Brio Countertop Self Cleaning Bottleless Water Cooler Water Dispenser - 2 Stage Water Filter included

I've had this unit for 3 months now. I bought it to replace my refrigerator's water dispenser after having a problem with mold. It was too costly to repair and probably would have just recurred anyway, so I decided to get a dedicated unit. I love clean drinking water and it's much cheaper than bottled over time with how much we drink. Energy: The surprising thing was how energy efficient it is. I tested on an average day (2 people using it for both hot and cold) using a plugin power meter. It used 0.76 kwh over a period of 24.8hrs. Honestly with how often I see the compressor or heater running, I expected a lot more usage. Temperature: That being said, the unit is actually not that hot or cold. I've measured it at around 160°F for the hot and 55°F for the cold. This is fine for drinking (my Asian wife drinks the hot or mixes it with some ambient and I, American, drink cold generally). But it's not hot enough to make coffee or tea with, and not as cold as the refrigerator water was. This may actually account for the low power usage. I'm fine with it that way, though. And I haven't been able to find a service manual to see if it's possible to adjust. Noise: The only really long-term annoyance is the noise. I mean it is a compressor and a moderately high speed fan, so I expected some noise. But due to how compact everything is, there's really no room for noise insulation in the unit. So it's definitely louder than the refrigerator when the unit is heating or cooling water. This may vary depending on where you put it. Mine is right out in the open on the counter with a window behind it which may amplify it a little over a cabinet or something. I mean you need to leave the back open for it to cool itself, so you can't put it in a totally enclosed space, but if it were in a cabinet with an open back and far enough away from the wall to allow air flow, it might be less noticeable. Service: I actually ended up with a bad unit from Amazon and had to contact Brio support. Overall it was a good experience. There was the typical fight to get past first line support by convincing them I'd tried everything to resolve the issue and that it was properly installed. But after determining the unit was defective, I was shipped a new unit from Brio fairly quickly. As a bonus, due to COVID-19 they didn't want the defective unit back, so I got some free filters and free replacement parts if anything should break after warranty, assuming I don't recycle it to save space or if I move. Installation: I had some issues installing due to my own plumbing, but installing the actual unit was a breeze. I had space on the counter right next to the kitchen sink and beside the refrigerator, and a hole already cut in the side of the cabinet for the refrigerator water line, so I just expanded the hole slightly to fit another hose. I left the refrigerator line installed in case I decided to bypass the water reservoir for the ice maker one of these days which requires more work than I have time for at the moment. But I could have just used the hole as is if I didn't want to leave that attached. Everything else was easy. Just turn off the water under the sink. Install the adapter included. Attach the hoses as shown in the instructions. And turn the water back on. YMMV depending on your setup, but that's not related specifically to the product. The hoses are very easy to attach and secure due to the design of the adapters. Big plus. Water Quality: Probably the most important thing is the quality of the water. And I'm quite satisfied. It's way better quality than the refrigerator ever was. Really no taste at all, which is the way I like it. The filters included are still working great after 3 months. I guess it's too early to see how long they'll last overall, though. Also, note that our water is not really that bad compared to some. Mostly it's just a chlorine and mineral taste issue. I can't say if it would help with real pollution issues or an otherwise unhealthy water supply. Ease of Use: For the cold and ambient water dispensing, it's just a simple button push. There is a very slight delay as it does its thing and it seems to always clear the lines after you let off the button so there's a little extra at the end you have to make sure to catch. Though the included tray is deep enough to collect a good amount of that, which is a big plus compared to the refrigerator which just had a plastic tray that was nearly flat with some ridges to allow the cup to sit above. The only minor complaint I have is around the hot water. The part of the manual for this seems to be for another unit. It says to push the child lock button and press the cup against the dispenser. This unit doesn't have a thing in the back that you press the cup against, just buttons on top. The confusing part is that the three buttons for dispensing are obviously buttons. They are mechanical, separate pieces of plastic that push down a little when you press them. However, the button to unlock the child safety feature is just a picture of a lock between the hot and ambient buttons. It's just touch sensitive and doesn't depress, so it's really hard to understand that it's actually a button at all and not just a diagram. Once you figure it out, it's fine, but it took me a while to even try touching it. Again, it's minor, but not very user friendly. I have to explain it to everyone the first time, because so far no one has figured it out on their own. Making it a mechanical button or explicitly saying with words or a diagram that you need to press that lock picture would help. Also, if nothing else, fixing the manual would be great so at least you could say RTFM. Conclusion: Overall, any minor issues I have with the unit's design are just that, minor. And there are not really any technical issues to speak of that any other unit wouldn't have. It really is mostly as simple as clean water at the push of a button. I can't justify even deducting a half-star (if that were possible). Maybe a 4.75 out of 5 if I had to give a more specific score. I'm quite satisfied 3 months in.

I bought this unit about 4 years ago, and everything was fine until it wasn't. After 3 years, it suddenly stopped working, so I contacted support. They honored the warranty even though it had already expired and sent me a "new" unit. This "new" unit started leaking from the spigot after a few weeks, so I contacted support again. They said that since they had already honored the warranty, there was nothing more they could do. Since they couldn't help, I decided to open the unit and try to fix it myself. This is when I noticed it was not actually a new unit — the spigot looked like it had been glued with Krazy Glue, and it broke with a simple touch. Now I have no other option but to buy a new one, and certainly not from this brand.

Update (6/24/2020): We've had this water purifier now for about 3 months - and it is still working flawlessly. I've become so accustomed to the taste/consistency of this water that I prefer it over water bottles. We've had zero issues with functionality, all buttons/lights work well, the filter(s) are still working, as well as the UV. Very impressed with this product (still). Original Review: Naturally, the current events going on have had us questioning alternative ways to have clean water on hand, other than buying case after case of bottled water. For years, we've been sick of purchasing water this way, but this was the straw that broke the camel's back apparently. I did extensive Amazon research for different water purifiers, reading reviews, product dimensions, etc. When I purchased this last week, there were no reviews. However, other products that Brio has, have pretty great reviews. The two main reasons we went with this option were 1) The height of this unit fits comfortably under our cabinets and 2) The room for cups/pitchers to collect the water from the dispenser is quite tall. I've attached pictures for reference. Installation took a few hours (but that's because our current water line needed an adapter - so a trip to Lowe's was necessary). The only thing that is taking some getting used to is the flavor/consistency of the water. It's not a bad taste, in fact, there's really no taste at all, thank goodness (because I'm NOT a fan of tap water). It's difficult to describe, but the consistency of the water still feels like tap water when you drink it. It's just not as smooth as bottled water. But after a few days, I've gotten used to it. I also purchased a back-up set of filters to have on hand, in the event things get even harder to find in the future. They're $90 on Amazon right now. Here's the link to the replacement filters (since it took me some time to find them): Brio 2 Stage Water Cooler Filter Replacement Kit - for Models with UVF2-1500 Gallons https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083JP8GXW/ref=cm_sw_r_fm_apa_i_JTJDEb9ES1C7V Overall, the piece of mind from not having to rely on getting bottled water anymore, especially now, is worth every penny, ten times over. I highly recommend this water purifier.

Overall this machine has a good quality and value. What you need to know is that replacement of the filters requires that you flush each filter for 5 minutes [10 total] by removing the water line from the back of the unit then attaching it to the special adapter you have connected to the new filter. Then you attach a drain tube off the other side of the adapter and run that into the sink so that the flushed water has somewhere to go. Ok, so you buy this unit and nowhere does it mention this rediculous procedure. To make matters worse, our water cooler unit is nowhere near a sink, now what? You either go an buy a 50ft 1/4 tube so you can run that to the nearest sink or you get a 20 gallon garbage can and use that as the drain tub. Whatever happened to put the filters in the unit and drain the first gallon or two before drinking the water. Buyer beware, you have these extra steps....even if you happen to have a sink nearby. Otherwise good luck.

In the first day of using: 2 stars! Just install the item today (1/16/2021) and already so disappointed. The feed water valve does not seal to 3/8" valve in my sink. I have to buy another gasket to fix the leak issue. I connected to unit to water source, drained the first tank, and refilled the second tank and checked to ensure the water is clear. Everything is in good shape. However, after the hot and cool water are reached, it started emitting a very loud nonstop beeping noise, and the UV light has been flashing rapidly nonstop as well. We can’t get either to turn off and there is NOTHING in the instruction manual that says what’s wrong or how to fix it. I contacted Brio customer service based on the number 1800... on top of the unit. Because it is Saturday, I have to wait until Monday. Currently, I have to disconnect the power cord to be able to stop that beeping noise. Let see how Brio supports their customers.