Review: Watts Premier RO Pure Plus (VOC) System
Written by: Gene Fitzgerald // Expert Fact-Checking: Buddhini Dolapihilla, MBSS // Last Updated: Jan 23, 2024
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The Watts Premier RO Pure Plus comes with some attractive features, including an impressive range of NSF certifications – but there are a few points worth addressing about this under sink reverse osmosis system before you make the decision to invest in it. Time for a closer look!
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Watts Premier RO Pure Plus (VOC) System |
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| Price: | $$$ |
| Filter Stages: | 4 |
| Water Flow: | Not Specified |
| NSF Certifications: | 53, 58, 372 |
| Annual Cost: | ~$80-110 |
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Overall Rating: 4.0/5.0 ⓘRating based on filtration performance, filter life, price and yearly cost, NSF testing/certification, customer support, product warranty, our testing/experience, user feedback, and other factors.
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Watts Premier RO Pure Plus (VOC) System – All Specs
- Model: RO Pure Plus (VOC) – WP531417
- Annual Maintenance Cost: ~$80-110
- Filter Media/Process: Sediment Pre, 2x Carbon Block, RO
- Filter Stages: 4
- Membrane Rating: 50 gpd
- Recovery Rate: 25.5%
- Filtering Capacity: 6 Months to 5 Years
- WxHxD: 11.6″x13.5″x3.7″
- Tank: 11″x13.6″x11″, 3 gal
- Water Temperature: 40-100 °F
- Water Pressure: 40-100 psi
- Water pH: 2-11
- Fitting: 3/8″
- NSF Certifications: Standard 53, 58, 372
- Warranty: 1 Year (Limited)
Watts Premier RO Pure Plus (VOC) – Key Features
With the Watts Premier RO Pure Plus, you get a 4-stage RO filtration setup that’s pretty effective at removing a wide range of contaminants. Many of those have been independently confirmed by WQA standardized testing, which is always nice to see in a product like this. The 4 filtration stages are:
- Sediment pre-filter: gets rid of sediment, dirt, silt, and other similar particles.
- 5-micron carbon block: removes chlorine, organic chemicals, and improves the taste and smell of water.
- Reverse osmosis membrane: takes care of overall TDS, chromium, arsenic, copper, lead, microorganisms, and a large number of additional contaminants.
- VOC carbon block: final stage of filtration that adds an extra layer of polish, focusing specifically on VOCs.
As mentioned, the Watts Premier RO Pure Plus comes with three NSF (WQA) certifications too. Essentially, these certify that the system is indeed effective at removing/reducing water contamination – more on that below. Some of the most harmful contaminants certified for removal are:
- Arsenic 5 – 98.8%
- Chromium 6 – 98.5%
- Lead – 95.7%
- VOCs – 99.8%
What’s more, everything is very easy to set up too, and it takes very little effort to get the system up and running.
Filter life is between 6 months and 5 years at around $80-110 in yearly cost which we find totally acceptable. By the way, easy push fittings make changing the filters incredibly fast – it only takes seconds with no need to turn off the water supply. Also, there’s an indicator light on the air gap faucet that lets you know it’s time to replace filters.
The product comes with a 1-year limited warranty.
RO Pure Plus Pros
- Several WQA certifications for NSF Standards 53, 58, and 372 for reliable contaminant reduction.
- Very easy to install.
- Indicator light lets you know when it’s time for a filter replacement.
What Contaminants Are Being Removed?
The company has provided a list of contaminant reduction rates that are actually trustworthy, because the rates have been extensively tested and the Watts Premier RO Pure Plus comes with multiple NSF/WQA certifications to show for it:
- Arsenic 5: 98.8%
- Barium: 97.6%
- Cadmium: 95.7%
- Chromium-6: 98.5%
- Copper: 98.7%
- Cyst: 99.97%
- Fluoride: 95.7%
- Lead: 95.7%
- Radium 226/228: 80%
- TDS: 96.4%
- Turbidity: 99%
- Nitrate/Nitrite: 83.3%
- VOCs: 99.8%
Not bad at all!
The Watts Premier RO Pure Plus – learn more on Amazon.com
Installation
Even if they aren’t experienced plumbers, most people should be able to hook up the Watts Premier RO Pure Plus reverse osmosis system. You just need to know how to use basic tools like a drill and follow the instructions closely.
Here is a summary of the process:
Please consider these instructions as a general guideline. Always make sure to check and follow your user manual before getting started.
- Turn off the cold water supply.
- Turn on the cold water faucet and keep it running until water stops coming out.
- Drill a hole for the faucet, or find an existing one that you can reuse.
- Connect the various pieces of tubing, following the color coding – simply insert each piece into the ports with corresponding colors, paying attention to the following points:
- The straight end of the 1/4″ blue tubing goes into the faucet fitting.
- The 3/8” black tubing connects to the bottom of the faucet.
- The straight end of the 1/4″ red tubing goes into the faucet fitting.
- The blue tubing should connect to the RO module’s appropriate port.
- Same goes for the red tubing.
- Press the two parts of the faucet assembly together and twist them to lock them in place around the hole.
- Find a suitable location for the drain saddle – make sure it’s not downstream from the garbage disposal, if you have one. It should also be at least 1 1/2″ above the nut of the P-trap elbow or cross bar.
- Mark a location for the drain saddle hole and drill through it.
- Clamp the two parts of the drain saddle around the hole, aligning the holes, and screw the saddle in place.
- Use the 3/8” black tube to connect the faucet to the drain saddle, using a line as straight as possible.
- Connect the storage tank, again paying attention to color coding.
- Optional: connect the system to your ice maker if you have one – check the manual for more detailed instructions.
Video
The Package (Parts)
- RO System
- Storage Tank
- Filter Set
- 50 gpd RO Membrane
- Brushed Nickel Faucet (Air Gap)
- Feedwater Valve
- Drain Saddle
- Manual
Maintenance
You’ll need to replace the various filters at different intervals – the build-in LED indicator will make this a lot easier, and you won’t have to keep track of all those times manually. Here are the standard replacement schedules for the different filters:
- Sediment pre-filter: 6 months
- Carbon block: 6 months
- RO membrane: 2-5 years
- VOC carbon block: 12 months or 150 gallons
The total cost of maintaining the system comes down to around $80 – $110 per year, which is more than acceptable for a reverse osmosis system of this kind.
Replacing filters is very easy, as each one comes with a twist-locking system, in which you simply turn one way to unscrew and remove the filter, and then turn it the opposite way to screw it back in. You don’t even need to turn off the cold water supply while doing this, unlike with some other models!
Manual
Here is a link to the official manual:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0826/7845/files/WP199519_IOM-Premier-RO-PurePlus.pdf?v=1633359925
NSF and Other Certifications
We have 3 NSF certifications awarded by the WQA:
- WQA 53 – for the reduction of VOCs
- WQA 58 – for arsenic (V) (50 ppb influent level), barium, cadmium, copper, cyst, fluoride, chromium-6, lead, nitrate, nitrite, perchlorate, radium 226/228, selenium, chromium-3, as well as turbidity reduction.
- WQA 372 – ensures the product is manufactured using lead-free materials.
Earlier Product Versions
We couldn’t find any earlier versions of the Watts Premier RO Pure Plus.
RO Pure Cons
- Costs a bit more than what we’d expect.
- Only 25.5% recovery rate, meaning around 3 gallons of water wasted for each gallon purified – okay for such a system without a pump, but still quite a lot of wastewater.
- More cluttered design compared to newer RO systems that combine everything, including tubing, in one module.
- Some users report leaks.
- Personally, we think that Watts Premier provides solid testing and reduction rates. But testing for a few additional contaminant types would have been great. Watts Premier has mainly focused on dissolved solids, but there are also plenty of organic chemicals etc. one could test for.
Watts Premier RO Pure Plus (VOC) Review: Our Verdict + Best for
The Watts Premier RO Pure Plus RO system immediately stands out from the competition with its NSF certifications, and it’s refreshing to see a model like that on the market. Other than this, it’s a pretty standard package with nothing really special. There’s no pump, which means that the unit wastes a lot of water. Combined with the higher upfront price, it’s a mixed bag. We feel like 4 out of 5 stars is an appropriate rating here.
Our Rating in Detail:
- Filtration Performance: 4.5/5.0
- Filter Capacity (Life): 5.0/5.0
- Purchase Price: 3.5/5.0
- Annual Cost: 5.0/5.0
- Overall: 4.0/5.0
Comparison to Other Reverse Osmosis Systems
Let’s take a look at 2 RO system alternatives – specifically, the AquaTru and the Waterdrop G3.
AquaTru |
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| Price: | $$$ |
| Filter Stages: | 4 |
| Water: | 1 Gallon in 10-15 Minutes |
| NSF: | 42, 53, 58, 401, P473 |
| Annually: | ~$100-120 |
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Overall Rating: 4.5/5.0 ⓘRating based on filtration performance, filter life, price and yearly cost, NSF testing/certification, customer support, product warranty, our testing/experience, user feedback, and other factors.
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Waterdrop G3 |
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| Price: | $$$ |
| Filter Stages: | 4 |
| Flow Rate: | 0.42 gpm |
| NSF: | 58, 372 |
| Annually: | ~$145 |
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Overall Rating: 4.0/5.0 ⓘRating based on filtration performance, filter life, price and yearly cost, NSF testing/certification, customer support, product warranty, our testing/experience, user feedback, and other factors.
Get 10% Off! Use Code: |
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Watts Premier RO Pure Plus |
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| Price: | $$$ |
| Filter Stages: | 4 |
| Flow Rate: | Not Specified |
| NSF: | 53, 58, 372 |
| Annually: | ~$80-110 |
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Overall Rating: 4.0/5.0 ⓘRating based on filtration performance, filter life, price and yearly cost, NSF testing/certification, customer support, product warranty, our testing/experience, user feedback, and other factors.
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The AquaTru (full review here) is the one reverse osmosis system on the market that we like to recommend the most. It’s a countertop unit, and has no installation procedure at all. It also comes with a great set of NSF certifications – 5 in total, covering NSF standards 42, 53, 58, 401 and P473. These cover the following contaminants, among others:
- Chlorine: 96.6%
- VOCs: 95-99%
- Chromium-6: 97.2%
- TDS: 87.1%
- Cyst: 99.99%
- Fluoride: 93.5%
- Lead: 99.1%
- Radium 226/228: 96.4%
- BPA: 99%
- Various trace pharmaceuticals and pesticides: 86.7-96.6%
- PFOA, PFOS: 97.5%
Both the AquaTru and the Watts Premier RO Pure Plus have their advantages and disadvantages in terms of contaminant reduction rates, but in the end, the AquaTru has more contaminants certified as a whole. The system is also compact and simple to use, making it more suitable for users inexperienced with reverse osmosis systems. The 20% wastewater rate is pretty good too, far better than the Watts Premier RO Pure Plus and also better than the Waterdrop G3. The body is made of BPA and BPS-free Tritan plastic.
The AquaTru does have the disadvantage of costing more than the Watts to buy, although its maintenance cost is about the same at around $100 – $120 per year. The system may occasionally leak, although those reports are admittedly rare – as are those of users whose systems have stopped working prematurely.
The Waterdrop G3 is an under sink model that utilizes a tankless design, meaning that water is filtered on demand and not stored – that results in a nice, optimized design that saves on space. The system comes with 4 filtration stages, and testing against multiple NSF standards – 42, 53, 58, and 401. However, only one NSF certification is provided (58). Some of the contaminants removed or reduced include:
- VOCs: 99%
- Chlorine: 99%
- Nitrate: 98%
- Fluoride: 99%
- Arsenic: 99%
- Chromium-6: 99%
- Lead: 99%
- PFOA/PFOS: 99%
Thanks to the internal pump, the model has a relatively good flow rate and recovery rate, dispensing at 0.42 gallons per minute and only wasting around 33% of the input water – again much better than the Watts Premier RO Pure Plus with its 75% wastewater percentage.
Installation is pretty simple and straightforward, much like that of the Watts Premier RO Pure Plus. You also get a similar LED indication system for filter replacements – this one includes audio cues as well. You can expect to replace filters between 6 and 24 months, as each one lasts for 550 to 2,200 gallons, depending on the exact filter. The system utilizes a twist-locking design similar to that of the Watts Premier RO Pure Plus, making maintenance a very simple task. You can monitor the TDS levels of your water with the integrated displays as well.
The system is made of BPA-free materials, and Waterdrop offers a complete money-back satisfaction guarantee plan with which you can return the device within 30 days of purchasing it – and it’s also covered by a 1-year limited warranty in addition to that. Keep in mind that it costs quite a bit more than the Watts Premier RO Pure Plus, both upfront and in the long run, with annual maintenance costs of around $145 per year. The system may occasionally produce some unusual noises.
All in all, we really appreciate what the AquaTru has to offer at this price, especially its NSF certifications and extremely low wastewater. The Waterdrop G3 and Watts Premier RO Pure Plus are both good. It depends on what you prefer, tankless or tank-based design, and pump for reduced wastewater or not. We can recommend both systems.
More Watts Reviews:
This completes our review of the Watts Premier RO Pure Plus (VOC) system. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
About the Author Gene Fitzgerald
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