Aquasana Under Sink Water Filter System - Reduces PFAS, Lead, & Chlorine in Drinking Water - Under Counter Claryum Filtration for Kitchen - 3-Stage Max Flow - Brushed Nickel Faucet - AQ-5300+.55

(Note: See January 2025 update on filter replacement at the end of this review.)My kitchen sink cabinet, now nearly 20 years old, remains pristine, like new .... and I would like to keep it that way. Water is our beloved friend, a huge part of our bodies, but, as homeowners, water is also our dreaded enemy. Did I really want to add another possible source of a water leak under the kitchen sink? Surveying the product reviews for the Aquasana introduced all sorts of potential leaky nightmares: faulty O-rings, shredded threads, pressure-cracked plastic housings ... Yiiii! But I really really wanted to cut the cord from the spring water company, save some money, and liberate the hall closet from the water cooler and 5 gallon bottles.So, I took the plunge (so to speak) into home-filtered water. So far, cautiously optimistic. Reading the product reviews in more detail, it seems like the bulk of the leak problems may be due to faulty installation. It seems important to hand-tighten only when installing new filter replacements, to be very careful to have the threads engaged properly when putting in the new filters, and - strange to say - to actually read and follow the product literature.Probably the most serious potential problem with the Aquasana units themselves is the tendency for the plastic housing containing the filter units to crack after some years of use. This was noted by several reviews, and is now tacitly acknowledged as an issue by Aquasana, which notes in the product literature you receive with the unit that the housing should be replaced every five years! I may have inadvertently given myself some added protection from these pressure-induced fractures: for reasons not related to the water filter, I recently had to have the water pressure coming into the house (measured originally at about 90 psi) reduced to about 65 psi. That may buy me some extra time against unit aging, although I think it would be foolish and a false economy to not do a replacement as recommended by Aquasana.It should be noted that the Aquasana product literature (but not the web description of the products!) includes these cautions: (1) "Do not install this system where the line pressure may exceed 80 psi." (2) "The filter housing must be replaced every five years. Failure to do so could result in potential leaks ...". A phone number is provided to order the replacement; but the price of the replacement and cost of shipping are not mentioned.Some extra precautions I've taken to protect my under-sink cabinetry (see photo): 1. I had a shut-off valve installed in the shunt (C) going to the Aquasana unit (A) from the main cold water line to the main faucet (B). Now, if there ever is a leak, I can isolate the Aquasana and still have use of the main faucet. The other advantage is when it comes time to change the filters, I can use this added valve to isolate the Aquasana, open the tap on the countertop Aquasana faucet, and thus relieve the internal pressure, which should make it easier to safely remove the old filters. 2. I added a silicone mat with a raised edge under the sink (D), so that if there is a leak it will first collect into this silicone basin; I've also added a wireless water detector (E) inside the mat area which will alarm and also email me if a leak is detected. The YoLink unit I used can detect not only water pooling underneath it, but also water dripping on top of it, which is why it is positioned directly under the Aquasana system.Of course the mat and water detector will guard against any leaks, including from the disposal or the main kitchen sink, so are definitely worth doing anyway. Note that the mat I purchased skirts the main water lines and drainpipe at the back (if you order a mat that includes this area, you not only have to carefully cut holes in the mat, but also - by doing so - you compromise the mat's ability to contain leaks).One note about the taste of the filtered water. I followed instructions and ran the filter unit for 10 minutes before trying to drink the water. The first taste at that point was extremely disappointing. There was a distinct sulfur-like taste to the water that is not present in my unfiltered tap water! I ran another gallon or so of water through the system and the taste was still there, but perhaps somewhat less noticeable. I probably ran another couple of gallons through and the taste was barely detectable, and after another gallon or so I can no longer detect the sulfur taste. So clearly it is a matter of properly and completely flushing the system (and new filter units in the future), and the Aquasana recommendation of 10 minutes is just not enough to do the job.First Filter Replacement, January 13, 2025. The Aquasana performed admirably since the installation described above, and at six months I ordered the authentic Aquasana replacement, AQ-5200R, from Amazon, with a standing order for a new filter every six months. I should note that on removal of the old filters they were gray, compared with the white new ones, suggesting that in fact they are removing something from my city water! The replacement filters arrive with a succinct, but adequate, description of how to swap out the old and replace with the new, and a new button battery to drive the replacement time indicator.The replacement went smoothly, although several of the steps required more strength and effort than I expected. That said, I was finally able to get it done. My wrists are beginning to show a little arthritis, which may have contributed to my struggles. The first challenge was in separating the top and bottom halves of the outer unit that contains the filter; finally I went to one of those thin rubber, cloth-like "grippers", which gave me a grip on the top half, and allowed me to twist and separate. The second challenge was to pull the filter out of the separated top. I'm wondering whether part of my problem was the factory source of the unit ... the fact that the filters had never been replaced before and may have been especially firmly attached. I'll be eager to see whether the next filter change goes any better.I noted in my original review above that I needed to run water through the Aquasana longer than suggested before the water lost a sulfurous aftertaste clearly due to the filter unit. This turned out to be true for the newly installed filters as well. I believe the longer time may be due to the fact that - as described above - my house water pressure was previously adjusted down significantly from the 90 psi that comes in from the city system. Likely this slows the flow rate of the water through the filter system so that more time is required to deliver the necessary volume of water. This time I carefully did some measurements: First, I found that the flow through my Aquasana, at the current, reduced, water pressure of my house, is about 1.5 quarts per minute. Second, I found that I needed to run about 6 gallons of water through the system before I lost the aftertaste. (At the 10 minutes suggested by Aquasana, I had run 15 quarts, or just short of 4 gallons, through the system.)Overall, I remain very positive about the Aquasana. Stay tuned for another update after the next filter change.

I bought this in March but I wanted to wait a couple months before leaving a review. We have very hard water here in south central Georgia and the taste is quite frankly disgusting. After years of buying bottled water we decided to purchase an under-sink filter and I'm glad we did. The difference in taste and smell is astonishing with the three filter setup and installation was a breeze. Just make sure to plug the supply and return lines in firmly (they go in much deeper than you think) as we've had no leaks at all. Best purchase I've made in years.

I bought this Aquasana water filter system for my kitchen sink. For some reason, I was sent (and charged for) 3 units. Obviously, I contacted Amazon and made arrangements to return two units for refund.In the meantime, I hired a plumber to install the unit. The plumber is a licensed, insured and an experienced plumber. He had the worst time installing the filters. Installing the unit was very basic - no problem there. However when he put in the filters they leaked. Because I had two extra units. He tried those filter (I was willing to take the hit). After trying 5 different filters (on a 3 filter unit) he was finally able to get it to stop leaking.Fast forward 7 months…I knew I had to change the filters every 6 months. As luck would have it, I had a plumber out to fix an unrelated issue and I asked ‘can you change these filters for me as long as your here’. This was not the same plumber as did the install. I had purchased new filters last month and had them ready for install. This plumber also had the same issue as the first plumber…the new filters leaked. He couldn’t tell what the issue really was, because once the filters are in the housing, you can’t see them. He said they went in easy, and shouldn’t be leaking. Finally out of frustration, I said just disconnect it and I’d contact Aquasana since it’s still under warranty.After speaking with Julie at Aquasana tech support, I was told that she could not refund my money, only send replacement parts…which is impossible since I (nor the plumber) can tell what’s leaking. I was asked to take a video of the leak and email it to them??? What? I told them no, that’s ridiculous. I’d have to call the plumber back out to hook it up again, to take a video of dripping water? Riiiight!Julie at Aquasana said I needed to contact Amazon, since that’s where I bought the unit. I told her it was at the Aquasana Store on Amazon. She said she has no authority for returns, even under warranty and to go thru Amazon. The funny thing is, Amazon doesn’t give me an option to return this unit…it does refer me to the toll free number to Aquasana (the same number where I spoke with Julie). Basically the round around.So I’m now out my money. I don’t have a water filter and I still get to hire a plumber to remove the unit (he did disconnect it from the water, but it’s still under my sink, and the small faucet for the filter has to be removed and I need to put in a soap dispenser or something to fill that hole in the counter top.Thanks Aquasana for standing by your product, which has been problematic from the start, thanks for helping us out when finances are tight. By not offering a full refund to a defective product and not giving a second thought to me paying a plumber AGAIN to come out to remove there defective machine.Beware buying from Aquasana. The product I have is defective, still under manufacturer warranty and they will not refund me. That’s just wrong.