GE Reverse Osmosis working fine since about 5 years now

by Joe A
(New York)

We have been using GE 5-stage RO water filter for the past five years and so far no complain. In fact, we have installed different brands of filters over the past 15 years when we lived in different apartments. We have used countertops, faucet mount, and pitcher filter at various times because I have never trusted water coming from pipes in those aged homes. It was very noticeable when I replaced the filters that the water is not clean. It was always obvious from the color of the used filter compared to the new replacement filter. Well, you might say that other people lived in those apartments and did not use filter. I think it’s a matter of preference whether or not you want those chemicals to accumulate in your system which can be dangerous if accumulated for a longer time. From what I read, any chemical that is not bio-available—ready to be absorbed and used by your system, could be dangerous in the long run. According to a web definition, bioavailability is “the degree to which or rate at which a drug or other substance is absorbed or becomes available at the site of physiological activity after administration”. If a chemical is not available to be used by your body, it may likely harm your system.



Since we moved to the suburb we have installed a GE undersink 5-stage reverse osmosis water filter. We can now treat more water for the family which was not possible in an apartment because we don’t have the opportunity to install an undersink water filter which requires cutting into the plumbing system. We probably have to change the lease for this to happen. Also, the frequency of replacing the filters is longer in the RO filter than faucet-mount and counter-top filters we used to have.



We now live in an area with high iron in the drinking water. Our water supply is from groundwater and no information is available as to the degree of bioavailability of the iron concentration in the water system. It’s been safe to have this water filter system installed. I am not a DIYers so I used a licensed plumber to install the RO. Looking back, it was not such a tedious effort to install it but I have been effortlessly replacing the filters as often as necessary. One way I know it works well is that the pre-filter always comes out really dark brown while the post-filter is cleaner. The RO filter is due for replacement because the manufacturer says it should be changed every 5 years.