Olympia Water Systems OROS-50 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System with 50GPD Membrane

Update February 23rd, 2024:Faucet began to develop a leak few days after my last review update. I never liked this faucet to begin with because it would not tighten completely to the sink, which meant I always had some side to side movement. Found a great replacement faucet on Amazon with a flexible neck for just $12.69 (unfortunately price went up since then). Here is the link and I added a review there as well. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXT92YBL?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_detailsRead a couple reviews mentioning storage tank bladder failure. This reminded me there were a few moments few years ago when the tank failed to refill to full capacity after the day I removed a large quantity of water at once, basically emptying the tank. I thought I would have to purchase a new tank from Olympia, but then noticed there was an air port located at the bottom half of the tank that could be used to insert pressurized air. I connected my bicycle tire manual pump to pressurize the tank and it would work to some degree but not fill completely with water. Then I connected an electric tire inflating machine to save my arms from pumping air, and that finally got the tank filling to full capacity. Just kept the pressure input way bellow the 100 psi limit listed on the sticker above the port.Update November 26th, 2023:After the unit began to leak before my past review update, I ordered the 5 filter set from Amazon to replace all filters ($57.11), a 50 GPD flow restrictor I suspected to be the source of the leak ($6.49 for a pack of two from a different brand on Amazon), the bracket that holds the filter housings which had become corroded with time due to moisture ($5.50 from Olympia's website), a new filter housing which had been stained inside with corrosion due to the length of time being used ($13.75 from Olympia's website), and an alkaline remineralization kit to upgrade the original system by adding a new filter cannister that increased water pH ($43.95 from Olympia's website).I did not have to change or repair the wooden cabinet below my sink due to the leak. Fortunately, the moisture evaporated completely and no major deterioration occurred afterwards. However, the RO system did take several attempts to eliminate all leaks before finally operating perfectly. The first filter housing in the system that received the tap water was noticeably stained with corrosion inside, which after nearly 6 years of use was understandable. The Olympia website was zero balance on this part, so I ordered two cheap substitutes from Ebay and every single one ended up leaking or breaking, plus the screw holes on top did not align accurately.I waited for Olympia to restock their inventory and immediately purchased the housing from them. This was a perfect fit and well built to last. After reassembling the system and installing the remineralization kit, I still had to deal with leaks twice more due to my failure to properly push the 1/4 inch tubing inside the fittings all the way. Although you can tug and pull on the line and have a sense of security, the system will operate under most stress when the water filters and tank are full, and pressure is at its greatest inside the lines. These leaks were the most discouraging aspects of setting the system up again, and it ran thru my mind to purchase a new system from a different brand. However nothing has failed since.Note to anyone who uses RO water for aquariums. The addition of the remineralization filter did not vastly increase minerals in the water. Before addition, I was measuring 1 or 2 PPM as opposed to 3 or 4 PPM now. Also, my pH level is 6.4, which I am okay with since it is always easier to raise alkalinity than lowering. However, I don't think having this new remineralization filter kit really changed anything other than my bank account.Update June 20th, 2023:Unit has been slowly leaking from a connection point at the flow restrictor, causing the platform to the filters to rust and develop mold around the membrane housing. The cabinet below my sink has slowly rotted due to the moist conditions and will need to be repaired or otherwise replaced. I have the unit since November of 2017 and understand that wear and tear can happen over time to anything pressurized. I suggest users place their filters over an open plastic container that can handle unexpected runoff if one of the fittings begin to leak.Purchased November 2017. This seems like a very solid unit for the price paid. It came with specific instructions and hardware. I don't know anything about plumbing but do know how to use tools, so it didn't seem very intimidating for me to set up. In the end, my tank leaked because I over torqued the plastic Feed Water Angle Valve and needed a replacement. I could have called the company but didn't want to wait for shipping, so found a suitable substitute at Lowes without an open/close feature (photo displayed). I use a TDS meter to check parts per million of solids coming out the filters. My cold tap water is about 50 ppm and the filtered reverse osmosis water comes out 1 or 2 ppm.

I bought the system after spending a couple days looking at different options on Amazon. Between the different RO systems that I saw, this one stood out as appearing to be a high quality and affordable option. I was encouraged that the system was NSF certified. I noticed in the reviews of other systems that usually they would only reference certain components (faucet, tank, filter, etc.) as NSF certified, but this complete system was certified. So I would be able to spend a little less than what the top selling systems cost, and get a third party certified system.The box came 2 days before the estimated delivery time. The packaging was clean and looked professional. All the separate components looked and felt to be of high quality. I was impressed with the angle valve used to attach the feed water to the system. The RO system I'm replacing had a clunky angle valve that came in two parts, so this is a definite improvement. Attaching the components was easy to do. The filters for stages 1-3 are shipped inside the filter housings, but with a plastic wrapping. It was easy to unwrap the filters, place them back in the housing, and attach to the bracket. Similarly, the RO membrane was easy to install into the membrane housing. The instruction manual was helpful to follow. The instructions are thorough and there are plenty of color pictures to help out with installation. The quick connect fittings came with a blue clip that locks the fitting into place. The faucet that comes with the system looks much better than my old faucet and was easy to install.During installation I had a question about hooking up my refrigerator. I called the 1-800 number and was able to talk to someone that helped answer my question. I was able to hook up the system to my refrigerator using a 1/4" quick connect tee that I was using in my previous system. I placed the tee in between the last filter and the faucet, where I have a separate line running to the refrigerator. This worked out well during the installation, and the pressure to the fridge is good.After filling and flushing the tank the water tastes great. The whole process took between 1 to 2 hours, following the instructions, and was much better than getting a plumber out to the house. Overall a positive buying experience.