Record WT-0016 · Last verified September 2026

Crystal Quest SMART Whole House Water Filter (9-13 GPM)

Name: Crystal Quest SMART Whole House Water Filter (9-13 GPM)
Brand: Crystal Quest
SKU: crystal-quest-smart-whole-house
Price: 1791 USD
Availability: InStock

Whole-house filter (city water) by Crystal Quest. No system-level certification found at NSF, IAPMO, WQA or CSA.

Overall gradeWeighted from five measures. How grades work

$1,791starting price, larger sizes cost more

Estimated 10-year cost$3,421

Check price at Crystal Quest Compare with similar systems

We may earn a commission. It never changes a grade.

Scorecard

Measure	Grade	Basis
Certification evidence	D	Maker claims only, no certification or published lab data
10-year cost	B	$3,421 over 10 years
Flow rate	B	9 gpm rated flow
Warranty	F	1 years on main parts
Returns	D	30 days, 30% restocking fee

What it treats

"Certified" means an independent body (NSF, IAPMO, WQA or CSA) lists this system for that contaminant. "Lab tested" means the maker published a third-party lab report. "Maker claim" means neither.

Contaminant	Evidence
Sediment	Maker claim	Other systems for Sediment
Chlorine	Maker claim	Other systems for Chlorine
Chloramine	Maker claim	Other systems for Chloramine
VOCs	Maker claim	Other systems for VOCs
PFAS	Maker claim	Other systems for PFAS
Lead	Maker claim	Other systems for Lead
Copper	Maker claim	Other systems for Copper
Iron	Maker claim	Other systems for Iron
Hydrogen sulfide	Maker claim	Other systems for Hydrogen sulfide
Hardness	Maker claim	Other systems for Hardness

No claim made for: Manganese, Bacteria, Arsenic, Nitrate, Fluoride, Uranium.

PFAS evidence: Product page: SMART Multimedia GAC 'will remove or reduce inorganic products such as PFAS, PFOS, herbicides, pesticides...'. No test data, no NSF/ANSI 53, P473 or 58 certification; not even a 'tested to' claim. CQ has no dedicated PFAS whole-house model: its PFAS collection lists this SMART system alongside other GAC systems.

Certifications

Standard	Covers	Scope	Certified by
none (system)	No Crystal Quest system appears in NSF's drinking water treatment listings (search by manufacturer 'crystal' returns 'No Matching Products Found'). NSF public notice (page last updated 20 Apr 2022): prior to 9 Jun 2020 Crystal Quest sold water filter products bearing the NSF mark without having NSF-certified products or authorization to use the mark (nsf.org blocks plain HTTP with a 403; wording taken from the search-indexed page). Site badge 'ISO Certified' refers to an ISO 9001 quality-management certificate, not product performance.	system	none
NSF/ANSI 42	SMART brochure: 'GAC which meets Standard ANSI 42 Certification' (raw media, not the assembled system).	media	maker claim, no listing cited
NSF/ANSI 61 and 42	SMART brochure: 'Ceramic balls that meet Standards 61/42 WQA Seal Certification'; 'Eagle Redox Alloy which meets ANSI Standards 61/42 Certification'.	media	WQA (maker claim for ceramic balls)
NSF/ANSI 44 and NSF/ANSI 372	Whole House Manual valve spec sheet: 'Tested and certified by the WQA to NSF/ANSI Standard 44 for water softener performance and NSF/ANSI Standard 372 for lead-free compliance.' Applies to the third-party control valve, not the filter system.	components	WQA (maker claim for the control valve only)

What each standard means

Specifications

Type	Whole-house filter (city water)
Technology	Sediment filtration, Activated carbon, Catalytic carbon, KDF media
Water source	City water
Price	$1,791 to $5,242
Rated flow	9 gallons per minute
Sized for	1-3 bathrooms
Capacity	1,000,000 gallons (1.5 cu ft) or 1,500,000 gallons (2.0 cu ft); brochure: 5-10 year filtration life span based on consumption and water condition
Media	5-micron pleated sediment cartridge (20 in), coconut shell GAC, catalytic coconut shell GAC, Eagle Redox Alloy 6500 and 9500 (KDF-type redox media), ion exchange resin, ceramic balls, tourmaline balls, quartz, 5-micron solid carbon block cartridge (20 in)
Stages	10
Port size	1 inch
Needs a drain	Yes
Needs power	Yes
DIY install	Professional install advised
Dimensions	tank 10 x 54 in (1.5 cu ft); overall footprint not stated
Weight	250 lb
Warranty	One-year limited warranty on the system against defects in materials and workmanship (replacement filters excluded); RMA required.
Returns	30-day returns from delivery, restocking fee up to 30% (the refund policy makes 30% mandatory on products $350 and over, which covers every configuration of this system), shipping not refunded, media not returnable. 'Guaranteed Performance' program: if an independent lab test (at the customer's expense) 1-3 months after install shows lack of performance, CQ attempts fixes (at customer's expense) and, failing that, refunds less shipping. CQ may refuse returns of products not installed by a qualified, licensed plumber.

10-year cost

Item	Each	Times in 10 years	Cost
System purchase	$1,791	1	$1,791
Installation (assumed, professional)	$500	1	$500
20 in pleated sediment pre-filter cartridge, 2-7/8 x 20 in (CQE-RC-04015)	$32	9	$284
20 in coconut carbon block post-filter cartridge, 2-7/8 x 20 in (CQE-RC-04014)	$32	9	$284
SMART Multimedia refill, 1.5 cu ft (CQE-RM-05017)	$563	1	$563
Total			$3,421

Install assumption: $500 for whole-house systems, $150 for under-sink units. Installing it yourself brings the total to $2,921. Try your own numbers in the 10-year cost calculator.

Owner reports

Brand-level, no model-specific pattern: Trustpilot (4.3 from 128) 1-2 star reviews repeatedly cite unanswered calls and emails, wrong or ill-fitting parts, housings leaking from badly seated O-rings, and systems underperforming their claims. On-site Stamped reviews for CQ whole-house systems are all 5 star; the complaint shared there and on Trustpilot is thin or missing install instructions.

Trustpilot: 4.3 from 128 reviews (source).

Page calls it 'Our flagship system for whole home protection'. Price is the standalone 1.5 cu ft fiberglass config; no compare-at price shown. Combos: with softener $2,794-5,068, with salt-free conditioner $3,630-5,242. Optional UV, leak detector, vacuum breaker, metered valve and ozone oxidation add-ons. Page mislabels PFAS as 'inorganic'. See certification note on the 2020 NSF-mark public notice.

Where we cover it

Best picks: The best salt free water softeners
Best picks: The best whole house water filters for city water
Best picks: The best whole house water filters for PFAS
Best picks: The best whole house water filters
Review: Crystal Quest SMART whole house filter review

Alternatives in the same category

System	Grade	Price	10-yr cost	Certified to
SpringWell CF1	B	$1,160	$2,814	None
Aquasana Rhino WH-1000 (Max Flow WH-1010)	B	$999	$6,924	None
Aquasana Rhino Chloramines WH-1011 (Max Flow WH-1021)	B	$1,399	$7,324	None
Kind Water Systems S-500	C	$1,471	$3,359	None
Aquasana HealthShield WH-HS	C	$2,099	$15,209	NSF/ANSI 53, NSF/ANSI 401, CSA B483.1

Sources

Crystal Quest SMART Whole House Water Filter (CQE-WH-01114) $1,791 Check price