APEC Water Systems 3-Stage Whole House Water Filter System with Sediment, GAC Carbon and Carbon Block Filters (CB3-SED-CAB-CBC20-BB)

Having never owned or installed one of these before, take my review for what it's worth.Installed in April of 2023.Product seems solidly built and no part of it feels substandard. Apec's website has a lot of helpful information about not only their products but water filtration in general, and the company overall feels as solid as the products they sell.Instructions are straightforward and clear, however BE CAREFUL READING because the stages of this 3-filter system go from right-to-left, but the instructions show them going from left-to-right. (This could easily lead to improper filter installation.)Installation was... not much fun overall and very time-consuming, but that's no fault of the product. (40+ solder points to construct the bypass manifold, shut-off valves, pressure gauges, and inlet/outlet points.) My only real complaint with the product is a minor one, but I could see it being a possible huge one for someone else - the housings for the filters are solid plastic, and accordingly there are multiple warnings of DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN. Good advice and all... but it's also difficult to determine what exactly IS the appropriate tightening. As such I experienced leaks at installation because I was hesitant when applying Teflon tape and when tightening copper into the plastic housings. The leaks were remedied soon enough however.If self-installing and not paying for labor/markup, factor in an additional $200 - $250 dollars on pipes and parts. Except for the pressure gauges that I installed at the inlet and outlet, all of my additional parts were from Home Depot and I used about 9 feet of 3/4" pipe. The gauges are available on Amazon (SENCTRL 100 Psi Lead-Free Glycerin Liquid Filled Low Pressure Gauge, 2.5" Dial Size, 1/4" NPT Lower Mount, Stainless Steel Case) and are easy to read and appear solid and accurate. The shut-off valves and adapter parts to attach the gauges to the copper pipes were something of a hassle to conjure up though, as they weren't found in the plumbing aisle but rather the air tools and brass fittings aisles. (I actually had to ask an employee for help on that part... how humbling.)Pictures show the final installation and a long view to depict the overall size of the system. Check your available space and product measurements because it IS large. However it sits above my water softener nicely.Finally, as far as water quality goes... I actually have no danged idea how much of a difference this system will make yet. My 30 year-old Las Vegas house was purchased in January 2022 without any kind of water filtration ever installed in it, and it appeared to have a TERRIBLE scale problem as the original appliances were covered in white along with counters, sinks, tubs, and faucets. The water softener appeared to curb that somewhat on my shower door, but with a softener and reverse osmosis already invested into the house, I decided to go all-in with this system too, which is what was recommended for Las Vegas water. Only the little water meter that I bought when I installed my RO still shows 450 TDS at my tap, so... huzzuh? Guess I need to research that more because I'm certainly puzzled at how that all works... will update this review with any relevant info found.Update August 2023 -Scale in the house has disappeared, and there's no longer a layer of white funk all over everything - a noticeable and obvious difference than before. Nice!Update April 2024 -Installing this has made a huge difference in showers, counters, dishwasher, and the water spout on the refrigerator. The white scale that was once everywhere in the house is completely gone. Absolutely zero buyer's remorse.

I do not write many reviews, I know some of the reviews are confusing if the vendor has multiple products so This review is specifically for the APEC Water Systems CB3-SED-KDF-CAB20-BB 3-Stage Whole House Water System with Sediment, KDF and Carbon Filters, Blue. however I wanted to take some time to talk about this product. We had the sulfur smell in our well water. The home is less than 3 years old and at first we had no problems. After research I found that the smell is from hydrogen sulfide gas that is created by bacteria that feeds on our iron rich water. You can check the absolute facts on this as I am no chemist. All my family knows is the water really started to stink in the sinks, showers and it was even getting through the refrigerator water filters. Choosing a product to fix this was not easy. I found there are basically 2 types of filters, ones like this that use cartridges that need replaced periodically and a type of filter that uses an air gap or air injection and media. The later needs to be flushed I am told quite regularly with water maybe 50 gallons a flush and as we are on a septic system I was concerned. I am not saying the air gap ones do not work, as I have not tried one of those units I do not know. I chose the product that I did because you do not have to flush it, just replace the cartridges. That being said I may find that to be expensive in the long run due to the cost and how often we find we have to do it. I am just saying this product worked for us and the problem we had. The unit was fairly easy to install as I used all of the pex type quick connect fittings so I did it in about 3 hours. After installation we noticed an immediate improvement, and after about a week of use and several cycles of the water softener the problem seems to be gone completely. I think the hydrogen sulfide bacteria work their way into the softener and even the water heater and it takes time for that to go away. Anyway great product seems well built, easy to install and maintain and fixed the problem.

Happy with this filter system. Installation was straight forward. I connected it before my water softener. Got rid of chlorine taste and smell from my water.

Came without one O-ring for the housing. Thought I would buy it myself but it is $19.99. Now I have to contact the manufacturer and deal with it. :(Otherwise, the part looks well manufactured and size is massive than I expected. Hoping to install it soon.

This filter system is amazing. I have well water, which is full of rust and limestone. After installing the filter system, my water is so clear and tastes great. I highly recommend it.

I have waited two weeks after installing the filter system to give it a fair review. My bride is VERY happy with the water now which makes me happy.When delivered, I was surprised by he size and weight. It seems very robust. I read the installation instructions and then drew out my specific plumbing diagram. Then I cut and dry fit the plumbing to the filters having everything resting on my shop workbench. The next morning I transferred everything to the mounting wall. I ended up with 56 PVC joints, with not one leaker. The final step was to join it to the house water system and flush the filters as recommended.I did thoroughly flush the hot water tank and filled it with the filtered water.There is now no color or odor.

installed easily. I've installed one for us and one for my brother/sister in law.