ZENWATER 4-Gallon Countertop Gravity Water Filter System - Portable Alkaline Filtration System - Enjoy Clean and Mineral-Rich Hydration At Home, Office, or Travel

I will start by stating that I am not an employee of Zen, nor do I have any affiliation with them and am not receiving any form of payment or renumeration from them. I have well water which contains iron particles and sulphur (rotten egg) smell at times. The water is pre-filtered, as it comes into the house, using a 5 micron sediment filter, then through a water softener. The water at the tap still contains small particles of iron (which does not get trapped by the 5 micron sediment filter) and occasional sulphur smell. The PH of the water at the tap is acid, in the neighborhood of 2 to 3 on the acid PH scale. The reason for purchasing the Zen water condititioning/filtering unit was because of the obvious iron residue after pre-filtering and softening and the metallic taste in the tap water, which affected coffee and tea making and made the tap water unpleasant to drink. The unpleasant metallic taste in our tap water affected the boiling food items such as pasta and potatoes, which absorb a lot of water. Because of this, we began using bottled water for cooking, coffee and tea making and drinking. This was getting quite expensive as well as the monumental hassle of carrying several gallons of water from the store to home each week. This is what prompted us to investigate water filtration systems. After thorough evaluation of many different systems, we decide that the Zen or Berkey would suit our needs. We opted for the Zen because the only difference seemed to be the fact that the Berkey would filter viruses (and the obvious cost difference). Since we don't live off-grid, nor drink from streams, lakes or ponds, we decided that we did not need the level of filtration from the Berkey. Our water is potable, except for the above stated reasons. After our Zen filter arrived, we thoroughly read through the instructions. The set up took about 30 minutes or so. We flushed through two full cycles of filtered water as instructed then tasted the water. There was no iron taste, nor was there any sulphur smell. The water was very good. The Zen filtering system worked exactly as advertised. In days subsequent, we used only the filtered water for drinking, coffee and tea. Also, we used only the filtered water for cooking. The taste of all items was definitely improved and no longer had that unpleasant metallic flavor. Even the our cake, bread and pizza dough (a major ingredient is water) was greatly improved to the point where we could taste the difference in the finished product. There are some reviews which complain about leaking spigots and 5 stage filter. In the case of the spigot, I'm sure it's possible to receive a faulty product, but I have found that dealing with Zen directly, they have a great customer service department. I was careful to assemble the spigot using properly the gaskets supplied. I have no issue with a leaky spigot. It does not leak. In the case of the 5 stage filter leaking, Initially, I had some difficulty in screwing the filter on to the filter ring so that it would not leak. I used some plumber's teflon tape. While it made screwing the filter onto the filter ring much easier, it did not totally prevent leaking. I thought that some type of washer or gasket between the filter and ring would work, however, since I was not able to find a pre-made washer or gasket of sufficient size at my local hardware store, I purchased a small sheet of gasket material. Using the filter as a template, made a gasket to fit the filter. Now it seals perfectly. The only other way the filter can leak is the following: The water in the top tank must be filtered through a .2 to .5 micron ceramic filter, which drips the water into a recess in the top of the 5 stage filter. As long as the water flows through the 5 stage filter at the proper rate (more quickly than the ceramic filter) the recess in the top of the 5 stage won't over flow and cause a leak around the filter ring. The flow rate through the 5 stage filter can be slowed by the small particles inside the filter settling, thereby causing the water dripping through, to become restricted. When this happens, I simply remove the 5 stage filter from the tank and rap it against my hand several times to shift the granules. When I do this, I notice an immediate increase in the flow of water through the 5 stage filter. Other than that, I have had no negative issues with the Zen filtering system. It works exactly as advertised. After using it for a few weeks, I am very happy with it. My water no longer has a metallic taste and the PH has increased to between 7 and 8 using standard water testing reagent.

At first assembly looks a bit complicated with all the parts but the diagram shows where all the components go, so it is really simple to put together. Just go one step at a time. Have some tips at the end of this review. I live in the city with chlorinated water but the filtered water tastes great. I drink more water than I had before. I don't use the mineral rocks because I prefer the taste of the water without them. Price is reasonable because it's BPA-free plastic and not stainless steel but I don't move it around much so no problem. If the tank was glass, it'd be more expensive; glass is more fragile than plastic; and the unit would be heavier to slide. The clear plastic it looks better than steel and the filter price is reasonable as well. There's a great review at http://www naturalnews com/047620_water_filter_lab_tests_arsenic_removal.html (if you copy this address, insert periods where there are blank spaces.) and Zen water was one of two water filter systems which tested out best by far! Zen filter performance was excellent and took out almost all of the bad contaminants. I was shocked at the results of Pur & the other name brand filters since their results were poor! Since the Zen filter doesn't take out fluoride, I checked the source of my water thru EPA gov and found I had no worries about fluoride levels here. TIPS: To take the mineral rocks out of the plastic container, use a flat head screwdriver and push it into the edge of the cover and the plastic will bend so you can easily pry the cover off. When following the instructions, do several things at once and you'll save time: Boil the mineral rocks for 15 minutes, pass faucet water thru the 5 stage filter (save the waste water for plants), and soak the dome filter (put something heavy to sink it because it floats) at the same time. Doing those steps all at once might save you 1/2 hr. Scrubbing the dome filter takes only a 2 or 3 minutes. After the rocks boil 15 minutes, take them out to cool. While they are cooling, wash the containers and parts. Then take the dome filter out of the water and scrub it well under running water (a few minutes should be enough) Assemble according to the instructions/ diagram. First time filtering the water may take 4 - 5 hrs but the filtering will go faster. Filter one or two times and water the plants with that water. (eventually filtering will take about 2-4 hours for a full tank) If you CAREFULLY lift the top container up, you'll see the water will drip 1 and a half drops per second. It seems crazy but the dripping is fast enough once the bottom container of filtered water is full because you develop a simple routine of filling the top container once a day BEFORE the bottom one is half empty. (I fill it approximately the same height of water that is missing from the bottom reservoir.) The 4 gallon container should be plenty for a family of four (there are bigger sizes you can order.) If the water filter slows down, scrub the dome filter again and the filtering will speed up. You'll figure out when to top off the top tank. Keep tanks out of the sun. If the Zen water system is too tall to fit under the cupboard cabinets with the bottom ring, simply take the ring off and the bottom tank will sit on the counter. You can order replacement parts directly thru the company or Amazon. Improvements: put a rubber band on the faucet lever to prevent slipping. Wish list: wish there were gradients of water volume on the tanks so you can gauge how much water is present and how much water is left. (depends also on whether you add the mineral rocks or not)

Ok, so I have had this product for about 2 weeks now. I use it to make my coffee, drink, and cook with. The water is great tasting, after drinking this water for two weeks, both my wife and I noticed that the TAP water smells like a ton of chlorine. It's like drinking this water has woke my senses up. We have a 2 stage filter in our fridge which does a descent job but does not compare to this filter, and for the price!! you can't go wrong. Water is smooth and tasteless. The filters have long life as well and it also comes with a 15% off your first order which we ordered two extra water filters. To clarify the filter life (which you could find on their site had you taken the time to read, directed toward a two star review!) *The five stage filter is good for 6 months or 500 Gal (whichever comes first) the top Dome ceramic filter is good for 1,000 Gal. or every year and the stones need to replaced every 3 years or so. The system does not remove fluoride because it is a completely dissolved mineral/chemical but does remove 99% of everything else. Any who, the quality of the water you are getting from a 69$ system is going to be way better than any Britta or Pur system; also the filters are way cheaper. Paid less than 15$ a piece (with discount) and I have filters for the next year in a half. Now about being cheap...I don't see anything that would make this any way cheap. I think the construction is fine for the use of the product (I am not camping with it or anything). Those who had cracked pieces where maybe due to shipping, that is from a third party shipper; and for anyone who has leaks..Well they provide silicon washers which are great because they don't crack or corrode over time. If you have leaks in any of the spout of dome filter area check to make sure you did not over tighten, also wet the washers a bit before applying. In the begging I had a tiny drip from the dome filter to the five stage filter. I had over tightened the wing nut. The problem was fixed after taking them off, wetting the washer and re- applying the nut at a "snug" fitting and half turn tighten till the leak was gone! product I also use this for my Salt water reef tank. Now for anyone looking to do this or has been searching around for a cheap solution to wasteful RO units or just want to save some money you may want to look into this unit. I do still use PRIME water conditioner and let water sit for 48 hours prior to use..and oh yeah I also have Phosguard in a netted bag that soaks in the water for 24 hours (to remove any phosphates that may be in the water). It does work great; I have no hair Algae growth or any brown or purple algae at all! and I feed 3 times daily. Now just a reminder, do not use the mineral stone that comes with the filter system, I just use it when we want drinking water and some times I do with out it all together. Long story short, if the water quality allows my sps, zoas, and mushroom corals to thrive then the water quality must be better than tap water.

I got the Zen water filter system because I wanted a countertop unit that had ceramic filtration. I had a Katadyn triple core gravity feed water filter when I lived 10 miles into a forest and had spring water. Then I needed something that could eliminate Guardia and general contaminants. All our drinking water came from this unit. Although the initial cost was a bit higher than other filters, it never stopped working, and only needed some occasional brushing to keep the water flowing well (and it came with the special brush). The ceramic dome looks a lot cooler than the Katadyn cores and seems to work as well. In fact, the whole unit looks elegant and impressive. The plastic is BPA free according to the literature that came with the unit. The water itself does not seem to have a plastic-like taste. The initial water in the unit took a while to come out. It had a curious flavor, but not only tasted like high quality mineral water, but felt very alkalizing to my body. I could feel some good changes from the water. The unit did everything that it claimed to do. I summarize the effect as high quality mineral water, alkalizing, and even microclustered by the magnet near the end. I found that the zeolite part of the filter was a bonus, since I had occasionally taken zeolite tablets to help cleanse the body. The reason why I give a 4 star rather than a 5 star is one reservation. I had gotten a zero water pitcher and love the fact that the filter delivers a "zero" TDS read for its water. I have well water than has, according to the meter that came with the zero water pitcher, 270 TDS (total dissolved solids), which is very high compared to the national average. The Zen Water system did not lower this number, but instead added about 20 units more TDS. Even if the addition of alkalizing minerals is good, it still added to the TDS. I feel that my need is for low TDS water so that my body can dissolve solids into the water to detox itself. The high TDS in Zen mineral water was not helpful for this, even though I liked a lot of things about this. On a burst of inspiration, I removed the mineral pack on the bottom of the Zen water filter, took out the 5 stage filter, and dropped the zero water filter in its place. The zero water filter is slightly bigger and does not fit the threads of the zen water filter, but it drops from above and fits the hole well. The ceramic filter drips right into the top of the zero water filter. While the seal is not perfect, the meter registers somewhere between 6 and 15 TDS which makes the water very pure for detoxing. I may figure out a way to tighten it some, but it is adequate for my needs already. It seems to work better if I leave about 3 inches at the top of the holding tank unfilled. I am happy with the hybrid unit, with the zero water filter plus the ceramic dome (taking out bacteria before going into a filter that focuses more on removing TDS) and plus the magnetic microcluster ring on the tap. I am keeping the zen water filter in the fridge and may occasionally use it (and the bottom mineral rocks too). The PROS are that it seems to do everything it says it does. The CONS are that it does not seem to reduce TDS at all and even increases it. If the TDS in the tap water is around 50 ppm then the Zen Water filter is probably just fine for a person. But if it is mineral thick to the point where there is 270 ppm, then I think the Zen Water filter may not fulfill the special needs of this situation. I was happy, though, that I could repurpose the filter system and get a bit of the best of both filter worlds. Update 5/6/2013: I found a way of running both systems at the same time. I took the extra Zen Water filter, tape a clear plastic container with almost the same diameter on top of it, and put a small drip hole in the center, and then put the unit into an glass coffee pot (the ones that come with an automatic brewer and which can be obtained at a thrift store for about two bucks). I can put a lot of water into the clear plastic container and the "unit" filters fairly fast. I have been drinking the Zen Water and the Zero Water side by side and feel the benefits of both. The Zen Water seems to have a very good energetic and alkalizing properties. It seems that the filtration is minimal in comparison to the Zero Water filter. The water I have at my place is loaded with total dissolved solids (TDS) and the Zen Water filter does not change the TDS very much (and even increases it sometimes, my generally 250 TDS fluctuating between 230 and 270 post filtration). It seems that Zen Water excells in putting alkaline and energizing minerals into the water. Zen Water takes out a lot more (0 TDS post filter) and my body needs this so that the water can deeply detox by dissolving toxins and waste products, and then taking them out of the body. I recently got an ozonator and find that the alkaline mineral complex of the Zen water holds the "ozone charge" very well and boosts the water up to a new level of energy. The Zero water does the same, but not as noticeably. All in all, I am liking both filter systems. I still prefer the Zero Water system and like how I repurposed the Zen Water unit to hold Zero Water cartridges, but I am appreciating both methods for different reasons.

I love it - the water tastes great! There's such mixed reviews on this, I almost didn't buy it. But, I'm glad I did. A few things you should know when you buy this - first is that it comes in pieces and requires some assembly. No tools or anything, but I was surprised when it arrived in a nice small compact box. It took about 5 minutes, it's easy, but just so you know you'll have to put it together. Next, we have super hard water - and to Zen's credit, it completely filters out all the rust in our water - which is amazing. However, there are some things to know if you have really hard well water (like we do!). First, is to prime the filter and the dome in filtered water. I didn't do this at first, but when I need to replace I will. Purchase some filter water and let it prime for 30 minutes in clean water. Second, if you have super hard water, it's a slow process. You are not going to have clean drinking water in 10 minutes. And the harder your water, the longer you'll wait. It is a slow filtration process, you have to be willing to wait for quality results (I mean, come on, it's going through EIGHT filters!!!!). It starts out slow (I think priming the filter and dome by letting them sit in water would speed this us though) and it does gradually get faster. I timed it by marking with a dry erase marker, but the 5th fill, we were seeing noticeably faster filtration. Keep in mind, it's osmosis that works with gravity, it's not a speed drip or forced drip, it's going to take some time, but it's so worth it! Likewise, the spout doesn't use force to push out the water, so it's slower to fill a cup or pitcher. And the lower the water in the tank, the lower the pressure is to come out the spout. (Again, it's gravity and pressure - it's not rocket science!) All in all, if you're patient enough to get it going and really want to have water that's healthy and doesn't take funny - this is a great product! The filter water is incredibly refreshing and I don't have to go to the store and fill up jugs anymore!

I had to order the upper tank for my zen water system from 2013.. the upper tank has gotten a leak in it so I ordered directly from Zen Water Systems the upper tank for a 6 gallon system.. they sent me the upper tank for a 4 gallon system. I have called customer service at Zen Water Systems multiple times. It has been 5 weeks. Last week I contacted PayPal and I was notified yesterday I have been reimbursed for my purchase buy PayPal. Zen Water Systems will not back up products they sell beware and think hard before you buy this system. I am amazed at the difference in the water I now drink. It is hard to believe it came from the nasty city water. So far none of the people I tested on could tell the difference between Zen and spring water in a bottle. I think Zen water tastes better than the bottled water! May 15, 13 Seller does not stand on its own product's worthiness. I just heard back from the seller. I purchased this item on may 2 and got it during week of may 8th. 2 months later the handle to the spigot has broken. The pin that holds it snapped. So you can't get any water out of it. The seller says buy a new spigot. I get less than 9,000 a year. If I had know that the seller's true intent is to nickel and dime you to death with parts replacement purchases I would not have bought this item. I am on a very small budget and I have to be very selective of what I get from amazon. This is the first time I have dealt with a seller on amazon that wasn't willing to do the right thing. The seller doesn't back up their own product. I assume because they know they use very cheap and easily to break parts on purpose. It appears their intent is to get you to buy parts every few months. Amazon should not support their scheme. Shame on you, Amazon.

I purchased the Zen Water Filtration system about two weeks. I had been using a faucet based Pur filter, which kept leaking as splashing water everywhere. I choose this type of system because of the alkaline aspects of it. Water with Alkaline provides antioxidants, and helps to raise the pH levels, which is good for a lot of health conditions. The Zen Water system arrived within a few days of ordering it. My order included both the 4 gallon dispenser and countertop models. I was able to set the countertop model up with about 20 minutes, after reading the cryptic documentation. However, a picture is worth a thousand words, and based on the picture, I was able to set it up. When I opened the box, I was surprised to discover that both items were in the same box, so I had to sort through the contents very carefully. Needless to say, it is now sitting on my countertop. It took about 20 minutes before I could see some water coming into the dispensing chamber. When it was about 1 quarter full, I tried tasting the water, and I have to admit, I was not impressed. However, I waited until the chamber was completely full, and it tasted very good. The water has a very smooth taste and I don't taste any powder or residue from going through the filtration process or that I experienced using the Pur water filter. I tried comparing the water taste with water from several other systems: from my faucet, Brita and Pur water filters. The Zen Water system tasted significantly different. The water from my faucet made me think that I was drinking pure chlorine, the water from the Brita and Pur filter tastes like there was chauky it, but the water from the Zen Water Filtration system had no odor, and was very easy to drink. I intend on buying a few stainless steel water bottles so that I can replace the Brita filter that I was using at work. I compared this water filter with the Santevia system, which cost $200. They both use the same filtering methodology. The Santevia does mention that it is BPA free (for those who don't know, that means that the plastic will not bleed into your drinking water, which occurs when using plastic bottles). I have compared the taste of the Santevia with the Zen filter and the tastes are very similar. The overall construction of the parts seems relatively the same. So for me it made more sense to purchase this model.

One of the main reasons I bought this filter was because of its ability to purify and hold gallons of water. I drink A LOT of water and my previous filters were seemingly never able to filter fast enough. This filter does not filter quickly, however, that is not as important, because the bottom tank holds so much water. I just keep filling it as I use it, so I never seem to run out. It works great for me that way. It does come with a lengthy set up process, and it is not one of those products you just drop in a filter and start using it. I read all the comments before buying it and I followed one in particular not to rush the set up process, but to follow each direction exactly. That was really helpful advice! It comes with a booklet and on the back it says "troubleshooting", which was helpful for me because apparently I didn't scrub the top ceramic dome well enough, which caused it to be blocked and not to filter (note-you'll need to scrub that thing aggressively for it to work properly). The first batch wasn't that great (as it says will happen), so I dumped it and started over. The flavor progressively improved after the first few batches. I am not that fond of the mineral flavor that is added by the mineral stones, so I just took those out and I don't use them. The flavor is perfect now and I love that it can handle my water drinking habits without any issues. Just one more thing to think about - one great thing I learned about this after set up was that it requires little maintenance and doesn't cost much to replace the filters and etc. The soonest you would need to replace anything (if you are a massive drinker) would be every 6 months to a year! I used to replace those filters in my Brita every month, because I drank so much water! Not to mention, the overall maintenance costs are equivalent or cheaper than others. Overall, VERY worthwhile purchase!

Easy assembly, I watched a YouTube video and affordable, the only criticism I can say is that the rocks are not too many but it's okay for the price of $140+. No product damages but be careful when washing the tanks because it scratches.

excellent product, water tastes lovely

it works as promised. This product delivers.

Very good product!! Bought 2 of them. As well @Zen Water Systems, where can one buy the top tank portion as this one is kinda leaky. Thanks -Joseph

My daughter and I love how much better our water taste with this system. Totally in love with this product. Just wish it didn't get damaged from purolator as the shipping box looked like it was kicked around