Water filters have become an indispensable part of our everyday lives nowadays. That’s why most of us already have one at our home.
There are so many varieties of water filters out there. Some use activated carbon filters, some use reverse osmosis, while some use ultraviolet filtration.
As a result, when we go to buy a water filter anywhere, most of the time we get overwhelmed by the number of choices. There are so many brands out there.
Among all these options, the Whirlpool WHER25 RO water filter comes at a very affordable cost and offers so many different functionalities.
Due to these, the product has become widely popular for households these days.
In this article, we’ll be taking a closer look at the product, what the product offers, and where it falls short. So, let’s start.
Why are Whirlpool water filters so popular?
So, before we discuss the product, let’s first get a background check of the brand.
All of us are pretty familiar with the name “Whirlpool” for a long, long time.
Originally, starting its journey in 1911, the Whirlpool Corporation has achieved its feat in the field of home appliances.
Many of us have one or two Whirlpool products in our home at various stages of our life.
All of these have been possible due to the perpetual quality maintenance by the organization. That’s why Whirlpool has become such a household name these days.
Coming from the Whirlpool brand, the WHER25 reverse osmosis (RO) water filter offers you high-quality water at an affordable cost.
So, let’s dive deep and find out more insights about the product.
Highlighted Features of Whirlpool WHER25 RO Water Filter
- Dimension: 5” X 13” X 13”
- Weight: 13 pounds
- No of Stages: 3
- Filter replace span: 6 months
- Faucet: Chrome
- Filter type: Reverse Osmosis
Formation: What is inside a Whirlpool WHER25 Water filters?
Now, let’s see what is inside the product. The first thing if you see the instruction manual, you will see there are three different stages inside the filter.
The stages are as follows:
- Sediment Pre-filter
- Reverse Osmosis stage
- Activated Carbon Post filter
In the next few sections, we will take a look into how all these types of stages work together to purify the water. Let’s go.
The Sediment filter removes the dust and rust
The first stage consists of a robust sediment pre-filter. Most of us live in big municipalities and hence, get our tap water from huge water treatment plants.
Also, you may be collecting your water from a private well. In both cases, the water may contain a certain degree of visible contamination.
This includes dust particles, sand, pieces of debris, pieces of stones; the list goes on and on and on.
All these make the water undrinkable to some extent. That’s why we used to use objects like sieves. As a result, most of the sand particles get filtered out.
The sediment filter works on the same principle. Only in this case, the sieves have microscopic gaps in it. As a result, only the tiniest pieces of the debris can go through.
Therefore, as you can see, with the strong sediment pre-filter, the Whirlpool WHER25 RO water filter keeps out most of the dust, rust, sand, pieces of debris, and other pollutants.
In short, the sediment pre-filter works as the first line of defense to purify our drinking water.
The Reverse Osmosis Membrane removes the dissolved contaminants
After the sediment filter, comes the reverse osmosis membrane. This one works as the heart of the water filter.
As we’ve already mentioned, most of us get their tap water from municipal water supplies. In the water treatment plants, they attempt to purify a bulk amount of water very fast.
The extensive processes of coagulation and flocculation work to remove most of the colloid molecules from the water.
But, as they treat a huge amount of water, sometimes they can’t purify it all.
After the water gets treated in the plants, they reach us through an interconnection of distribution pipes. Although those get tested from time to time, those also age as well.
As a result, when the water travels from the plants to our home, it might contain a huge variety of dissolved solids and organic materials as well.
As they are dissolved in the water, the water will look just fine. But, if you test the water quality through a TDS meter, you will find that the water is holding a variety of dissolved solids.
For tasty drinking water, the TDS value should remain within 50 to 900 ppm. That’s why you need the reverse osmosis stage.
This one includes a semipermeable membrane which only lets water molecules pass through. As a result, most of the dissolved solids and organic pollutants get left out.
That’s why you can see the reverse osmosis membrane is very vital in the structure of the water filter. After passing through this, the water gets stored in the water tank.
The water from the storage goes through the post Carbon water filter
As we’ve mentioned earlier, purified water from the reverse osmosis stage gets stored in the tank. Then, as you press the faucet, it enters from the tank to the third stage of the water filter.
The third stage consists of an activated Carbon Post filter. Now, let’s talk a little more into that.
So, what’s activated Carbon? We all know about the element, Carbon. It is one of the most common elements found around us.
To create activated Carbon, you have to grind blocks of Carbon into small pieces or granules. Then, it has to be heated and as a result, the Carbon gets more activity compared to its normal atomic state.
So, the grinding increases the surface area, while the heating increases the activity. This particular type of Carbon is called activated Carbon.
This activated Carbon has a unique property. It can adsorb more pollutants through its increased surface area. We use the word “adsorb” here because it’s not quite similar to absorption.
Here, the pollutants get trapped at the surface of the activated carbon block. In this fashion, this one wipes out the rest of the contaminants from the water.
The activated carbon also happens to remove any additional organic chemicals from the water. As a result, there will be no odor or bad taste as you drink it.
It also enhances the taste of the water to some extent. Due to all these reasons, the activated carbon post-filter has been added to improve the quality of the filtered water.
Installation Manual: How to install Whirlpool WHER25 Water filter
Now, some of us rely on professionals to install the water filter in our home. But, that’s not the whole picture. Most of us like to install the product ourselves.
Don’t worry. The Whirlpool WHER25 RO water filter also comes with an easy do it yourself (DIY) installation guide.
But, before we look into that, you need to know what you will be getting in the package. So, let’s take a look at that first.
- Reverse osmosis assembly
- Storage tank
- RO faucet
- Drain adaptor kit
- Feed adaptor
- Tank connector
- Test kit
You will also require the following equipment to install the product properly.
- Adjustable wrench
- Screwdriver
- Drill
Now, let’s take a look at the step-by-step installation process. But, to install it for your convenience, you need to choose the perfect place with enough room.
Usually, you need to install it under the sink. Now, let’s get an overview of the complete installation.
Reading through the installation manual can be hectic. That’s why we’ve summarized the complete process here for you. For the actual manual, you should visit here.
Install Supply Water fitting
- First, you need to find out the cold water supply pipe. Now, close the water shut off valve that is immediately before the supply fitting.
- Now, you need to open the faucets and drain water from the pipe. Then, remove the nut that connects the cold water faucet to cold water plumbing.
- Next, insert the water supply fitting into the pipe and reconnect the nut to the bottom of the fitting.
Installing the RO drain under the sink
Now, you need to drain the RO reject water from the system. So, let’s see how to do that.
- Firstly, start by slowly taking apart the sink drain pipe between the sink P-trap and the sink tailpiece.
- Now, you need to install the drain adapter directly into the sink tailpiece and join the drain tubing connector to the adaptor.
- Then, you need to assemble the P-trap to the drain adapter and complete the drain pipe fittings to get a leak-free connection.
Installing the Reverse Osmosis Filter Assembly
Now, it’s time to assemble the filter portion properly. Let’s see how.
- Start by removing the cover. Then, you will have to locate the mounting slots on the backside of the assembly.
- Now, mark locations for hanger washers at high enough space from the ground so that you get enough room to change filter cartridges.
- Fasten the hanger washers with the screws provided and hang the assembly on those. End by placing the cover back.
Installing the storage tank
- In this case, you need to locate the tubing connector first. Now, you should slowly tighten the tubing connector onto the tank nipple.
- Remember to apply some sealing tape to the threads on the nipple at the top of the tank. Now, place the storage tank at a nearby position from the RO assembly.
Installing the Reverse Osmosis faucet
Now, it’s time to install the RO faucet. You can place it at any comfortable place of choice. But, based on that, you may need to drill a hole in the sink or continue to use the existing one.
Anyway, if you need to drill, remember to drill a hole which has a diameter of 1-⅜” in diameter. Now, let’s see how to complete the rest of the installation.
- Firstly, you have to mount the faucet base to the sink-hole. You need to tighten the toggle bolts until the base is firmly mounted to the sink surface.
- Next, you should insert the black and blue tubes coming out of the faucet tube into the sink-hole.
- Now, you have to connect the red tubing. It will be connecting the RO assembly to the faucet. End by mounting the faucet body onto the faucet base.
- One other thing, you need to insert a battery into the faucet base. There is an indicator that will keep track of time to indicate when it’s time to replace the cartridges.
Connect the tubes
Throughout the whole installation, you will have to connect a variety of tubes at various places. We’ve created a summary for that. Take a look.
- The yellow tube will be connecting the RO filter assembly to the storage tank.
- The green tube will start at the cold water pipe and find its end at the left side of the RO filter assembly.
- The red and blue both tubes will be connecting the RO filter to the RO faucet.
- The black tube will joint the RO faucet to the drain adapter.
Sanitizing and testing the system
After you complete the full installation, you need to wait for some time until the full system is operational.
It will take about 2 hours for pressure to build up in the RO system. After it happens, you can check for any leak in your installed system.
Also, the first rounds of water might look blackish. That’s because it will purify all the dirt from the tank if any.
That’s why you need to give some time for the water to settle at its pure state.
Maintenance: When should you replace the cartridges?
Now, let’s focus on maintenance. Like all other products, this one also requires periodic maintenance as well. You need to replace the cartridges regularly.
But, how regularly? The answer to this question lies in the battery indicator under the faucet base. In general, the LED indicator will provide you the timeline to do the replacement.
The pre and post-filters continue to filter the sand, dirt, dust, and other pollutants. As a result, after about 6 months, they lose their effectiveness.
On the other hand, the RO membrane can continue to work for about 2 years at a stretch. But, if the pH level is higher than 8.5, it may last shorter than this.
If you’re curious to know what pH level of water means, you should visit our post here.
As you run the maintenance, you should replace the cartridges with Whirlpool recommended ones.
Here, we have a list showing you which one you should replace when and with which product. Take a look.
| Name | Duration | What does it include? | Image | Amazon Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whirlpool WHEERF Replacement Water Filter Cartridges | 6 months | 1. Sediment Pre Filter 2. Activated Carbon Post Filter |   | Check on Amazon |
| Whirlpool WHEERM Reverse Osmosis Replacement Membrane | 2 years | 1. Reverse Osmosis Membrane |   | Check on Amazon |
Price Analysis: Does Whirlpool WHER25 RO Water filter worth its cost?
Now, let’s take a look at the pricing. In the previous sections, we discussed the design, maintenance, installation, and various other aspects.
Firstly, the product offers a robust design with a combo of three different stages to purify the water. All these stages work together to provide you dirt-free and tasty water.
Then, if you look at the maintenance, you will find that it is not that difficult either. You just have to replace the cartridges from time to time.
Lastly, the product offers a DIY installation. If you like to do the installation yourself, you can. Just follow the instruction manual and you’re good to go.
In addition to those, the product is designed by conforming to the rules of food-grade.
Considering all these, the product comes at a very affordable price as well. That’s why the product can be a perfect choice for you if you’re looking for a RO water filter for your home.
You can check out the product here on Amazon.
At a glance: Pros and Cons of Whirlpool WHER25 RO water filter
Pros
- Reverse Osmosis membrane
- Prefilter with activated Carbon
- Lead free Nickel Faucet
- Possible DIY installation
- Reasonable price
Cons
- No ion exchanger
Conclusion
Throughout this article, we talked about everything you need to know about the Whirlpool WHER25 RO water filter.
We tried to cover every little detail about the product, starting from the design to its pricing.
But, still, this may not be enough. The product offers so many functionalities that it is difficult to cover in a single article.
Therefore, if you want to know more about the product, hit us in the comment section.
Also, you should visit our blog page to take a look at various articles related to water filtration and other fascinating phenomena. Cheers!
