Tersano lotus LBU100 Sanitizing System

I bought both units from Costco. I had a lot of problems with the water processor. I rarely did with this one, once I learned how to use it properly. READ! READ! READ!

IF you have any problems Tersano is FANTASTIC about repairing and promptly returning, shipping paid both ways, with a pick up by UPS or FedEx, I don't remember which. Actually they sometimes returned an extra pitchers in the box. I sent it in 3 or 4 times and they were great every time. I finally returned that one to Costco.
This one I haven't had to send in I just can't remember where I put my spare Booster Cartridges. I found the most error msgs. I got with this unit was when the water level was on the line or Below. If I overfilled it, it seemed to be less of a problem. If you need a new cartridge you will get an F1 error. That means it is taking too long to process. Just READ & Follow the Instructions. Fantastic Unit.

Tersano says not to drink this water but to get the other processor for drinking water, I Wonder Why? I have found I can take filtered water from my refrigerator, process it, let it sit for at least 15 minutes and then drink. JUST DON'T Drink Too Soon, 15 min. +++. I use the spray bottle minus the top to make it easier to process my drinking water. I may buy a Pur countertop filter to put it in after processing and see if that is even better. Sometimes the Ozone taste is a little strong but I don't mind it as it disapates with time. I like having the water treated.
ONE MORE Thing, DO NOT push down too hard or you will eventually loosen the part in the bottom of the spray bottle. I ruined a new spray bottle, it came apart. Put it on with a little pressure firm, Not a Lot. Have it on the correct setting, depending on which unit you're using, and you'll do Fine. You Will Love It as Many Others Do Also as I have been reading.

I am going on about 1 & 1/2 years of use now and I still Love It! If it died completely I would Buy Another One Immediately.

What a great product! I would spend so much time washing my produce with different things and never knowing if it was really clean. This product gives me peace of mind, saves water and money from buying or making my own cleaners. it is interesting that some produce takes two cycles to get clean. You would never know by looking at it because we cant see all the pesticides and bacteria. Thanks!

I was a little wary when I saw so many reviews saying that their lotus broke down. However, I liked the concept so much I thought I would roll the dice. Sure enough, MINE BROKE TOO!

The company sent me a new one and so far after three uses it is still alive. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

My hubby bought me this from Costco as he knows I like to clean things and like to be greener and healthier. After reading the instructions three times, I tried it out. I love it for produce that I buy from the store. I have had the F1 error message, but had no problems emptying the water, rinsing the produce again, and then refilling the bowl. The second time I had no problems at all. I think the main problem with the reviewers is that they are not reading the instructions and not rinsing and scrubbing where applicable, the foodstuffs that you intend to sanitize. This product does not make life easier in terms of the amount of effort and time you spend wiping and spraying and rinsing out the towels. However, I don't mind putting in the effort if it means that I don't use toxic chemicals in my home around my toddler, and also that I don't hurt our planet with disposable products that contain chemicals as well. Using it to clean and sanitize surfaces requires that you spray, wipe, rinse the towel, spray again and wipe and then one more time. So there is a lot of rinsing the towel and wiping. I enjoy using it to clean the kitchen counters after putting away groceries that were in bags that were previously in the dirty shopping cart. I also use it after preparing any raw meat or poultry. It makes me feel better knowing that I won't make my family sick from not cleaning the counters as well as I could. I can't imagine not having it to sanitize, or having to go back to using Pine-Sol or disposable wipes.

So far the unit works well for me. It takes some time to get all the produce cleaned and sanitized after returning from the store, but I do notice that they last much longer in the fridge. Also, the taste is better and fresher.

As for the spray bottle, I use it to deodorize various rooms in the house and the diaper pail, which gets really stinky. It works great on odors such as the bathroom and doggie smell, and I also use it daily to clean the kitchen trash can outside, the bathroom faucets, light switches, and kitchen drains. If you use it as much as I do, you will never have a slimy stinky kitchen drain!

Another plus is that I feel safer using this instead of Pine-Sol in areas and on things my child handles a lot.

The only big downside I had was that the sprayer that came with the unit stopped spraying a fine mist after a while, no matter how much the end cap part was turned. I couldn't turn it anymore, but it only produced a course spray. This is the one that has four holes in the sprayer cap. My husband bought a separate sprayer to be used on non-food type things, and that sprayer had only one hole and it still produces a fine mist. This newer spray bottle is clear with a blue trigger nozzle. The one that came with the bowl unit is a tinted clear blue.

The other problem which is minor is that the insert that holds down the produce in the bowl has these ridges, which I think are okay. But the problem is that if you turn the knob to close the drain holes on the lid, put the lid on the bowl, and then when you turn it to open the drain holes to drain the water out, the insert turns with the knob and those ridges sometimes damages and bruises the produce that is touching the insert.

Other than those two reasons I really enjoy using this product and haven't had any mechanical problems. I believe I received sometime in March 2008 and been using it everyday since then.

This review is written by my wife:
I've had mine for about seven months. I was very skeptical, but it passed the first and hardest test with flying colors. My son's hockey gear cannot be cleaned. The pads, helmet, etc. stink worse than any men's locker room on the planet. Just walk by a couple of adult hockey players and breath deeply to get a whiff of what I'm talking about. I took all his nonwashable gear and sprayed it with the processed water from my Lotus. Instantly his gear (which had previously been stored outdoors because it's odor would knock you over) smelled like a cleansing rain. Powerful! Then I took half his jerseys (which my son keeps in his hockey bag and never washes---pee ew!) and washed them in the wash with detergent and the other half I just processed one at a time in the food bowl. The results were obvious. The jerseys I processed smelled cleaner and looked better than those laundered.

Another great use, outside of the usual, was washing my car. Instead of using the hose and wasting lots of water, I used two spray bottles of processed water and the car came out shining. Did I mention that it took half the time to clean my car than the usual method and I didn't have to dry it off! Since our community currently has a water shortage, this was a great way to conserve. Not to mention I can wash my car in the garage without even having to pull it out!

I tried spraying it on a bacterial infection. It worked in one application. Within 2 days the infection was gone saving me a trip to the doctors and a prescription for an antibiotic.

I was a BIG skeptic and had gotten the machine through a focus group so I hadn't intended to keep it. It made me a believer, and I would gladly pay full price for this gem. BTW one of my first issues with this unit was, "Where the heck am I going to keep yet another kitchen gadget that I have no room for?" Well, when I brought it home I figured out I could keep it on top of my clothes dryer in my laundry room where there is a convenient electrical outlet high on the wall which I can easily reach. It is out of the way, yet convenient to the kitchen as well as the garage. I keep it there all the time and use it a lot.