Interested in the APEC ROES 50 Reverse Osmosis System? Keen to learn whether this system is worth your money and how it compares to the top under-sink RO systems on today’s market? We’ve shared everything you need to know in this review.
Table of Contents
🧾 Overview
The APEC Top Tier 5 Stage Ultra Safe Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System, or the APEC ROES 50 for short, is a multi-stage under-sink reverse osmosis system that produces up to 50 gallons of filtered drinking water per day and is WQA certified for quality performance.
The system comes with large-capacity filters and a dedicated designer faucet. It removes tens of contaminants from city water, including chlorine, fluoride, bacteria, hardness minerals, and VOCs.
📝 System Specifications
| Purification Method | Reverse osmosis |
| Filter Materials | Sediment, carbon block (x2), RO membrane, coconut carbon |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 16 x 5.25 x 17.5 inches |
| Feed Water Pressure | 40-85 psi |
| Capacity | 50 gallons/day |
| Pipe Size | 1/4 inches |
| Warranty | 2 years (upon registration) |
💡 Features
5 Stages of Filtration
The APEC ROES 50 has five separate stages of filtration: a sediment filter, two carbon block filters, an RO membrane, and a coconut carbon post-filter.
WQA Certified
This reverse osmosis system has a WQA Gold Seal certification for its performance.
50 GPD Capacity
The APEC ROES 50 produces up to 50 gallons of water per day.
Dedicated Designer Faucet
The unit comes with a dedicated designed faucet to install in place of your regular faucet.
2-Year Warranty
The entire system is backed by a 2-year warranty if you register it with APEC.
🚦 Performance
When measuring the performance of under-sink reverse osmosis systems, we assess four factors: filtration speed (water delivery per minute or per day), filtration effectiveness (contaminants removed), pure-to-wastewater ratio, and filter longevity (lifespan).
The APEC Top Tier 5 Stage Ultra Safe Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System rivals some of the finest water filtration systems for contaminant removal. This system is guaranteed to remove 52 contaminants, including microbiological impurities (bacteria, cysts, protozoans), heavy metals (lead, copper, iron), and chemicals (chlorine, pesticides, herbicides).
However, comparing the water delivery stats to some of the top competing under-sink RO system, the APEC ROES 50 doesn’t quite compare. Some of the best-performing units have a 600-800 gallon-per-day delivery, while the APEC ROES 50 only has a 50 gallon-per-day capacity. Realistically, this doesn’t actually make much of a difference – most people only use up to 10 gallons of water per day from their kitchen faucet – but the numbers don’t compare.
The filter longevity of the APEC ROES 50 is up to 1 year, vs 6-9 months for most filters in an under-sink reverse osmosis system. This is thanks to the extra-large carbon block filter cartridges, which have a longer lifespan than the average competitor on the market. The RO membrane lasts longer than average, too – up to three years, versus the two-year average lifespan of most under-sink RO membranes. This is a great performance benefit if you’re looking to save money and minimize maintenance.
The pure-to-wastewater ratio for this reverse osmosis system is 1:3. This is fairly standard for an under-sink RO system, but some of the best RO units only waste 1 gallon of water for every 1 gallon of pure water produced.
📌 Overall, the performance of the APEC ROES 50 is good. It’s not the best, but it’s still head-and-shoulders above all non-RO water filtration systems. Thorough contaminant removal, a decent water delivery rate, and longer-than-average filter lifespans make this system worthy of your attention. Plus, the system has a WQA Gold Seal Certification, so you can feel confident that it’s well-built and removes all the listed contaminants.
🔧 Installation & Maintenance
The APEC ROES 50 is designed for easy DIY installation. The system has colored tubing and quick-connect fittings to make the installation process obvious even for someone with limited plumbing or handy experience.
The instructions in the user manual are easy to follow, and APEC has a series of YouTube videos for visual learners who want to watch the step-by-step installation process.
🧰 Still, installation isn’t for everyone. You’ll need to attach the drain line to your waste line, connect the unit to your water line, and drill a hole in your kitchen sink to install the faucet. If you’re not at all handy, consider hiring an expert plumber to install the system for you at an affordable price.
Maintenance is fairly easy – you just unscrew the filter housings from the unit, tip out the old filters, replace them with new filters, and screw the filter housings back in place.
A downside of this system is that, unlike many of its competitors, it doesn’t have filter reminder lights to let you know when it’s time to replace the filters. You’ll need to remember to change the filters yourself. It’s not the end of the world, but considering that so many other under-sink RO systems now offer this feature, it would be nice to see APEC keeping up with the crowd.
Filter replacements are needed within the following time frames:
- Pre-filter set: 6-12 months
- RO membrane: 2-4 years
- Carbon post-filter: 2-4 years
You’re also advised to replace the o-rings every 1-2 years. The filters cost $8-$$75, depending on the type of filter and whether you’re buying multiple filters at once (the cost per filter is lower if you do this).
📝 Filter Info
The APEC Top Tier 5 Stage Ultra Safe Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System’s filter technology heavily features activated carbon, with three separate carbon filter stages: two carbon block filters and one polishing coconut carbon filter. These filters are oversized with a large surface area, enabling them to adsorb the majority of chlorine an organic chemicals in water.
The standout filter stage in this system is the “High Rejection TFC” reverse osmosis membrane, which has a spiral wound design that maintains the membrane’s structural strength and increases filtration efficiency. There’s no listed pore size for this membrane – only that the membrane is “industry standard” – so it isn’t clear what sized contaminants can be removed.
There’s also a sediment filter that serves as the first filter stage, protecting the RO membrane from sediment damage and extending the lifespan of all the filters in the system.
Combining five thorough filtration stages, the APEC ROES 50 offers a decent contaminant removal. Arsenic, aluminum, chlorine, calcium, magnesium, bacteria, lead, nitrate, pesticides, herbicides, PFOS and PFOA, phosphate, and VOCs are some of the most common contaminants removed by this system.
Unfortunately, APEC hasn’t shared a filter data sheet that offers more detail about the filter materials and provides test results to back up the company’s contaminant removal claims.
🔔 Pros & Cons
👍 What We Like
- The APEC ROES 50 is one of the most durable water filtration systems in the RO filtration niche.
- This RO system has a max. total dissolved solids removal of 2,000 PPM, delivering almost pure drinking water.
- We were pleased with the quality of our water after installing this system. We noticed crisp-tasting water, almost bottled water quality.
- The unit is WQA Gold Seal Certified, so it guarantees ultra-safe water.
- Costing around $200, the APEC ROES is competitively priced for a system of its kind. Most under-sink RO systems cost $300-$500.
👎 What We Don’t Like
- There’s no datasheet displaying test results to validate the manufacturer’s claims for contaminant removal.
- Although the APEC ROES 50 removes most of the most common drinking water contaminants, it doesn’t have exceptional contaminant rejection rates.
- Multiple customers experienced leaks with this system, including seal leak issues and leaking around the needle valve.
❔ Frequently Asked Questions
How long do APEC water filters last?
APEC water filters last 6 months to four years, depending on the type of filter. The actual unit itself should last for 5-10 years or even longer providing you keep up with regular maintenance (filter changes, cleaning, and changing the o-rings).
What does APEC water filter remove?
The APEC water filter removes 52 contaminants, including chlorine, toxic fluoride, pesticides, herbicides, bacteria, lead, VOCs, and TTHMs. There’s no information available to say that the filter removes chloramine, viruses, or hydrogen sulfide (sulfur) from water. Does the APEC ROES 50 produce contamination-free pure water? Not quite – but the results are close enough.
Where are APEC Water Systems made?
APEC water systems are designed, engineered, and assembled in the USA. If you’re looking for a high-quality drinking water system that’s made in the USA, APEC reverse osmosis systems are worth considering.
Is reverse osmosis water good for you?
Yes, reverse osmosis water is good for you because it doesn’t contain many of the common water contaminants, like chlorine, heavy metals, and pesticides. However, RO water is also mineral-free because reverse osmosis removes all salts and minerals from water. You should get plenty of minerals in your diet, so this shouldn’t be an issue.
Does APEC reverse osmosis remove chlorine?
Yes, the APEC reverse osmosis system removes chlorine from tap water. The system is ideal for treating chlorinated municipal water.
How much water does APEC reverse osmosis waste?
The APEC ROES 50 wastes about 3 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of purified water. It’s not the most efficient system – some RO systems only waste 1 or 2 gallons of water for every 1 gallon produced.
Who owns APEC Water Systems?
APEC Water Systems is owned by Culligan, a US-based company that specializes in water treatment systems.
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