Best Whole House Reverse Osmosis Systems in 2023

Probably the best way to get overall excellent quality of water in your whole household is the Whole House Reverse Osmosis System. An increasing number of health specialists agree that RO is the best technology to make your own purified drinking water. What’s more, there are ways to get RO water distributed throughout your whole house.

The benefits are plenty, and to name but few – excellent shower water quality and home appliances supplied with water that will make them work better and last longer.

Here we are taking a better look at how a whole house systems work. And examining five RO systems that meet the criteria of supplying a whole house with RO purified water.

System	Capacity (GPD)	Pressure	Number of Stages	Prices
iSpring RCS5T	500	30-70 PSI	5	Check it on Amazon
WECO HydroSense Light Commercial Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System	500	40-50 PSI	4	Check it on Amazon
iSpring RCB3P	300	35-40 PSI	5	Check it on Amazon
Hydro-Logic 31023 1000-GPD Evolution RO1000 High Flow RO System	1000	15-20 PSI	3	Check it on Amazon
NU Aqua Platinum Series Deluxe High Capacity 100GPD 5-Stage Under Sink Reverse Osmosis Ultimate Purifier Drinking Water Filter System	100	20-30 PSI	5	Check it on Amazon

What is a whole house system?

Basically it’s a water purification system that is set in a place where the water source is entering your house. So all the water is purified and then it can flow further to every sink, shower, and hose. Reverse Osmosis is much more robust and advanced technology than just water filtration.

An RO system that covers the needs of the whole house can remove particles as tiny as molecules, ions, and even a few types of bacteria or microorganisms from incoming water. Also, Reverse Osmosis filtering process removes the foul smell and taste associated that comes from pollution.

No matter the water source – municipal, well water, rainwater, or any other, there are systems and add-ons that can purify pretty much any water into safe drinking water.

Whole House Reverse Osmosis System Reviews

Here are five systems that I’ve picked and examined to figure out which one is best and for which situation.

1. The Best Whole House System: iSpring RCS5T

Technical specifications

• Capacity – 500GPD

• Size – 14 x 11 x 18 inches

• Dry system weight – 32.6 pounds

• Wastewater to water ratio – 1:1

• Water pressure – 10-15 PSI

• Filtration stages – 5

• Included components: Housings, filters, parts and tubing, faucet and mounting bracket

iSpring RCS5T will work for residential or commercial environments. With a capacity of 500 GPD, it works well for locations where water drinking is frequent. Such as a home, small office, meeting center, and similar.

RCS5T comes with a water faucet that can be installed in the desired location. In essence, it should be used as a water fountain. Because of its high capacity, it is suitable for continuous use through a single point.

It is designed as a tankless, on-demand drinking water system.

However, with some additional parts, it’s possible to use this system like a whole house RO purification unit. Or even install a storage tank. It’s not recommended by the manufacturer since the system is designed to work in a light commercial setting. But people often install iSpring RCS5T to be used as a whole house system and see no trouble.

RCS5T is designed to have a small physical footprint, it could be fitted into most under the sink cabinets if used without a tank. This system delivers excellent quality drinking water while staying convenient enough and saving space.

The filter life is not surprising. It’s worth replacing filters every six months and RO membrane every two years. That largely depends on incoming water quality and the amount of water that runs through the system every day. With some knowledge about water conditions, it’s possible to extend filter and RO membrane life. For example, if the water carries dust and larger particles by changing the sediment filter you can prevent the wear of main filters and RO membrane. Additionally, if incoming water is hard, a water softener will treat water to be softer, further extending the lifespan of filters. This is called pre-treatment and more on that later.

Advanced Dual-Flow 500GPD membrane has an exceptionally low waste to water ratio of 1:1. That’s great news for municipal water users. It has a booster pump that is responsible for increased system efficiency. This system suits those living in an apartment or a small house. The capacity is 500 GPD which is enough for a family of four.

This system is at the top of the list because it’s versatile. The installation and maintenance can be performed on your own, as it would be with other, more capacious systems.

Filter change is simple and easy. Also, a nice addition – a see-through casing of the first sediment pre-filter allows for a quick inspection.

Pros:

Easy to install and operate

Does not use up too much electricity

Easily replaceable and reasonably priced filters

Improves water taste

Good customer support

Cons:

Relatively low water pressure

A part of owners still prefer to install a tank

For some people, the electrical pump tends to give up.

2. WECO HydroSense Light Commercial Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System

Technical specifications

• Capacity – 500GPD

• Size – 15 x 20 x 34 inches

• Dry system weight – 70 pounds

• Wastewater to water ratio – 1:1

• Water pressure – 40-50 PSI

• Filtration stages – 5

• Included components: Necessary tubbing

WECO HydroSense works great for small-scale commercial situations. People do set these units in small distilleries, small restaurants, or coffee shops. That’s why this particular WECO is on a more expensive side. But if you will use it in the commercial setting then it is a good investment.

Besides that, the system works great for households with a higher demand for purified water.

As stated by the manufacturer, the system is engineered for residential drinking water use, medical offices, laboratories, schools, aquariums, and hydroponic growing operations.

When buying there are options to choose from. For example, you can pick WECO with a different set of main filters (RO membrane stays the same) and with Ultraviolet Light unit for an added bacteria removal stage.

The system comes pre-assembled. So, basically the installation includes twisting the filters in and hooking the system up to water and drainage outlets.

It’s an on-demand system. It delivers free-flowing purified water at a rate of 0.35 gallons per minute. This is based on the incoming water with 250 ppm and a temperature of 77F.

If you need more, it’s possible to set it up with a pressurized storage tank. The system has four booster pumps, which makes it so efficient with a waste to water ratio of 1:1. However, the filters will last for six months. However, with pretreatment (more on that later) the filter will last for around 12 months.

Pros:

• Excellent built quality
• Delivers good water pressure
• Adaptable to a variety of situations

Cons:

• Produced water quality can be slightly lower than other systems

3. iSpring RCB3P

Technical specifications

• Capacity – 300 GDP

• Size – 14 x 10 x 30 inches

• Dry system weight –  52 pounds

• Wastewater to water ratio – 1:1

• Water pressure – 35-40 PSI

• Filtration stages – 5

• Included components: Filters, parts, tubing

The RCB3P system is specifically designed and engineered for light commercial settings.

It purifies water through a five-stage filtration process and comes with a built-in booster pump. This does two things. Firstly – reduces water wasting significantly. Secondly – the water flow rate through the taps or other outlets is boosted also. RCB3P delivers a pressure of 35-40 psi. Exact numbers depend on incoming water ppm and temperature.

The drawback is that this system is 300GPD. Meaning it’s good for quick on-demand water delivery but will not do that for prolonged periods. It would work in a smaller commercial setting where a business is not based on the water production rate but rather on quality.

It’s no wonder that iSpring recommends pairing it with the storage tanks that they offer. That greatly expands the available water capacity and you’re no longer limited by the 300GPD. With a tank, iSpring RCB3P becomes suitable for high demand commercial uses such as medical labs, breweries, small restaurants, and hairdressers.

What’s great about iSpring RCB3P is the oversized pre-filters. Most RO systems come with a 10” filter as a standard. iSpring RCB3P comes with 20” pre-filters. Meaning that with average use, the filters will last twice as long as other competitors.

The whole system is quite large. If paired with a tank it definitely needs dedicated space. The system itself requires at least 40 PSI to work normally. So to reach that or go even higher you might need to install a pressure pump at a pre-treatment stage.

The price, for this commercial system, is not too high, though. Known downsides are quality control at the stage of packaging and shipping units. Sometimes people unpack the system only to realize that some components are missing or broken. But customer service is good and you get the spare parts, often free of charge.

Pros:

• Simple and easy installation
• Works best for light commercial use
• Good customer service

Cons:

• Only 300 GPD
• Pressure tank not included

4. Hydro-Logic 31023 1000-GPD Evolution RO1000 High Flow RO System

Technical specifications

• Capacity – 1000GPD

• Size – 23 x 13 x 13 inches

• Dry system weight – 15.3 pounds

• Wastewater to water ratio – 2:1

• Water pressure – 15-20 PSI

• Filtration stages – 3

• Included components – nothing extra.

HydroLogic 31023 is different from other similar RO systems in more ways than looks. Apart from astonishing 1000GPD capability and being tankless, this system is unique in having two Reverse Osmosis membranes and one carbon filter.

This system does not have a booster pump, so in order for it to work in high capacities that it’s capable, you need sufficient water pressure. Incoming PSI of 60 is recommended, however, the system will work with 35 PSI but will have a rather slow flow rate.

HydroLogic 31023 is reasonable in size so will fit in a lot of places. It’s no wonder that people like to install these units in RVs. The system works as such – incoming water is filtered in the first carbon filter and then travels through the second inline RO membrane. Then, through another RO membrane before exiting through the outlet.

So, only one carbon filter stands between the incoming, untreated water source and RO membranes. This means that HydroLogic 31023 is suited for situations where existing water quality is quite good. Otherwise, with exceptionally poor water you’re running the risk of wearing down the expensive RO membranes at a faster rate. With normal use, the membranes and a filter are long-lasting, but quite expensive when the time to change then comes.

Because of two RO membranes, the system needs to be flushed twice, so waste to water ratio is 2:1. Keep in mind, that PSI on a higher side is needed for the system to keep this efficiency.

I guess it’s worth getting this system if you like and want to tinker with your water delivery system. You could install a pre-treatment filter and a booster pump to really make HydroLogic 31023 perform at what it’s capable of. And to expand the longevity of it.

That’s only if you don’t mind spending more money since the system itself is on the expensive side, plus add-ons, it costs way more than comparable setups.

Keep in mind that his system is not ideal for home use. It’s meant to produce high amounts of water and to work continuously. It’s tankless, so when you open the tap, the water will flow immediately, but it will take some seconds for RO membranes to deliver freshly purified water.

That happens because unused water spends time just sitting in the filter and membranes. And freshwater needs to be delivered through the system. For the best results, you should use HydroLogic 31023 regularly throughout the day.

Pros:

• Two RO membranes for very low TDS
• Lightweight and simple to set up
• Capable of high water production

Cons:

• Will be noisy
• Expensive to maintain
• Needs additional investment to function at a peak

5. NU Aqua Platinum Series Deluxe High Capacity 100GPD 5-Stage Under Sink Reverse Osmosis System

Technical specifications

• Capacity – 100GPD

• Size – 16.9 x 16.5 x 16.3 inches

• Dry system weight – 20 pounds

• Wastewater to water ratio – 1:1

• Water pressure – comes with a storage tank

• Filtration stages – 5

• Included components: tank, installation hardware, PPM Meter, Installation DVD

NU Aqua is one small but capacious RO system meant for small house usage. It has most of the benefits that are mentioned in the above four Whole House Reverse Osmosis systems reviews.

NU Aqua is on this list because of this system capacity factor, most often is not the sole reason for choosing one system over the other. As you will see later in the Buyers Guide section of this article – there are things to take into consideration when choosing the best-suited system for your situation.

In essence, NU Aqua does not offer anything new. Just a standard and working five-stage RO system with a tank that can be installed under the sink. With a production rate of 100 GPD, it takes up to two hours to fill a 4-gallon storage tank. Of course, that could be boosted with the addition of an electric or permeate pump and other NU Aqua systems come with it.

But, the main selling point of this system is that it’s cheap and the reviews are largely positive. At the moment of writing it has an Amazon rating of 4.6!

If you need water in your house solely for drinking and cooking, this system is to go for.

Pros:

• Five stage RO system for a good price

Cons:

• Does not come wi