Aquasana Claryum AQ-5300 Replacement Filters: Which Set Fits the AQ-5300, AQ-5300+, AQ-5200 and Direct Connect

If the label on your housing reads AQ-5300 with no plus sign, close the Max Flow listing now: the 800 gallon AQ-5300+R is the wrong part for the 600 gallon housing, and the cheaper AQ-5300R is the right one.

Which cartridges fit the AQ-5300, AQ-5300+ and the rest of the Claryum line?

Aquasana sells one set per housing generation and prints the fit on each replacement page. The retail box name (AQ-5300R, AQ-5300+R) and the part number (AQ-C3-R, AQ-C3M-R) refer to the same set.

Certification is listed per the maker’s page: Aquasana’s replacement sheet states the AQ-5200R, AQ-5300R and AQ-5300+R are tested and certified by WQA to NSF/ANSI 42, 53 and 401 when used in the AQ-5200, AQ-5300 and AQ-5300+, and the AQ-C3-R and AQ-C3M-R pages add that Standard 53 includes P473. What each of those numbers covers is on the NSF/ANSI standards guide.

The Max Flow page prints no GPM figure, only “44% faster” than the prior generation, and the AQ-C3-R and AQ-C2-R pages publish no flow rate at all. Only the Direct Connect page gives a number, 1.5 GPM.

The reduction claims Aquasana lists for the AQ-C3-R and AQ-C3M-R sets are 99.99% for cysts, 99.6% for microplastics, PFAS and lead, 99% for VOCs and asbestos, 97% for chlorine and 91% for chloramines. Those are the maker’s published figures under the standards named above; nothing was tested here.

What else fits the same housing?

Two third-party sets claim to fit the 3-stage housings. Both claims come from the listing title, not from an Aquasana document, and Aquasana’s replacement sheet says to use only certified, genuine Aquasana replacement filters for continued contaminant removal and system performance.

Skip both Waterspecialist listings if the label needs to show a stated NSF/ANSI certification number, or if the unresolved 500 versus 600 gallon gap on the WS852 is not something you are willing to accept.

Two things are not on this page on purpose. The AQ-6300M-BN listing that search returns for “Claryum 3-Stage” is a complete system with faucet and installation kit, not a cartridge set. And Aquasana publishes no counterfeit guide (hologram, serial lookup) that this session could find, so the only authenticity check is the “genuine Aquasana” line on the sheet.

How often do they need replacing?

Aquasana’s replacement instruction sheet sets the interval at 6 months for every set, or earlier at the gallon cap: 500 gallons for the AQ-5200R, 600 for the AQ-5300R and 800 for the AQ-5300+R.

The gallon figure arrives first in a household drawing more than about 3 gallons a day from the filtered tap on the AQ-5300, which is 600 divided by the roughly 180 days in the interval.

The same sheet lists two more items on the schedule. The CR2450 3 V coin battery behind the reminder indicator is replaced with each filter change (step 7), and the housing itself must be replaced every 5 years or risk property damage from leaks.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Aquasana, AQ-5200R / AQ-5300R / AQ-5300+R replacement instruction sheet (PDF) (manufacturer or vendor document)
2. Aquasana, Claryum 3-Stage replacement filters (AQ-C3-R, part 100236384) (manufacturer or vendor document)
3. Aquasana, Claryum 3-Stage Max Flow replacement filters (AQ-C3M-R, part 100236367) (manufacturer or vendor document)
4. Aquasana, Claryum 2-Stage replacement filters (AQ-C2-R, part 100236330) (manufacturer or vendor document)
5. Aquasana, Claryum Direct Connect replacement cartridge (AQ-MF-1-R) (manufacturer or vendor document)
6. Aquasana, Claryum Countertop filter replacement (AQ-4035, fits the AQ-4000 line) (manufacturer or vendor document)