Review: RainSoft QRS Whole House Water Filtration System
Written by: Gene Fitzgerald // Expert Fact-Checking: Buddhini Dolapihilla, MBSS // Last Updated: Aug 4, 2023
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The RainSoft QRS is a tank-based whole house carbon water filter designed to remove chlorine taste and odor, and organic contaminants from municipal water. It works similarly to any activated carbon tank-based filter system, but instead of being sold direct to the consumer, it’s sold through RainSoft’s dealer network.
This sales model has its pros and cons, which we’ll explain throughout this article.
Let’s take a closer look at the RainSoft QRS Whole House Carbon Water Filtration System and see how it compares to the competition.
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RainSoft QRS Whole House Water Filtration System |
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| Price: | ? |
| Filter Media: | Activated Carbon |
| Filter Life: | 160,000-535,000 Gallons |
| Flow Rate: | 5.4-12.2 Gallons Per Minute |
| Annual Cost: | – |
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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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RainSoft QRS Whole House Water Filtration System – All Specs
- Model: RainSoft QRS
- Annual Maintenance Cost: $0
- Filter Media/Process: Activated Carbon
- Flow Rate: 5.4-12.2 gpm
- Filtering Capacity: 160,000-535,000 gal
- Water Temperature: 40-100 °F
- Water Pressure: 20-120 psi
- NSF Certifications: Standard 42 (Aesthetic Chlorine), Standard 53 (Close to 50 VOCs)
- Warranty: 1 Year to Lifetime
RainSoft QRS – Key Features
The RainSoft QRS Whole House Carbon Water Filtration System is tank-based and designed to remove chlorine and organic chemicals from your home’s water supply with the main goal to improve taste and odor.
Unlike most other whole house water filters, RainSoft does not sell direct to the consumer, but instead sells their systems through their dealer network. This involves a professional coming to your home, testing your water, and then recommending a system based on your needs. This also means you won’t have access to transparent pricing as you would with most other manufacturers.
That said, the system quality is generally good and comes with multiple NSF certifications as well as a 1-year to lifetime warranty.
RainSoft offers the QRS in 4 different sizes – depending on your specific filtration needs:
- 844 H – 5.4 gallon per minute flow rate, 160,000 gallon capacity (for 1-bathroom homes)
- 1044 H – 7.7 gpm, – 250,000 gallon capacity (for 2-bathroom homes)
- 1054 H – 8.6 gpm, – 330,000 gallon capacity (for 3-bathroom homes)
- 1354 H – 12.2 gpm, – 535,000 gallon capacity (for 4+ baths)
The system is offered with two carbon filter types, regular activated carbon (HYSULEX) or silver-impregnated carbon (SUPER HYSULEX). The latter is designed to eliminate micro-organism buildup inside the filter.
RainSoft Whole House Water Filtration System Pros
Firstly, the RainSoft QRS seems to be a durable whole house filter system. The tank is wound with glass filament and encases a second tank made of plastic to ensure the drinking water doesn’t come in contact with the fiberglass surface.
And while people have their issues with RainSoft’s non-transparent pricing scheme, it does have some advantages. Professional water testing and analysis come as part of the sale, so you will have actual data to work with rather than simply winging it and guessing which system type you need.
Another plus is that all RainSoft water filters and softeners are manufactured in the USA. A bypass valve comes included with this purchase, which should be expected with a whole house water filter system at this price point, but it’s nice to see nonetheless.
What Contaminants Are Being Removed?
The system will remove chlorine (99% reduction for specified filter life) as well as a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This includes contaminants like benzene, lindane, THMs, chloroform, atrazine, and many more.
Installation
Unlike typical whole house filters, you won’t be able to install the RainSoft QRS water filtration system yourself. Professional installation is included with the purchase price, which adds to the bottom line cost.
This can be both a pro and a con depending on how you look at it. On the one hand, your system will be professionally installed which won’t void the warranty. On the other hand, this adds to the system’s overall cost and eliminates the possibility of installing the system on your own.
Video
The Package (Parts)
- RainSoft QRS Whole House Carbon Water Filtration System
Maintenance
Just as with the installation, RainSoft will take care of any maintenance necessary.
The filter media will eventually become exhausted and need replacement. The precise requirement will depend on the incoming water quality as well as the amount of water used.
Manual
Here is a link to the official manual:
https://www.rainsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/QRS.pdf
NSF and Other Certifications
According to RainSoft:
The system is tested and certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 42 for the reduction of aesthetic effects. This means it’s certified to reduce chlorine taste/odor. The system will reduce 99% of aesthetic chlorine taste and odor for between 160,000 and 535,000 gallons – depending on the system size you choose.
It’s also tested and certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53, for the reduction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It will reduce 99% or more of VOCs but only for between 4,300 and 14,500 gallons – depending on the system size you choose which is not enough obviously.
Earlier Product Versions
The RainSoft QRS has no earlier product versions as far as we know.
RainSoft Whole House Water Filter Cons
Perhaps the biggest drawback to this RainSoft whole house water filtration system – or any other system sold by RainSoft – is the lack of transparent pricing. If you wish to buy the system, the only way to do it is by contacting a local dealer for a quote, which means speaking to a salesperson and possibly being pressured or upsold.
Additionally, no sediment pre-filter comes with the system, which means dirt will accumulate in the tank over time. This wouldn’t be such a big deal if the system came with a backwashing function to flush away accumulated sediment – but it doesn’t. If you are going to use this system, installing a sediment pre-filter yourself is recommended.
Also, you cannot install the system on your own without voiding the warranty.
Lastly, the NSF certification on VOC removal only certifies the system to between 4,300 and 14,500 gallons. This is on the low end for a whole house water filter and would be used up in a short period. Keep in mind that the system may very well continue to remove VOCs after passing the above threshold, but it’s not certified to do so. Speaking of, we couldn’t find the actual NSF certifications on the WQA website.
RainSoft QRS Review: Our Verdict + Best for
Overall, the RainSoft QRS Whole House Carbon Water Filtration System should work quite well for basic carbon filtration without backwashing. That means it will remove chlorine taste and odor as well as organic contamination, but not much else. As a result, the system would only be appropriate for basic municipal water treatment.
That said, we don’t like the pricing model and the other drawbacks explained above and would generally recommend users to go with a different whole house water filter – there are plenty of good choices on the market!
Our Rating in Detail:
- Filtration Performance: 3.5/5.0
- Filter Capacity (Life): 3.5/5.0
- Purchase Price: X.X/5.0
- Annual Cost: X.X/5.0
- Overall: 3.5/5.0
Comparison to Other Whole House Water Filters
Let’s take a look at how the RainSoft QRS compares to 2 popular whole house filters sold by the competition.
SpringWell CF |
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| Price: | $$$ |
| Filter Media: | 5-Micron Sediment, Catalytic Carbon, KDF |
| Filter Life: | 1,000,000 gal or 6 Years |
| Flow Rate: | 9-20 gpm |
| Annual Cost: | ~$40 |
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Overall Rating: 5.0/5.0 ⓘRating based on filtration performance, filter life, price and yearly cost, NSF testing/certification, customer support, product warranty, our testing/experience, user feedback, and other factors.
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Kind E-1000 |
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| Price: | $$ |
| Filter Media: | 5-Micron Sediment, Catalytic Carbon Block |
| Filter Life: | 12 Months |
| Flow Rate: | 15 gpm |
| Annual Cost: | ~$145 |
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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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RainSoft QRS |
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| Price: | ? |
| Filter Media: | Activated Carbon |
| Filter Life: | 160,000-535,000 Gallons |
| Flow Rate: | 5.4-12.2 gpm |
| Annual Cost: | – |
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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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First, the SpringWell CF is a tank-based system like the RainSoft, but features two additional filtration stages – a 5-micron sediment filter and a KDF media bed. The sediment filter removes sand, silt, rust, and other large particles, while the KDF media bed removes chlorine and some heavy metals, plus it helps to control microbial growth. Another point to note is that the carbon in the SpringWell is catalytic carbon instead of activated carbon which is generally more powerful at removing chlorine/chloramine, pesticides, herbicides, disinfection byproducts, and more. The system features a flow rate of between 9 and 20 gallons per minute depending on the size selected, which is better than most of the RainSoft models.
Next, the Kind Water Systems E-1000 is a 2-stage cartridge-based whole house filter system with a 5-micron sediment filter and also a catalytic carbon block filter. Together, these filters will remove sand, silt, and sediment, as well as chlorine, chloramine, herbicides, pesticides, VOCs, and other organics. The system flow rate is 15 gallons per minute, which is better than all of the RainSoft QRS sizes – which max out at 12.2 gpm.
Comparing the two above systems to the RainSoft QRS shows that the latter is lacking in several key areas. Primarily the lack of a sediment filter to remove large particles and the use of activated carbon instead of superior catalytic carbon. Additionally, the lack of transparent pricing makes pricing comparisons difficult as an accurate price of the RainSoft system is hard to come by.
Overall, both the SpringWell and the Kind would make better systems for most users in our opinion, and it’s difficult to find a scenario in which the RainSoft would be the preferred option.
This completes our review of the RainSoft QRS water filtration system. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
About the Author Gene Fitzgerald
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