The APEC ROES-PH75 is a six-stage, tank-based under-sink reverse osmosis system rated at 75 gallons per day, with a 4-gallon tank, a dedicated chrome faucet and a final calcite remineralisation stage. Water Filter Guru scored it 8.87/10 after lab testing showed it removed every contaminant found above health guideline levels and cut dissolved solids by 93%, though its measured output and water efficiency were well short of APEC's figures. Bob Vila named it best overall, with its tester reporting clearer, better-tasting water from the first day in a home on hard municipal water. It suits households that want thorough, low-cost purification and have cabinet space to spare; anyone short on under-sink room, or keen to limit wastewater, should look at a tankless or pumped system instead.
Full review
Removed every contaminant found above health guidelines
Water Filter Guru sent pre- and post-filtration samples to Tap Score and found 16 contaminants with possible health effects in its feed water, five of them above health guideline levels: fluoride, uranium and three disinfection byproducts. All five were eliminated after filtration, and total dissolved solids fell from 875 to 54 ppm, a 93% reduction. Reduction was weaker for nitrate (64%) and boron (49%), which the reviewer attributed to low feed pressure of 48 PSI and cool water, and manganese rose by a trace amount, probably from the remineralisation filter. The system is certified by the WQA for TDS reduction, but Water Filter Guru notes this covers only one of the 51 contaminants APEC claims it reduces.
Bob Vila tested the unit in a new-build Florida home with hard municipal water and reported noticeably clearer, better-tasting water within the first day. Its tester described the system as rock-solid and said it kept up with drinking and cooking needs without running dry. On Water Filter Guru's pH meter the final stage raised pH from 7.59 to 8.77, while the lab result showed a small drop from 8.1 to 7.8; in both cases the purified water stayed alkaline rather than acidic.
Slow and wasteful without a booster pump
APEC rates the system at up to 75 gallons per day, but Water Filter Guru measured the equivalent of 42.74 GPD at its 48 PSI and 60.4°F test conditions. Efficiency was the weakest result: on a 12-ounce draw the unit sent 10.6 ounces to drain for every ounce purified, which the reviewer called the least efficient RO system it had tested, improving to 1:5.1 on a half-gallon draw against APEC's claimed 1:3. Fitting an upstream booster pump lifted output to 73.44 GPD and the ratio to 1:3.84, using about as much energy as the built-in pumps of tankless rivals. Without a pump the unit was very quiet, measuring 24.3 decibels at one foot.
A 90-minute install and a bulky tank
Water Filter Guru's installation took 90 minutes, including drilling a hole for the faucet and fitting the drain line, and it warns the job could take two hours or more without an existing faucet hole and drain adapter. The filters and housings are not colour-coded, the faucet needed a wrench to tighten as there is no quick-mount nut, and the system leaked at the factory-fitted membrane drain connection until a locking clip was added. Flushing took about three hours, plus two to three hours for the tank to refill. Bob Vila's tester, by contrast, reported a clean install on the first try. Both reviews agree the unit is large: Bob Vila found the 4-gallon tank took up a significant portion of the cabinet, and its tester warned that buyers need plenty of space under the sink.
Cheap to run, with standard warranty terms
Water Filter Guru estimated running costs at $0.10 to $0.21 per gallon and about $133 a year, giving the system its top score for costs despite six filters to replace. The manual recommends changing the three pre-filters and the remineralisation filter every 6 to 12 months and the membrane and carbon post-filter every 2 to 4 years, but there is no filter-life tracker, so reminders have to be set manually. Cover is a one-year limited warranty, and returns within 30 days carry return shipping costs and a 10 to 50% restocking fee on opened systems. Water Filter Guru judged it good value as a budget RO system with certifications and remineralisation, but would point buyers with more to spend towards a more efficient tankless model.
Strengths
- +Removed every contaminant detected above health guideline levels in Water Filter Guru's lab test
- +Cut total dissolved solids by 93%, from 875 to 54 ppm, with no significant TDS creep
- +Calcite remineralisation stage kept the filtered water from turning acidic
- +Low running cost, estimated at $0.10 to $0.21 per gallon
- +Bob Vila's tester reported clearer, better-tasting water and a supply that never ran dry
Watch-outs
- −Wasteful without a pump: 10.6 oz sent to drain per 1 oz purified on a small draw
- −Installation took 90 minutes and needs a dedicated faucet hole drilled in the countertop
- −The 4-gallon storage tank fills much of the under-sink cabinet
How it compares
The ROES-PH75 is a reverse osmosis system, unlike the Clearly Filtered 3-Stage Under the Sink, which reduces contaminants without RO, and the Aquasana Claryum AQ-5300+, which is a no-wait filter that keeps healthy minerals. The APEC instead strips most minerals and adds a calcite stage at the end, and it needs a 4-gallon storage tank and a drain connection that sends water to waste.
Rating sources
Counts as 4.33/5 in our score — this publisher's 2 scores on the site average 4.40, so its scores are adjusted down to compare fairly with other publishers.
“Overall Score: 8.87”
Not in the average — we derived this score from the review's words, and a publisher printed a score for this product, so the printed number counts instead.
Our 4.3 score is the average of 1 of the scored reviews above, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores. 1 derived score above is not in the average because a publisher printed a score for this product. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
