Why Use a Reverse Osmosis Filter for Homebrewing?
Using RO (Reverse Osmosis) or DI (Deionized) water allows you to start with a clean slate of sorts and build your water profile from the ground up using water salts. That allows you to take control of an important aspect of your brewing, especially if you’re an all grain brewer and create exactly the water profile you’re looking for.
Water by John Palmer and Colin Kaminski, part of the Brewing Elements Series, is a great read to learn lots more about brewing water and water adjustments
A note to non-homebrewers: From the popularity of this review, I’m guessing a good number of you are not homebrewers. This review still applies to you. Just disregard any specific references to homebrewing or… hey, why don’t you start homebrewing? 🙂
Hands on Review Waterdrop Tankless Reverse Osmosis Filter
The Waterdrop WD-G3-W is a three filter, seven stage tankless reverse osmosis filter. It is intended for under-counter installation and comes with a LED light indicating faucet. It’s rated for 400 gallons per day and is NSF 58 certified.
Check Current Price, Availability & Specifications, Review Continues Below:
- Waterdrop RO Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System, NSF Certified, TDS Reduction, 400 GPD Fast Flow, Tankless, Compact, Smart Faucet, UL Listed Power, USA Tech, Brushed Nickel Faucet – via Amazon
- Replacement Filters (Carbon Filer + 2 x Pre-Sediment Filters: Waterdrop WD-G3-W Replacement Filter 1-Year Combo, Pack of 2 WD-G3-N1CF Filters and 1 WD-G3-N3CB Filter – via Amazon
- Replacement RO Filter: Waterdrop WD-G3-N2RO Filter, 2-year Lifetime, Replacement for WD-G3-W Reverse Osmosis System – via Amazon
- Waterdrop G3 Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System – direct from Waterdrop
Note that multiple variations of these products may be available, as such a different version may appear via these links
Indicator Status Light Meanings
Filtration Stages
The system has 3 filters, but 7 total filtration states. Some filters contain more than a single stage.
- CF Filter – PP cotton + carbon block (0.8μm pore size) + PP cotton
- RO Filter – Huge 3-layer DOW® RO membrane (0.0001μm pore size)
- CB Filter – Post-activated carbon block (0.5μm pore size)
Conclusions
I like doing RO filter reviews, because… conclusions are easy. PPM tells the tale. I’ve seen this vary between 8 and 14 PPM. A good clean slate for building up brewing water.
I love the fact that this is installed and ready to go on my sink. The indicator lights are huge. With my other RO filters, I have no idea where my filters are at. That means I’ll generally replace them too soon and waste money or (more likely) too late. Also having a real time TDS reading helps my know that the filter is working.
Capacity-wise this is rated for up to 400 gallons per day. Extract brewers, five gallon all grain and small batch brewers should find it easy to get water using a gallon pitcher. 10 gallon batch brewers could either collect water in pitchers or pretty easily rig up some tubing to fill up a large container.
This is an expensive system compared to some of the other filters we’ve reviewed. If you’re looking solely for low PPM and low cost, check out our lineup of reviews for other options. If you’re looking for more features and lots more convenience, take a hard look at the Waterdrop. The thing that makes the extra expense worth it, to me, is being able to easily use this for everyday uses like cooking, making coffee and drinking add to that easy on demand RO water for brewing and, for me, this one’s a win.
Update: I’ve now used this water filter for several months. I’ve had to change the sediment filter one time. I had one time where the filter had a flow rate problem and read extremely high TDS readings. This happened after a trip when we had turned the water off. I think there was either an issue with sediment or potentially some air got in the lines. I decided to run the filter continuously. After about 20 to 25 minutes, PPM readings come down to their normal 10-ish PPM reading and flow rate returned. So, no big deal, the filter is apparently designed to handle whatever happened. Beyond that, the filter has continued to work really well, producing great tasting water at a good flow rate.
Check Current Price, Availability and Specifications:
- Waterdrop RO Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System, NSF Certified, TDS Reduction, 400 GPD Fast Flow, Tankless, Compact, Smart Faucet, UL Listed Power, USA Tech, Brushed Nickel Faucet – via Amazon
- Replacement Filters (Carbon Filer + 2 x Pre-Sediment Filters: Waterdrop WD-G3-W Replacement Filter 1-Year Combo, Pack of 2 WD-G3-N1CF Filters and 1 WD-G3-N3CB Filter – via Amazon
- Replacement RO Filter: Waterdrop WD-G3-N2RO Filter, 2-year Lifetime, Replacement for WD-G3-W Reverse Osmosis System – via Amazon
- Waterdrop G3 Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System – direct from Waterdrop
Note that multiple variations of these products may be available, as such a different version may appear via these links
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- For lots more about brewing water, check out: Water by John Palmer and Colin Kaminski
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Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application. Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application. Always read and follow manufacturer directions. tag:tpr review:wtrdrp