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Aquasana EQ-1000 Review
Our Review
- 1,000,000 gallons or 10 years capacity 4.5
- 97% chlorine and contaminant removal 5
- Whole house water filtration 4
- Additional upgrades available 4
- 10-year warranty and 90-day money-back guarantee 5
Pros
- Provides whole house water filtration
- Offers a 10-year warranty and 90-day money-back guarantee
- Affordable compared to other high-quality units
- Comprehensive filtration process removes 97% of chlorine and other contaminants
- Option to add additional water softening and UV filtration
Cons
- Expensive
- Certified to remove chlorine only
- Professional installation required
- Limited customer service
Overall Rating – 4.5
So you’ve heard of the Aquasana Rhino but maybe aren’t sure that it’s the right product for your home.
In this review, I will break down everything you need to know about the Aquasana EQ-1000 Rhino model so that you can decide once and for all if this is the right product for your home water needs.
Table of Contents
- Overview of Aquasana Rhino EQ-1000
- Aquasana Rhino EQ-1000 Product Details
- Aquasana Rhino Pros & Cons
- Aquasana Rhino Filtration Stages
- Installation & Maintenance for Aquasana Rhino
- Main Key Benefits & Features of the Aquasana Rhino
- What do Customers Say About the Rhino?
- What to Consider Before Buying the Aquasana Rhino EQ-1000
- Alternative Options Comparable to Aquasana Rhino
- Conclusion
Overview of Aquasana Rhino EQ-1000
The Rhino comes in two different capacities: 1,000,000 gallons and 600,000 gallons. They are both the same besides the capacity and the number of years they last for.
The Rhino also has two different types of models: a city water system and a well water system. The well water system has specific add ons that help filter contaminants that are usually found in wells.
The EQ-1000 for city water lasts for 10 years or 1,000,000 gallons and the EQ-600 lasts for 6 years or 600,000 gallons.
The Aquasana Rhino is a whole house water filtration unit that is installed at the water entry point to the house and not under a specific sink. This means that with the Rhino you get whole house water filtration in all of your sinks, showers, and faucets without having to install filters at each spot.
Whole house water filtration is the most effective way to get pure, clean water in all the outlets of your home with one device.
Also, Aquasana has upgrade options to the basic Rhino unit where you can add in whole house salt-free water softening and UV filtration for bacteria. Depending on your specific water quality there may be a need for softening hard water or filtering out additional bacteria. These additional upgrades make this one of the most comprehensive whole house water units on the market.
The basic Aquasana Rhino model uses a 4-stage filtration process to remove 97% of chlorine as well as other harmful contaminants like lead, mercury, herbicides, pesticides, VOCs, industrial solvents, and more.
Lastly, Aquasana has one of the best offers where they offer a 10-year warranty and a 90-day money-back guarantee to make sure you love the product.
Keep in mind that for the 10-year warranty to be valid it needs to be installed by a professional.
The full retail price for the Rhino EQ-1000 is around $1600 so it’s not cheap, but compared to other highly effective models on the market it is a really good deal with the benefits it offers.
Aquasana Rhino EQ-1000 Product Details
Let’s review some of the technical product specifications of the EQ-1000 Rhino.
- Lasts for 1,000,000 gallons or 10 years
- Tested and NSF certified to remove 97% of chlorine and other contaminants
- Offers a 7 GPM water flow rate
- Doesn’t require backflushing or drainage lines
- The basic unit contains 4 stage filtration consisting of a sediment pre-filter, copper and zinc mineral stone, activated carbon filter, and post filter
- The 10-inch pre-filter lasts 1-3 month while the 20-inch lasts 2-3 months
- Dimensions are 9 x 46 x 44
- It comes with a 90-day guarantee and 10-year warranty
- You have the option to add a UV filter for bacteria, salt-free softener for hard water, and a pro install kit which makes the product more effective
Aquasana Rhino Pros & Cons
Let’s go over some pros and cons.
Pros:
- You will get pure, clean water in all outlets of your home
- They have you covered with a 10-year warranty and 90-day money-back guarantee
- The price point is very affordable compared to other high-quality units on the market
- This would be the last water filtration system you needed
- Offers top-notch water filtration removing 97% of chlorine and other contaminants with the option to add additional water softening and UV for bacteria
Cons:
- Expensive, even though it’s a really good price point for similar models
- Has only been certified to remove chlorine although it does help with other contaminants
- You will most likely need a professional installer to help get it set up
Overall the Aquasana Rhino EQ-1000 has a great lineup of product specifications and the pros definitely outweigh the cons in this scenario. If the price is an issue for you then you could consider the EQ-600 option which has just a bit less capacity.
Aquasana Rhino Filtration Stages
The Rhino from Aquasana has an excellent filtration system that contains 4-stages. This model has been NSF certified and tested to remove 97% of chlorine and other harmful contaminants.
Stage One
This stage contains a sediment pre-filter that removes rust, sediment, and silt.
Stage Two
This stage contains a copper-zinc & mineral stone that reduces chlorine, water-soluble heavy metals, and scale plus inhibits bacteria and algae growth.
Stage Three
This stage contains an activated carbon filter that reduces herbicides, pesticides, and other chemical compounds.
Stage Four
This stage contains a post-filter the reduces any remaining sediment, organic particles, and some microscopic cysts. This stage is only available with the professional kit add on.
Installation & Maintenance for Aquasana Rhino
Installation of the Rhino EQ-1000 is not too complicated but most of the time you are going to want to hire a professional plumber or installer to help out.
It’s important to install your system near the main water inlet of your house with a clearance of 50 inches and a floor area of 30 inches. The water pressure must be in the range of 20 to 100 psi for it to work properly.
Also, keep in mind that in order for the 10-year warranty to be applied to your purchase Aqua sana requires you to have the system installed by a professional plumber or installer.
The only direct maintenance this system needs is an occasional filter check and replacement.
About every 3 months the pre-filter may need to be changed and about every 12 months the post-filter may need to change so it’s important to check those occasionally.
If the filter turns a different color or the water flow drops, these are both signs that you may need to change the filter.
The good thing about the Rhino is that you don’t need to worry about flushing the system like a lot of other units.
Overall, the system is relatively easy to install and maintain but keep in mind that it’s best to hire a licensed plumber or installer to help you out at the beginning.
Main Key Benefits & Features of the Aquasana Rhino
These are the main key features and benefits that the Aquasana Rhino model offers for your whole house water needs.
- The units provide your whole home with clean, pure water with its excellent filtration technology. This can be the last water unit you need.
- The model offers additional upgrades such as UV filter, salt-free softener, and pro install kit making it one of the most comprehensive packages on the market. If you have non-chlorinated well water or hard groundwater then these options are perfect.
- The price point is very reasonable compared to other similar models on the market
- The unit looks great and saves a lot of space with its smart design
- You’ll have better-tasting water and noticeably softer skin and hair
What do Customers Say About the Rhino?
After reviewing a ton of comments and reviews about the Rhino unit on Amazon, Aquasana, and other online retailers here is what I found.
Aquasana.com Reviewer:
I purchased the EQ1000 whole house filter system with salt free softener, main reason was not having to deal with salt as well the chlorine levels were terrible. Before install water hardness was 291 ppm, chlorine was off the chart. After 8 days of use I retested the water, hardness was 50 ppm and chlorine was ZERO. Absolutely impressed. Best of all, not dealing with salt.
Aquasana.com Reviewer:
Awesome system. Easy enough to install, although it wasn’t without its small leaks at first. But the water quality is out of this world. I live in Denver where our water is already very good but this made it better, something I didn’t think possible or necessary at first, but after some research, this was the best decision I’ve made for my family.
Aquasana.com Reviewer:
Finally got my water filter installed, which was a breeze. My water finally tastes like it should. I cannot taste or smell the chlorine in my city water. The only issue was one of the valves sent was faulty and leaked, but not a big deal. This system is GREAT!!!
I found when reviewing comments on Amazon that there were 50% 5-star reviews, 20% 4-star reviews, and 20% negative 1 and 2-star reviews. Some of the negative comments mentioned the price and that they could buy individual parts at a local hardware store and put it together themselves or that the customer service wasn’t as good as they needed.
What to Consider Before Buying the Aquasana Rhino EQ-1000
Here are the main points to consider before buying this unit.
1. Is your water supply from the city or do you have a private well?
The aquasana rhino comes in two different options. One for city water and one for well water which includes additional UV filtration and specific parts to help with filtering well water contaminants.
2. Do you have hard water and need to add the salt-free softener to your unit?
If you live in an area where the water is hard then adding the softening filter would be smart.
3. Do you have enough room in your home to install the unit?
Make sure to check out the dimension of the product and verify that your home has enough room for this unit.
4. Will you be living in your home for a while?
It’s best to think about if you are renting or if you own your home and how long you will be living there. If you own your home and will be there for 6 months or more buying is the most cost-effective decision. If you are just living somewhere for a short period of time then renting may be an option to consider. If you’re renting check with your landlord to make sure you can install the unit.
5. How Important is your health and ingestion of contaminants to you?
This often has an impact on if someone is willing to buy a nice system like this or not. If you truly value your health and what you are putting into your body for the next 10 years then this system is a no brainer if you have the money and poor water quality. If your water is ok and you don’t care as much about what you are ingesting then the lower-priced option may be better.
Alternative Options Comparable to Aquasana Rhino
Before making a big purchase decision like buying a whole house water filter most people will do a good amount of research to make sure they pick the right model for their needs.
Here are a couple of other brands/models that we reviewed and felt were worthy of consideration alongside Aquasana as the best filtration options on the market.
Aquaox Whole House Water Filter
The Aquaox whole house filter is one of the best on the market. It’s more expensive at a full retail price of $3,000 but it has the longest life span, best filtration capacity, and customer service.
If money isn’t an issue and you want the best filter then this product from Aquaox takes the crown. If you want a great filter system that’s cheaper Aquasana’s Rhino or Springwell is a good choice.
Springwell Whole House Water Filter
Springwell’s whole house filter is another good option if you’re not totally sold on Aquasana yet.
Their filter also has a 1,000,000 gallon capacity, lifetime warranty, satisfaction guarantee and has a great filtering system. It is right around the same price as the aquasana rhino system and has very comparable features.
Other Resources:
Conclusion
Overall, after reviewing the Aquasana Rhino EQ-1000 system we think that this is definitely one of the top models on the market.
With its 4-stage filtration system, removal of 97% chlorine and other heavy metals, warranty, guarantee, one million gallons capacity, and option to add UV filter and salt-free softener this system is a complete home water solution.
We highly recommend purchasing the Aquasana Rhino for your home filtering needs.