3M Aqua-Pure Whole House Water Filtration System AP903

The 3M Aqua Pure whole house water filter is a well-regarded option, particularly for those living in urban areas with municipal water supplies. It is recognized for its ability to filter out chlorine, improve water taste and odor, and remove larger particulates like sand, dirt, and rust. However, it's not as effective for households with more severe water contamination, such as well water with heavy sediment or other harmful pollutants. Key highlights include: While installation can be DIY for those with basic plumbing skills, it may require professional help due to the absence of some key components like bypass valves and connectors, which need to be purchased separately. The system’s design includes a stainless-steel head for durability and an easy-to-use Sanitary Quick Change feature, which simplifies filter replacement. The system is easy to maintain with the Sanitary Quick Change design, allowing for tool-free cartridge replacement. In summary, the 3M Aqua Pure is a solid choice for improving water quality in urban households using municipal water, but it may require additional filtration solutions for homes with more significant water contamination issues.

So far so excellent. I installed a HUGE system on my condo in the city about 14 years ago and love it, but it was far to big for the space I have at my home in the burbs. After tons of research, I came to this, the Aqua-Pure AP903 and hoped it would be as great as everyone said it would be. It installed in about 5 hours, that was with time to buy all of the parts and we had a crazy small spot to put it, so it was way more complicated than the average install. We got it going without any leaks and after flushing the first 10 gallons through or so, I was in heaven. I would actually drive into the city just to shower when we moved to the burbs. I had forgotten how Chicago water is the best filtered, but it is LOADED with chlorine. Everytime I turned on the shower, it was like jumping into the public pool. Now, mind you, I was in my condo for 13 years with a whole house water purification system and was spoiled rotten from it. Our skin was itchy and dry and I hated it. All the proof I needed was when my husband came out of his first shower and said it was the best shower he took in over a year, that was when we permanently moved to the burbs. This from the guy who thought I was over reacting to the chlorine and thought the water purifier was excessive, lol.. We are both very happy and no longer dry and the drives into the city just for showers are over! Now, to see how the filter holds up. I did see people complaining of it not lasting a full year. There are only 2 of us here and I am saving my water bills. I also installed 2 water pressure gauges, one before and one after the system so I can physically see when I am starting to lose pressure. With Chicago having the best water filtration system in the country, at least (i think it is the world) I have high expectations that it should last the 12 months without any issues. I will do an update for sure.

Had a plumber install with gauges on both sides so that we can more accurately monitor when the filter is ready for replacement, and two shut off valves. Took about 3 hours so factor that $ into your budget. So far, does not work as well as I anticipated because we just noticed that we still get the orange colored ring around toilets, too early to tell for shower grout. Figured the iron or whatever causes the discoloration would be gone! Big disappointment because apparently the water still not as pristine as we wanted for shower’s etc. The water smells clean, much better than before it was installed, but for drinking it’s not as pure as our counter top reverse osmosis so without testing professionally, it’s impossible to know how it really performs. I’m rating a 4 for now but that’s kind of arbitrary without the water test.

Bottom line: -This filter works great and will make your water look, smell and taste great -Place a sediment filter in front of it so you don't clog this filter with large particulates -Your sediment filter should allow for cheap replacement cartridges or use a spin-down filter that never needs replacement -I have well water and this lasted my family of four 23 months with a proper sediment pre-filter This is a 5-micron filter, which will clog up if you don't place a sediment filter in front of it. I recommend the Rusco Spin-Down type of filter e.g. Rusco 1-1/2-250-F Polyester Screened Spin-Down Filter System . If you have lots of sediment (high turbidity level from a water test--well water can have high turbidity depending on your water supply) a spin-down filter is the way to go as you don't have to pay for replacement filters. The spin-down filter is made of clear plastic, so it's easy to see when it's getting dirty. When I see that it's dirty I open up the drain at the bottom of the filter and it cleans the majority of the sediment off of the filter. Periodically, about every 3-6 months, I end up taking the filter screen out of the spin-down filter, washing it out, and blowing it out with my air compressor. With this setup the Aqua-Pure AP917HD Whole House Replacement Filter, Quick Change Water Filter for the AP903 Water Filter System filter has lasted my family 23 months! Your mileage may vary, but I can promise it will last much longer than 6 months, as some of the bad reviews have stated, even with high sediment well water. I have attached pictures highlighting my system layout as well as a close-up of the spin-down filter. This picture was taken not long after I cleaned it out and you can clearly see that it's already brown from my high sediment well water. The other thing to note, as others have pointed out, is that you really want a shut-off valve before and after the filter so you can close off both valves and change the filters without a problem.

We were having a major issue with sediment and odor with our water, esp the sediment. We recently had to replace the hot water heater and when I went to go empty it, the sediment issue became very apparent. About a gallon of mud poured out of the heater when it was first emptied. At this point, we knew we needed a good water filter to go along with the water heater. We decided on the AP903 based on various review from here and other places on the web. The price is excellent and we were willing to give this a shot. After some pipe work was completed, we flushed the filter for about 5 mins and instantly noticed a difference in the water, esp the odor.. It was gone. completely. Also, we noticed that the water right out of the faucet was better as well. Our house has 1" main coming into the house which goes right into the filter and we have noticed just a very very slight reduction in water pressure, but nothing to be concerned about.. Overall, an excellent filter so far. Only thing left to judge is the life of the filter, other wise I would not think twice in reccommending this filter to anyone.

1 star is being generous. Very disappointed- not even a month and I need to find an alternative. After spending the labor on a plumber, copper pipe and installing, I have zero water pressure and out a of lot of money. I have tried calling the company and they won't speak with you if you bought it through Amazon too. Very disappointed.

Support for the product is responsive, product is great, and the mounting system is brilliantly simple. Funny enough, despite its simplicity, I did have initial trouble getting the filter to attach. There is a plastic piece that freely moves inside of the fitting, and if it is turned a certain way, it will not allow the filter to turn and lock in as it should. After rotating it just a bit and putting the filter in, I had no trouble removing and replacing it from then on. My opinion with reverse osmosis is it removes too many good things from water, so I decided to go with this guy. The water tastes great to me. Funny enough I notice the biggest difference when brushing my teeth. The weird flavor (that I never paid attention to until now) no longer persists for an hour. I don't know how else to describe it. I've installed a sediment filter and softener before this guy, so I don't suspect I'll have early plugging issues. If I come up with any problems before the years end, I will update my review. If you hear nothing, imagine only great things - unicorns, extra cheese, bacon, and free parking.

So far so good. I purchased this to cut down on the chlorine in the shower. We would constantly get burning eyes and then go into an endless bought of sneezing. Now it's night and day, we are able to have comfortable no chlorine smell showers. I will update if filter life does not live up to it's promise. Two months post install. Going strong. Had to change out the clear housing with a blue one for the pre-filter as algae was growing on the filter media. I did a test on the water quality and posted it to amazon for anyone wondering how the water quality is doing. I will continue to do the quality tests and see how long the filter is truly good for and post updates. ******* Update********* Okay so its been 5 months. I test my water regularly with professional equipment. My normal average water chloramine level is 3.95 and this has been doing a pretty good job at taking almost all of it out. However this is now climbing and is now only filtering about 75% of the chloramine out of the water so I am going to replace the filter with a new AP910R. I know this has a stated length of 1 year but again my chloramine level is a bit high and we have a family of 4 with 2 little ones that can take some time in the shower. It does not help that we have an instant hot water heater that prolongs that use as well as a RO system in the house that burns thru a lot of water. Will all that said I added up all the water we had used and we have used approx 25,000 gallons. I imagine without excessive use of the water we could get 8 months out of the system but as it stands with the pre-filter we are looking at $454 dollars a year to change out with new pre-filter and this filter together once the system looses 25% efficiency every 5 months. Update 11/10/21 We stopped using the 3m brand filters and now use American Filter Company and they have lasted an entire year. I am not sure if they are just using more carbon or what but they have been fantastic and in a 3 pack cost 90 dollars a filter. This has been by far a better filter and has been no issues attaching it.

Our municipal water tasted like dirt and had a strong odor. Everyone in my family complained. It was quite disagreeable. After installing the AP903 our water was delicious and odor free. Installation wasn't very difficult on our PEX water lines. The local plumbing store had the adapters and tools to get the job done. Once installed we noticed no reduction in water pressure in our household. It's just like it was before except our water is now drinkable.

I installed this with a Rusco 500 micron spin down pre-filter. Rusco 1-100ST-F Polyester Screen Sediment Trapper System Our well system has a lot of sand, so make sure the micron size is small enough to get the sand or your aqua-pure will clog quickly. The instructions for back flushing are only a guide and back-flushing only works if you do it like once a week. Instead I manually clean about once every 6 weeks. Make sure you add by-pass plumbing to allow water while you clean and change filters. Installed in April 2015 and the Aqua-pure filter is still giving pure, clean and odourless water from a well that has sand, sulfur and who knows what. No bathtub, sink or tap build up. Connected to hot water and laundry plus garden watering. No pressure drop (except if the spin down gets plugged) even with showers, baths and garden watering going on at the same time. This has been continuous use for 15 months now. replaced filter in December 2017 - no signs it was not working as designed but after 32 months I figured it should be changed because the manual says at least once a year. I think the spin down makes a big difference leaving other stuff to the 903, When removed it was significantly heavier than new, so it was trapping stuff. Had my water tested - hardly anything in it, all way below acceptable even minimum range standards. The one thing within the standards was sodium, but I live 150 feet from the ocean.

Properly installed, it takes about a 4x6 space. My son and I bought all the piping and easy [no welding] couplings [~$209] to put it all together. 2-3 hours easily, assuming a new installation on an older set of pipes Works great. No more chlorine taste or smell - the filter needs to be changed about every year, and thats about $200 - less than 1$/day for water you would want to drink. Not a bad deal.

We were very satisfied with this filtering system. It is exactly as described and not so difficult to install if you know about plumbing. Amazon was great with shipping and following up. We ordered an extra filter which we received first because the system itself was not in stock at the time, but we placed the order anyway and they shipped it when it was in stock maybe a week and a half later, no issues. The system is great no chlorine drinking right from the tap. Very pleased with this purchase.

This is the best system of all - easy to change, no mess, and it works great.