- AquaTru Water Purification Unit - Certified NSF/ANSI Standards, Removes 84 Contaminants, No Plumbing Required, Cost-Effective, Environmentally Friendly

SUMMARY: We purchased the AquaTru Countertop Reverse Osmosis System (now called AquaTru Classic) in October 2017. A complete review of the AquaTru system is below. We've been very happy with AquaTru for the past six years (and continue to use AquaTru on a daily basis). Water quality has been amazing. The filters are a reasonable cost based on the time between replacements and they are very easy to replace. The filters are readily available through Amazon and AquaTru's web site. I'd recommend signing up for the AquaTru email list because they have some pretty good discounts and specials throughout the year. There's a bit of maintenance including periodically cleaning pitcher and tank, descaling (frequency depends on the hardness of your water) and replacing filters. We changed our review back to 5 stars (from 4 stars) because of how AquaTru Customer Service handled a broken power switch which rendered the AquaTru inoperable. We highly Recommend AquaTru!!! =================== Complete Review: =================== Day 1 - 10/9/2017 -------------------- We received our AquaTru Countertop Reverse Osmosis system today. We've been using a Zen Water System for several years, and liked the system, but wanted a system with reverse osmosis. We set it up and ran through the required 5 tanks to flush the filters before we started tasting/testing. It's Awesome! Quiet, fast (about 12+/- minutes for 3 quarts). Tastes great! The filtered water tank is a quite a bit smaller than our old Zen system which had a 5 gallon filtered water tank, but I think the speed of the AquaTru will make up for the smaller tank (The Zen was significantly slower). The Zen system was also more difficult to maintain, wash the components, tanks, etc. The smaller tanks on the AquaTru will be much easier to maintain. We have a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) tester which measures dissolved solids in PPM (Parts per million). Our unfiltered tap water is about 230 to 270 PPM dissolved solids. The filtered water from the AquaTru is about 33 PPM. I also tested the waste water which contains the removed containments and dissolved solids removed from your water. It tested at over 530 PPM. Will update this review sometime in the future based on our experience over time. Day 2 - 10/10/2017 --------------------- A couple more observations: Great Feature: The filtered water tank has a full sensor, so when the tank is full, filtering stops. As filtered water is dispensed from the tank, the unit will automatically begin filtering more water until the filtered water tank is full, or the tap water tank has been depleted. As long as there's enough water in the tap water tank, the unit will keep the filtered water tank full. When the Tap water tank needs to be emptied of waste water and refilled, there's a large indicator on the front display. Room for Improvement: The filtered water tank dispenses from the bottom front by pushing a button, which releases water. The button is a bit difficult to get good control over the rate of flow. If you're filling a container or glass it's a great, strong flow. If you're filling an ice cube tray or similar shallow container, it's a little more difficult to control the flow so it doesn't splash everywhere, but not impossible. Also, the water continues to flow for about a second after you release the button. Just something to know so you don't overflow... Still really impressed and the water tastes great! UPDATE Six Months - 4/14/2018 ------------------------------------------- We've been using the AquaTru for a little over six months now. Still works and tastes great! We ordered a spare set of filters but haven't had to replace any yet. On a typical day we'll run anywhere from 1 to 4 tanks through the filter. We also bought a second clean water tank and keep it in the refrigerator. There are occasional periods with more (house guests, etc) and periods with no tanks run thru (trips away from home, etc). We have found one (probably rare) problem that we are concerned will shorten the life of the pump, etc. We live in a 70+ year old house. The Aqua Tru is on a kitchen counter top. Occasionally the water in the tank may slosh slightly if there's a slight earthquake (we live in Southern California) or a truck goes by, etc. If the tank is full, this causes the filtered water sensor to think that the tank is no longer full. The pump turns on, and almost immediately as the water sloshes back and touches the sensor, the pump turns off, usually less than 1 second later. This causes the water to slosh even more, and at times becomes self perpetuating. The pump continues to turn on and off very rapidly. Occasionally we'll hear the unit doing this during the middle of the night, and have to get up to remove enough water so that the sensor no longer triggers. If the AquaTru waited a few seconds before engaging the pump or detected this rapid on/off of the tank full sensor, it would probably eliminate these false triggers. Because of this issue, i'm lowering my rating to 4 stars. It's an unusual situation that probably won't affect everyone, but one that could be avoided with a simple engineering or software change. NOTE: In the new AquaTru classic we ordered on 7/12/2023 this problem has been corrected! The new unit does not have this issue! UPDATE One Year Two Months - 11/11/2018 ---------------------------------------- We still use the AquaTru daily with only one issue not mentioned above. We are concerned, that in all this time, the unit has never instructed us to change any of the filters! The various filters are expected to last six months, one year and two years. By my rough estimate, we've processed more than the estimated gallons through. In the box, there was a single sheet that directed us to press the reset button on the back of the unit for a period of time. We did do this. I'm assuming it was to reset the counters used for each filter. I'm ordering all new filters to install and resetting the unit. And will monitor more closely this time on the six month filter. UPDATE Three Years Eleven Months - 09/30/2021 ------------------------------------------ The original unit we purchased in 2017 is still in use on a daily basis, often several tanks a day! I gave up on the filter reminders. I just replace them based on the calendar. Replace the pre-filter and carbon filter every six months, and the Reverse Osmosis every 12 months. Yesterday, I used the AquaTru descaling kit - I recently noticed it was available on the AquaTru site. Had a minor issue because I was following the directions too closely. It tells you to remove the filter cover, remove your regular filters, and insert the filters for descaling. The directions say to start running the descaling fluid through the AquaTru. They didn't say to put the filter cover back on. The unit won't run without the filter cover on! Spent an hour trying to figure that out. During the descaling process, the unit stopped filtering once or twice with each run-through, which was expected. Once the descaling was done, you run clear water through at least twice. That's when I started having an issue with the unit not starting. I let it sit overnight and it started running fine. After the flushes were done, I washed the tanks, put new filters in, added water, and once again it won't start. When I turn on the power, there's a faint click, then nothing. Re-seated everything, to the same result. Going to let it sit for a few hours, hopefully, that will get it running again. Update to follow... UPDATE Three Years Eleven Months - 10/01/2021 ------------------------------------------ Issue resolved! We have two clean water dispensers so we can keep one in the fridge. When I was washing them, I got water into the handle, where the sensor is to see if dispenser is full. The other dispenser works fine. Just need to drain the water from the handle and let it dry out inside. UPDATE Four Years Nine Months - 7/13/2022 --------------------------------------------- It’s been four years, nine months, and four days since we started using our AquaTru! It’s still running strong, although it’s slightly showing its age. It’s a little less forgiving when we place the clean water and tap water tanks on the unit as it occasionally leaks water on the counter and floor. Not a ton, but enough to have to wipe up. One of the clean water tanks can leak a bit when it is not sitting on the base. After replacing filters or descaling the base, the pump doesn’t always re-engage immediately. The last time we changed a filter, it had to sit overnight before the pump would engage again, so we could run a few tanks of water through and start using it again. Since it is an integral part of our daily routine, using a couple of tanks of water daily, we have been concerned that the unit may finally go out (it’s still working today). We saw the same AquaTru unit for a great price in the Prime Days sale, so we ordered a new AquaTru unit yesterday. Probably the best endorsement I can give – we repurchased the same model! When we receive the new AquaTru unit, we’ll probably move our old one to an office area and continue to use it as long as it operates. I’ll add an update to this review once we have the new unit, and it’s been working for a bit. UPDATE Five Years Two Months - 12/30/2022 ------------------------------------------- Have been using the new AquaTru Classic unit we purchased on Amazon Prime Day for almost six months now. The issue mentioned above on 4/14/2018 where the motor turns on/off repeatedly when the tank is full and the water moves a little bit has been fixed in the new AquaTru Classic we received!!! The new unit stopped filter without turning off/on. Called customer service and they suggested it might need descaling. We live in Southern California and our city has fairly hard water. The customer service sent us a couple complimentary descaling packets (we already had the descaling kit used in place of the filters while descaling). They also suggested we replace the Stage 1 & 2 pre-filter as it can be affected by hard water). This did the trick and it's been working great! UPDATE Six Years One Month - 11/20/2023 --------------------------------------------- While doing a routine scaling on our newer AquaTru Classic, the power switch broke! Unfortunately it broke in the Off position so we couldn't turn the unit back on. The unit is a few months past the end of the warranty, and AquaTru doesn't offer repair service for out of warranty products. I opened a customer support ticket through the web site. I decided to try calling customer service as well. The Customer service rep said there was a possibility of purchasing a replacement base at a reduced cost. I told him I'd think about it and call back. Shortly after, I received an email from AquaTru asking for my shipping address so they could send me a new base for the AquaTru classic. Received it a few days later and it's working great! During the time our AquaTru wasn't working, we used our original AquaTru which had been in storage. It still worked just fine!

I honestly wish I had bought the AquaTru Classic sooner. The difference in the taste of the water was noticeable right away, and now I drink a lot more water throughout the day because it simply tastes better. What I love most is how easy it is to use. There was no installation required, just set it on the counter, fill it up, and it’s ready to go. It has become part of my daily routine, and I no longer feel the need to buy bottled water. The machine is a little larger than I expected, but that’s a small trade-off for having clean, great-tasting water available whenever I want it. The maintenance has also been straightforward so far. Overall, I’m extremely happy with this purchase and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a simple way to improve the quality and taste of their drinking water. Overall, I’m extremely happy with this purchase and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a simple way to improve the quality and taste of their drinking water.

Set up is easy. The only negative that I have is that there is too much waste water remaining in the Tap water tank. However we use this water on the plants 🪴 wished it had handles on the side of the Tap water tank when removing and filling it up . But nevertheless I like the unit very much . It's all about the taste for me because I never buy bottled water 💧

I am upgrading my review from a 3 down to 1 (or less). Purchase of the AquaTru has been one of the worst household appliance decisions we have made. After 8 months, the unit stopped working. It took 6 weeks of back and forth just trying to reach their service person to get some help. After various tests including testing a new water container (which we paid for), they finally had us return the unit. A month+ later, we finally got a repaired unit, or what looks like a refurbished base unit, and after plugging it it and going through all the tests, it does not even work. We got tired of waiting, even while still going back and forth with AquaTru, and after 4 weeks of going without RO water, we broke down and bought a different system that cost 1/4 the price (Express Water - no pumps and it works off your household water pressure instead). the Express Water works great and is quicker in producing high-quality water - see comparison in size in the attached pic. We’re really glad we got a different system because we have now been waiting a total of 2-1/2 months to get a workable AquaTru system. At this point, after buying extra tanks, extra filter -- all for more than $600 - we just want our money back. Given that the AquaTru unit breaks after 8 months (after the return date of course), and with no reasonable service available from the company, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND, NOT PURCHASING THIS UNIT. The AquaTru system just has too many hidden switches and sensors that all have to work together, and when one fails, the whole system fails. Get something simpler, and lower cost, that does a better job. The Express Water is bare bones, but throw a towel over it, and with its much smaller footprint, quicker water delivery, and lack of pumps and sensors, it is a much smarter option. ------------ They probably spent huge amounts of money design this triangular shaped unit, and then going through a bunch of needless tooling to create the odd shaped units needed to fit. It would have fit our space MUCH better if they had just used a conventional rectangular design. Right now the unit takes up too much space for what it does. Does it work? The water quality seems fine. For some reason even after going through 5 discarded batches, the filtered water delivered seem to foam up a bit in the first dozen tankfuls. I suspect there is some surfactant they use that is not completely released coming out in the first 20+ tanks or so. Is it better than drinking lead in your water? -- absolutely! Could they do a better job with their system and providing a unit that fits better on most counters, doesn’t foam, and is lower cost? The system works and I will continue to use it, but I think there is room for competition here.

Haven't tested my water to verify the claims - the carbon filter was replaced 8 months in - not 12 months as they claim. You go through the water quick if you use it, filling up the tank 3-4 times or more per day with drinking and cooking by the water. When you don't trust or can't drink city water it works pretty great. 1 year and going strong. The filters are EXPENSIVE! The lights on the display are pointless, it just shows each stage light up for a set amount of second or two and then goes to the next light.

i’m obsessed!!!! it’s such a game changer - i can’t stand the taste of tap water now that i’m able to drink pure water. the machine looks nice. maybe a bit bulkier than id like, but nothing crazy at all. the water capacity is pretty good, definitely comparable to the amount of water you get in a brita filter but actually filters the water and is easier to use. i love having a water dispenser haha oh and also good to know - the water comes out room temp or whatever temperature that you fill the tap tank with. i prefer room temp, but its good to know. i would absolutely recommend for people who rent their homes because you don’t have to drill any holes into the countertop in order to install it and we should all have access to clean water 🩵

I’ve had two under counter ro systems that were not worth the effort. It was incredibly cumbersome to change the filters and they ended up inevitably leaking. The counter top AquaTru Classic has not let me down. I actually use it for special needs animals. I go through a lot of filtered water each day. This design is so easy to use and can keep up with our demand. The water capacity is more than adequate, it doesn’t seem to leak and if it were to start, it’s visible and accessible, super easy to maintain.

I bought this AquaTru unit because it caught my attention that it does not need plumbing installation and that it offers a fairly complete filtration. However, my experience has been regular and I think it has some aspects that could be improved. The taste of the water is cleaner and more pleasant than that of the tap water, although I did not notice such an impressive difference as I expected. The general quality of the equipment is acceptable, but for its price I expected a more solid construction. As for the water flow, I think it's a bit slow, especially when I need to fill several glasses or containers. The filtration speed is not one of the fastest either, so you have to wait a little between each use. It can be impractical for a family. The size is another point to consider, since it takes up a lot of space on the countertop. The ease of use is good because it does not require installation and the controls are simple, but the maintenance and being aware of filling and emptying the tanks take away a little comfort. , it works and fulfills its purpose, but personally I expected a faster, more compact and efficient system for the price. I don't think it's a bad option, but I don't consider it an exceptional purchase either.

Buy it, you will not regret it. No, it’s not expensive. Do the math.