GE GX1S50F Smartwater Water Filtration System Review

Overall 1.00 of 5 (by 1 user)

NCjohn
Candler, NC

If I only knew then what I know now! Don't buy the GE GX1S50F!

looking for durability, a busy person, Practical, a gadget geek, quality conscious, an owner of a digital camera, comfortable with technology, a technology geek

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Pros

Works when it works.

Cons

If it stops working, you're in big troub

AUG

2008

The GE GX1S50F water filter system is kind of a pain to install: tap into the cold water line under the sink, install a sinktop faucet, install the filter manifold (what the filter canister attaches to) under the sink, install all the tubing. But the end result is, you have a filter atop your sink that you just put your glass under, turn the handle, and voila! Filtered water! The filter is good for about 6 months, depending on a lot of factors, then a light tells you it's probably time to change the filter. Sounds pretty good. Dream on!

Now, before I get to the really bad part, there's something you need to know before you ever buy a GE water filter. When it comes time to replace the filter, if you read the instructions for the new filter, it will say, lubricate the O-rings with "food-grade silicone grease." After cussing them out for that, because there was nothing in the packaging of the original filter system, or of the replacement filter to give you a clue that you need this stuff, you'll start calling stores, trying to find it, but you won't find it anywhere, because it apparently doesn't exist except at GE. So you'll have to call them and order a teeny, tiny little tube of it for an outrageous price plus shipping. They could easily have included that little tube in the filter package, but as you'll see in a moment, GE does not believe in customer service.

After about 6 months, it started acting up. Loud noises, extreme vibrations when we'd turn it on, and NO WATER! I'd mess with it, and it would start again. A new filter didn't fix it. After a lot of trouble, and a lot of mess, disconnecting tubing, checking to see where this intermittent stoppage was, I decided that it had to be the manifold itself. I called GE, and talked to a woman who agreed with me. No problem, she said, just call this other number, and they'll send you a new manifold. I called the other number, and another woman said, "We don't have those, your only option is to take it back to the store. Your warranty plainly states that it has to be returned to the store where you bought it." Well, yes, it plainly states it in little bitty type on the back page of the instruction manual. If the packaging of the system had said that in the first place, I never would have bought it. Maybe that's why they don't say that on the box!

Well, you know, "return it to the store" is fine for a wrench, or even a big-screen tv. This is a whole bunch of different parts that have been installed under the sink, my UNfavorite place to work in the whole world. (Okay, my unfavorite after the attic!) Not to mention that I've tapped in to my cold water line, and now they want me to disconnect that, at which point I have no water in my kitchen sink for the entire time I'm disconnecting the whole mess, taking it back to the store, and installing a new whole mess!

So I sent an email to GE, to their customer unservice address, telling them how unhappy I was with this situation. Shortly after, I got an automated reply, telling me how concerned they are with my satisfaction, and that if I'm not satisfied, I could call their customer unservice number. Of course, that number is the one I called before. So your only recourse when you have a complaint with GE is to talk to people who have no ability whatsoever to help you in any way at all.

I'm hoping the folks at Home Depot will let me return just the manifold, which will still be a major pain, but at least my water will still work in the sink while I'm fixing the filter. We'll see.

Well, I called Home Depot, and that's a whole different story! See the review I just wrote about them. Bottom line, I have to take the whole system out and take it back to the store! And, since they won't give me a refund, only an exchange, then I have to put the whole thing back in again!

Update Feb 2009.
This unit has a light that flashes when it's time to change the filter. There is a tiny little drawer that holds the battery. When you replace the filter, you use a coin or screwdriver tip to pull the drawer out and then slide it back in to reset the 6-month timer. I changed the filter today, and when I tried to pull the battery drawer out, the front of it broke right off! The part that's remaining (the battery tray) is way back up in there and it fits so snugly you can't get anything in there to pull the tray out. If I removed the whole faucet from the sink top, I could probably get something in there to pull the tray out with, but it's just not worth the trouble. Easier to just make a note on the calendar. The blue light will be flashing until the battery dies, I suppose.
DON'T BUY THIS!

Last edited on Feb 15, 2009

GE GX1S50F Smartwater Water Filtration System is not recommended by NCjohn

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Comments about NCjohn’s Review

Michael, if HD and GE both give you the run-around, I would call your state attorney general's office. I've had to do that several times (in two different states) and every time, the company I was complaining about decided they should take care of things and make me happy. Good luck.

Just over one year after purchasing it started vibrating violently, According to GE it is probably a particle from the filter getting into the membrane in the manifold and it cannot be serviced. GE no longer shows this part and it didn't even show up on their own search. They said return to Home Depot. Problem is this is no longer sold by Home Depot!! And the SKU isn't even in their system so they can't return it to GE!

In response to cfarrell's comment from May 25, 2009 at 10:10PM:

I don't think the Orings are causing your manifold to stop working. I think the problem you would see from that is that the O rings would leak because they crack. I don't know why the manifold stops working, but since you and I both experienced the same problem, I'd say it's a faulty design or poor materials. Sorry.

Just convinced me that this product sucks-but I'm into now and actually paid Home Depot to install this crap a year ago--please tell me--why the manifold is not working--is it because the freakin' o rings weren't lubricated??Quick answer --