Filteredwaterguide.com is supported by readers. If you purchase through referral links on our site, we make a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
Clearly Filtered 3 Stage Under Sink Water Filter Review
Our Review
- Removes over 99% of PFOA, pesticides, VOCs, and more - 5
- Removes heavy metals - 4.5
- Improves taste and smell of drinking water - 4
Pros
- Removes over 99% of PFOA, pesticides, VOCs, and more
- Removes heavy metals
- Improves taste and smell of drinking water
- 2000 gallon filter capacity
Cons
- High price tag
- Doesn't remove bacteria
- Replacement filters are pricy
- Significant drop in water pressure
- No additional cons mentioned
Overall Rating – 4.5
Is your tap water contaminated with lead, pesticides, or chemicals?
The Clearly Filtered 3-stage under sink water filter system may be the right choice for you.
The Clearly Filtered 3-stage filtration system removes over 99% of trihalomethanes, PFOA, pesticides, volatile organic compounds, and other chemicals.
That’s disgusting stuff, so we’ll just assume you’d rather not have all of that in your water supply.
In this post, we review the Clearly Filtered 3-stage water filter. We talk about the features, what it filters, and the pros and cons. We’ll give you all the details to explain why this is one of the best under-sink water filters available.
Clearly Filtered 3-Stage Under-Sink Filter Features
The Clearly Filtered 3-stage under-sink water filter is simple to install and offers some of the best contaminant filtration you can find. It cleans more chemicals and contaminants than most other filtration systems, removing over 99% of PFOA, Pesticides, Chromium, and organic compounds.
This great contaminant reduction comes through the use of three separate filtration stages. Each stage targets certain contaminants within the water. That allows the Clearly Filtered system to remove much more than a single or dual stage under the sink system would. It even removes more than a typical reverse osmosis filter.
The Clearly Filtered 3-stage system removes:
- Over 90% of sodium fluoride
- Over 92% of mercury
- Over 94% if arsenic
- Over 95% of chloramines, aluminum, and copper
- Over 98% of chlorine, lead, nickel, and beryllium
- Over 99% of VOCs, pesticides, phthalates, herbicides, zinc, manganese, chromium, barium, PFAS, and many pharmaceuticals.
It removes even more. For a more complete list, see the test results.
Water passes through three filters. The first filter stage is a carbon filter. It removes much of the sediment from your water, but also will remove contaminants that affect taste and odor of the water.
The second filter stage removes heavy metals and VOCs. This stage also reduces the amount of herbicides, pesticides, chromium, PFAS, and more.
The third filter stage is a fluoride and arsenic filter. This uses their proprietary Affinity Filtration Technology to purify your water. Unlike a reverse osmosis system, this system leaves the beneficial minerals in place, leaving you with tastier water.
The Clearly Filtered 3-stage under the sink water filter system is compact. It sits flush against the cabinet, taking up only about three inches of your under-sink space. This is very small for an under-sink unit.
Installation is simple because it only connects to the existing cold water line. You can mount it to the cabinet, but it works fine sitting on the cabinet floor.
With the Clearly Filtered 3-stage system, you won’t get the flat tasting water that sometimes comes from other under-sink filters. This is because it doesn’t remove most of the minerals from your water the way something like a reverse osmosis filter might.
Maintaining this system is a breeze. All you’ll need to do is switch out the filters every now and then. That just takes unscrewing the old filter and screwing on the new one, so it’s simple.
This filter is on the pricy side, though, both for the initial cost and the replacement filter cartridges. More than one Clearly Filtered under-sink review mentions a significant drop in water pressure, too.
Pros:
- Removes over 99% of PFOA, pesticides, VOCs, and more
- Removes heavy metals
- Improves taste and smell of drinking water
- 2000 gallon filter capacity
- High build quality
- Easy to install
- Easy to maintain
- NSF certified
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Lifetime guarantee
In the Package
The package comes with everything you need to use your Clearly Filtered 3-stage under-sink water filter.
- Filter system with a metal mounting bracket and stainless steel hoses
- Three filters, pre-installed
- Push fittings
- Instruction manual
- Mounting screws
How to Install
You won’t find another under-sink filter that is easier to install than this filter. It’s DIY-friendly, and you should not need a plumber to install this system.
Installation of this under-sink water filter system does not require any permanent changes to your home. You don’t even need to mount it to the cabinet wall, it can just lay on your cabinet floor. This will not impact how well the system functions. Those in a rental home can easily remove everything and put it back to the way it was before installation.
Here are the steps to install the filter:
- Turn on your water faucet and let the cold water flow.
- Locate the valve to the cold water supply underneath your sink.
- Turn off the cold water valve.
- Shut off the water faucet.
- Place a towel or bucket underneath your cold water valve to catch water that will leak out when you remove the water line.
- Use a wrench to disconnect the cold water line from the valve.
- At this point, place the unit under the sink.
- There are two stainless steel water lines connected to the filtration system when you get it. Locate the one near the #1 filter. Connect that line to the valve and tighten it with a wrench.
- A second stainless steel line runs from the system near the #3 filter. Connect that line to the pre-existing water line.
- Turn on the cold valve.
- Turn your water faucet on and check for leaks. Correct any you find before continuing.
- You can optionally mount the system at this point. Do so by running screws through the slots in the mounting bracket and into your cabinet.
- Turn your faucet on and run water for five minutes to prime the system. Your water may be cloudy at first, but should clear up by the end of this process.
That’s it. As you can see, this is not difficult at all. Clearly Filtered also has a video describing this process.
Maintenance
Maintenance on this filter couldn’t be easier. The only regular maintenance is changing cartridges. Filter cartridges are designed to clean 2,000 gallons, which should last you about a year, depending on how much water you use.
Filter Replacement
The filters are easy to change. You don’t even need to shut water off because the system has built-in shut-offs. Unlike with other filters, you won’t even need any tools to change the cartridges.
Here’s how you do it:
- Unscrew the old filters from the bracket.
- Set the old filters aside.
- Screw the new filters into the bracket. Make sure to place the filters in the correct sequential order.
- Turn on your faucet and allow water to flow for three minutes. The water may be cloudy at first, but should clear up by the end of the three minutes.
Clearly Filtered has a video showing this process.
How Does It Stack Up Against Competitors?
When you’re trying to make a good decision about which water filter is best for you, you really need to compare it to the top competitors to see how it stacks up. We’ll compare it to the Waterdrop G3 reverse osmosis system and the 3-stage under the sink Pelican PDF-1000VF.
You can see all of our top rated under sink water filters here.
Clearly Filtered Advantages
- The Clearly Filtered under-sink water filter removes more contaminants.
- Clearly Filtered is lower priced than the Pelican and similarly priced as the Waterdrop.
- The filters in the Clearly Filtered unit last about a year, while the other may need changed after only six months.
- Simpler installation than the Waterdrop, and much easier than the Pelican, which requires a plumber.
Clearly Filtered Disadvantages
- A set of replacement filters for the Clearly Filtered are very expensive. They are over three times the cost of a set for the Waterdrop and five times a set for the Pelican.
- The Pelican and Waterdrop filters remove bacteria, while the Clearly Filtered does not.
In Conclusion
We’ve discussed the advantages and downsides of the Clearly Filtered 3-stage under-sink water filter system. You’ve seen that it offers more thorough filtration of contaminants than other filters, and how simple it is to install. We also talked about some of its downsides.
Before you buy, you may want to read through our list of best under-sink filters. That way you can be sure you’re making an informed decision and buy the best filter for you.
