Aquasana EQ-600 Whole House Filter Review

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What if every faucet in your home delivered pure, filtered water? The truth is that most homes do not come with whole house filtration systems, but that’s actually better for homeowners who want to install a filtration system that has the best features and filtered results. If you want to add real value, the Aquasana Rhino EQ-600 whole house filtration system is the best choice due to its high-performance filtration, 600,000 gallon capacity, and salt-free water conditioning.

We review the EQ-600 water filter, including all features and multi-step filtration, as well as any disadvantages to this system that we found during our test.

What You Should Know About the Aquasana Brand

One thing that really sets Aquasana apart is the value and efficiency built into their water filtration systems. For example, the EQ-600 is a 600,000 gallon water filtration system that doesn’t require much maintenance. You won’t have to replace any filters for many years, and you’ll consistently get 99% contaminant-free water to every single faucet in your home.

Some things we’ve noticed about the Aquasana brand:

•  Most products are NSF-certified for water clarity and purity
•  Removes chlorine, lead, arsenic, mercury, sediment, Chromium, fluoride, and many other toxins
•  Range of systems for all kinds of budgets
•  All systems come with installation kits and video help
•  Great customer service
•  All systems covered by warranties

If you do a search for the Aquasana brand, their products consistently receive positive reviews with nearly 5 stars for every filter type. Due to their innovative designs, Aquasana has a variety of filtration systems available, which serves the needs of all family types, water filtration problems, and budgets.

However, Aquasana reverse osmosis and whole house water filters are their top sellers.

Aquasana EQ-600

With a multi-step filtration process and NSF certifications, the Aquasana EQ-600 is already leagues ahead of competitors in the same space. Additionally, everything is included to effortlessly install and use this system, and it comes with a 600,000-gallon tank.

This system easily suits a small home with 4 to 5 family members. There are a few features that set this system apart from the others, but there are also a couple of disadvantages that you should know before purchasing this system.

Commentary and Features

Aquasana created one of the smartest, most reliable whole house filter systems with the EQ line. The EQ-600 is the 600,000-gallon version that has a 6-year filter life.

The EQ-600 is rated to remove 97% of chlorine and over 1,000 other contaminants thanks to its 3-step filtration process, including a pre-sediment filter, mineral filter, and carbon filter with add-on filtration if you select the UV filter and post-filter with salt-free water conditioning.

The first filtration step is a 5-micron filter that removes all microscopic particles, bacteria, and rust. The second stage is a mineral filter that combines mineral stone and copper-zinc to balance pH and remove chlorine. The last state uses activated carbon filters to remove the rest of the contaminants.

The whole system is NSF-certified, so it’s odorless and tastes good with 99.99% of all bacteria removed and 97% of all chlorine removed.

A hassle-free installation kit also comes with the system, including all the hardware necessary to install on your own at the water source of your home. In addition to the main tank design, you also receive a garden hose adapter so you can have filtered water even when hanging out in the backyard.

What We liked

Aquasana’s water filtration systems have a reputation for high-quality, pure water that always tastes good. The filter life for this system is typically 6 years or longer, and despite not including a reverse osmosis membrane, the multi-step filtration is powerful even without the add-on UV filter.

What’s great about this system is that it passed all water purification tests, removing chlorine, fluoride, arsenic, lead, mercury, bacteria, cysts, and other toxins. In addition, the water flow rate is faster than most other systems we’ve tried, so you don’t have to worry about waiting to use your shower or kitchen faucet.

Finally, this system really cleans out your pipes and helps you maintain your appliances. You can tell the difference in your clothing almost immediately, too.

What We Don’t Like

There are some things that Aquasana still needs to improve upon. While the main filters are rated for 600,000 gallons or 6 years, you may still need to change out the pre-filter twice a year as it fills up with particles. It’s easy to change out these filters, but you’ll still need to spend about 30 minutes or more locating and replacing the filter.

Additionally, this system doesn’t include a water softening element or reverse osmosis. Truly, we like filtration systems that have these features, especially for the whole house. When looking at the fine print, we also found that Aquasana only rates this for use with cold water.

Buyer’s Guide: Aquasana EQ-600 Whole House Filter Review

If you want to compare the Aquasana EQ-600 whole house filter to the other guys, we’ve broken down all of the features below.

Removes 97% of Chlorine

The main issue that many households have is the taste and odor of their tap water. This is likely due to chlorine and fluoride lingering in your drinking water. The EQ-600 gets rid of this immediately with a multi-step filtration process, and it’s rated by NSF for a standard of 42.

Eliminates Heavy Metals, Chemicals, and Industrial Solvents

With a pre-filter, carbon filter, and mineral filter, the EQ-600 delivers great-tasting water that doesn’t have any of the bacteria, viruses, cysts, chemicals, or heavy metals like your regular tap water. It’s much safer and healthier to drink and cook with purified water.

Upflow, Dual Tank Design

Modern whole home filters still don’t have the same high-quality design as the latest Aquasana filters. The Rhino EQ-600 model comes with an upflow design that uses two tanks to increase the time that water spends in filters, removing contaminants and preventing clogs.

Valuable Add-Ons

While the 3-step filtration removes most of the toxins, Aquasana also offers a version of the EQ-600 with a UV filter and salt-free conditioner. Both of these improve the quality of your water even more and reduce the scale buildup on your pipes.

UV filtration is important as it removes 99.99% of all bacteria and viruses, including e. Coli and chlorine-resistant cysts.

Installation Kit

Aquasana does include an installation kit with some of the fittings necessary for a basic installation, but if you want professional-grade fittings, then you’ll have to pay extra for the “Pro Grade Install Kit.”

Conclusion

The Aquasana Rhino EQ-600 is a superior whole house filtration system that will work for almost any home. The base system filters out almost all contaminants, but if you want nearly 100% filtration, you may want to add on the UV filter and salt-free water conditioner options. These provide even more filtration, making your water even more pure and odor-free.

For those who want a state-of-the-art water purification system for their home, Aquasana is one of the best choices because of its NSF rating and high purification certification. The system not only removes 97% of chlorine, as well as lead, microbial cysts, chromium, and fluoride. However, Aquasana’s other water filtration systems may provide higher purification, such as the top-of-the-line Aquasana OPTIMH2O version, which has been proven to remove 98% of all PFOA/PFOS in addition to chlorine and chloramine.

Cheat Sheet: Finding the Best Whole House Water Filter

When we look at whole house water filters, we like to first test the water before and after installation. The highest-performing whole home water filtration systems always purify 99% of the water, removing over 1,000 contaminants.

Here are the features to pay attention to when reviewing any whole home water filtration system:

Multi-Step Filtration

There are all kinds of contaminants in your water these days, but the major ones include chlorine, lead, and arsenic. We’ve noticed a trend in high-performing home water filters. These systems always have more than a 3-step filtration system.

Typically, we like to see the following filtration steps:

•  Pre-Filter for Sediment (5-micron polypropylene)
•  Activated Carbon Filter
•  Reverse Osmosis (RO) Membrane
•  Mineral Filter or Post Filter
•  UV Filter

Ideally, a whole house water filtration system will have 4 or more filtration steps, removing even the smallest traces of contaminants.

Filter Life

One of the best features in a whole house filter is that the filters don’t need to be replaced every 3 months or even 6 months. In fact, with systems like EQ-600, you don’t have to worry about the filter for many years.

Filter life is typically expressed as 100,000-gallon or even 1,000,000-gallon filters. Every 100,000 gallons equates to one year of filter life, so the EQ-600 has about a 6-year filter life.

Water Flow Rate

Have you ever stood at the fridge filling your cup with water, and it takes forever? That’s a low flow rate problem.

All water filtration systems have a flow rate that is typically expressed as # of gallons per minute (gpm). For example, the Aquasana EQ-600 is rated for 7.0 gpm. If you consider that most households consume between 100 and 120 gallons per person daily, then the average flow rate should be between 6 and 12 gpm.

NSF Tested and Certified

The best water filter systems are also tested and certified for their removal of different contaminants. The highest-rated systems have an NSF certification that means the filter removes 97% or more of contaminants, including chlorine.

UV Filtration

The UV water filter removes micro-biological agents that make your water unsafe using ultraviolet light. The science behind this filtration involves high UV wavelengths that eliminate living organisms and invisible biological contaminants from your water source before it ever reaches the first filter.

Salt-Free Water Conditioner

A salt-free water conditioner filter reduces the amount of scale buildup on your pipes and other plumbing. However, some water filters use salt and chemicals to do this, which negates the quality of the water over time.

Unlike many other water filter systems, the Aquasana EQ-600 also includes a salt-free water conditioner for this reason. You don’t have to worry about rust, mineral deposits, or other problems plaguing your pipes.

Benefits of Whole House Water Filtration

If you are wondering whether whole house water filters are worth the cost, the answer is yes! These systems make it effortless to drink and cook with purified water, but you can also shower and bathe without worrying about toxic chemicals.

The main benefits of whole house water filters include:

•  All faucets deliver purified, contaminant-free water
•  Healthier drinking, cooking, and bathing water
•  Extends life of water appliances and pipes
•  Softer, brighter laundry
•  Healthier skin and hair
•  Scale-free showers, glasses with no spots
•  No wastewater, more efficient than under sink and faucet water filtration systems
•  Reduces risk of ingesting lead, chlorine, arsenic, and other chemicals
•  Adds to the overall value of your home

Depending on the system you purchase, the installation doesn’t even require expert plumbing knowledge. Anyone can install the Aquasana water filter system, even if they haven’t done any type of plumbing work before.