Aquasana OptimH2O Whole House Filter Review

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Have you ever tasted the water in your home or office and got a hint of metallic? This may mean that zinc, manganese, copper, or even low pH are the culprits. If you want the best-tasting water, then you need a high-quality filter. Aquasana created the OptimH2O Whole House Filter System with reverse osmosis to not only remove contaminants but improve the taste, so your whole home has spa-quality water that’s safe to drink.

About Aquasana

Aquasana is a water filtration brand that was started in Austin, Texas and proudly operates their facilities in the US. For years, the brand has created high-quality water filtration systems that are created with the environment in mind. For example, their filter components are designed to produce the least amount of waste, and their casings are made from reusable materials. Even their filters are made from recycled and compostable materials.

However, that just goes to show the quality and consciousness of the brand behind the water filtration systems. The true beauty of this company is their intelligently engineered water filtration systems.

Their award-winning filtration systems have consistently delivered high-quality results to their customers, and the company offers customized systems for those who want to design their own systems or need different sizes.

The OptimH2O water filter is their latest whole house filtration system, and like many of their systems, it’s rated for removing 99% of all contaminants. It’s also the first filtration system to have an IAPMO certification, which means it almost completely removes all traces of lead from your water.

With thousands of happy customers and many more 5-star reviews on all their products, it’s no wonder that Aquasana offers a 10-year warranty on most of its systems.

Aquasana OptimH2O Whole House Filter System

When it comes to powerful water filtration, Aquasana OptimH2O truly outshines the competition. Our review incorporates several tests, customer satisfaction, overall results, cost, and ease of installation. Ultimately, we found that it’s easier than ever to get whole house filtration for great-tasting water, but you definitely get more than that with this thoughtfully engineered water filter.

This filter is the first-of-a-kind to offer nearly 100% lead removal. In fact, it’s rated for 99% removal of all lead and microbial cysts, as well as 98% of all PFOA/PFOS. It’s simply one of the best engineered water filters currently available, and it’s made in the USA.

Ratings and Certifications

The OptimH2O whole house filter is rated by NSF/ANSI, removing 90% of all chlorine. It’s also certified by IAPMO for 99% removal of lead and cysts, among other microscopic particles. Chloramine, bacteria, fluoride, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and other harmful toxins do not stand a chance with this filter.

Our tests revealed that OptimH2O removed over 1,000 contaminants and resulted in a truly smooth, pure-tasting water.

Multi-Stage Filtration

Aquasana built OptimH2O to include all the important filtration stages but with an added benefit. The filter is made from catalytic activated carbon with filtration down to 0.5 microns. This reduces all microscopic particles.

The first stage is a sediment pre-filter to remove larger dust particles, rust, and other silt down to 1 micron.

Secondly, the carbon block stage reduces chlorine, chloramines, lead, cysts, and PFOA/PFOS.

Finally, we suggest upgrading to the salt-free water conditioner and UV filter for additional benefits. These additional steps purify your water and protect your home’s plumbing even further.

Smart Design

You’ll love the 8/gpm flow rate, tough design, and lightweight filters. It’s also incredibly smart and provides an indicator light to show you when the filters are ready to be changed. It’s truly one of Aquasana’s most innovative and easy-to-use filtration systems.

What We Liked

The major benefit of using a system like this is that it has the highest quality filters and removes 99.99% of all viruses, chlorine, lead, cysts, and other contaminants. With additional UV filtration and the salt-free technology, it’s easier than ever to have a whole house filter that only improves your water quality and overall home value.

The micron filters truly make it easier to get pure-tasting water without any odors. The system doesn’t produce any waste due to its sound construction. In fact, you never have to worry about back-flushing as with older water filtration systems.

You can also customize your system depending on how much you want to filter. The base system works for most contaminants, but if you want to add a UV filter and water conditioner, these options can be easily added on. There are also custom fittings that can add a reverse osmosis under sink filter to certain areas of your home.

What We Don’t Like

If you are looking to get rid of lead, chlorine, and dangerous PFOA/PFOS, then this system is definitely for your home, but it does come with a significant cost. The value is definitely worth it if you have poor tasting water with lots of contaminants. This system is guaranteed to work, or you can take advantage of their 90-day moneyback policy.

For those without any plumber experience, installing the system may be difficult without upgrading to the pro-grade installation kit and watching a video beforehand. While it’ll seem easy after the first time, most homeowners will need to know their water source and how to access it before installation this system.

Conclusion: The Overwhelming Majority of Customer Aquasana Reviews Recommend The New Aquasana OPTIMH2O

After running multiple tests and drinking the purified result, we can definitely affirm that Aquasana’s OPTIMH2O deserves its award in the top 20 of best home products for the year 2020. It’s simply an incredibly easy-to-install water filter that comes with everything you need for pure water.

The tests also revealed that Aquasana is right on target with its purification estimates. You can taste the difference but also see the water quality. This is due to its innovative design, multiple filters, and certifications that show it reduces more than 99% of all lead, cysts, PFOA/PFOS, and chlorine. When you add in the salt-free water softener and UV filter package, the quality increases significantly, and you’ll also see the differences in your appliances. Many customers choose this option when they have bad odors and known contaminants in their water source. We best the OptimH2O system can remove these toxins for a nearly 100% clean result.

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Benefits of Whole House Water Filtration

What’s better: one sink with filtered results or every faucet, appliance, and water outlet receiving pure, high-quality water? This is the main benefit of whole house filtration. It’s simply effortless to have safe water delivered to every faucet and appliance in your home.

Customers who have installed whole house water filters offer some more insights into the better quality of these comprehensive water purification systems:

•  Removes over 99% of all contaminants, like lead, cysts, and chlorine
•  Access pure water from any sink and shower
•  Improves skin texture, softness, and brilliance
•  Increase brightness and softness of clothing
•  Protects appliances and pipes from corrosion
•  Short installation with lifelong benefits for your family
•  Improves overall home value

Best of all, you never have to worry about your home’s water having poor taste or odors, as it’s completely filtered. Imagine being able to cook with spa-quality water!

Cheat Sheet: Finding The Best Whole House Water Filter For Your Household

The best whole house water filter systems are able to filter out 97% or more toxins and contaminants. These sizes range down to 0.32 micron, a significant measurement of microscopic particles that can be filtered out of your water.

In addition, you always want to check that the system has been tested and certified, leading to an NSF certification for water purity. You may also want to check that there’s a Water Quality Association seal on the filter system, which indicates that it’s also passed other rigorous water tests.

What else should you look for in the top whole home water systems?

Multi-Step Filtration

One-step filters are for cheap water bottles and refrigerator icemakers. With whole home water filtration, you want at least a 3-step filtration with multiple stages where the water passes through. At each stage, microscopic particles, toxins, bacteria, cysts, and other contaminants should be removed.

Typical filter stages include:

•  Pre-Sediment: Removes larger dust and dirt particles
•  Activated Carbon Block: Removes lead, cysts, PFOA/PFOS, chlorine, and chloramines
•  Reverse Osmosis Membrane: Typically replaces or may be added on to a carbon block filter
•  Salt-Free Water Conditioner: Prevents scale from building up in your pipes and appliances
•  UV Filters: Removes bacteria and viruses in your water

Basic systems may not require all of these steps, but pre-sediment and multiple carbon block filters are typical for any high-quality system.

Compatibility

Water filtration systems are made for municipal water supply or well water supplies. It’s important to know which one you have, as well as your necessary flow rate calculated as gallons per minute (GPM). It’s typical for a decent whole house filter system to have at least a 7/gpm flow rate.

Filter Life

You don’t want to find yourself replacing filters every 30 days, but in cheaper systems, you may have to. Other brands try to extend filter life, making it so you only have to change the filters every 2 to 3 years or more. Some are rated for 5 to 10 years, depending on the filter stage and type.

Most of the time, filters are rated in terms of their capacity. A 100,000-gallon capacity filter like the OPTIMH2O will likely last about 1 year before you need to change out the filter.

Easy Installation

Not all whole house water filter systems are created equal, especially when it comes to the installation kit.

UV Filtration

With ultraviolet lights, these filters are able to remove viruses, bacteria, and other particles in your water before it ever reaches your faucet. This is especially important for those who have well systems with contaminated water, but if you notice your water is cloudy or tastes funny, UV filters can certainly aid in higher filtration.

Salt-Free Water Conditioner

The last touch of a high-quality whole house filtration system is the salt-free water conditioner that typically can be added on if you want to protect your pipes and appliances. This simple step prevents chloramine and scale build-up that causes your home’s pipes to corrode. Your home’s plumbing life may be extended just by adding on this crucial feature.