Review: Express Water Elite Alkaline Reverse Osmosis System
Written by: Gene Fitzgerald // Expert Fact-Checking: Buddhini Dolapihilla, MBSS // Last Updated: Jan 23, 2024
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With the Express Water Elite Alkaline Reverse Osmosis System you get a full 9 stages of filtration. Most importantly, aside from the regular RO filter process, you also get a stage of remineralization and alkalinization, as the system name suggests. Let’s find out if 9 filter stages make the Express Water Elite a worthy investment!
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Express Water Elite Alkaline Reverse Osmosis System |
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| Price: | $$ |
| Filter Stages: | 9 |
| Water Flow: | 0.8 gpm |
| NSF Certifications: | – |
| Annual Cost: | ~$120 |
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Overall Rating: 3.5/5.0 ⓘ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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Express Water Elite Alkaline Reverse Osmosis System – All Specs
- Model: ROELITE9
- Annual Maintenance Cost: ~$120
- Filter Media/Process: Sediment Pre, GAC, RO, Remineralization/Alkalinization, Carbon Post
- Filter Stages: 9
- Flow Rate: 0.8 gpm
- Membrane Rating: 100 gpd
- Filtering Capacity: 1 Year
- WxHxD: 18.5″x14″x5″
- Tank: 2.2 gal
- Weight: 24.5 lb.
- Water Temperature: 40-100 °F
- Water Pressure: 40-80 psi
- Fitting: 3/8-1/2″
- Warranty: 1 Year (Limited)
Express Water Elite – Key Features
First of all, here is how the Express Water Elite Alkaline Reverse Osmosis System works:
- Stage 1: A 5-micron sediment pre-filter removes silt, dirt, rust, sand, and various other sediments.
- In Stage 2, granular activated carbon removes chlorine and organic chemicals, and improves the smell and taste of the water.
- Reverse osmosis membrane: removes a wide range of contaminants, including lead, fluoride, TDS, and many others.
- 5 stages of remineralization/alkalinization: those are basically five types of ionically activated mineral rocks which introduce different minerals into your water, compensating for one of the main drawbacks of reverse osmosis filtration (the removal of beneficial minerals). Those stages add calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium to your water. This also increases water pH, while adding antioxidants and oxygen. The company claims that these stages can also have a beneficial effect on your overall level of energy, but take this claim with a grain of salt.
- Finally, we have an activated carbon post-filter, which further refines the taste and smell of water after it’s been sitting in the storage tank.
All in all, it’s safe to say that we have an effective RO water purification process with all the required pre and post-filters included.
The system also comes with a leak stop valve, and an emergency leak stop detector which turns off water flow when moisture is detected underneath the unit. You get a brushed nickel faucet as well, which is a nice addition to the overall package. And with the 0.8 gpm flow rate from the faucet, it only takes about 5 seconds to fill a glass of water.
The unit comes with 1 year of limited warranty for peace of mind.
Filter life: 12 months at around $120 in annual filter replacement cost which is affordable.
Express Water RO System Pros
- Easy to install yourself so you don’t need to hire a plumber.
- Fast filter replacements thanks to the twist-and-remove design – tools-free.
- Subscription program for discounted replacement filters.
What Contaminants Are Being Removed?
According to Express Water, their Elite system is capable of addressing at least the following contaminants:
- Fluoride: 99.83%
- Chlorine: 98.62%
- Chloramine: 99.68%
- Nitrate and nitrite: 98-99%
- Dozens of VOCs: Up to 99.99%
- Dozens of semi-volatiles: Up to 99%
- Pharmaceuticals: Up to 99.99%
- Lead: 99.37%
- Cadmium: 96.55%
- Chromium: 99.63%
- TDS: 95.4%
The Express Water Elite – learn more on Amazon.com
Installation
As mentioned before, the Express Water Elite RO system is easy to install. For one, every connection is color-coded.
Please consider these instructions as a general guideline. Always make sure to check and follow your user manual before getting started.
Tools you’ll need:
- Box cutter
- Screwdriver
- Power drill
- Drill bits: 1/4″ and 1/2″
- Adjustable wrench
To install the Express Water Elite system, follow these steps:
- Find a suitable, flat surface for the faucet. Make sure there’s enough space to drill holes through it. Drill a hole for the RO faucet.
- Insert the base plate and the rubber washer onto the faucet stem at the base of the faucet.
- Run the faucet stem through the hole you drilled. Center the faucet carefully.
- Install the rubber washer under the sink, as well as the tension hand screw onto the faucet stem.
- Attach the union connector to the faucet stem.
- Insert the blue tube into the union connector.
- Shut off your cold water valve.
- Turn on the cold water faucet on your sink to expel any leftover water.
- Hook up the feed water adapter valve to the cold water valve, or further up the line before the faucet – check the manual to see which option is applicable to you.
- Find a place for the drain saddle before the P-trap, ideally on a straight vertical or horizontal segment of the pipe.
- Mark the location with a marker.
- Drill a hole through your mark.
- Align the foam gasket hole with the drain clamp hole, and attach the adhesive side of the gasket to the inner wall of the drain clamp half that has the foam gasket.
- Take the other half of the drain clamp and add a nut to the recess on each side.
- Align the two halves of the drain clamp with the clamp’s opening.
- Push the drill bit through the aligned holes to ensure they’re properly lined up.
- Secure the two halves of the drain clamp in place by screwing the bolts in.
- Position the leak stop valve beneath the system so that it catches any leaking water.
- Secure the valve to the cabinet floor.
- Connect one end of the red tubing to the feed water adapter valve.
- Connect the other end of the red tubing to the hole marked with “IN” on the leak stop valve.
- Connect one end of the white tubing to the hole marked with “OUT” on the leak stop valve.
- Connect the other end of the white tubing to the connection indicated with “FEED” on the back of the system.
- Remove the plastic wrap off the compressed textile.
- Place the textile in the leak stop valve.
- Turn the switch down to enable the leak stop valve.
- Screw the tank valve onto the threaded stem on the tank.
- Place the storage tank close to the system. It can be either horizontal or vertical.
- Connect the yellow tubing to the connection marked with “TANK” on the back of the system.
- Connect the other end of the yellow tubing to the tank valve.
- Keep the tank valve closed while the system is starting.
The Package (Parts)
- System head with filters
- Color-coded tubing
- Drain saddle package
- Feed water valve
- Locking clips
- Screws
- Leak stop valve
- RO faucet package
- Tank with tank valve
Maintenance
Like any other filter-based water purification system, you’ll need to replace the filter elements on a regular basis. Each filter needs to be changed once a year, and the total price comes down to around $120 annually, which is quite okay for the varied selection of filters you get. You can also subscribe to a replacement filter program, which can provide you with some nice discounts.
Replacing filters is very easy:
- Turn off the cold water supply.
- Open the RO faucet to release pressure.
- Close the faucet when water isn’t flowing out anymore.
- Twist the filter cartridge to the left to remove it.
- Insert the new cartridge and twist it to the right to secure it.
- Close the tank valve.
- Turn on the cold water supply.
- Open the RO faucet.
- Wait for about 10 minutes for water to start dripping from the faucet.
- Keep water dripping for 5 minutes.
- Close the RO faucet handle and wait for 10 minutes.
- Open the tank valve.
- Fill the water storage tank all the way up.
- Flush the system by opening the RO faucet and waiting until the water flow is brought down to a trickle.
- Close the RO faucet.
- Repeat steps 13-15 three more times – this should take 6-9 hours.
- After the 5th tank of water is filled, it’s safe to drink the water.
- Check for leaks!
Manual
Here is a link to the official manual:
NSF and Other Certifications
Apparently, there are no NSF certifications for this product.
Earlier Product Versions
We couldn’t find any earlier versions of the Express Water Elite.
Express Water Elite RO Cons
- More expensive than many of Express Water’s other RO models which are highly affordable.
- We’re not sure about the validity of the contaminant reduction rates, as they seem to be the same for all of the company’s models.
- No NSF certifications.
- No information about recovery rate – but we assume it’s low and probably around 20% or less due to the lack of a pump. So expect that 3 to 5 gallons of water will go down the drain per 1 gallon of purified water you can use.
- Saying that there are 9 stages of filtration is a bit misleading. They use 5 different types of minerals for remineralization/alkalinization. So actually there are only 4 actual filter stages. Talking about 9 stages, some people might assume that there are 9 types of filter media used.
- System takes very long to restart after changing a filter.
- Some users report inconsistent performance after a couple of months of use.
Express Water Elite Review: Our Verdict + Best for
We generally associate Express Water with highly affordable water filtration solutions ideal for people on a really tight budget. But with the Express Water Elite RO system, it’s a bit different. It’s not that affordable. And for the price we miss specific contaminant reduction rates. Looks like we only got some general rates. There are no NSF certifications either. It’s an alkaline RO system and these tend to be more expensive, but what you get is still not mind-blowing. 3.5 stars.
Our Rating in Detail:
- Filtration Performance: 4.0/5.0
- Filter Capacity (Life): 5.0/5.0
- Purchase Price: 3.5/5.0
- Annual Cost: 5.0/5.0
- Overall: 3.5/5.0
Comparison to Other Reverse Osmosis Systems
The Waterdrop G3 and AquaTru are two great models to consider if you’re looking for a viable alternative that’s worth its price.
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.
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AquaTru |
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| Price: | $$$ |
| Filter Stages: | 4 |
| Water: | 1 Gallon in 10-15 Minutes |
| NSF: | 42, 53, 58, 401, P473 |
| Annually: | ~$100-120 |
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Overall Rating: 4.5/5.0 ⓘRating based on filtration performance, filter life, price and yearly cost, NSF testing/certification, customer support, product warranty, our testing/experience, user feedback, and other factors.
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Express Water Elite |
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| Price: | $$ |
| Filter Stages: | 9 |
| Flow Rate: | 0.8 gpm |
| NSF: | – |
| Annually: | ~$120 |
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Overall Rating: 3.5/5.0 ⓘ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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The Waterdrop G3 is a tankless under sink reverse osmosis system, which filters water on demand and takes up very little space due to the lack of a storage tank. It comes with 4 filtration stages, and its performance is backed by NSF certification and testing. Specifically, we have a certificate for NSF standard 58 for TDS reduction, as well as testing (but no certifications) for NSF standards 42, 53, 58, and 401. These cover:
- VOCs: 99%
- Chlorine: 99%
- Nitrate: 98%
- Fluoride: 99%
- Arsenic: 99%
- Chromium-6: 99%
- Lead: 99%
- PFOA/PFOS: 99%
This is a more impressive list than what we have for the Express Water Elite, which only has some general reduction rates.
In addition, the model is powered by an internal pump which raises pressure and provides a flow rate of 0.42 gallons per minute, filling a cup of water in just 8 seconds. On top of that, we have an impressive 67% reduction rate thanks to the pump – much better than the Express Water Elite, which wastes around 3-5 gallons for each gallon purified.
Another benefit of the Waterdrop G3 is that you don’t have to manually keep track of filter replacement schedules – the system does that for you, and alerts you when it’s time to change something. On that note, its filters last for 550 – 2,200 gallons of water, which equates to 6-24 months depending on the filter. Replacement is easy too, and you don’t need to shut off the entire system beforehand. You also get a TDS monitoring panel which can provide you with some quick information about the current performance of your system.
The whole model is made of BPA-free materials, and Waterdrop offers a great money-back satisfaction guarantee program with which you can return your device up to 30 days after the purchase and get a full refund. You get a 1-year warranty in addition to that as well. The only real downsides to the Waterdrop G3 are its higher price (especially upfront; long term it costs around $145 per year to maintain), and the fact that it may occasionally make unusual noises.
The AquaTru is our favorite reverse osmosis system for various reasons. It’s a countertop model, and requires no installation. Filtration is handled by four separate stages, and the system is tested and certified against several NSF standards: 42, 53, 58, 401, and P473. The AquaTru can handle many contaminants, including:
- 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%
It’s a very compact system that takes up little space and requires no installation – you can have it up and running in just ten minutes, and it’s overall very simple to use. Filtration happens quite fast as well, and the system has an impressive 80% recovery rate, which is significantly better than both the Express Water Elite and the Waterdrop G3 – thanks to the internal pump.
The unit is built from BPA- and BPS-free Tritan plastic. However, be prepared to pay a higher price upfront. On the bright side, maintenance costs about the same as with the Express Water Elite – $100 – $120 per year.
If you can afford it, we recommend going with the AquaTru. It offers an unmatched combination of price, performance, ease of use, maintenance requirements, NSF certifications, and wastewater. The Waterdrop G3 is a great choice too, especially with its fast tankless design and easy installation. The Express Water Elite is the most affordable of the 3, and an okay choice if you are on a tight budget and want that remineralization stage.
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This completes our review of the Express Water Elite Alkaline Reverse Osmosis System. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
About the Author Gene Fitzgerald
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