Review: Radiant Life Whole House Water Filter Series 6
Written by: Gene Fitzgerald // Expert Fact-Checking: Buddhini Dolapihilla, MBSS // Last Updated: Aug 4, 2023
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The Radiant Life Series 6 is a high-efficiency whole house water filter with an extensive filtration capacity of up to 1,250,000 gallons (or ten years).
Thanks to several different types of filter media used, the system targets a broad range of water contaminants. Plus, it comes with a bypass valve that eases installation, a premium stainless steel covering that makes it more durable, and an 8-12 gallon-per-minute water flow rate ideal for average to larger-sized homes.
Sounds promising? Well, there is a very hefty price tag!
So, let’s explore all the specs of the Radiant Life Whole House Filtration Series 6 as well as its drawbacks and see if it’s a smart investment…
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Radiant Life Whole House Water Filter Series 6 |
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| Price: | $$$ |
| Filter Media: | Carbon, Zeolite, KDF |
| Filter Life: | 750,000-1,250,000 Gallons |
| Flow Rate: | 8-12 gpm |
| Annual Cost: | – |
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Overall Rating: 2.0/5.0 ⓘ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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Radiant Life Whole House Water Filter Series 6 – All Specs
- Model: K108-015, K108-016, K108-017
- Last Price: $3,715.00-$5,515.00
- Annual Maintenance Cost: $0
- Filter Media/Process: Carbon, Zeolite, KDF
- Filter Stages: 2
- Flow Rate: 8-12 gpm
- Filtering Capacity: 750,000-1,250,000 gal or 5-10 Years
- WxHxD: 12-16″x52-65″x12-16″
- Water Temperature: 40-120 °F
- Water Pressure: 40-100 psi
- Warranty: 5-10 Years
Radiant Life Series 6 – Key Features
This Radiant Life water treatment system features an advanced media blend that uses a sediment filter base, a mix of carbon (likely granular activated and granular catalytic), zeolite, and KDF to remove many different types of contaminants from municipal and well water. This includes:
- All kind of sediments
- Chlorine (rated at 1,250,000 gallons reduction)
- Chloramine (rated at 750,000 gallons reduction)
- Herbicides + pesticides
- Fluoride
- Hydrogen sulfide
- Heavy metals
- VOCs
- Scale
Furthermore, the KDF filter media ensures that neither bacteria or fungi nor algae will grow inside the tank over time. There’s also a spin-down sediment pre-filter included which is used to capture coarse dirt before it reaches the main tank to prevent clogging.
The system has a flow rate of 8 to 12 gallons per minute (depending on which size you buy), which is enough for most homes. The three available sizes of the Radiant Life water filter are:
- K108-015 (2.0 cu ft media) – 1-3 baths – 8 gpm
- K108-016 (3.0 cu ft media) – 3-4 baths – 10 gpm
- K108-017 (4.0 cu ft media) – 5+ baths – 12 gpm
Depending on which size you choose, you’ll have to invest between $3,715 and $5,515 which obviously is a lot – and this doesn’t even include installation. More on this below!
Radiant Life Whole House Filter Pros
The Radiant Life Whole House Filtration Series 6 has a high filtering capacity of up to ten years. You’d think it requires a lot of maintenance to last that long, but surprisingly, it doesn’t! It only requires that you clean the spin down sediment pre-filter on a regular basis.
Does this also mean that maintenance doesn’t include buying replacement parts? Yes, maintaining the Radiant Life Series 6 filter is easy and costs zero dollars.
But wait, how can it last up to 10 years without clogging? The system uses backwashing to remove some of the accumulated contaminants and flush them down the drain!
Another cool pro is the warranty. The Radiant Life whole house water filter comes with a 10-year warranty for the tank and controls. So if anything goes wrong within the first ten years after you buy, it’s on Radiant Life. The filter media bed, digital controls, heads, and valves have a 5-year warranty.
One last thing: the Radiant Life has a premium stainless steel covering, which protects it from damage and makes the system more durable.
What Contaminants Are Being Removed?
The Radiant Life whole house water filter removes sediments, chlorine/chloramines, hydrogen sulfide, organic chemicals including herbicides, pesticides, and VOCs, heavy metals, and even fluoride. It also tackles bacteria, fungi, and algae, and prevents scale formation in the tank.
Installation
The Radiant Life Series 6 is quite easy to install and takes up very little space. On the flip side, the system does need a drain connection due to the backwashing feature so this requires just a bit more work than usual. Also, only the smallest unit comes preloaded with media.
Please consider these instructions as a general guideline. Always make sure to check and follow your user manual before getting started.
Here’s a list of tools you need to install the Radiant Life Series 6:
- Pipe wrench
- Painters/masking tape
- Plumbing supplies to connect the unit to your home’s main water line.
Before you start installing, you should confirm that all the system package parts are present and in good condition. Once you’re ready to install, follow this step-by-step breakdown:
- Turn off your water supply.
- Install the spin down filter on the mounting bracket. Make sure the spin down filter rests on top of the mounting bracket.
- Place the filter tank at a spot near where you’d like to leave it finally.
- Lift the shipping cap from the tank to reveal the “riser tube” opening.
- Add the system media through a funnel into the filter tank. You don’t need this step if you’re installing the K108-015 (2.0 cu ft media) model because it comes pre-filled.
- Connect the upper basket to the control valve.
- Connect the bypass valve to the control valve.
- Insert the 90° elbow in the inlet port of the bypass valve.
- Connect your home plumbing to the inlet side of the system.
- Flush the tank by turning on your water supply for some minutes until the water becomes clear.
- Now, connect your plumbing to the outlet side of the system.
- Release air from the system and slowly adjust the bypass valve inlet to the “normal operation” position.
- Lastly, attach a drain line to the control valve.
The Package (Parts)
- Filter tank
- Control valve
- Bypass valve
- Installation elbows
- Spin down filter
- Upper basket
Maintenance
The Radiant Life whole house water filter is almost maintenance-free. Here is the only thing involved:
You need to clean the spin down filter to remove built-up sediment particles. To do that, open the black handle at the bottom of the filter and collect the sediments in a bucket. Close the handle once the filter is clear.
Good news is, cleaning the spin down filter costs nothing.
Manual
Here is a link to the official manual:
https://radiantlifecatalog.com/content/Series%206%20Manual.pdf
NSF and Other Certifications
This product has no NSF certifications.
Earlier Product Versions
As far as we know, this product has no earlier versions.
Radiant Life Filtration Series 6 Cons
While the Radiant Life whole house water filter has some excellent pros, you shouldn’t miss out on these drawbacks:
- For one thing and this can’t be stressed enough, this system is very expensive especially in direct comparison to the competition. The Radiant Life may be advertised as being “unique”, but there are other whole house water filtration systems on the market that use a similar mix of filter media, and these are available for a lot less.
- We also do not like that the warranty hangs on a condition — you must install a spin down or other sediment pre-filter. If you don’t, the warranty becomes void.
- One minor con is that only the smallest unit size comes preloaded with media.
- Lastly, the Radiant Life Series 6 water filter lacks NSF testing/certifications. You would expect otherwise when you consider the price tag.
Radiant Life Series 6 Review: Our Verdict + Best for
Although the Radiant Life Series 6 whole house water filter has no NSF certifications, it is certainly effective removing many harmful water contaminants and also those affecting water aesthetics – it uses the right types of filter media.
Still, the purchase price is just too high! And we honestly see no reason why it should cost up to 5,500 dollars. The product is being tagged as “unique,” but we don’t buy it. Other whole house filters also use a mix of carbon, KDF, zeolite, and sediment filter media and cost way less. All in all, we wouldn’t recommend this product.
Our Rating in Detail:
- Filtration Performance: 4.0/5.0
- Filter Capacity (Life): 4.5/5.0
- Purchase Price: 1.0/5.0
- Annual Cost: 5.0/5.0
- Overall: 2.0/5.0
Comparison to Other Whole House Water Filters
Let’s compare the Radiant Life Series 6 filter to the SpringWell CF and the Crystal Quest SMART and see how it fares.
SpringWell CF |
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| Price: | $ |
| Filter Media: | 5-Micron Sediment, Catalytic Carbon, KDF |
| Filter Life: | 1,000,000 gal |
| Flow Rate: | 9-20 gpm |
| Annual Cost: | ~$40 |
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Overall Rating: 5.0/5.0 ⓘ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 5% Off! Use Code: |
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Crystal Quest SMART |
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| Price: | $$ |
| Filter Media: | 5-Micron Sediment, GAC, Catalytic Carbon, KDF, Ion Exchange Resin, Mineral Balls, Carbon Block |
| Filter Life: | 1,000,000-1,500,000 gal |
| Flow Rate: | 9-13 gpm |
| Annual Cost: | ~$50-75 |
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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 5% Off! Use Code: |
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Radiant Life Series 6 |
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| Price: | $$$ |
| Filter Media: | Carbon, Zeolite, KDF |
| Filter Life: | 750,000-1,250,000 gal |
| Flow Rate: | 8-12 gpm |
| Annual Cost: | – |
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Overall Rating: 2.0/5.0 ⓘ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 SpringWell CF (you can read our full review here) uses catalytic carbon, KDF, and a 5-micron sediment pre-filter. So all it lacks when compared to the Radiant Life is zeolite. Now, what does zeolite media do? It catches turbidity, some heavy metals, bacteria, organic chemicals, and nitrates. If your water contains these contaminants, you may need zeolite. However, keep in mind that because the SpringWell doesn’t use zeolite or sediment filter media, it has more room for catalytic carbon and KDF which do the bulk of the contaminant removal! Also, where the SpringWell CF easily wins is the much higher flow rate of up to 20 gallons per minute for 7+ bathrooms, a 6-month satisfaction guarantee, and a lifetime warranty – all for a much, much lower price than what the Radiant Life costs!
The Crystal Quest SMART uses a 5-micron sediment pre-filter; and in the main tank granular activated carbon, catalytic carbon, KDF, ion exchange resin, ceramic balls, and tourmaline balls; and a carbon block post-filter. In other words, it also lacks zeolite, but it uses other powerful media that Radiant Life does not use, most importantly ion exchange resin. So the Crystal Quest SMART probably removes an even wider range of contaminants and does something else the Radiant Life does not do: It balances water pH. Besides, the Crystal Quest SMART also cost much less.
In our opinion, both the SpringWell CF and the Crystal Quest SMART are better options to invest your money in.
More Reviews:
This completes our review of the Radiant Life whole house water filter. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
About the Author Gene Fitzgerald
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