Review on 💧 Certified Brondell Circle Reverse Osmosis System by Shawn Pollock

I am an avid gardener who designs custom hydroponic systems. In connection with my hobby, I pay close attention to the water quality. I also had and installed three other reverse osmosis systems in my previous home so I have links to compare. Pros: 1. Relatively easy to install. It took me 1 hour. Compared to some other systems I've owned, this system comes with all the parts I need so I didn't have to run back and forth to the hardware store. You will need some tools like wrenches to tighten the nuts, a drill and a 1/4 inch drill bit for draining.2. The system has a more accurate case compared to other systems.3. Sufficient length of PEX pipes for almost any under-counter installation.4. No leaks (I had a big leak in a previous system that sent me to the 3X store.) 5. I use municipal water with an average TDS of 280 (Total Dissolved Solids) and a pH of 7.0 ( neutral). I have two Culligan Whole House filters, a 5 micron sediment pre-filter and a carbon block filter that cleans the water. Range 170-180 TDS. This system reduces this range to 13 TDS. This city uses chlorine, which is less corrosive to pipes but also breaks down much more easily than monochloramines. Effluent/reflux appears to meet Brondell specifications. I notice a lot less "gurgling" of the water going down the drain compared to other systems. This will be much better in a septic system than in other systems. My previous home in Malden, Massachusetts had a one watt whole house filter that gave a reading of about 90 TDS. The PH has reached high alkalinity around 11 PH which is frankly scary. It was at the level of alkali, which can quickly decompose organic materials. The high pH was confirmed as normal by the city's water board and the spokesman explained that the high pH was the result of treating the water with monochloramines. Monochloramines are used both as a disinfectant and to prevent metals such as lead from getting into the water, which also helps explain the lower TDS values. Unfortunately, there are no long-term studies on their health effects and they also stay in the water much longer than chlorine. PH is also considered a "secondary trait" by the EPA in the US and is therefore not regulated. Regarding my old reverse osmosis systems, which only had three filters (compared to four here), the TDS went from 90 to around 11-12 TDS. If I allow myself to digress, I believe that contrary to the recent high alkaline water fad (advertised in many health food stores, TJ, WF, online etc.), high alkaline water is bad for you. At the time of writing this article, there is actually a very limited "scientific" study on conflict of interest that was conducted many years ago on a very limited sample of people (only 12 people if I remember correctly) that was conducted by a doctor who ALSO attempted to sell his own "highly alkaline" water production system. Since then, websites and blogs have been promoting alkaline water as a "cure for all diseases" such as cancer etc. Please don't fall for this fad and do your own research on sites like Google Scholar. Neutral: 1 . My current pH levels have dropped from 7 to around 6.2 by removing salts and buffers. It's slightly acidic, but I prefer it to potentially toxic chemicals, which the city doesn't test. I would also prefer that to my previous highly alkaline water. Many plants actually thrive at a PH of around 6. One way to raise that PH is to install a separate "remineralization" filter, but I probably wouldn't bother with that. It is argued against reverse osmosis that it deprives the human body of useful minerals. In fact, there is no scientific evidence for this claim, only anecdotal evidence. I believe that's true to an extent, but the counterargument is that if you're getting all your minerals from water rather than a healthy diet, then something is seriously wrong with your diet. Several decades ago there was a study of reverse osmosis sailors and sailors in the US Navy and this limited study found no adverse health effects. But in general, there are very few studies on the effects of reverse osmosis or distilled water on the human body. My personal opinion is that I don't like the look of this faucet as it is chrome plated and everything in our house is brushed nickel. Bad: 1. The cost of replacement filters should be more reasonable. This is perhaps the main disadvantage of this system.2. The whole office is big. Be sure to measure beforehand. I have a 30 inch disposable kitchen sink that takes up almost half of this space. I had to turn it on its side to get through the sink doors.