Is this the right RO for your house?, read my review to find out !
By Bala Jon
Seller: India INCPrice: 14292/- (After 10% Card discount)Delivery: 10 days (Incl 2 Sundays), Prime, BangalorePackage: Came fully wrapped in bubble pack, box was the size of a mini-washing machineRecommended: YesReturnable: Only if damaged and certified by AO SmithUpdate after 5 Months~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Almost after 4 months & 2 weeks, the unit displayed SCMT ICON in red which indicates the SCMT filter change. AO smith customer care was good, they sent a guy on the same day and he charged 990/- and changed three filters (One on the outside and two inside) and did not charge labor cost as it is in warranty. Current TDS is about 56-65, no change in water tasteUpdate after 1 week usage~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Water is not as sweet as Bisleri Mineral Can water, but okay.Why buy A.O.Smith?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~We got a demo from AO Smith, Bangalore. After water testing, he suggested few models Z6, X7, X9, Z8. Out of this Z6 and X7 are old and the company is trying to clear the stock, while he personally referred me X9 or Z8, but I was not ready to spend 25K just for the looks and built in heater and some new bla-bla tech. Though he suggested me not to buy X7 as it is old, but I preferred buying this as it looks good to suffice my needs with decent price. Also, our apartment people have been using this for a while.Product Review:~~~~~~~~~~~~The product comes in red+white color, and is heavily packed with Thermocol. Here is what you will find in the pack? RO Purifier Unit set? External Filter set with pipes? Waste water, In-let water and overflow water pipes? Wall screw set? Pipe joints and connector sets? User manual? Base plate (For glass/tumbler)The package was well packed and no signs of any damage. Let us see someProduct highlights~~~~~~~~~~~~~? No heater option in this model? Water storage is 9 liter and has a knob for controlling the water dispenser? Has good visual mark for the water level? 7 Stage filter mechanism, with mineralizer in case of loss of minerals? No UV, but even better it has SCMT (Demo guy said it is better than UV)? Power button is a push button switch (Like in TVs) can turn ON/OFF? Makes beep sound when ON/OFF, green light for power status? Every power ON/Tank FULL, the unit will flush all the filters for few seconds? Indications for Tank Full, Flush and Membrane replacement indications? The base plate can be attached with the provided bay for placing a glass? Product is made in India, Bangalore with MNC collaboration (Got this info from Demo guy)Installation:~~~~~~~~The whole setup took about an hour. You have to place the call once you receive the product in your hand. You have to call 18001032468, toll free number of AO Smith and request for free installation. In 2 hours, you will get a call from the team and in one day you will get this done (It depends as per your City/Town). Please I advice you to not open the box and let the installation guy do it. Few things that you need to be prepared? Unit needs two big holes about 3 inch deep, 30 cm apart.? Make sure the power lines don't interfere (We got into trouble) for wall mount. If possible get the blueprint or open the near by power box and check the inside tube's direction.? You need additional space for the external Sediment filter, two screws for that? Power cord is about 1.5M, keep an extension box is required? Water inlet for your house needs to be shutdown for 5 minutes, so if it is a bigger apartment, plan early? The guy will only charge you for any accessory if required. I was charged 100/- for a connectorPost installation, he would ensure that the TDS level is less than 100 before signs off (at least you make sure he stays!). Plus, you need to produce your product purchase date and amount paid. He will provide you a slip after sticking the warranty information. This is your 2 year RO Filter warranty.Will it work for my water?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This unit will work upto ~2000 TDS level and about 900 hardness level. However, the RO filter 2 year warranty will only apply if your hardness level is about less than 400. In my case, the bore had 900 and with new softener at apartment it came down to 350. Both of these are important to ensure proper working of this RO. So if you don't know this value for your house, I suggest you to book a demo, he will charge 200 for the test and provide the information. At present my TDS is ~60 (From 1000)RO Life:~~~~~~~~The life of the primary filter is about 3000 liters (by which the warning light will lit), while RO membrane is about 7000 liters. You will get 2 year only for RO membrane which costs about 3200/-, while rest of the equipment will get 1 year warranty. The RO unit will warn you with the indication and you should change it within 1 week time. Prolonged use of repaired ir expired membrane will increase the TDS levels which is harmful when it crosses the limit. There is no daily limit, but up to 3000 liter is the upper limit.What is not bad?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~? Waste water is more, which I can't digest. Planning to use it somehow? Can't clean water tank (Though he says once in 4-5 months is okay) as it is on top non-removableFinal words:~~~~~~~~~~~Before you book this, if you don't know the levels for your water arrange a demo first. Don't get confused with models, X7 is a good model and never opt for button based water dispenser (Z9) which won't operate when there is no power. The AO Smith service seems to be good, need to test with time. Will continue to update this until this product gets discontinued at Amazon. Thanks for reading my review, it took some time to summarize this. hope it will help you in making right decisions. Thanks again.
Reliable.... can count on it.
By Yateen Poojaryon
Kent, Aquasure and what not companies out there selling crappy products. This for a change is a relief looks strudy and performs great. Wonder why A O Smith never market their products aggressively. I bought this coz I own a water heater of AO Smith and no complaints yet, so another great buy.