Ever since I first read about the Atmospheric Water Generators (AWG) I was intrigued. The idea of plugging in a gadget, waiting a handful of hours, then having "clean" drinking water out of the air just seemed like magic to me. So, after reading about the AWG's for about a year, I finally purchased an EcoloBlue 30 water generator. Was it really All That?! Read on for a review of the EcoloBlue 30.
Let me start off by saying I have only had the EcoloBlue 30 (newer version than the EcoloBlue 28) for little over a week. In that time though, it has been running 24 hours a day and an office of about 10 has been putting it through its paces. Some people in the office are (like me) excited by the technology of the gadget, some are amazed this thing works and wonder why it isn't in third world countries, some quietly dig and respect the nerdiness of it all, and lastly there are the Beavis and Butthead types that claim we are drinking their farts. I am not making this up (not one to point fingers,Craig, Nelson, and Ray are guilty of this) they claim that their fart vapor is being turned in to water. We have low hiring standards here.
The Technology
Lets start off with the obvious. An AWG is basically a dehumidifier. The water is condensed from the air, collected, and then filtered and stored for drinking. Again to state the obvious, the unit’s optimum environment would be some hot and humid place (giggidy), but it still works pretty well in the 60+ degrees with 40+ humidity. The idea is pretty simple when you think about it. EcoloBlue has taken the idea, polished it a bit and sells it for $1,399, not cheap at all, and you have to buy filters every 6 months at a minimum, plus the unit sucks a modest 280W to keep itself going. The upside is, you never have to buy bottled water again.
The water goes through a 12-stage filtration process which includes charcoal filters, carbon filters, a mineral filter, a Filmtec reverse osmosis membrane, a post carbon filter, and 3 Philips UV sterilization lamps. There are two stainless steel tanks, one for water collection, and a 3 gallon storage tank on top. In my opinion you can't over filter the water. After following the manual (more on that later) we turned on the unit and let it run constantly for a full week. It took about 3 days to fill the tank with water with our office humidity levels around 48% to 55%. Not sure who is getting the quoted "8 gallons a day", maybe someone in the tropics where humidity is very high. The humidity in the office drops a bit when the unit runs which I like. The first two batches of water tasted like plastic, so we dumped about 6 gallons of water before getting to decent tasting water.
Some things from personal experience – the unit came awesomely packaged, box inside a box inside a big ass wooden box – kinda like that promiscuous lamp from The Christmas Story. One thing we noticed immediately, the manual and the quick setup guide were nowhere to be found, and unlike just about every company on the friggin Internets, the EcoloBlue website did not have it available for download *smack*. The upside was they answered their phone and emailed us the PDFs right away. See this is the really important part! Because being the adventurous soul that I am, possessed by the manly Manuals-Are-For-Pussies spirit, my first inclination was to just plug the frigging thing in and get some damn water… Ah, but the first thing the missing manual and the missing quick guide say is some scary shit about NOT PLUGGING THE DAMN UNIT RIGHT AWAY, LETTING IT JUST SIT UPRIGHT FOR HOURS, OR HORRIBLE SHIT WILL HAPPEN, YOUR UNIT WILL BURST INTO FLAMES (kidding, of course) AND YOUR WARRANTY WILL BE VOIDED…. Ummm yeah, thats pretty much what it said, and a good thing it came with it (not). Oh and BTW, the manual on the EcoloBlue 30 is not great by any stretch. Not the worst I have seen, but a fair amount of Chinglish. We figured most things out, but if you get stuck you can call the company, they actually answer their phones. Kudos EcoloBlue.
The user interface is a touchscreen LCD display. The display is loaded with icons, pictures, and text which at first glance is a bit overwhelming to a normal-ish person. On the other hand if you are a nerd, especially with OCD, this thing is seriously cool and the only thing that’s missing is the ability to stream porn and play MP3s… The LCD attempts to let you know what the machine is doing in an overbearing sort of way, but to a geek this is pure uncut LCD bling. There are no standard buttons on the unit anywhere, everything is activated via the touchscreen including the cold/hot water buttons. Some people like this (nerds), some don't (normal peoples).
All-in-all the machine has operated as expected and is making enough water for an office of 10. We use the water for general drinking and the coffee/tea machine and it keeps up just fine. Make sure you set your expectations realistically, you can not use it to take showers. Oh and Craig, you can hardly taste the farts, so stop whining!
I will update this review after a few more months of use. (Also, the picture showing cup storage is a bit of an internal joke here… those two doors are actually for carbonation tanks if you buy the ecoloblue 30s carbonated version)
LOL
Great review, I can’t find any other real reviews for this thing anywhere. How does the water taste?
offGRID – great question. To be honest… the water still has a bit of a plastic taste to it. Hoping that goes away soon or we are going to make a video of us dropping the unit off of the roof. Stay tuned.
Great post, thanks. I’ve enjoyed your blog for quite awhile and I should comment more. It’s always a great read.
Hey, nice post. I stumbled upon this blog, but I will definitely bookmark it. Have a great day.
We bought a DewPointe (as opposed to an Ecoblue) a year ago.
there has been absolutely no problems with it and we get 3 or 4 gals a day. We live in Oregon. Our water never tasted like plastic, it always tasted fresh and clean. My electric bill never got higher after we got the machine either. I’m real happy with this machine and we are drinking lots of water now, feel good too. Filters and UV lite replacement cost about $100 a yr.
The water from the Ecoloblue has finally past the plastic taste and is pretty good. So far so good!
This can’t be true can it?
It is true and somehow manages to keep up with the offices water demands.
I have the EcoloBlue 30. I generally agree with the review. I thought the manual was good with a few omissions. The manual has photos of all the maintenance procedures that need to be preformed every 6 months to a year. When they say a minimum humidity of 35% is needed to product any water is true. Even at 35% it takes days of running to produce any water. If you live in the north (in winter) this could be a big problem. You need to read the manual before you even think about plugging in the unit. This is not an unpack and plug-in device. I had to fill the bottom tank five times to prime the EcoloBlue 30 for it to get going. I called technical support and did get though directly 3 of the 5 times. I called so many times because I was not sure what was occurring was normal. They give you 30 days to return the unit if you are not satisfied. The shipping weight is 132 pounds. You do have an option to connect a water line to the unit that is filtered rather than using the dehumidifying circuit to produce water (a winter option). You do have an option to turn heating and cooling of the water on/off. When the unit is either cooling the water (top tank) or in dehumidifying mode it has a fan that moves a lot of air. The unit produces noise when in operation and is much noisier than your typical refrigerator. You cannot put this unit in a small room because it will suck all the humidity out of the air in short order. The 30 system seems to be well designed but very complex. I wonder how reliable the unit will be over the long haul. The water tastes great either hot or cold.
I would like to add to my previous review. The minimum Relative Humidity should be 40% not 35% (readout of RH on blue LCD). Anything less than 40% does not produce any meaningful water amounts. Their charts for RH and water production are off by a decimal point at least. The manual on page 5 even states that it operates best at a RH of 50%. I can verify this, at 50% the 30 does make water at an acceptable rate. If you live in the north in winter or in a desert, having RH in this range is doubtful. The solution would be to use the external (tap water) connection on the back of the 30 to supply water.
thanks for this post, i’m from boston and we’re currently having a water distruption where we must boil everything for cooking/cleaning/drinking etc. that isn’t asking much but the city seems to be in a panic over a boil water order.. i couldn’t imagine what would happen if there was no running tap for a few days. i guess that’s why i’m here, please keep us updated!! i really am interested in this gadget but don’t want to be a stuck with it dispensing plastic tasting water.. where i’ll only be using during emergencies. i’d rather stock pile if that’s the case. i’ll be sure to check back again, thanks
I’d love to see an update to this review…particularly concerning mold issues which were a significant problem for the model 28. My basement is usually around 60% humidity April-Oct so this would be perfect. Winter is somewhere between 35-50% depending on how much rain/snow drops. This would help us with two things:
1) we currently buy bottled water.
2) we use a dehumidifier in the basement and just dump the water.
$1,400 is a lot to drop without hearing about the mold issues though. :/
Heath – thanks for the reminder for an update. We are battling with keeping the machine clean/functioning. The unit tends to get a bit “yucky” and rather quickly. For example the lower water tank gets slimy and has gunk in it after a few weeks. The main water spout also tends slow down and clog. We have also dealt with stinky smelling water. As much as we like the “idea” of the machine… we would most likely not buy another one. Too much maintenance.
For those of you who are interested in this thread (as I am, it helped pushed me to purcahse a unit) I thought I would post my experiences. Not sure if I would’ve changed my mind about purchasing a unit (the 30 model) if I would’ve seen this last post on July 9th saying they wouldn’t buy one again.
I unboxed the unit yesterday after letting it sit upright overnight. I filled the bottom tank a few times and the unit began producing water. I’m going to flush it at least twice before I try drinking the water.
At this point, after doing some research, I’m thinking of stepping up the scheduled cleanings that they recommend in the book, especially of the bottom tank and the main water outlet.
I’m curious, Gadget King, did you do the sanitation process (with hydrogen peroxide) and (be honest here) how strictly did you adhere to the maintance schedule. I know there’s a lot to do and while I’m very gung-ho about it because the unit is new, I know it will be a challenge to stay on top of it.
I think the reward is well worth the work… the water here in the suburbs of washington DC is horrible, the chlorine smell practically smacks you in the face when I go to the sink in the mornings and of course they add the maximum amount of flouride and god knows what else.
I’d love to hear from others who are using the EB30 as well.
Doug,
I love(d) the idea of the water generator but cleaning it is a full time job. We did the hydrogen peroxide flush twice. We clean the bottom tank as stated. Long story short… the unit requires very much maintenance… too much maintenance for most people. I thought about quitting my job to maintain the awg full time. 🙂
Russ
Russ,
Thanks for responding so quickly! I’ve got a couple other questions if you don’t mind.
Did the ‘sanitation flush’ improve the stinky water problem?
Despite all the maintenance is it still in use in your office?
I know I’m new to this but other than the sanitation process (which does seem like quite a bit of work) it doesn’t seem like the maintenance is that difficult or time consuming. I don’t think rinsing off the air filters and the water trays and cleaning the bottom tank, even as much as once a week, is unreasonable. It will be interesting to see how I feel about it in a month or two.
When you compare it to the standard watercooler in most offices, or an undersink filter, it’s definitely a lot of maintenance. But of course your standard watercooler can’t do what the EB30 does.
Doug,
Yes the sanitation flush (did it twice to be sure) did help things for a while. The stinky water creeps back slowly.
The unit is still running but only about 1/2 of the office will drink from it. 🙁
And yes, I agree with your logic too… that is why I spent the money. Not a good ROI situation however… but neat. (cost of filters, your time cleaning/maintaining, and electricity are all very real)
Russ
Russ,
Hopefully I don’t regret the purchase… After spending the $ my plan is at this point to invest the extra time to try to keep it clean.
As an aside I called tech support at Ecolo and asked about ‘best practices’ as far as maintenance and avoiding the stinky water problems and the tech detailed a procedure different than what’s in the manual for cleaning the bottom tank (involving a stronger hydrogen peroxide solution and the front filters). It sounded like they might be in the process of rewriting the manual.
I’ll check back in a month or so and share my thoughts.
I live in the Bay Area in California and have recently purchased an Ecoloblue 28. I’ve had it now for a little over two full weeks. It positioned right next to the kitchen and does a spectacular job. The water tastes great and we fill our ice-trays with the water as well. My wife uses the water for cooking as well.
I haven’t encountered the stinky water condition (yet) thankfully.
Doug, and Evan, You’ve had your units for 2.5 to 3 months now, what is your feeling at this time. I’ve been looking at these water generators as well as the ionizing ‘water machines.’ Has the maintenance become a problem, yet? Thanks! Norm
I forgot to add: Thanks, Gadget King for such a good review. How is your machine holding up at this point? Norm
It is currently making a squeaking noise. Other than that maintenance is an ongoing issue. This machine will never be a set-it and forget-it solution.
How is your machine doing at this point? are you getting any clean and testy water? Is everyone drinking the water? How is the maintenance going?
Tony,
Mixed reviews. Some people like it… some say it tastes or smells a bit off.
We recently had an issue where water wasn’t being pumped to the top tank. Call tech support… they had me remove and reverse the direction of the first filter in the group. They say that sometimes the first filter jams up, even though it hasn’t been in the machine long. The woman on the phone mentioned that our offices weren’t too far from theirs and that she would have someone stop by… didn’t happen :(.
thank you for your prompt response. Something that worked for me was taking appart the whole machine and spreading all the parts across the garage floor. after 2 1/2 hours of labor and putting the darn thing back together it worked perfectly exept its taking double the amount of electricity and we had a few extra parts that we ended up throwing away. I have no explanation why this happend. we are still spending incredible amount of maintenance.
Thanks for providing the reveiw. I purchased my 28 a couple weeks ago. Set up was pretty involved as the reveiw states. Also, I had a couple leaks right off the bat, one I was able to fix, the other had to have the company mail a part to correct. Heating has not been working on my unit for some reason. The heat icon blinks “indicating that a change in temperature is taking place” but the temp never changes on the hot side. Will be checking into that with the company and will post the response. Water tastes great so far. I am willing to put the time in for the maintenance so we’ll see how that goes and for how long.
Been 11 months since my last post here. My DewPointe is still going strong. Husband rinses off the air filter once a week, takes 2 min. *Recently, per manufacturers updated instructions, we removed the carbon filter from the bottom tank. (there are still other carbon filters in place) They did that because the bottom tank carbon filter had powdered carbon that was clogging the #1 filter, although we personally did not have any probs with that. After 4+ years of owning an AWG I can say we absolutely depend on it. In Oregon this AWG supports 2 adults (heavy coffee drinkers) 2 dogs and 5 chickens. We get 3+ gals a day. WE LOVE THIS THING!
I bought my Ecoloblue 28 in July of 2010. It has been about 6 months now. I still use the unit every single day for water and ice-tray usage. My wife uses the hot water everyday for tea and it still tastes great. Please note that I have not changed out any of the filters yet. I clean the air filter and bottom water storage every two weeks like clockwork.
I clean the EF2 and EF3 filters once a month by performing the reverse flush as listed in the manual. I also perform a full drain once a month, followed by a tap-water prime into the bottom tank.
It is also important to note that I have two cats and a dog, all of which shed like crazy.
I put a lot of energy into this unit as it has to be managed like a fish tank. The water being pulled out of the air is chock-full of microbes and if you don’t maintain it, just like a fish-tank, it will grow organic material and degrade the performance.
You get out what you put in to this unit. I love it, but it absolutely requires scheduled maintenance.
Gadget king and all…I researched extensively prior to investing in an atmospheric water generator. The problems you are experiencing are typical of most machines I researched. The mold and slime are forming in your machines due to the fact that the sterilization methods and holding tank methods being used clearly are not effective. With so many filters and multiple UV sterilizers, you would think that you would have amazing water…and with all the slick marketing….hmmm
1 your machine is made in China…cheap parts, ineffective sterilization processes are why you need to constantly break down and clean it yourself
2. tasting like plastic is common due to low quality parts that companies manufacturing in the orient are notorious for. In fact virtually all atmosphereic generators are made in China or Korea…..except one that’s made in the USA. I would suggest you consider this plastic flavor and check into the safety of this as it may be leaching harmful chemicals into your glass.
3. If this system produces so much water from air why would you need or want a hookup to a city water line? How many gallons a day? Sure its not just city water? How do you know when its hooked up to both city andair?
4. A fish tank can do a better job keeping water clean as the these systems constantly recycling and filtering the water in the tank. Your problem lies in the fact that your system collects water and it sits in a chicken soup pot (and it literally looks like a repurposed stock pot) stagnant, with a little UV light that is grossly ineffective. Hence the slime & mold ,and perpetual breakdown and cleaning by you and others of this style system.
I paid quite a bit more for my machine, but I learned long ago that you get what you pay for.
I bought a machine from a company based in Florida called Waterpure international..I paid more, but I got more, and I have never had to take it apart and clean it, or do anything other than a filter change once a year
My machine uses ozone, not UV, and the water is constantly recirculated through the filters so between the ozone, the filters, and the constant circulation, it tastes amazing since day one. A year later, its still perfect.
Hope this helps.
Lawrence –
How much did your Waterpure actually cost? Was it the cheapest model?
How long have you had yours?
I find the way in which their website hides the actual cost of the unit to be very offputting.
do they think that if it takes me longer to discover how expensive it is that it makes me more likely to buy it??
rrrrrrr.
hp
@Hari
I called Waterpure International Inc and had a very disappointing experience with them. They would not give me the price of their unit and said I had to give them all my personal contact info to be transferred to sales. After holding for a short period no sales people were available yadda-yadda, Still they would not tell me the price. I got the feeling they were some shady business (common for that type of business to not list any prices on their website and to not tell you the price until they can build up the value of their product verbally). I feel slimy after calling them, I am going to take a shower now.
Update:
I found the following info on ripoff report dot com (run from this company!)
http://www.ripoffreport.com/manufacturers/waterpure-internatio/waterpure-international-inc-p-845ac.htm
Lawrence looks like a pure shill! Light on facts and heavy on hype, just like Waterpure’s website…
Ladies and Gentleman,
It is unfortunate that certain individuals find it necessary to attempt to discredit our organization with unfounded comments and accusations as noted above. Please question the source.
WaterPure International is a publicly traded corporation and is based in Oakland Park Fl.
We are the “ONLY” company in the Atmospheric Water Generator industry that is proudly MADE IN THE USA and has a unique PATENTED process that provides 99.99% pure refreshing drinking water.
I am more than happy to personally take any/all inquiries pertaining to our products and services.
We do not sell our equipment online, Hence our decision to not display pricing, but our knowledgable staff is more than happy to properly educate you about our state of the art systems and the industry.
If you care to make an “educated decision” prior to investing in an AWG system, we are here to answer your questions, but bear in mind we may actually want to know who we are speaking with. And when you call, our receptionist will ask for your phone number so if we are on the other line, we will promptly call you back and answer all your questions at that time. Only our sales staff is authorized to discuss our equipment and pricing. I beleive that is standard business protocol for most professional organizations.
Please bear in mind, anyone can place comments online…
If you would like to find out more about our unique patented technology, Please feel free to contact me directly as noted below.
Thank you for your time, and for considering WaterPure International.
We look forward to speaking with you soon.
Lee M Stein
SVP Sales and Marketing
WaterPure International, Inc.
2944 NW 27th St. Bldg 14
Oakland Park, FL 33311
P 954-731-2002 F 954-731-2011
waterpureintl@gmail.com
http://www.watepureinternational.com
a publicly traded company
stock symbol “WPUR”
So all you are worried about is about buying the cheapest and who has the best looking website?
If you want cheap with fancy websites, go buy ecoloblue…or any other company cause as I stated , all others that I am aware of are made in China and Korea.
I paid around $2400.00 for the machine which is about the same price ecoloblue currently sells their “designer” system which is nothing more than the same machine with a pretty bow. My unit is stainless steel and powder coated galvanized steel and is much higher quality to begin with.
I was never interested in “cheap” up front . I buy what really works and lasts as that provides the best value. I didnt want to have to clean out my machine ever like all these people are talking about, and I never have with their equipment. It’s about a safe, reliable system for myself and my family. “Cheap” was never part of the equation in making my decision.What’s so cheap about buying a machine that doesn’t work?
If you want a high quality maintenance free atmospheric generator check out waterpure.
Lot of mudslinging goin on here, I’m just trying to share my experience.
Good luck folks!
I loved this site and waded through all the mudslinging to get some great information. Kudos to all those who posted.
After reviewing this site I have opted to lean more towards the Waterpure system for several reasons. I like the Made in the USA part, the Less Maintenance part and the higher quality component part.
I don’t have the time, energy or inclination for problem units. Think about this…. If a natural disaster happens (worse case scenario) do you want to have to worry about contacting a company to figure out how to make the unit work properly? NOT ME!!!
Blessings and thanks for all the info!
Thank you all for your posts, I have learned a ton. I just went to the Waterpure website and looked at their water quality report. The water tests well for heavy metal removal, etc…However, the resulting pH is 4.92 which is extremely acidic, and that is very unhealthy. There are products available to buy, whereby you can add mineral drops back to your water, but that adds to the cost. They should have added a post mineral filter to add back nutrient elements. Acidic water should be avoided. The natural pH of water is 7.0 and is what you need at a miniumum.
I’ve sent an email to Water Pure expressing my concern about the acidic water their unit produces, and asking if it would be possible for them to add a mineral filter to add back some nutrient elements.
I just looked at the water quality report on the DewPointe, and that one produces water with a pH of 7.0 I emailed them asking where theirs is manufactured and the parts sourced.
Hopefully I’ll get answers from both companies and post here.
Just wanted to update that I never got a response from either company.
Thanks for the information – we are researching DewPointe right now
Hey guys, great blog. I’m about to import an Ecoloblue 30 into Australia. I’ve tried to locate a local Australian supply but can’t find one. A fully-functional website with an email system that is responsive is essential for any modern business, I would think. The purchase has been made via Paypal and DHL will ship the unit to Sydney for $275. Total cost to me $1500 so far. The power supply difference (240v vs 110v) has to be accounted for as well as plug type. The AC cycles are different too (50hz here vs 60hz in the US.) I’m getting an ‘Australianized’ version shipped. I make my own colliodal silver which I will add to the bottom tank each week to help keep it clean. I’ll add an update after it’s all set up and running for a few months. I have a large household with lots of humidity, so I’m confident that the unit will get a good run each day. Sydney water is quite light/low with chlorine and fluoride, but pure water is best to drink for sure, and essential for producing colloidal silver water
Thank you for your blog! I've just subscribed to your news feed.
news from Craig?
btw, thx for the info here!
DO NOT BUY ECOLOBLUE! It may work great for a year or two. But you will spend a fortune in filters, plus it takes at least 30 minutes a week to maintain the thing. But the worst part is, IT WILL FAIL WITHIN A COUPLE OF YEARS. At that point, your warranty is gone. So, enjoy the good water while you can. The machine has a short life.
4 years later and EcoloBlue is still solving global water issues. The machines have gone through a big upgrade in design, technology and ease of use since 2010. EcoloBlue now also offers a full line of industrial machines, emergency A.C.E. Containers for disaster relief, and water stations that create millions of liters of water a day.
And I’m sorry to hear of your frustration M. Harris, but that is not the normal response we hear. Our Tech Dept is available M-F (800-691-6043) should you need to speak with them.
EcoloBlue – we would be happy to review your latest unit. Let us know if you are interested in this. Thanks – Russ
Russ – Please contact me through the email on my profile, or the contact form on our blog to discuss. Thanks. http://www.ecoloblueblog.com