A few months ago we purchased our first house and one of the first things we wanted to do was install a reverse osmosis filtration system. Reverse osmosis is a process that removes foreign contaminants, solid substances, large molecules and minerals from water by using pressure to push it through specialized membranes. Most people install RO systems to improve their water for drinking, cooking and other uses. Before purchasing our first RO system, it had to check a few boxes: it had to be small enough to fit under our kitchen sink, it should be simple to replace the filters and it should have some modern tech features. The Waterdrop RO System checked all those requirements and I’ll explain why.

First I searched Amazon for RO systems and the majority of the results were all very similar looking - 5 stage, under the sink tank systems. But the one system that caught my eye was the Waterdrop Tankless RO System. Visually, it looks very modern like some kind of high end desktop computer, especially since it’s tankless. It’s labeled as a winner of the 2019 Red Dot Design Award which I wasn’t sure was actually a real thing until I looked it up. Established in 2005, The Red Dot Award has more than 18,000 entries annually - from design professionals, companies and organizations from over 70 countries. Seeing the Waterdrop in person I can definitely see how much effort went to the design, which is kind of a shame since it’s hidden under the sink. Also since its a tankless, on-demand system, it has a 1:1 low drain rate. This means that it’s 1 gallon wasted to 1 gallon purified. That may seem like a lot but when you compare it to typical RO systems which have a 4:1 drain rate, it’s much more efficient and better for your water bill.

The front features filter life indicators and the ports for the filters which are designed to be replaced simply and easily. These individual filters are also available on Amazon. The best feature in my opinion is the smart TDS indicator. So TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids which includes salt, metal or mineral in the water. The TDS indicator can tell you your overall water purity level. The lower the number, the better the water quality. Average PPM for bottled water is about 20-25. To test the built in TDS indicator I bought a separate TDS meter and measured my tap water which read between 245-256ppm. Then I measured the water from the Waterdrop which read 25ppm which is actually slightly lower than the built-in TDS indicator which was fine for me.

Another cool feature is the led faucet indicator that not only looks futuristic but also switches colors to let you know when it’s time to change the filters. Blue means all is good, if it turns yellow it means change the filters soon and if it turns red it means replace the filters now. The only issue I can think of is that the water comes out a little slower than expected. It has a flow rate of .27 gallons per minute which sounds about right. But if you’re only filling up glasses, cooking pots or pitchers it really shouldn’t be a problem. It also needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet so if your sink outlet is connected to a switch - like to turn your garbage disposal on and off, you’ll have to figure out a way to bypass it. For me, I just ended up keeping the outlet hot and using a wireless switch to control the garbage disposal.

Overall, I’m really happy with the Waterdrop Tankless RO. Before installing this, we were constantly lugging heavy 5 gallon jugs back and forth using the grocery store’s industrial RO system. At $550, it’s more expensive than the standard 5-stage tank systems but with the thoughtful design, smart indicators and modern touches, I think it was worth spending the extra cash. Full disclosure, I didn’t install this myself. I hired my local plumber who actually gave some nice compliments to the Waterdrop. However, the instructions are clear, with lots of visuals and even an installation video so if you’re experienced with DIY home improvement and plumbing this should be a pretty straightforward installation.

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