iSpringRCC1UP-AK, 100 GPD 7-Stage Reverse Osmosis Under Sink Water Filtration System with Boost Pump, Alkaline Remineralization and UV Filter, Patented Top-Mounted Faucet Design for Easy Installation

Update 9/7/2014 - Everything is still working good, no more issues... TDS still along the lines listed on JulyUpdate 7/20/2014 - Everything works great now.. Alkaliner is in and no negative taste... water inlet measures 300~450 TDS, ..Running on a well and seems like every time there is a heavy rain the TDS picks up a bit... or when we went away for the weekend and came back it was a bit high and dropped off... outlet starts near 30 and drops down as it runs to around 15~17 TDS.So, Color me a happy customer now.. the initial instal/fit problems with the spout not really the companies issue since every sink is different.Also when fiddling I figured out my real problem with the hoses initially.. they were out of round a bit and wouldn't push all the way in.. now that I have the 'feel' for it, simple to tell what is right and wrong.RobertUpdate 7/12/2014 - Received the box of parts a couple of days ago but just got it in today.1. The new pump is absolutely silent - Have to touch it to know it is running, so if you hear yours it is defective. Took about an hour to get it in.. mostly with finding some heat-shrink tubing and my heat gun.. have to take apart the all the filters to get to the screws. --- if you get a replacement pump ask for heat-shrink as well, I had some laying around, but most people don't....2. New blue clips are all in seems I was missing a couple of others as well I hadn't seen and he sent extras so all is well3. Taste is still pending - New alkalizer cartridge is in for now and after I flush it a few times I ought to know if I just had a defective one or not.Verdict - Gonna keep it and marking it up to 5 stars... it isn't perfect, but very pleased with the company and the filter even if I end up dropping the alkalizer again.RobertUpdate 7/7/2014 - Received a call back, figured it would be after the holiday weekend.Very helpful:The alkaline filter was my taste issue... He is sending a new one to try out, and some tubing to leave it bypassed if it doesn't make it better.Let him listen to the booster pump and it is defective/going bad and he is sending along a new one of those.Sending out spare blue clipsBought "iSpring 100GPD 7-Stage Reverse Osmosis RO UV Alkaline Water Filter System with Booster Pump" from Amazon and installed it 6/28/2014My skill level: Very handy - I do my own plumbing and sweat copper pipes or replace valves as needed.Installation: 2 hours - mostly spent figuring out how it was supposed to go, fixing leaks, and figuring out how to mount the tap on the sink.Good: Simple install with easy connectionsBadMissing two of the blue clips (have contacted them, but haven't heard back yet) - used an E-clip from the toolbox until they send me the proper bit. Waiting on them to call me back so they can ship me the two clips.All the tubes had to be trimmed 1/4", they seem to have been cut with a heated blade at the factory and are just enough out of round to cause leaks.. trim them and they work fine.Instructions - Online Video is a must see and good - printed instructions need some serious work - The pictures don't match the filter, tube colors not printed on the pictures, etc... just needs a complete re-do by someone installing each type unit verse trying to be genericRO tap for the top of the sink - I used the sprayer hose hole verse drilling something new - the tap is WAY to small for this and with my sink being cast iron they hole is a bit over 1/4" thick... so the mounting hardware completely useless. Ended up cutting a piece of metal out in the garage and drilling a hole in it to feed the thing through and span the gap. A strap for this or a plastic spacer included in the kit would have been nice and saved me 20 minutes of fiddling in the garage to make something work.Usage - I've drained and refilled it about 10 times since install - it has a funky taste to it I was assuming from the tank, but to test I've removed the alkaline filter to verify that it isn't the cause. This is the second topic I am waiting on a call-back from Ispring on.How it works - The numbers - I also bought the dual TDS (total dissolved solids) in-line meter so I could have numbers to watch and see when to change the filters verse just guessing.TDS at the inlet is approx 300PPM... I confirmed this with an aquarium water test kit... my GH and KH are both pretty high....Outlet TDS in the tube feeding the tap:with alkaline filter in - first cup or two of water - 180 TDS - after that it drops quickly to 27~30 TDS.With the alkaline filter out - around 15~18 TDSMy conclusion is that the alkaline filter DOES something, but unless you are only taking a cup at a time and letting it build up again it doesn't add a lot.The Booster pump - Wow, for what it is and does it is LOUD - not as loud as an old school dishwasher, but an annoying clank/clatter to be sure. It is mounted on a cradle that has rubber washers to the bracket so they tried something, but the clatter comes from the pump itself. Going to ask them about this when I talk to them as well.Conclusion - It seems to do the job of filtering, but unless we can get to the bottom of the taste issue I'll return it. If I do keep it I'll probably wrap the pump in some dynamat to kill the noise.If they call me back and we solve the missing parts and taste issue I'll probably raise the rating from 3 stars to 5. If they don't call me back and make it right I'll return it.Robert

I searched the internet for a complete drinking water filter solution as the utility water where I live is not reliable for drinking. I decided for the iSpring 7-stage one (filters, Reverse Osmosis, booster pump and UV unit) a good combination of functionality in the right price range. Good reviews, and an extensive documentation and support area also helped on my decision.I received the unit complete with manual and spare parts (o-rings, L connectors, lock rings etc) well packed and in perfect condition. The pump, top filters, RO membrane housing, UV units, drivers come pre-assembled in a metal frame and with all the water tubings connected, except those for the tank, supply and dispose water which are dependent on the installation area. I left the unit free just standing on the the 3 bottom filter housings leaning as the space was tight and there was no risk of tipping and tumbling over. Otherwise I would highly recommend to use the supplied screws and secure it fast to one of the cabinet walls.The installation manual/instruction is well illustrated, color coded and thorough. It took me about 2-3 hours to prepare the AC outlets (two needed, one for the pump and the other for the UV lamp), setting up the incoming and the RO dispose water connectors and tubings, plus drilling the hard granite countertop for the supplied water faucet.The support team was quick and professional to reply to a question I had, and provided me with an easy to install solution.Tips from my experience:1) VERY IMPORTANT: DO NOT RUSH tearing the plastic foil wrapping the large three filters before reading the manual. As written there, do NOTE that on some of the labels of these filters there is a flow (an arrow) indicator showing the direction it should be mounted inside the filter housing. I find there could be a more eye-catching sticker on those filter packings, or the mount indication on the filter itself, something like, this side up/top. It took me a while to figure out the top side, the softer washer like side, I thinkWhen rushing to open the RO element which is vacuum packed, I found it quite odd that it was moist and dripping, but that is described on the label I did not read, and on the manual, I read later. It is some kind of protective liquid (do follow the instruction and discard, at least, the first 15 minutes of water before drinking anything— actually HEED all steps of the start-up procedure before opening the supply water valve and having the water flowing through a new filter)2) The start-up part in the manual asks to verify if the UV lamp is working. There is an indicator light on the ballast/driver when it is on, but what about the lamp inside the metal housing? It is not possible to see it during the day. Only when it is DARK. The enclosed picture of my installation was taken in the dark. Note the blueish glow of the UV lamp through the plastic water connectors when it is on.The lamp will only go on when the faucet is open (the flow sensor connects to the ballast, and triggers the UV lamp on) but it will not turn off immediately when the faucet is shut. There is small delay but eventually it will turn off automatically.The ballast/driver was not fixed to the frame. I just set it on top of the pump adapter which was tied to the frame with a screw, arranged the cables neatly around it, and fastened it with two cable ties to the metal frame.3) Although a small leakage alarm is also provided, the whole unit is pretty watertight, specially when considering the number of filters, tubing and connections. I noticed only one small leak at an L/elbow connector attached from the last filter (alkaline/mineral) with a tubing to the flow sensor of the UV unit. None of the other connections had any leaks. Instead of fighting this connector, I figured out a much simpler solution.This connector was an insert type (they call it stem type) as opposed to the other threaded ones. Since this filter had the same quick connect fitting (with a lock ring), I just used a piece of excess tubing (on my picture, the yellow one between the filter and the UV unit) to replace this connector (do follow the manual instructions to re-insert those tubings correctly as it is counterintuitive when removing a tubing from the fitting), and the leak was gone.4) You have to physically shift the RO unit to the side so it protrudes a little bit to fit the opening tool (the black, round one with a smaller diameter, the larger one is for the 3 main filter housings at the bottom of the frame.It has been almost a month, a very positive impression, no problems, no leaks, great water quality, a real improvement when compared to our previous tap water.