Pure UF-3 System

At first I looked at reverse osmosis systems but was put off by the wasted water and having to tamper with the drain pipe under the sink. So I kept looking and found that the UF-3 has pretty good filtration specs, down to 0.2 microns thanks to the UF membrane. This system, certified to meet NSF/ANSI Standard 53, is able to take care of volatile organic compounds (VOC), heavy metals, and fluoride. See what the NSF certification entails here:[...]and here: [...]. Having used a Seagull IV water filter system for the past 20 years, this was a step up in filtration quality. I was a bit hesitant to do the installation since several reviewers commented about missing parts, leaks, and about the plastic T-junction (the piece that connects the green tube to the water source). But since Costco also sells the UF3, I figured that it couldn't be that bad since the store seems to carry mainly high quality products. I do admit that there is some confusion in the instructions. The faucet was made for three different systems and has three sets of instructions printed right on the box. Ignore all of them since the correct instructions are in the installation pamphlet. I did have left over a 1" rubber gasket that didn't seem to be needed for the faucet installation and was not mentioned in the instructions. The instructions mention a brass and a plastic T-junction. Mine was plastic and it installed easily once I ignored the complicated instructions for the brass version. The junction worked perfectly well. The green tube connects to it with a dead-simple quick connect method (the John Guest locking system): just stick the hose into the hole and push. Same easy method is used to connect the green and blue tubes to the filter assembly. Much simpler and easier than dealing with sleeves and nuts. For the connections that require nuts and sleeves, I wrapped a bit of white teflon tape around the threads to improve the seal. When I first turned on the water a few drops came out of the green hose at the filter unit. Turns out I hadn't pushed the hose far enough! I screwed the blue tube's connector nut at the faucet shank pretty tightly and got no leaks. I ran the water for a few minutes and didn't notice any of the carbon particles mentioned in the instructions. My old Seagull filter did put out quite a bit of grayish looking water for the first few gallons. Overall I'm very happy with the installation and the water is definitely better tasting.

Before I selected this, I considered the Multi-Pure MP750SB and the AquaPure AP-DWS1000. Both were highly reviewed on Consumer Reports but were also considerably more expensive than this unit, each costing more than $300. I'm sure both got the job done but I couldn't find a reason to spend an extra $200 to $300 for a filter that didn't appear to be more effective than the Watts Premier. Also, the two more expensive filters had few reviews here and the ones that were written seemed suspiciously biased. Anyway, I selected the Watts Premier mainly due to the high ratings here, its reasonable price, its use of widely available Watts filters and the certifications that validated its effectiveness. I was apprehensive about the installation after reading the problems some people had with it but mine went smoothly and without problems. I was concerned about the effectiveness of the plastic diverter valve but it worked fine. I took another reviewer's advice to use teflon tape to make a tighter fit between the brass fittings and the plastic valve. I was also concerned about these snap-in, connectors you slide the plastic tubes into. I wasn't convinced they would create a water-tight seal, but they did. After hooking this filter system up (which took about an hour), I let the water run and was relieved to find no leaks. As other reviewers have noted, make sure you push the plastic tube all the way into their connectors. Give them a slight tug to verify they are in. Also, you may need an extra hand to keep the faucet steady as you tighten the nut from underneath the sink. I was impressed by the quality of the included stainless steel faucet and was surprised at how attractive and well-built it was. Since the water filter was the focus of this package, I expected the faucet to be more of an after-thought. But the faucet's high quality exceeded my expectations. Of course, pain-free installation and quality faucet aside, I bought this unit for its water filtering capability. And I'm happy to report it filtered the water just fine. The water tasted great. I immediately noticed the lack of chlorine taste and smell. I couldn't tell the difference between this water and the water from my old reverse osmosis filter. In conclusion, I'm very satisfied with this purchase.

System was easy to install and worked well UNTIL the plastic water shut off they supply cracked and flooded 1/3 of my 1st floor. It's only 2-3 years old and not covered under the one year warranty. No-one local carries the valve and Premier wants $16.67 for the valve and almost $40 for shipping. You'd think for customer relations they would send me one for free since this could have resulted in thousands of dollars in damage if it hadn't been caught within 1-2 hours of the failure. Three members of my family have these systems but I will not reccomend it in the future.

We brought this filter down to our home in Costa Rica to give us an extra measure of water safety. The Water in most of Costa Rica is "Potable" but the taste and smell is not always the best and recent water rationing means that many complexes have commissioned tanks to tide over users when municipal water is turned off. We never want to be blindsided by accidental biological contamination which would occur quite easily. The filter was very easy to install if you have some minor plumbing experience and it works well at low to modest pressures. Access to filters and fittings is super easy and we really like the way it works. Maintenance is very well thought out and super easy. Spare filters are readily available on line Water comes out of the filter tap gently with lots of very small bubbles in it and it tastes quite soft. We place nice glass jugs in the fridge and within a few minutes the bubbles have gone leaving crystal clear water. As a result we now drink more water and have eliminated plastic water bottles from our regiment....NICE

NO FILTER SPARES ARE AVAILABLE IT IS A CON A BIG CON IT DOES NOT REDUCE ANYTHING IN WATER TDS METER SHOWS SAME VALUES FROM TAP AS AFTER FILTRATING THROUGH UF3

We did a blind taste test with water directly from faucet vs water from this filter and there is huge difference in taste. This filter does work and is way more convenient than re-filling pitcher filter. Will definitely recommend this to family. We don't have extra hole in the sink for faucet and we are not allowed to put one as we are renting an apartment so we placed this at the countertop with this diverter: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01H7FG5MW/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_2 Just thought I'd share it to anyone looking to see if it can be used over the counter. We put holes on a tin can for the faucet and the hose for filtered water. We are still looking for container for the filter itself to "hide it" and look more aesthetic. :)

We highly recommend this product. It is relatively easy to install - getting granite countertop drilled was most difficult part! Water flavour changed immediately, so no more chlorine taste and smell

We have to return this after using it as the water is not coming out normally.