UV filter had a leak due to user error but customer service was excellent. I emailed and had a response with 24 hours with very detailed check list and asked for pictures to help diagnose but their check list solved… I had accidentally loosened the seal. Overall great filter and great company given product quality and customer support!

This is just a quick review about the installation. It went really well, instructions are easily to read and well illustrated. Once minor grips, no information on the ultraviolet light unit. It’s very simple but I had to figure it out, there is a gasket that if lost you’d not know it was needed. But other than that, simple set up, minimal tools required. I’ll update later after we have used it for a bit

after almost four years with the system, we absolutely love it *with the exception of the uv light housing*. the taste of the water was night and day and we wouldn't drink another drop of unfiltered water... the system works great... EXCEPT for the uv light housing. the first one we had started leaking around the two plastic fittings. tried some new fittings ordered directly from apec and used teflon tape as instructed by apec support... they still leaked. ended up buying an entirely new uv light housing (at our expense) and after a year or so... same thing... more leaks. more tightening and i got the leaks under control, but i just changed all my filters... not touching the uv light... and after turning the water off/on for the filter changes, the uv light housing is leaking again, this time at the o-ring which holds the glass tube surrounding the light. after trying two separate uv light housings, several sets of new plastic fittings, ensuring everything is tight... we've concluded it's just a bad design. we've completely removed the uv light from the system... it's not worth risking more leaks. again, love everything about the system except for the uv light housing. we just don't trust it any more.

Pros: Ease of Assembly: Assembly couldn't be simpler. Install faucet, assemble the UV light, connect feed, drain, and faucet lines and you're done. Well, almost (see below) Water tastes great: This is subjective. Instructions: Good documentation with detailed step-by-step instructions and lots of pictures Cons: Leaks: Pre-assembled RO filter cap leaked - No amount of tightening helped. I had to finally use some Teflon tape on the plastic thread to make it stop. This works, but I shouldn't have to "fix" something pre-assembled, and I shouldn't have to put Teflon tape on plastic threads.. L-connector leaked on the cap of RO filter. - Leak was slow. Turning the connection seemed to have stopped it. This worries me a bit. Stressed connection leaked - The push/pull lock system works for the most part, except for where the tubes make sharp turns right out of the connection (i.e. between 6th and 7th stage), the stressed connection leaked. Tugging on the connection seemed to stop it. I will be buying locking tabs to see if they help. Install process was no longer than 15 minutes. Leak fixes took over 2 hours. Makes me question the longevity of this unit. I will be investing in some battery-operated leak detectors to help monitor this.