EcoloBlue 30 Water Cooler

I have the EcoloBlue 30. 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. 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, low humidity 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. In the 6 months of using the system I did not have any mold or bad water smell issues. Beats carrying 42 pound 5 gallon water bottles.

Some concerns:

The minimum Relative Humidity should be 40% not 35% (readout of RH on blue LCD) as stated in the manual. 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 system 30 does make water at an acceptable rate. The low humidity solution would be to use the external (tap water) connection on the back of the 30 to supply water. As stated previously this unit moves a lot of air, there is a noise issue. Maintenance, you need to monitor and clean the system 30 at regular intervals described in the manual. A new filter set will cost you $79. In fairness all water treatment systems need maintenance, the system 30 a little more than others.

Like Jack, I got the idea from the Alex Jones show.

Gripe number 1:

-I ordered it in early July......and didn''t receive it until EARLY SEPTEMBER!

Gripe #2:

-So I finally get it hooked up and ready to go after letting it sit for 24 hours (part of the setup instruction) and what happens? A leak! One of the 90 elbows on the filters in the front was cracked. I fix that and wait 3 days as it fills for the first time.

Gripe#3

Another leak! This time it was the back side top of the T piece where water is dispensed. I call customer service and they tell me that this is a multi use piece.........they make soda machines too and they use the same connector pieces. I assume they save money by using the same parts, but where is QC? So they are now send me out a plug for that gaping design flaw. At this point I''m on the verge of returning it......

Gripe #4 (the last straw):

After two and one half weeks of trouble it still takes over 3 days to produce a full tank. I have drained it 3 and a half times in between fixing leaks and I still get tons of mold floating in the water. I''m done.

In short.....I love the idea.....but it seems to be years away on the affordable side.

UPDATE: It is December 7 2011 and I still have no sign of a refund. I returned it on 11 October 2011.

Buy EcoloBlue 30 Water Cooler Now

We bought the water generator after hearing about it advertised on the Alex Jones Radio Show. It worked for just under two years then started leaking big time. The reality is these are cheaply made products slapped together in China. The concept is great but the reality is not good. The company is also throwing out a lot of fake positive reviews which is always a bad sign.

Read Best Reviews of EcoloBlue 30 Water Cooler Here

I don''t normally write reviews but due to the high cost of this item and the lack of a lot of reviews I thought I would add my experience. I bought the EcoloBlue 30 unit a month ago after doing a lot of online research about the product. I seen a couple of negative reviews on Amazon and was a little afraid to make the purchase. It appeared to me the negatives were isolated and circumstantial events so I took the chance and placed the order. I''m glad I did.

The unit arrived well packaged and within a couple weeks. All parts were present and no damage noted. I moved the unit to a central location in my house and let it sit the required 24 hours. While it was setting I assembled and cleaned the unit as the instructions stated. It was very simple, installation of the RO filter and a wipe down of the collector and bottom tank. The instructions, while adequate, could be improved. They read as if they are a foreign translation to english. On one page it says to hit the SET button to select other options and to use the MODE button to change settings. Wrong, the other way around. All I can say is that if it doesn''t make sense then figure it to be a misprint and use common sense. But these were minor and relatively few mistakes.

Yes, as one reviewer said it does take a lot of filling the bottom collector before you see any progress in the top tank level indicator. I too was becoming concerned until I opened the top and looked at the top tank itself. The bottom tank is considerable smaller than the top tank as the top is your main storage and the bottom is your condensation collector. Made sense to me, plus, remember that all your filters and lines are empty and those need filled as well. It took about 2 gallons of water in the bottom to get a level of 3 on the top indicator the first time. This first batch is to flush the system and you drain it as per the instructions.

Once the initial drain is complete you let the system run to make a full batch of water and drain that out as well. I did taste the first batch and it had a plastic taste, kind of like the way water taste when you drink from a water hose. I was concerned how long that would take to dissipate. Not long as it turned out. The first recommended batch of water after all the required drains was very good indeed. I did not sanitize the system initially with Hydrogen Peroxide as some have done because the instructions do not require it. I''m pleased with my results so far.

On to daily operation. Yes, it is noisy. This thing moves a lot of air. It''s about as noisy as a small oscillating fan. Not unpleasant or irritating but noticeable. It doesn''t bother me and no one has complained about it yet, but it isn''t quiet so just beware of that and decide accordingly. Currently we are experiencing high 90''s and plus 60% humidity. Very muggy. After plugging in the unit I noticed a very nice side benefit of using it. Within a few hours of running my RH dropped from 61% to 55%. I huge difference in how comfortable it felt in the house. I am averaging around 50 to 51% RH with the machine running. That is aprox 10 to 11% drop in RH throughout the day. The instructions said it may take up to 72 hours to fill the top tank. I filled it in 25 hours and have been able to raise the thermostat a couple degrees since it now feels about the same as it used to without the humidity. My RH percentages (RH=Relative Humidity) were varified by an independent hygrometer located 10 feet from the unit itself. The unit RH reading and the Hygrometer have always been within 1 or 2% of each other throughout the day. So, in summary, I have clean, fresh drinking water, 3 gallons a day, and a 10 to 11% drop in the RH throughout the house. (My house is 1700sq ft.) I can see why they warn you about not operating this in too small a location as it really would literally suck all the water from the air. My wife has noticed that the house plants need a little more watering now than they used to as well. In fact, I now keep the central fan running to circulate the dryer air because when I don''t the room with the AWG drops in RH but the rest of the house doesn''t.

I have had NO problems with setting it up, operating it, or maintaining it. Granted I haven''t had it that long but I am none-the-less very happy with my purchase. I use the water to make my morning coffee and have, for the first time, discovered what coffee taste like without chlorine and flouride, and I like it! It is my opinion that this is was a good purchase. Sure, it has plastic parts in many places, but so does my car unfortunately. The parts appear to be common plastic and I''m sure I could find cheap parts locally if I needed to. But overall I think it''s well built. Would I but another one? Yes. Would I recommend it to another family member? Yes. I am happy with my purchase. The cons are few and the pros are many so I give this a 5 star rating.

Want EcoloBlue 30 Water Cooler Discount?

I have owned the EcoloBlue Model 30 for two years. It does what it is advertised to do. It makes very clean water from the air. This is what I want in the event of a natural or manmade disaster. I don''t want to be dependent on a public water supply as they often become unreliable when emergency strikes. I run this atmospheric water generator a couple of days a week to keep it "emergency ready". If standard wall outlet power becomes unavailable, it will continue to make water from the air because I have it plugged into a solar battery backup unit. It''s built-in 12 stage reverse osmosis filtration system produces very clean water. For proper operation of this emergency appliance, read the instruction manual before plugging it in. This is not a plug-and-play appliance. Once unpacked, set it in place for 24 hours before plugging it in, to give enough time for the compressor fluid to settle. If you decide to move it to a different location, you''re disturbing the compressor fluid so wait another 24 hours to allow the compressor fluid to settle. This is why reading the manual is strongly recommended before plugging it in. Treat this important appliance with the TLC it deserves. Although it is advertised to make water when the relative humidity is above 35%, I have found it works best when the relative humidity is 45% or above. The EcoloBlue Model 30 is much more than a "water cooler". I consider it a way for people to make their own water, in the event of natural or manmade emergency. We all need to take care of ourselves so that we can take care of others, especially during times of crisis.