Getting the right reverse osmosis for your home is always going to be a tough decision for any beginner who have not done it before. I may make it look easy now with this blog and I was definitely struggling when I first began. Hopefully, you can use my experience to reduce any purchase anxieties you might have.

One of the most common question when it comes to buying a RO system is to decide whether you want a countertop or an under sink system. Both have their own pros and cons so you have to decide which option is the best for you.

The comparison chart below will make it easier for you to understand each choice’s strength and weakness.

Capacity and ease of set up

From the table, it is easy to see the attraction of a counter top RO system which is mainly is low space requirement as well as its ease set up.  For folks without under sink storage, this is the best way to get your filtered water at all.

However, its biggest downside is its inability to hold water. Each time you want to drink water, you need to either wait for the water to be filtered on the spot or use from existing sources that you have stored up. There is no storage tanks whatsoever to store your filtered water.

A under sink reverse osmosis system, on the other hand, allows you you to access filtered way anytime you want. If you pipe the water into your fridge or coffee maker, you can even enjoy filtered water as ice or brewed coffee. The downside is of course the initial set up and the higher prices but you will enjoy the convenience so after.

Water quality

Water quality wise, a under sink reverse osmosis system out performs the counter top in terms of ppm measurement, although both are much better than the quality of your tap water. However, remineralization is also not possible with a counter top system and that is one of the most important buying consideration when I wrote the best reverse osmosis system for 2015.

When should you a countertop reverse osmosis system

After understanding the differences between the 2 systems, here is what I recommend on when you should and should buy the countertop RO system.

Best for folks who meet the following conditions

• No space under counter: If you have a small kitchen with no available space to place a normal reverse osmosis system, then this is the next best solution

• No installation skills and doesn’t want to hire a plumber

• Used for only drinking water: A countertop RO system can’t connect to a fridge or ice maker so it is good as device purely for producing clean drinking water. You can’t do much with it

Not ideal for

• Large family: Since a counter top RO system can’t hold water like an under sink system, you will need to constantly refill your filtered water, like how you need to constantly boil water if you want warm drinks. For large family, this makes it a hassle and is very inconvenient.

Conclusion

A counter top RO system is good for small apartments or small families. It is easy to use and wouldn’t require too much space. However, when your water requirement is large, the inconvenience of using a counter top RO system will soon be obvious and I recommend buying a under sink reverse osmosis system if you have sufficient under sink storage.