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Aquasana powered pitchers: CWM, PWFS and CWM2 formats
Aquasana has used “Clean Water Machine” for two different countertop formats. An older model name or a familiar brand word is not enough to identify the vessel or its cartridge. Compare the full code on the base and cartridge, then decide whether you want a pourable pitcher or an outlet dispenser.
Older CWM and PWFS pitcher kits filter before you pour
The manufacturer manuals identify AQ-CWM-P-W/P-B and AQ-PWFS-P-W/P-B as separate eight-cup, half-gallon pitcher configurations. Each uses an electric dock to filter cold tap water into a removable pitcher. After the cycle, you serve by lifting and pouring the vessel. The completed pitcher holds the filtered water; the dock does not dispense a glass by button in these pitcher-only configurations.
The two families are not cartridge-interchangeable by name or appearance. The CWM manual names AQ-CWM-R-D/R-R; PWFS uses AQ-PWFS-R-D/R-R. Both performance sheets list a 320-gallon rating, but match the replacement part to the complete code on the unit. CWM replacement information also states an up-to-three-month limit; that calendar limit should not be transferred to PWFS without its exact instructions.
The current CWM2 page describes a different way to serve
Aquasana’s current countertop collection shows AQ-CWM2-B. Its page and owner manual describe a separate water tank on a powered dispensing base with an outlet button. That is a tank-and-button routine, not proof that the older removable-pitcher versions remain a current offer. A general Aquasana page still uses pitcher wording, but its Clean Water Machine pitcher link resolves to the CWM2-B page. If you are buying, verify that the exact listing, manual and replacement code all refer to the same unit.
The current CWM2 has its own AQ-CWM2-R replacement family. Neither the CWM nor PWFS cartridge code should be substituted simply because each uses Claryum branding. The AQ-CWM2-B-Q code appears in current performance material, but the reviewed sources do not establish its exact package difference; ask Aquasana for the code crosswalk rather than assuming it is a color or tank variant.
Compare useful claims without stretching them
The older CWM and PWFS sheets list named laboratory results including lead and live Cryptosporidium/Giardia cysts. They also state operating conditions and limits. These are not all-contaminant guarantees: check the exact performance sheet against the substance in your local water report. Aquasana says to use cold water and not to filter microbiologically unsafe or unknown-quality water without adequate disinfection before or after the system. A cyst test result does not make an undisinfected source safe.
- Read the CWM pitcher owner reference for its cycle, light meanings, reservoir care and CWM replacement family.
- Read the PWFS pitcher owner reference for its filter code, kit variants and separate pitcher-versus-dispenser distinction.
- Check Aquasana’s current CWM2-B page and confirm the current manual and cartridge before ordering.
These older model assessments are useful for identifying an existing machine, not a claim that an exact new pitcher offer is available today. If a label is missing or the code differs, pause before ordering a filter: the name overlap is precisely why a full model-number cross-check matters.
Manufacturer sources: CWM manual, CWM performance data, PWFS manual, PWFS performance data.