The Aquasana Clean Water Machine is a countertop water filter that’s fairly unique in its design. Most of the other countertop filters we’ve tested use gravity filtration, but the Clean Water Machine is powered by an electric pump, making it much faster. It uses Claryum® technology, a patented filter media that’s found in a number of Aquasana’s filters.
What We Like
What We Don’t Like
| Price | $200 |
| Contaminants Reduced | 78 |
| Certifications | NSF 42, 53, 401; NSF 372 |
| Process | Activated Carbon + Ion Exchange + Submicron Filtration |
| Filter Capacity | 3,000 gallons/ cartridge |
| Annual Cost | ~$45 per year |
| Warranty | 1 year |
To see how it compares to the other countertop water filters we’ve reviewed so far, we tested this Aquasana model using tap water in Colorado to evaluate the contaminants it removed, its filtration rate, the quality of its design, and more. We’ve outlined our scores and testing data in this review.
Table of Contents
▶️ Video Review
📊 Scoring Data
We follow the same testing process and use the same scoring criteria for all the water filters we review. Our scoring system comprises six key performance assessments, each scored individually, based on our own subjective experience and objective data (where it can be obtained). We tested the Aquasana Clean Water Machine alongside a selection of the most popular countertop water filters to see how it matched up across the board.
We awarded scores for the filter’s contaminant reduction, component quality, maintenance costs and requirements, the presence of certifications for performance & design, and the manufacturer’s warranty, returns, and shipping offerings. See how Aquasana performed in the next table.
| Criteria | Results |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 8.40 |
| Health Related Contaminants | 7.50 |
| Aesthetic Related Contaminants | 9.90 |
| Performance Certification | NSF 42, 53, 401 |
| Filtration Rate | 0.50 GPM |
| Component Quality | Excellent |
| Component Certification | NSF 372 |
| Setup | Outstanding |
| Servicing Requirements | Outstanding |
| Costs | $0.117/ gallon |
| Warranty Length | 1 year |
| Shipping | Select orders ship free; expedited options cost extra |
| Returns | 90 days |
🚰 Contaminant Reduction
Score: 7.86Aquasana makes bold promises for the Clean Water Machine, stating that it can filter 78 contaminants while retaining healthy, beneficial minerals for “purely delicious water”. It’s our job to assess the validity of a manufacturer’s performance claims by conducting our own testing and searching performance databases for official certifications.
We followed this same process for Aquasana, conducting before-and-after water testing and checking online to see exactly which performance certifications the filter has obtained.
Our Performance Testing
Score: 7.62
We tested the Clean Water Machine’s contaminant reduction performance by lab-testing two samples of water: one baseline sample of unfiltered tap water, and one sample of filtered water dispensed from the Aquasana unit.
Our sample-taking process involved filling a clean bucket with tap water and swirling it around to make sure it was well-mixed. We filled the Clean Water Machine with most of the water from the bucket, then dispensed our “after” sample from the unit. We then took a “before” sample straight from the bucket. It’s a slower process than using water straight from the faucet, but it also delivers the most accurate results.
We use Tap Score for all our laboratory testing as we’ve found that their reports are the most comprehensive and detailed, as well as being easy for everyone to understand. Tap Score’s reports are digital, and we received links via email to view them both on the SimpleLab platform.
How did we measure our data?
For all the filters we test, we compare contaminant concentrations to the Health Guideline Levels (HGLs) rather than the EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). We prefer to use HGLs as a reference point as they’re more stringent and health protective.
Health-Related Contaminants
Score: 9.70
10 contaminants with possible health effects were detected in our baseline sample. Two of these exceeded their respective HGLs: 0.032 PPM uranium was detected, exceeding the HGL of 0 PPM, along with 1.4 PPM fluoride, exceeding the HGL of 0.799 PPM.
Sulfate, zinc, strontium, molybdenum, barium, nitrate, phosphorus, and copper were also detected in concentrations that didn’t exceed the HGLs. These contaminants have been linked to health effects ranging from kidney and liver problems to cancer, developmental issues, and gastrointestinal symptoms with exposure over a prolonged period.
Our sample-taking kits came with chlorine test strips, with this being the only contaminant we tested for ourselves on-site (due to its volatility, it can’t be accurately detected in the lab). Around 1 PPM of chlorine was detected in our unfiltered water.
Post-filtration, most of these contaminants had been significantly reduced, if not removed altogether:
- Barium, copper, uranium, zinc, nitrate, strontium and phosphorus were completely eliminated.
- Sulfate was reduced by 42% and molybdenum by 83%
- Our on-site test showed that chlorine had been reduced by 100%.
- Fluoride was only reduced by 14%, but this isn’t a contaminant that Aquasana claims to target with the Clean Water Machine.
Aquasana claims that no chemicals are added during the purification process, and while we did see increases in some impurities (discussed in the next section), none of these were chemicals.
pH, Alkalinity, and Mineral Content
Score: 9.90
We typically don’t discuss pH and alkalinity when we’re reviewing non-RO systems, since they usually have minimal-to-no effect on these water properties. But the Clean Water Machine produced testing outcomes that we think are too interesting not to discuss here.
Post-filtration, the alkalinity of our water had actually increased by 37%, from 81 PPM to 111 PPM. Most likely, this was caused by the massive 2,455% increase in carbonate, from 0.18 PPM to 4.6 PPM. Chloride increased by 41% from 13.5 PPM to 17.8 PPM. The pH of our water also increased from 7.6 to 8.9 (making it almost as alkaline as baking soda!).
Unexpectedly, although our filtered water was more alkaline, it had also been almost completely softened, with an 88% total hardness reduction (from ~94 PPM to ~11 PPM). This was likely caused by the 95% reduction in calcium and 70% reduction in magnesium.
Sodium also increased by 452.34%, from 10.7 PPM to 59.1 PPM. This outcome makes us pretty confident that the filter uses a cation exchange media that swaps calcium and magnesium hardness ions with sodium. The increases in carbonate and pH suggest that Aquasana has included some sort of alkaline mineral media designed to counteract the mineral and alkalinity reduction caused by the cation exchange process.
Performance Certifications
Score: 10.00
Many water filter manufacturers now choose to get their products certified, which offers third-party proof of their contaminant reduction performance.
Aquasana is the highest-scoring countertop water filter in this subcategory, being the only system of this kind (of all those we’ve tested so far) that has been certified to reduce every single contaminant it’s claimed to remove.
This is particularly impressive given that Aquasana doesn’t only claim to reduce a handful of contaminants—it’s actually tested and certified by the Water Quality Association to reduce 78 impurities, under NSF Standards 42, 53, and 401.
Among these contaminants are chlorine, lead, cysts, several pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and a long list of VOCs. You can view the full table in Aquasana’s performance data sheet.
These certifications tell us that the concentrations of the indicated contaminants in the test water were reduced to less than or equal to the permissible limit, as outlined by the NSF.
🚦Filtration Rate
Score: 8.00The Clean Water Machine has a flow rate of 0.5 GPM (gallons per minute), which makes it faster than many of the countertop gravity filters we tested, but not by much.
Still, the system’s electric pump is a big benefit here. You can simply press the button and fill a glass of water instantly, without having to wait for enough water to flow into the lower chamber first.
📐 Design
Score: 9.40The Clean Water Machine is a plug-and-play filtration system with a simple design. It houses just a single unit and is designed to be plugged into a power outlet (it uses an electric pump to send water through the filter).
There’s a cylindrical tank at the back that holds 64 ounces (0.5 gallons) of unfiltered tap water. When you press the button, water is sent through the filter before exiting the spout. The spout is high enough to easily fit a tall glass or water bottle underneath.
Component Quality
Score: 9.00
Aquasana says that the Clean Water Machine is constructed from “sturdy, food-grade plastic that is 100% free of BPA.” We reached out to Aquasana, who told us that the plastic used is polypropylene: one of the most commonly-used plastics in the manufacture of water filters.
The unit feels well-made, even with a majority-plastic design. It has a more solid, durable construction than many water filter pitchers and dispensers, although we know some folks will prefer the stainless steel design of countertop filters like the British Berkefeld and Boroux units.
The Clean Water Machine is certified for microplastics reduction, but that doesn’t mean microplastics couldn’t shed back into the water from the unit itself.*
Filter Materials
The Aquasana Claryum filter combines activated carbon, ion exchange, and submicron filtration into a single cartridge.
These media are commonly used in combination and complement one another’s abilities, with the carbon media reducing chlorine and poor tastes/odors, the ion exchange media targeting metals and inorganics, and the submicron media offering physical removal of smaller particles like cysts and microplastics.
In our own testing, the reduction of chlorine and heavy metals, as well as the fluctuations in minerals like sodium and calcium/magnesium, show that these filter media are present and doing what they’re designed to do.
Materials Safety Certification
Score: 10.00
Alongside its performance certifications, the Clean Water Machine has also been WQA certified to NSF 372, for lead-free design. It’s also certified for materials safety as part of its NSF 42, 353, and 401 performance certifications.
Many of Aquasana’s competitors also have design certifications, but most are certified for either one (materials safety) or the other “lead-free design).
⚙️ Setup
Score: 9.50The Aquasana Clean Water Machine achieved one of the highest setup scores we’ve awarded for a countertop filtration system so far.
A big advantage of this unit is that there’s virtually no assembly process and no tedious filter priming. We followed the installation instructions in the user manual, which involved:
- Hand-washing the water tank and lid with dish soap, then placing it onto the unit base.
- Inserting the filter into the housing and pressing the cap on top.
- Flushing the system to prepare the filters for use.
Setup was simple and quick (something we can’t say for many of the similar systems we tested). The entire flushing process took just 59 seconds, and we didn’t have to discard and refill the water tank multiple times. And because the filters didn’t need priming, we didn’t have to spend time and energy using fiddly manual priming equipment.
🔧 Maintenance
Score: 9.75The Clean Water Machine is also one of the most affordable and easiest-to-maintain countertop water filters in this category, earning it a top score here.
Servicing Requirements
Score: 10.00
There’s just one filter to replace in this Aquasana unit, and it’s an easy job: open the filter housing, remove and discard the old filter, and insert the new filter in its place.
Once the new filter is installed, you follow the same quick flushing process to saturate the media with water, so it’s ready to be used for filtration.
The system also has a filter change indicator light, which blinks when it’s getting close to time to replace, so you know when it should be changed without having to make your own phone calendar reminders.
The user manual doesn’t advise on any other maintenance tasks, but we washed the water tank in soapy water around once a week to keep it clean, and wiped down the outside of the unit as needed.
Costs
Score: 10.00
While there is only one filter to replace in the Clean Water Machine, its projected lifespan of 300 gallons is lower than some of its competitors*.
This gave it a cost-per-gallon of $0.117, based on the current price of a replacement filter ($34.99). It’s not the most affordable countertop water filter we’ve tested, but it’s still up there with the systems with the lowest running costs, earning it a solid score of 10.00.
🏢 Company
Score: 8.20Aquasana’s warranty, returns, and shipping policies are all decent, but not the best we’ve seen for a filter of its kind.
Warranty
Score: 8.50
The Clean Water Machine is covered by a 1-year warranty, which protects against defects in materials and workmanship throughout the warranty period. This is pretty standard, although some countertop filters we tested are warranted for 5 years, and some even have limited lifetime warranties.
The warranty only applies if the unit has been installed, used, and maintained as outlined in the user manual. You’ll also need to provide proof of your purchase when you’re making a warranty claim.
As is typical with any water filter warranty, there’s a big list of issues that the warranty doesn’t cover, including part failure due to sediment buildup or corrosion, and exposure to direct sunlight or freezing temperatures. You can read the full terms in detail here.
Shipping
Score: 9.00
Aquasana offers standard shipping within the U.S., and sometimes covers shipping costs for select order types.
For instance, at the time of this review, if you buy the Clean Water Machine with Aquasana’s Water For Life Program (which means you’ll get replacement filters autoshipped), you’ll receive free shipping alongside a couple of other perks. In many cases, you’ll also be able to select expedited shipping at an additional fee.
Returns
Score: 7.00
You have 90 days from the day you purchase the Clean Water Machine to return it, should you decide that you don’t like it for any reason. Aquasana calls it their “Pure Satisfaction” guarantee, meaning you can return the system even if there’s nothing “wrong” with it and you simply decide it’s not for you.
That said, there are still some stipulations to note:
- The product should be returned in its original packaging, with all original parts and documentation
- You’ll need to cover the return shipping fee.
- You’ll also need to insure the product for return shipping (now that’s a new one).
- Only customers who have purchased directly from Aquasana, not a third-party seller, are eligible for a refund.
There’s a handling fee that will be deducted from your refund after the team has inspected your order. We couldn’t find a mention of exactly what that fee is.
Here’s Aquasana’s shipping, refunds, and returns policy for more information.
💰 Value For Money
We think theAquasana Clean Water Machine offers great value for money, although that’s not to say it’s the right product for everyone.
Price is a huge incentive to buy this system, especially when compared to similar systems. It’s around $200 (at the time of writing), so it’s not as cheap as a water filter pitcher, but you’re also not paying the sky-high price of a countertop RO system or even some stainless steel gravity units.
Plus, it’s one of the extremely few (less than five) filters we’ve tested so far that has a comprehensive batch of performance certifications for every single contaminant it’s claimed to reduce. If you’re only looking for certified systems, the Clean Water Machine is definitely one to consider.
We were pleased with the filter’s easy setup, high-quality design, and ongoing affordability in our testing, and its contaminant reduction performance was pretty good.
No, it doesn’t purify water like an RO system, and some of its competitors did a better job at removing contaminants like fluoride. But if your main concerns are chlorine, heavy metals, and VOCs, this Aquasana model is well-equipped to deliver the performance you need.
Found this review helpful?
Comment below or share this article!