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(More customer reviews)For an aspiring indoor hydroponic vegetable gardener like Your Humble Narrator, a source of clean water is essential. Here in suburban Salt Lake City, we are blessed with some of the dirtiest water in the country. Using this meter: pH-EC-TDS Meter my tap water clocks in with a pH of 8.2-8.4 and TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) reading of 300-350 ppm (parts per million). This review specifically addresses the suitability of the Watts WP5-50 reverse osmosis system to the task of providing a water supply for the home hydroponic gardener.
I've used other filtration devices, like straight carbon filters, and have been disappointed. Yes, they do remove sediment and some contaminants, however the drinking water never genuinely tasted "clean". Moreover, taking the testing meter to this water, and the TDS reading never went below 280 ppm which is unacceptable for hydroponic growing. After doing some research, I concluded that the only option was reverse osmosis.
Package Inspection
Out of the box everything looked okay with the exception of the faucet, which, as other reviewers have noted, is a cheaper version of the displayed product.
Installation
Installation was straightforward. The instructions, while not written by an English professor were sufficient albeit vague in a few critical places. I had the unit installed within two hours.
Waste Water, Output Water Quality and Quantity
My three biggest concerns with this product are output water quality, output water quantity and waste water production. Bear in mind that all of these are dependent upon the quality and pressure of your incoming water supply, which can change from season to season as well as from one time of day to another. Take a certain degree of comfort in knowing that my incoming water is probably worse than yours.
I have not yet connected the waste water tube to the sink's drain. Rather, the waste water tube is currently draining into an 18-gallon bucket so I can take measurements for the purposes of this review. To leave this setup in this manner is a code violation. I suggest that you connect your unit properly.
The amount of waste water this unit produces is staggering. For each gallon of clean water, I produce an additional 6.5 gallons of waste water. I have come to understand that I will experience a similar ratio regardless of the reverse osmosis unit I use. This phenomenon is a consequence of RO technology in general rather than a peculiarity of this particular unit. As I've suggested, the amount of waste water produced is proportional to how contaminated your incoming water supply is.
The output water quality is excellent. TDS (total dissolved solids) are 15-20 ppm, which is ideal for hydroponic growing. Any purer than that brings you into the realm of distilled water, which would need to be supplemented with minerals to be suitable for hydroponic use. Output water quantity is sufficient although disappointing. It produces one gallon in about 90 minutes. Higher water pressure and cleaner incoming water will decrease this time. The storage tank, although it has a physical capacity of three gallons, drains to empty after drawing two gallons. I consider this is a consequence of the technology, not a case of misleading advertising.
Summary
The Watts WP5-50 reverse osmosis water treatment system is well suited to the task of providing contaminant-reduced water for the purposes of hydroponic growing. It produces clean water in sufficient quantity for the purposes of a home hydroponic garden. Insofar as the waste water is concerned, for the time being, I'm leaving the waste tube in that eighteen gallon bucket. I'm using that water for my lawn.
June 20, 2009 - Important Update
Several weeks ago, our city's water changed for the worse. I'm assuming that it's because of a switchover to summertime procedures where water consumption is considerably heavier. Incoming water is now 800-900 ppm of Total Dissolved Solids. The unit's output water quality is 80-100 ppm which is still in the "good" range. It now produces roughly twelve gallons of waste water for each gallon of clean water is generates. The lesson here is that water quality can dramatically change from one season to another, as well as from one time of day to another.
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Watts WP5-50 Premier Five-Stage Manifold Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment SystemThe Watts Premier Five-Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration Device is the most complete water filtration system available on the market. Featuring a five-stage filtration process, the RO incorporates sediment, coconut-shell carbon, and reverse osmosis technologies to provide great-tasting, bottled-quality water straight from your tap.
Five-Stage Filtration Removes ContaminantsThe Watts RO filters in five stages to ensure that your drinking water is as healthy and clean as possible. Once the system is connected, water passes through a 5-micron sediment filter that traps particulate matter--such as dirt, rust, and silt--that can affect the taste and appearance of your water. Next, a 5-micron carbon block filter reduces chlorine taste and odor, as well as other materials that can give water a bad taste. For the third stage, another 5-micron carbon block filter further reduces chlorine, as well as difficult-to-remove chloramines.
Reverse Osmosis for High-Quality Drinking WaterThe system's fourth stage of filtration is especially important, as it involves the passage of water through the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane. This semi-permeable membrane effectively removes arsenic, lead, perchlorate, chromium, copper, TDS (total dissolved solids), sodium, and a long list of other water contaminants. It also removes parasytic cysts, such as giardia and cryptosporidia.
The fifth stage of filtration utilizes a high quality GAC filter, which works as a final polishing filter when the water leaves the storage tank on its way up to your faucet. The end result is consistently great-tasting water at just pennies per gallon.
The Importance of Drinking Clean WaterWater is critical to proper food digestion, kidney health, brain function, blood health, joint functionality, and more. It's important to make sure that the water you drink is devoid of contaminants. Thankfully, using a Watts water filtration device will ensure consistent quality for all of your drinking and cooking needs. In fact, when you use Watts' high-quality certified water treatment devices and filters, your water will be free of chlorine taste and odors, particles, and many other contaminants that can be detrimental to your health.
*Please refer to the Performance Data Sheet for the complete list of claims for which this system is certified.
An Eco-Friendly ChoiceNot only is the RO filter a healthy choice for you, but it's also a healthy choice for the environment. This filter helps you minimize the harmful environmental consequences of buying bottled water. Incredibly, if a mere ten percent of North America's bottled water intake were reduced by switching to home-filtered water in reusable containers, we could eliminate:
Depending upon which Watts water-filtration product you use, you can prevent up to 16,000 half-liter bottles from being deposited in landfills--all in the time it takes to use and replace a single filter.
The Watts Premier Five Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration Device is backed by a three-year limited warranty.
What's in the BoxFive-Stage Reverse Osmosis Module (complete with filters), parts bag (with a 10-inch final filter), 3-gallon storage tank, faucet assembly, and manual.
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