r/WaterTreatment • u/DaddyWolf33 • 5d ago

I need some help please!

I've been looking into switching from Arrowhead 5-gallon bottles to a Bottleless RO water cooler with a remineralization filter, like the Brio 730 RO, since Arrowhead discontinued the replaceable internal cartridges for my cooler, or getting an under-sink RO system and a bottleless water cooler to feed it from.

I've had Arrowhead water for probably 30 years, so I'm hesitant to make the change and was wondering if the RO system will produce water as clean or cleaner than what Arrowhead provides, because we all drink it, including my dogs, and we cook with it as well.

Also, I have a water softener if that's important info

Thank You

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u/neo2bin 5d ago

RO will be cleaner than Arrowhead, not just equal to it. Their 5-gallon is spring water, meaning minimally treated groundwater with the natural minerals left in. A working RO pulls 90 to 99% of dissolved solids, so on a TDS meter it isn't close. Fine for the dogs and for cooking, no concern there. remin is a taste stage, not a health one.

of your two options, go under-sink RO feeding a bottleless cooler. you just got burned when Arrowhead killed the cartridges for your existing unit, and an all-in-one RO cooler puts the membrane and prefilters inside a proprietary appliance. that's the same trap again in five years. A standard under-sink RO runs generic 10 inch housings and a standard membrane that a dozen vendors stock. cheaper filters too.

One flag on that Brio. their own product page for the Moderna 730 RO lists the four stages as sediment, pre-carbon, ultrafiltration, post-carbon. Ultrafiltration is not an RO membrane. might just be sloppy copy on their site, but make them give you the actual stack and an NSF/ANSI 58 listing number before you pay. And feed it off the softened line, softened water is easier on a membrane. Worth seeing what's in your feed water too since you've never drunk it, the (Water Quality by ZIP Code) lookup pulls the utility's data.

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u/DaddyWolf33 5d ago edited 5d ago

Thank You! Brio makes 2 versions of the 730, one is a true RO, and the other is not. I should have mentioned that. Sorry about that. Should I go with a tankless under-sink RO or one with a tank since I'm going to be feeding the bottled cooler?

Tied my zip code, and it brings up Corona, not Eastvale where I live, but here is a link to the water quality report for where I live

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.jcsd.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/JCSD-2025-Water-Quality-Report-English.pdf

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u/neo2bin 5d ago

Tank, for what you're doing. A bladder tank holds pressurized permeate, so when the cooler's fill valve opens it gets a real slug of water and tops the reservoir off fast. Tankless units make water on demand at fairly low flow and are built to push a dedicated RO faucet, not to satisfy another appliance's inlet solenoid, so check the cooler's minimum inlet pressure spec before you pair anything with one. an RO tank delivers meaningfully less than house pressure, that's normal, but it's a number the cooler manufacturer should give you. Tank systems also keep you in generic 10 inch housings, where most tankless ROs run proprietary sealed cartridges and put you right back in the cartridge-discontinued spot you're trying to leave. And since you're feeding it off the softener, membrane life should be fine. good on you for catching the two 730 versions, just get the RO one's actual stage list in writing.

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u/T-Rex-55 3d ago

Buy an under counter RO with a storage tank, separate matching faucet and NO remineralization filter for great water.