Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I got the 4 gallon model. That's plenty for our family of 2 adults and 2 children under 2. I got this to raise the pH of the water and because I was sick of bleaching algae out of my Brita countertop filter every month. --Water-- -It is not tasteless like many claim, but clean and crisp. It tastes just like the "minerals added for taste" bottled waters. If you want to know what I'm talking about, buy a bottle of Dasani or SmartWater and test it against something tasteless like Fuji or distilled. If you prefer the tasteless variety, order the mineral-free filter from their website. -The water tastes so good I drink more without even realizing it. -pH was the same immediately after filtering the night I set it up. The next morning, it had raised .2. In the afternoon, it was another .2 higher. The longer the water is in contact with the mineral stones, the higher the pH. This does seem to be a slow process though. I wish it alkalized faster, as we have acid tap water. --Features-- -It can be used with or without the base. -The tap lever can be pushed back to dispense like a fountain drink dispenser, or flipped up to stay open. -The magnetic tap that comes with the 4-gallon model is actually the nut that holds the tap on. It's longer than the regular one and doesn't leave room for the mineral stone case to sit neatly in the ring made for it. However, you can scatter the stones on the bottom, which actually looks nicer. -The bottom tank is 3 gallons and the top tank is 1 gallon. (See website for tank sizes) -Instructions say not to overfill, so I only fill top tank when bottom tank is one-third empty. It does take a while to filter but since it can hold so much it's not so bad. --Setup-- -Initial setup takes some time. The minerals stones need to be removed from plastic case, rinsed, boiled, and dried. The ceramic dome needs be be soaked and scrubbed. The filter needs water run through it until it comes out clear. The tanks need to be washed. Then you gotta put everything together. But after that first setup, you just have to maintain different parts separately, and that doesn't take as long. -Instructions are clear and simple. --Maintenance-- -Ceramic dome needs to soaked and scrubbed every few weeks or when filter process slows down. It should be replaced every 1 year or 1000 gallons. -Filter needs no maintenance but needs replacing every 6 months or 500 gallons. -Mineral stones should be boiled every 6 months, and replaced after 3-5 years or when worn down. They should still work but they'll be less effective because of less surface area. -Tanks should be washed every 3 months or as needed. --Parts-- You CAN NOT get genuine parts from Amazon. Believe me, I've tried. They're all sold by Purenex which makes cheap counterfeits. Even if it says it's by Zen Water Online, it's not sold by them. Go to their website and get genuine parts.