Water Filtration

[boconnor811]

As I'm drinking more and more of the clear stuff, I've started to look into what filtration options are available? What do you guys use / recommend for home or convenient portable option for travel and at the office?

I live in Chicago suburbs, and we have lake Michigan water which is not the worst tasting but would love to improve upon it while removing additional contaminants.

[SlackMan]

We use a $10 Brita pitcher and filters bought from Amazon. It's very good at solving taste problems and removes some contaminants as well. If I were concerned about more serious nasties in the water, I would use a Berkey filter (not portable) or my backpacking filter (portable) by First Need.

[Germany_chris]

Britta on the tap.

Dunno how well it filters but does make the water taste better.

[dekindy]

Reverse osmosis filtration is the best. If I understand correctly removes everything so nothing to prevent bacteria from forming if exposed to contaminants.

[boconnor811]

Looking through some of the recommendations, the Berkey water bottle for a travel option looks pretty nice.

[cnighbor1]

due to the correct concerns over the water you get via the tap or bottled water I stay with Beer

[cnighbor1]

The latest is UV light. cost is reasonable and it gets 999.95 clean uses regular batteries

[Ken Robb]

Some Whirlpool/Kenmore refrigerators offer replaceable cartridge filters that treat the chilled water and ice cubes dispensed through the door. They take only seconds to replace from the front of the fridge.

[Germany_chris]

due to the correct concerns over the water you get via the tap or bottled water I stay with Beer

Yes sir, generally followed by bourbon to insure that no germs that survived the brewing process continue to do so.

[blessthismess]

I use the Brita faucet attachment as well. There are better filters out there but its nice to have water at hand instead of constantly filling up pitcher.

[Seramount]

I work in the public drinking water section at a state regulatory agency.

pretty familiar with all of the ins and outs of this stuff.

for my personal use, I simply purchased a large-capacity activated charcoal undersink filter for the kitchen. my city water is perfectly safe, the filter just knocks out the chlorine taste.

the Brita-type units are not very cost-effective, but they're easy to use.

if you're drinking from an untreated source (domestic well, etc), I'd be a little more proactive and learn how to properly disinfect it. consult the American Water Works Assn. (AWWA) website for details on how to do this...it involves a little laundry bleach and some time, but is not rocket science.

[sg8357]

Have a Culligan reverse osmosis system at home, it removes the fluoride and other nasties.

[pdmtong]

If budget allows get an everpure system installed.
Cartridge prices are going up but much more convenient and better tasting than brita

[jdhansen63]

We've got a Watts under sink 4-Stage Reverse Osmosis System
at home and have been extremely happy with the water quality and opperating costs.

http://www.amazon.com/Watts-Premier-RO-Pure-531411-4-Stage/dp/B0091OBMY4

[Scooper]

I use a PUR (http://www.purwater.com/water/pur-products/pur-advancedplus-faucet-water-filter-fm-9400b/) faucet mounted cartridge filter.

[josephr]

Some Whirlpool/Kenmore refrigerators offer replaceable cartridge filters that treat the chilled water and ice cubes dispensed through the door. They take only seconds to replace from the front of the fridge.

Yes...but replacing those filters gets pricey and its a PITA when you have to run water through to clear out a fresh one.

We use a Brita pitcher and keep it in the refridgerator and refill as we use so always cold/filtered water. If we're going somewhere, we'll fill up a Nalgene bottle or two...

Travel tip - Take an empty water bottle through airport security and fill it up on the other side of the TSA. Also, I've asked the airplane folks for the whole big bottle of water before and about 50% of the time, they're happy to oblige. You just can't ask for it while they're coming down the aisle, you have to catch them at their stewardess stations when you go the bathroom and they're being super-nice and ask if they can get you anything.

Joe

[chiteach78]

PUR fridge pitchers - awesome. Change out filters WAY less than I thought I'd have to.
PUR 18 Cup Dispenser with One Pitcher Filter DS-1800Z
http://amzn.com/B0006MQCA4

[cachagua]

Thought of Gen. Ripper right away!

Some people were concerned about about "over-purified" water leaching minerals out of your bones, when I first began drinking distilled water, years ago. I'm glad that canard has been put to rest.

[mandasol]

I use an aquasana undercounter filter and faucet. I'm signed up with their water for life program where they send you new filters automatically every six months (at a discount) so you don't forget plus they also include a warranty for your equipment (faucet, filtration system, fittings, etc. ) for as long as you're in the program for no extra cost above the filters. We've had the system for six years now and have replaced just about every part of it at least twice just from normal wear and tear and it's all been covered under the water for life program. Customer service has been great. If I have a leak anywhere they just send new parts out no questions asked. The only complaint I had was the way you had to replace the filters was a bit of a pain, but they just redesigned their system to a much easier system so that issue has been taken care of.

[Thiel]

If you're talking portable like bike rides and backpacking, look at the Sawyer Squeeze and Sawyer Mini.

[boconnor811]

"Anything worth doing is worth overdoing" right? A little background, I originally wanted to cut down on water bottle waste, so nalgene bottles daily, now basically looking to improve the quality of water going into those. Seems there is no shortage of options.

I dont mind the upfront cost, but ongoing costs of filter replacements add up, so now researching cost per gallon type of info for a few options. Thanks for all the input guys!

[Spoonito]

It's funny you guys mention RO systems and UV lights. I'm an engineer for a medical company in the northern Chicago burbs and I deal with RO systems on a daily basis. I'm currently working on validating my system in Ohio to get it to USP grade. Anyway for the house I use a Brita filter and change religiously.

BTW you guys hear the news on the water in Deerfield?

[boconnor811]

BTW you guys hear the news on the water in Deerfield?

Yup, another factor that played into the start of this thread:eek:

[Ken Robb]

My Whirlpool fridge system has a warning light to remind folks to replace the filter. It gradually changes from green to yellow to red. As far as I can tell it seems like it is just a timer. When it turned red the first time I cut the used filter open and the interior looked nearly brand new. I don't know what a well-used one would look like. At any rate I decided to keep my filters through two cycles of the warning system and I can't detect any deterioration in taste of the water vs. a new filter. This means one $50 cartridge per year paying full retail.

[Seramount]

my filtered kitchen tap water also goes to the filter on the icemaker...

being double-filtered should give me the best ice on the block...!

should extend the fridge filter life too...

[tiretrax]

I originally wanted to cut down on water bottle waste, so nalgene bottles daily, now basically looking to improve the quality of water going into those. Seems there is no shortage of options.


Best reason to do this - buying bottled water is about the most environmentally damaging thing one can do. It makes no sense to use petroleum to manufacture bottles, fill them with (filtered) municipal water at a huge multiple of what the water costs, transport them around the globe, use the bottle once, and put the bottle in a landfill (since a low percentage are recycled).

There are some filters for individual bottles, too. They are supposed to work well, but filters do add up quickly, as you point out. If the water's taste is most important, then use a filter. If it's contaminants, use the UV and a filter.

[boconnor811]

Best reason to do this - buying bottled water is about the most environmentally damaging thing one can do. It makes no sense to use petroleum to manufacture bottles, fill them with (filtered) municipal water at a huge multiple of what the water costs, transport them around the globe, use the bottle once, and put the bottle in a landfill (since a low percentage are recycled).

Well said, and couldn't agree any more!

[henry14]

I've been using a Zero water filtration pitcher.

http://www.zerowater.com/

[tiretrax]

Well said, and couldn't agree any more!

Thanks. I'm a practical environmentalist, not a zealot. It makes no sense to divert petroleum to making single use plastic that's not recycled. Same for the thin plastic bags one gets at retail stores. Oil prices would probably be 20-30% lower if we didn't waste that resource on convenience. It drives me nuts that >90% of aluminum is recycled but less than 15% of paper and less than 5% of plastic.

[Ken Robb]

Thanks. I'm a practical environmentalist, not a zealot. It drives me nuts that >90% of aluminum is recycled but less than 15% of paper and less than 5% of plastic.

I see many people collecting aluminum cans to get the deposit $$ at the recycling center but that doesn't work for paper/plastic. In San Diego the City provides big blue wheeled bins for household recyclables so I think we may be doing pretty well in that regard. I observe that there are "entrepreneurs" who come around ahead of the recyclable collection trucks to "steal" aluminum cans so they can take them to the recycling center for $$. It sounds funny but this is theft because the recycling program relies on a certain percentage of high value/low volume materials like aluminum to offset the expense of handling low value/high volume material like paper.

[wallymann]

R/O systems are for the truly paranoid. UV only needed if you have a documented problem that needs such treatment.

charcoal-based filtration is INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVE stuff! an inline charcoal filter, or 2, that feeds your fridge will give you all the filtered water and ice-cubes you want w/o having to take up space with a pitcher-based system.

[Thiel]

Yup, another factor that played into the start of this thread:eek:

What news about the water in Deerfield? I live in Deerfield and I'm not aware of any issues with the water...

[JAGI410]

I live in Minnesota, therefore I drink water straight from the tap.

[chiteach78]

What news about the water in Deerfield? I live in Deerfield and I'm not aware of any issues with the water...

Wrong Deerfield, Thiel...IL not MA ;)

[Thiel]

Ah!