Aquasana AQ 5300: 3-Stage USWF Review
The Aquasana AQ 5300 max flow is a 3 stage under sink water filter system ready to deliver clean water at any time.
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Not sure yet if this would be the filter for you? Well, check what we think the Aquasana AQ 5300 under counter filtration system is capable of through this review.
Aquasana AQ 5300 Technical Aspects
The AQ5300 has a lot of advantages. Nevertheless, it is important that you check them out before taking a decision on investing your money on a under counter water filtration system:
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Background
The Aquasana 3 stage max flow under sink water filter system has been built to filter your water through three (3) different mediums and remove various contaminants.
The Max Flow is rated for 600 gallons of total filtration, and provides 44% more water flow than standard filters. It can be placed in a custom mount, or simply mounted in a soap hole on a compatible countertop.
What to Consider before Buying the Aquasana AQ 5300 3 Stage Water Filter
Filters and Pollutants Removed
This Aquasana under sink water filter integrates three (3) different filtration stages to maximize the pollutants reduction process. This includes:
- Pre-Filter.
- Activated Carbon.
- Catalytic Carbon (Ion Exchange).
The filtration process is as follow:
- The first filtration stage is the pre-filter; this is the most important stage as it will remove any dust, rust or particle that can clog the next filters.
- Pharmaceutical residues, herbicides, PFOS and PFOAS (a contaminant that is present in fire fighting foams), pesticides, semi-volatile and volatile organic compound and MTBE are removed over the second stage, where the Activated Carbon Filter is located.
- Finally, the Aquasana 3 stage Max Flow has a 0.5 sub-micron filter for tiny particles like asbestos or bacteria that may sneak through the chemical filters; it also includes an ion-exchange process that removes heavy metals like lead and mercury.
Operation & Maintenance
Maintenance is also easy. The filter covers screw off and on, and the filters themselves slide on. Changing these filters only takes a couple minutes.
Keep in mind that you will need to ensure a minimum water pressure of 20 PSI and maximum of 80 PSI; this will translate into a flow rate of 0.5 gallons per minute.
A pressure over 80 psi will make your system to leak.
Based on the manufacturer specifications, the filters can last up to six (6) months with a filter capacity of 600 gallons. This time frame will also depend on how much you use the system and the level of “contamination” of your water.
Lastly, check with the supplier (Aquasana preferably) about a possible lifetime warranty over the filters. They have a subscription program where you can receive filters and o-rings overtime (we think, this could be a good think considering that the o-rings could be a problem in the future).
Aquasana AQ 5300+: An Upgraded USWF version
Aquasana has taken the next step and launched the Aquasana AQ5300+. The main changes for the latest under sink water filter is:
- 800 gallons filtering capacity.
- 0.72 gallons per minute flow rate and,
- Comes with Bluetooth connectivity.
There’s also a smartphone app that alerts you when the filters need changing, which is a nice touch.
…..the downside:
Even though, the Bluetooth feature is a great advantage, it is not as great as expected. This connectivity system is capable of telling when the filters need changing only if you indicate the location of the filter and the date and time you installed them all; this means that the app will calculate the lifespan of the filters only by knowing the date and time of installation.
Aquasana AQ 5300: Final Thoughts
The AQ5300 max flow is an under sink water filter created to clean your potentiality contaminated tap water.
With a 0.5 gallons per minute flow rate and a 600 gallons capacity, the filtration system will ensure that you will have clean water anytime you require it.
Three (3) filter are fitted with this system. Pre-filter, Activated & catalytic carbon filters with ion exchange and micro filtration will remove up to 99% of most common contaminants present in municipal waters, however, this does not mean that every water is the same.
Waters that are microbiological unsafe or with no clear quality are not recommended to be filtered with this filtration system.
Finally, the Aquasana AQ 5300 could be the answer you are looking for if you count with enough under sink space in you kitchen and need to filter enough water for a big family. If that is not the case, well you can always look into smaller water filter technologies like gravity fed water filters (such as Berkey or Alexa Pro water filter).
Other readers will appreciate what you think about this 3 stage water filter:
