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iSpring RCS5T 500 GPD Review

Is the iSpring RCS5T water filter the right water filtration system for your business? Our detailed iSpring RCS5T review covers all the features, specs, pros and cons for you to consider before making a decision.

We all know that healthy drinking water is essential in any workspace or office. Hard water, pesticides, lead, sulfate, chlorine and arsenic are just some of the most common toxins affecting water supply in cities across the US. A quality water purifier can effectively treat contaminated tap water, which will reduce wear and tear on your plumbing and save you money in costly repairs.

The iSpring RCS5T Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System is perfectly engineered for small businesses that need to provide healthy clean drinking water to employees or customers. If your tap water has a strange odor, taste, or opaque color, the RCS5T 500 GPD is an affordable way to immediately improve both the quality and taste.

iSpring RCS5T Water Filter System: Overview

product image of Roll over image to zoom in iSpring RCS5T 500GPD Commercial Tankless Reverse Osmosis RO Water Filter System with 1:1 Drain Ratio

Description: Commercial Grade Tankless Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System with 1:1 Drain Ratio

Key Features:

  • Product Dimensions: 14 x 11 x 17.5 inches
  • Weight: 32.7 Pounds
    110V
  • RO Capacity: Max 500 GPD (1/3 GPM at 60 psi & 77 F)
  • Waste Ratio: 1:1
  • Incoming Water Pressure: 30 PSI – 70 PSI
  • Operating water temperature range: 40 – 100 °F
  • Maximum TDS: 750 ppm
  • Membrane Filter Life: 2-3 years at 3 Gallons/day or 2600 Gallons
  • Built-in Pressure Gauge (PSI)
  • Storage Tank Can Be Added (11 – 20 gallon storage tank)

Best Suited For:

  • Small Restaurants under 20 Seats
  • Office, Cafeteria Kitchen,
  • Small business such as a spa, retail, auto repair shop, etc
  • Well supply for ranch, camping site, resort

iSpring RCS5T Water Filter System Review

Whether you want to remove nitrates from a well supply on your ranch, or remove hard water contaminants from a municipal supply, the RCS5T is engineered to handle the fluctuating demands of your busy office, restaurant, spa, or ranch.

Designed for light commercial use and high demand environments, the iSpring RCS5T offers great value for just about any small restaurant or small business that needs a cost effective solution for clean healthy drinking water.

Compact in size, it can be installed at the point of use and works quietly in the background to filter out over 1000 types of harmful contaminants in your water [1].

After careful consideration, research and testing, there’s no doubt that the iSpring RCS5T water filter system is a rock solid investment for any small business that experiences high volume water demand. If you regularly use up to 500 gallons per day in your spa, restaurant, resort, ranch, etc, read on to learn why the RCS5T is worth the investment.

How Does The iSpring RCS5T Work?

What really makes the RCS5T unique from other RO filters is the iSpring patented dual-flow RO membrane. Fueled by a high-powered electric booster pump, the dual-flow membrane receives water from both sides of the membrane housing. As a result, the membrane can achieve higher flow rates, resulting in faster RO production and less water being lost or wasted.

iSpring RCS5T: Assembly And Installation

Thoughtfully engineered for high efficiency and performance, the RCS5T water filter system is not as easy to install as their advertising suggests. Some planning and experience is necessary, particularly if you are attaching the RCS5T to a well system.

Quality materials and engineering are evident in all the parts that come with the unit. The plastic housings, filters, tubings, faucet and mounting brackets are all included, as well as the metal frame. In addition, the plastic housing around the filters is screwed directly into the metal frame, which eliminates the need to remove it when you change the filters.

Due to its compact size, you can attach the unit directly at the point of use without taking up a lot of space. Under the kitchen sink or mounted to a wall, the RCS5T water filter can be attached to any standard pipe inlet from a municipal supply or well source.

FYI: You may not find the user manual and instructions very useful or easy to read. For one thing, the water pressure measurements in the manual are given in MPa, but the built-in gauge reads in PSI. The manual also says the RCS5T is a grounded 220 Volt unit, but it’s actually 110V and the power plug is only 2-prong.

iSpring RCS5T Toxin Removal

The RCS5T is engineered to filter up to 99% of pollutants in your water and is effective at treating over 1000 contaminants.

The iSpring dual-flow RO system removes:

  • Chemicals (ie Chlorine, fluoride, arsenic, sulfates, pesticide, herbicides)
  • Heavy Metals Toxins (ie copper, iron, chromium, radium, and lead)
  • Hard Water Toxins (ie sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, nitrate, and phosphorous)

iSpring RCS5T Gallon Capacity

At optimum levels, the RCS5T can achieve an impressive 500 GPD which is suitable for a small, 10 -20 seat restaurant. Low PSI can, however, impact the unit’s efficiency [2]. A psi lower than 70 will achieve a lower volume, but still higher than most units out there currently.

Another important factor you might want to consider is the level of demand in your office, restaurant or other place of business. If your business typically experiences sudden, unexpected spikes in demand (ie a spa, restaurant, dry cleaner) you’ll definitely need a storage tank, which is not included. Otherwise, the RCS5T’s daily capacity will drop.

To truly achieve the 500 GPD maximum you may need to do some tinkering. The ideal PSI is somewhere between 72.5 and 101.5 to reach 500 GPD.

iSpring RCS5T Waste Ratio

Typically, the industry standard is a 15% recovery rate for water filtered by reverse osmosis. In other words, manufacturers test and measure their RO filtration based on this standard. For every 1 gallon of water produced, 6.7 gallons are wasted [3].

iSpring, however, advertises an incredibly low waste ratio of 1:1, largely due to their patented dual-flow RO membrane, which filters water at a faster rate than the industry standard. Under ideal conditions the RST5S works as advertised and can achieve a 1:1 waste ratio, which is really impressive. As the company points out however, water temperatures below 77 degrees fahrenheit will experience a higher waste ratio.

In other words, if you plan to use the RST5S water filter system for a well supply, or a municipal water supply that is typically lower than 77 Fahrenheit, your waste ratio is going to be higher. Using large amounts of cold water will also increase the waste ratio.

Even at lower temperatures, however, the RST5S performs admirably and achieves a higher waste to RO ratio than most reverse osmosis filtration systems.

iSpring RCS5T Filter Replacement

To reduce the cost of operation and maintain its optimum efficiency, the RCS5T uses industry standard size filter cartridges. It can be a bit tricky for large hands, but overall the filter replacement is not difficult.

Each of the filters used is designed for commercial use in high demand operations where the average water consumption is 3 gallons/day. Water viscosity, temperature, water pressure, and the level of contamination are also a factor in determining when to replace the filters. The entire process takes about 20 – 30 minutes to complete.

According to the manufacturer’s instructions:

  • Prefilters should be replaced every 6 months.
  • RO membrane should be replaced every 2 – 3 years
  • Replace AK and DI filters every 6 months
  • Post Carbon Filter should be replaced once very 12 months
    Replace UV light bulbs every 12 months

What We Like:

  • Commercial grade quality
  • Filters out 99% contaminants to remove bad taste and odor from your water
  • Achieves exceptional 1:1 waste ratio due to unique dual-flow membrane filtration system
  • Compact design saves space in your office, restaurant store, studio, or other place of business

Drawbacks

  • RO Capacity decreases with lower temperatures due to higher viscosity of the water
  • Does not include a storage tank or holding tank
  • Not suited for a pressurized storage tank
  • Removing filters can be an awkward task for large hands
  • User manual and instructions are somewhat confusing with inconsistent details and inaccuracies

Looking for the best reverse osmosis water filtration for your home? You might find these reviews of the best reverse osmosis systems helpful.

Is Reverse Osmosis The Best Water Filter For Your Business?

There are many ways and different technologies used to treat water for different types of toxins and contaminants. Some water filtration systems are more effective at removing sediment, others are engineered for removing VOC’s, and others are designed for treating hard water.

The answer really depends on the type of treatment your tap water needs. Reverse osmosis is designed for 2 key types of water treatment:

  • Improving the odor, taste and quality of hard water
  • Removing very specific chemical contaminants from tap water or well water

So what chemicals and toxins can a reverse osmosis water filter remove?

  • Fluoride
  • Sodium
  • Total dissolved solids (TDS)
  • Arsenic
  • Radium
  • Nitrates & nitrites

A quality reverse osmosis water filter, however can also be engineered to remove other contaminants by adding an active carbon filter and a micron filter. In addition to the RO membrane, the active carbon filter and micron filter restore healthy minerals like calcium and alkaline pH levels to your water.

diagram of how ispring rcs5t suits on demand water needs

Why Choose iSpring?

Operating since 2005, iSpring Water Systems is a family owned company specializing in reverse osmosis water filtration systems for commercial and residential use [4]. Their patented dual-flow RO membrane promises higher volume and a lower waste ratio than competitors and, for the most part, their products deliver.

References

[1] Water Pollution: Everything You Need to Know (Natural Resources Defense Council – NRDC)
[2] How To Calculate PSI (Sciencing)[3] How much water is wasted when purifying 1 liter of water with the RO method? (Quora)
[4] iSpring Water Systems LLc (Better Business Bureau)

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