A rare 7-stage reverse osmosis system that is packed full of features. But is it worth the investment? Find out in our review.
Home Master TMAFC
Effectiveness
Maintenance/Installation
Features
Value
Compact size, and great water flow.
The Home Master TMAFC is feature rich, but with innovation comes a heftier price tag than rivals. However, the initial cost is offset by cheaper running costs due to the long-life filters. Further benefits are a strong water flow from the faucet, and a 5-year warranty offers peace of mind. In fact, with the increased filtration stages, this system offers some of the best tasting filtered water around.
Home Master TMAFC
Cost: $$$
Filtration Stages: 7
Warranty: 5 Years + 30-day money back guarantee
Dimensions: RO Unit: 16 x 8 x 5 inches , storage tank: Diameter 11 inches, height 15 inches
Filter Lifespan: The system uses 3 filters that need to be changed every year. RO membrane every 3-5 years
Water Production: 50 gallons per day at optimal settings
Introduction
The Home Master TMAFC 7-stage reverse osmosis system comes with a heftier price tag than other recent reviews(see APEC ROES-50), but brings with it extra filtration stages, and in theory, cleaner water.
Home Master market this system as the solution to 4 key problems in their competitor’s reverse osmosis systems.
- Their filter and filter housings are all-in-one. This means the canister filter housings are replaced each year alongside the filters and are much less likely to break.
- Larger fittings and tubings increase the water flow rate. Home Master state that the water flow in an average home will fill a pitcher or large spaghetti pot in around 40 seconds.
- Filter replacement requires no wrenches or tools and they are simply “push-in”.
- The water is passed through the remineralization filter twice to give “healthier” water and less storage tank degradation.
The system is said to remove up to 98% of common water contaminants, which is the same ball park figure promoted by rivals iSpring and APEC. Being a 7-stage system though, the TMAFC has the added benefit of extra filtration and added minerals. The re-mineralization is achieved by adding crushed marble, which contains calcium and magnesium. These minerals help to balance the PH and replenish the water, after minerals are stripped earlier in the reverse osmosis process. The final drinking water is said to have a pH of between 7.0 and 8.0.
A drawback of a system of this price is the water production rate. At 50 gallons per day (GPD) maximum water production, it is eclipsed by cheaper 75 GPD systems from iSpring. The iSpring RCC7AK RO system features one less stage of filtration, but a cheaper price tag. This isn’t the largest reverse osmosis water filter system out there, but it is of really high quality. With 7 filtration stages, it produces some of the crispest and refined drinking water out there.
Performance
As talked about earlier, the system is said to produce 50 GPD of drinking water each day. This figure will only be achieved should the perfect conditions for temperature, water pressure, and water chemistry be met.
This Home Master reverse osmosis filter is said to waste water at a ratio of 4:1. This means that for every 1 gallon of fresh drinking water produced, 4 gallons of water will be wasted during the process. This is a drawback of reverse osmosis systems, and this kind of ratio is not uncommon. If this concerns you, the more expensive Home Master TMAFC-ERP model comes with a water pump which reduces water waste by up to 80%. The water pump is actually a necessity if your incoming water pressure is below 40 psi.
The tank has a storage capacity of 3.2 gallons and features an automatic shut-off for when it nears capacity. This can be upgraded to as much as 9 gallons, and down-sized to just 2 gallons if space is an issue. Further upgrades include antimicrobial tubing, permeate pump and refrigerator kit. All at extra cost.
The system features 7-stages of filtration. However, it only actually includes 3 different filters and a reverse osmosis membrane.
- This first stage is a typical sediment filter that removes rust, sand, and dust.
2. The next stage is a carbon filter that removes unpleasant tastes, colors, and odors.
3. The RO membrane removes pollutants such as fluoride, radium, arsenic, chlorine, lead, chromium, and bacteria.
4. The remineralization filter adds minerals like calcium and magnesium back to the water, after they are removed by the RO process.
Their patented Full Contact technology passes the water through the remineralization filter twice to ensure as much mineral as possible is added back to the water. In fact, Home Master state that by passing the water through each filter twice, that their filters are more robust than competitor’s filters. Critics might argue that the water filtration process is less refined, being that there are fewer filters, performing less specific jobs. It does mean that this system does a very thorough job in filtering though.
A real draw of this system is the fact that the 3 filters need to be replaced just once a year. This makes the long-term running costs relatively low. It’s the filter lifespan and cost which will really decide how cheap or expensive an RO system will be. It should be noted that these recommendations depend very much on the system usage, and you should check your water periodically using a water quality meter to see if your filters need to be changed.
Installation Information
This Home Master reverse osmosis system is of dimensions 16 x 8 x 5 inches (RO unit) and the storage tank has a diameter of 11 inches and a height of 15 inches. It has a weight of 14.1 pounds. If under-sink space is an issue then this system should be seriously considered as it is smaller and lighter than competitors. The filters are arranged in a compact way that saves space.
Home Master states in their installation manual that if all goes to plan, the installation process should take only 45 minutes. I think this is being a little optimistic, but installation does seem straight forward should you not need to make an extra faucet hole and all tubes and lines are of sufficient size. They also have a quite comprehensive official installation video to help you along step by step.
The installation requires:
- Phillips screwdriver
- Scissors
- Medium Crescent wrench
- Medium pliers
- Felt tip pen or marker
- Unscented (regular) bleach
- Variable speed power drill (3/8” for sink hole, ¼” for the rest)
- ¼” metal drill bit
- ½” metal drill bit (not needed if the sink has a pre-drilled hole)
- ½” masonry drill bit (not needed if the sink has a pre-drilled hole)
Everything else that’s needed for self-installation is included in the box:
- RO membrane and filters.
- Storage tank
- 3/8-inch feed-water adapter with shut off valve.
- Chrome RO faucet
- RO faucet adapter
- Drain saddle
- Instructions
Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Massive 5-year warranty | pH not completely replenished to previous levels |
Smaller & lighter if space is an issue | More expensive than some rivals |
Higher water flow at the faucet | |
Long-life filters = Cheaper running costs |
Products Similar to the Home Master TMAFC
NU Aqua Platinum Series Reverse Osmosis Filter System
Featuring professional-grade, high quality quick connect fittings, an elegant NSF 100% lead-free designer faucet to keep your countertop looking great, and double o-ring sealed filter housings to provide a guaranteed leak-free experience, the NU Aqua Platinum RO system has a flow rate of 100 GPD.
What’s even better, the system comes with an installation DVD packed with detailed video tutorials. You’ll no longer have to spend hours on end trying to figure out everything that a regular written manual tries to tell you. Instead, you’ll be guided by a professional plumber who will show you where everything goes exactly.
And on top of that, you’ll also receive a free PPM meter that allows you to test the water quality to see if the RO system is working properly and if the filters need a replacement.
Express Water Ultraviolet Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System
We like this particular system because apart from the reverse osmosis filtration, it also features a UV water filter.
The UV light eliminates small microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other pathogens. In short, you’re getting the full benefits of RO plus more enhanced filtration of disease-causing elements.
As far as the installation process goes, the system is fairly easy to set up and only requires about an hour of work. You can do it yourself fairly easily by following the intuitive instructions, or you can call their support line and ask for a professional to do it for you.
With the help of the six stages of filtration, you can rest assured that 99.99% of all contaminants get removed efficiently and that your water will taste better than ever.
Final Thoughts
Check out how this filter stacks up against its rivals on our comparison page.
If you need a kitchen water filter that’s a bit cheaper, then check out our countertop water filter reviews.
In the end it would appear that the HomeMaster Artesian system is very easy to install. However it comes with a really lousy installation manual. No schematic, no parts list (unless you consider “water filter assembly” with 20 parts to it a parts list, no pictures of the water filter assembly or of much else. I bought top of the line and got nothing for installation. On line videos make it into a quite simple thing. Better to not send a manual and just say go on line to see how it’s done than to send this. Call me very disappointed in a company that can’t produce 6 diagrams for the six installation steps.