Now, we all have the internet on our phone. So, whenever you type out ‘water filter’, you will get thousands and thousands of recommendations.
But, which one should you trust? Many hands over the responsibility to their gut instincts. As a result, when they get a water filter, they might not meet their demands.
So, what I am trying to say is that one filter might be perfect for someone, but not for all. Because choice and taste differ from person to person.
That’s why when you’re buying a water filter, you should find out everything about the filter that you think would be the right fit for you.
To help you with that, in this post, we’ll be conveying you every little detail about the APEC water systems ROES-50 5 stage water filter.
We’ll be covering all the reasons why this one might be the perfect choice for you. Don’t worry we’ll also notify you about its shortcomings as well.
Besides, we’ll provide you the step-by-step do-it-yourself installation guide. And, we’ll be giving you tips on how to take care of the filter once you buy it.
So, let’s start.
Background check: Who makes APEC ROES-50 RO water filters?
Before we dive into the specific advantages of the APEC ROES-50 5 stage water filter, let’s start with some background checking.
The name ‘APEC’ has been in the world of water filters for the last 20 years. As a result, when it comes to picking a water filter, we tend to first look at the best APEC products.
Over the years, the company has attained much authority in this field. This has been possible due to various factors.
They combine robust, durable design with a budget-friendly attitude. Because of the design, the filters will last longer even working heavy duty.
Not only that, but they also offer products which you can install by yourself without any expert attention. That’s why APEC products are so popular.
With all these features, the company will provide you incredible customer support and a long warranty period.
Consequently, APEC has become the brand that people prefer over all the alternate water filters out there. They are now a globally recognized brand.
The Essence series consists of some of the best APEC water filters of all time. APEC ROES-50 Essence series Top-tier 5 stage water filter is not any different.
The filter will provide you fresh and clean water with its reverse osmosis system. Enough of the chit-chat. Let’s find out why this product should be at the top of your list.
Highlighted Features
- Dimension: 16” X 6” X 18”
- Weight: 25 pounds
- No of Stages: 5
- Gallons per day: 50 GPD
- Faucet: Lead free
- Filter type: Reverse Osmosis
So, what’s make this RO water filter so special? Let’s find out –
Reason Number 1 : Durable design
Let’s now open our discussion about how the filter purifies the water. To be more specific, let’s find out what’s inside the product and how they work.
As you can observe from the name, the filter has 5 stages inside.
Although it is primarily a RO or reverse osmosis water filter, you will find out that it uses some other filtration techniques as well.
For example, there is a sediment filter and three filters with activated carbon. They are here to support the RO membrane as required.
So, let’s find out the arrangement of the different stages.
- Stage 1 - Sediment Filter
- Stage 2 & 3- Activated Carbon Pre Filter
- Stage 4- RO membrane
- Stage 5- Activated Carbon Post filter
Now let’s find out more about these stages, shall we?
Sediment filter removes dust and sand
At first, comes the sediment filter. So, from the feed water pipe, water enters into the sediment filter through the tube.
The word ‘sediment’ alone hints at what it does. Sediment means particles of sand, clay, or stones. In most cases, the unfiltered tap water contains some sediment particles in it.
And, if you’re collecting water from a well, the water will contain more of these clay and sand particles. The rainwater can also contain some dust particles as well.
One significant thing about these sediment particles is that they don’t mix with water. So, the sediment filter can easily filter those out.
The sediment filter works as a sieve with microscopic holes on the surface. Through these holes, water molecules can slide through easily but all of the dust particles cannot.
The smaller the size of the holes, the higher number of particles gets trapped. So, you can say the sediment filter works as the first line of defense.
Activated Carbon filters remove the Chlorine and Florides
After the sediment filter, come the activated Carbon pre-filters. Together, they prepare the water for the reverse osmosis stage.
As you can see, inside these pre-filters, there is activated Carbon. Carbon is well known for decades for its purification capacity.
But, in these pre-filters, you wouldn’t find crude Carbon. You will come across activated Carbon instead.
So, what’s this activated Carbon? First, the manufacturers keep the Carbon in higher temperatures to improve their activity.
Then, they pulverize these blocks of Carbon to produce Carbon granules. When in granular form, the surface area of Carbon increases.
With more surface area, it can absorb more particles that come floating in the water. We call this as Activated Carbon.
In the APEC ROES-50 water filter, you’ll find two pre-filters made of activated Carbon.
They play a vital role in getting rid of most of the Chlorines from the water. As water seeps through these blocks, Chlorine and Florides get trapped in their surfaces.
As the water gets out of these stages, they will have little to no Chlorine or Florides.
They also wipe out the sediment particles that got through the sediment filter due to their smaller dimensions.
The Chlorine and Florides pose a great threat to the RO membrane. And, these Carbon pre-filters remove most of them.
In other words, they improve the efficiency of the reverse osmosis membrane.
RO membrane removes all the harmful chemicals
The next stage is the reverse osmosis filter. This is the heart of the water filter. That’s because it mainly removes most of the pollutants.
Let’s first know more about how this stage works. Also, we’d learn why people nowadays prefer reverse osmosis over other types of filtration.
In the RO chamber, there is a semipermeable membrane. The membrane gets such a name due to its selective nature. It only let water molecules pass.
So, when water enters into the RO chamber, only the water molecules can pass through. And, the dissolved chemicals get left out.
That’s why this membrane is called a semipermeable membrane. As you can see, if the RO membrane is working properly, it will ensure you fresh and clean drinking water.
This is the principal reason why reverse osmosis water filters are prevailing over other types of water filters.
In industrial areas, water sometimes contains little amount of lead, arsenic, and other harmful chemicals. RO membrane will get rid of those.
That’s not all. If you’re living around farms or gardens, the water might hold some quantity of pesticides or fertilizers. All these are highly toxic over longer periods.
So, as you can see, the Reverse osmosis chamber effectively removes all these chemicals and provides you with high-quality drinking water at your disposal.
- If you would like to know more about how reverse osmosis works, you should visit our post here.
The Post Carbon filter provides the final touch
Finally, there is another activated Carbon filter at the end. This one stays after the RO membrane. That’s why we call it the post Carbon filter.
What does it do? It necessarily clears out the remaining of the pollutants that manage to get through the previous stages.
When you’re not using the filter, the water gets stored in the tank. So, if you don’t clean the tank for a long period, it might contain some dust or rust in itself.
To remove those, the water, at first, has to pass through the post Carbon filter. And, this one wipes out all those particles to provide us with healthy drinking water.
So, you see with all these stages, the APEC ROES-50 water filter gives you an unlimited amount of safe drinking water with its robust design.
Reason No 2 : Easy DIY Installation
The second reason why the water filter might be the right fit for you is its easy installation process.
So, if you like to do things by yourself, then, viola!!! This product enables you to show your handcraft skills.
As you can see, you can easily install it by yourself. But, you need some guidelines. There are tons of websites out there that have reviews of the APEC ROES-50 5 stage water filter.
But, not a lot will feature a step-by-step guide to install the product in your home. No worry, you’re at the right place.
We’ll be providing you a solid, easy-to-follow guide to do that. Before that, you need to know what’s inside the package. So, if you buy the filter, you will get-
- RO machine head
- RO membrane
- Pre-filter housings and cartridges
- Storage tank
- Tank ball valve
- Feedwater adaptor
- RO faucet
- 4 colored tubing set
- Drain Saddle
- Housing wrenches
Some other things that you might need during installation are-
- Teflon tape
- Utility Knife
- Drill machine
- Screwdriver
Now, let’s start our step-by-step installation guide.
Step-by-step installation guide: How to install APEC ROES-50 5 Stage Water Filter?
Assembling the filters and housings into the main system
- At first, you need to drill a ½ inch hole in the drain line. This one will wash out all the wastewater produced from the RO membrane.
- Now, insert the pre-filter cartridges into their respective housings.
- Next, you should line up these prefilters top to bottom and align these into the pre-filter RO head.
- Remember, the sediment filter should remain at the side which is nearer to the feedwater adaptor.
- You can use the housing wrenches to tighten, but don’t overdo it.
- Over the RO machine head, you will find the housing for the RO membrane. It will look like a cylinder.
- Open the tube, insert the RO membrane and then, close it with the housing wrenches.
- Now, you need to connect the tubes properly.
- To connect tubes to any joints, make sure you have Teflon tape. Before inserting the tube, do 5-6 round wrap on the joints with the Teflon tape.
Installing Tank with the tank valve
- Now, place the tank valve on top of the water tank. Then, join these with the wrench. Make sure you’re using Teflon tape before coupling these two together.
Connecting the Feedwater adapter
- Now place the feed water adaptor on the end of the feed water tube and screw them together with Teflon tape.
Complete the formation using tubes
- Connect the feed water adapter to the sediment filter (transparent housing) with the red tube.
- Connect the output faucet to the Carbon post-filter with white tube.
- With the black tube, connect the drain water end of the RO chamber to the under sink or countertop drain saddle.
- Connect the tank valve to the purified end of the RO membrane with the yellow tube.
- Before starting, you need to flush carbons from the prefilters. For these, just connect one of the tubes at the end of the three prefilters.
- Now, open the valve on the feed water adapter. Water will flow into the prefilters and flush out all the dirt from inside of the pre-filters.
- You need to continue these for 5-10 minutes until the water becomes clear.
- Then, you should flush out the water tank. Stop the faucet. Now, the water will continue to accumulate into the water tank.
- It will take about 1-2 hours for the tank to fill up. After filling up the tank, open the faucet. At first, the water will look black.
- That’s because of all the residue dust inside the tank. After 2-5 minutes, water would be transparent. And, viola!!! Your installation is complete.
- Then, you should place the faucet at any place you want. In general cases, people place them under the sink.
Feeling overwhelmed, no problem, check out the video below.
Reason No 3 : Longer lasting & Easy Cartridge replacement
One of the notable things, you’d find about any APEC product that they last longer.
The durable design and high-quality materials make sure the product will provide you safe water for a long, long time.
If you have one in your home and take proper care by running regular maintenance, it can serve you for more than six years.
But, one thing you need to make sure is that you replace the filter cartridges regularly.
How often should you replace the filter cartridges of the APEC ROES-50 RO water filter?
As you can realize, the filter cartridges need replacement regularly. Why? Because their quality deteriorates after a certain period.
The sediment filters get jammed with clay, sand, and dust particles. That’s why you should change them every 6-12 months.
The activated carbon pre-filters also get exhausted by absorbing Chlorine and Florides. They also require replacement within 6-12 months.
The most important of all is the RO membrane. Fortunately, it will last longer than the sediment or Carbon pre-filters.
If you’re living in a city, the RO membrane will last for approximately 2-4 years. But, if you’re using water from a well, you should replace them within 2 years.
The last Carbon pre-filters do not need to be replaced much often. You should replace them every 2-4 years.
For replacement, you should check this APEC ROES-50 replacement filter here at Amazon. This pack also includes the RO membrane.
If you’re looking to replace only the first few stages, you should look here.
Reason No 4: Comfortable pricing
The final and most important aspect is the price of the product. The water filter is available at 185 dollars. This is very comfortable considering the brand and quality of the product.
Wouldn’t it be more cost-friendly if your product would last for 6 years or longer than replacing it with a new one every 2-3 years?
So, you decide. You also have to spend less to replace the filter cartridges. Therefore, the APEC ROES-50 5 stage RO water filter is dominating the market.
Some limitations of the product
Everything in the world has its limitations. That goes the same for the APEC ROES-50 water filter as well. So, what are those?
Firstly, the product doesn’t have a mineralizer filter. As a result, if you like to drink mineral water, you should install a mineralizer filter after it.
Why mineralization is needed? You should visit our post here where we’ve discussed all this.
Secondly, it doesn’t have a UV sterilizer. Although the RO membrane removes most of the germs and microorganisms, some of those might still get through.
That’s why some folks like to place a UV sterilizer to disinfect the water.
Apart from all these, the product offers so many features at a very affordable price range. So, this one can be your solution when it comes to safe drinking water.
At a glance pros and cons of APEC ROES-50 5 Stage RO water filter
Pros
- Strong sediment filter
- Prefilters with activated Carbon
- Lead free Faucet
- Possible DIY installation
- 2 years of warranty
- Budget-friendly
Cons
- No UV sterilizer
- No mineralizer
Final verdict
In the end, if you’re looking for a reverse osmosis water filter, the APEC ROES-50 Top Tier water filter is one of the top choices.
The product combines so many features at a very comfortable cost. It will save you a fortune over the safe drinking water if you think about it.
All in all, it’s always up to you to decide on whether you’re going to buy this one or not. But, we assure you it would be worth the bucks.
You can check out the product here on Amazon.
If you’re looking for other options, you should visit our post here. It’s all about the top Water filters of this year.
So, did you find this post useful? If yes, please share our post on your social media platforms. Also, if you’ve any further queries, you can let us know in the comments.
