4 Gallon Water Cooler Filter Purifier - Save $$$ - Place on Cooler - Transform Tap Water to Healthy Mineral Drinking Water

I did a bit of research before I ordered this system - and I have tried to answer questions that I had here. Hope this helps!I have had my water delivered to me for the last 3 years. I used to drink a lot of diet soda, crystal light etc - and my new personal trainer told me he wants me to start drinking a gallon of water per day. A gallon! What!?Above and beyond the fact I feel like a walking water bed, I realized I would have to up my water delivery to at least 5-6 x 5 gallons a month - which is probably the norm for a family. But for a single person - that is a lot of darn water - and about $50 a month too! (the tap water in Las Vegas is NASTY!)So I did a bit of research and happened upon this Zen water system. $89 - but that would pay for itself if it worked and tasted good etc, right?So I ordered it.It came within 2-3 days.It is easy to set up but you do have to boil the mineral stones for 15 mins and run water through the filters etc for 15 mins.It wasn't until I had finished boiling my rocks (tee hee) that I realized I had mistakenly ordered the DISPENSER model and not the COUNTER TOP one that I had thought I had ordered. I decided to run to the store and buy a ceramic crock dispenser and stand and make do with the dispenser model. 1. I have already done all the boiling. 2. I really have no room on my counter for it anyway so I would have had to go buy a table/stand eventually anyway. The crock and stand cost about $75.00. So even with the additional expense, in 3 months this system will definitely pay for itself - providing the water tastes good.So on day one, I filled the thing up and yes, it is very slow - but isn't that to be expected? The water is making its way through a rock and sediment filtration system. Eventually it will erode a path through it and will start to trickle quicker.My first glass tasted a bit "stoney" shall we say - I don't know how else to describe it, lol. You could taste the mineral stones. So I dumped it out and started again - and the taste is not as strong and definitely getting better the more I drink and the longer water is running through it etc. Right now the water has a slight taste - not a bad one though - just different. I foresee that taste diminishing with time. The water is definitely soft and sort of silky. I am a fussy water drinker and this is definitely drinkable (I am on day 2 at time of writing)A few hours after I set the whole thing up and the crock was filled to the brim, it began to leak. In other words, the floating device at the bottom (the part that is in the crock) was not functioning properly. Ever 'jiggled' a toilet handle because the floating device inside was playing up? I did the same thing. I jiggled the thingy (floating thing) and put the system back on the crock - and have had no leaks and the compartment above the crock is half full now.When I saw I had mistakenly ordered the dispenser model. I scoured the reviews to see what type of dispenser/cooler this would work with. There was not a lot if info. One person said it worked with their ceramic crock - so that is what I got. When I ran to the store I looked at all types of dispensers - and it would work with an electric one if you are able to remove the insert that the bottle slots onto. If you cannot take that part out of your dispenser - it will not fit. I have posted (or plan to post) a photo of my ceramic crock/Zen system - and just be aware that it fits comfortably onto the crock BUT it is not super secure - especially when the system is not full of water. Once it is full and has a bit of weight added to it, it feels more stable. I suppose you could find a rubber ring or something to place around the mouth of the crock to provide more purchase for your system. I only point this out if you have kids or large dogs. Mine is in a corner and is quite stable.Anyway, it is still early days yet and if I change my mind about the system as I live with it longer, I will update this post. Giving it 4 stars for now - may up it to 5 with time.UPDATE: Had this system for about 2 weeks now - and I LOVE it! I have upped my rating to 5. The water tastes dee-lish and this is going to save me heaps of money if it lasts the test of time. I have had no problem sticking to the gallon of water a day requirement as laid out by my gym.

I was tired of purchasing bottled water and our tap water has a very high mineral content and tastes bad. So in an effort to get my family to drink more water, I purchased the Zen water cooler filter purifier for a water cooler. It is amazing. The water tastes good and we drink gallons more water than we ever did. Even our 3 year old has his cup and will go fill it up when he needs a drink. I recommend this to everyone I know.However, this ISN'T a filter that you just throw all the pieces together and you are ready to go. There were a few things that I didn't prepare for:1. The directions aren't really clear, and it might take extra time to figure everything out (but it is worth it)2. Getting the bottle to fit a standard water cooler is tricky, but it will fit. We ended up pulling out the entire no spill aparatus to get ours to work.3. Each part of the filter needs preparation. The ceramic filter needs soaked, the 4 part filter needs water ran through it, and the rocks for the bottom filter need boiled.4. They also recommend that you run several full bottles through the system before you drink it. Yes, you want to do that. I also wished I had ran water through the 4 part filter for longer than the recommended 15 minutes.On the upside:1. The price is reasonable for an excellent product2. Once you get everything put together, you do not have to do one thing to it except add tap water.3. You do not have to change filters often. We have had ours for a little over six months and are just getting ready to change out the ceramic filter for the first time (and we have nasty tap water).4. Filters are reasonably priced5. No more buying water bottles or bulky water cooler jugsUpdate 12/9/12: Still very happy with our purchase, hundreds of gallons later.

I purchased this model for the water cooler. I checked out several head to head tests, and Zen was second only to the expensive Berkey systems. I chose Zen for the price and added benefit of sitting on my water cooler. However, it does not fit. And it won't fit no matter what you do.. the tan plastic cup at the bottom of the large tank is way too big for the dispenser. I have a standard cooler that used the 5 gallon plastic jugs we all are familiar with. So I wasted my money. The only thing I can do is jury rig a drain and hose from the counter to an empty 5 gallon water jug. When it fills, you can then put that on the cooler. So this is a great idea that has lousy engineering. Instead of a neat clean system for drinking water, you'll have a contraption that looks like it was put together by Ralph Cramden and some duct tape. Buy a Berkey.UPDATE: It took about a week of trying but I found a solution to turn this unit into a functional counter top filter. I tried the hardware stores but they were mostly the hard PVC type hoses and attachments. I went to a beer and wine making store. They have taps meant to be put onto brewing pails. I had to carefully file the Zen filter unit's bottom hole so it would accept the tap. I then used a soft plastic food grade syphon hose from the store - it was a small enough diameter to fit inside the tap's opening. I sealed the hose and tap connections with a wee bit of silicone. I then set the Zen unit on wooden off cuts of boards, so the tap could be operated freely and reached from the front. It's not pretty but it is a functional solution. I can fill a 5 gallon water cooler jug in 2 days. So if you have 2 or three jugs you can stay ahead in supply of fresh filtered water. The water is very good, no funny taste or smell. The top filter will change color though, but this is accumulations of algae and rust in your water pipes. It's unsightly, but at least you aren't drinking it anymore!

Great system, Best tasting water ever

Aveces se sale el Agua y se desperdicia, tarda mucho enFiltrar elAgua. Pero si ahoro en garrafones mucho

Como hace un mes que no llega mi producto, no puedo hablar del mismoPero mi sugerencia es que lo piensen antes de comprarlo, su vendedor no es serio y es muy difícil tratar con el.