Best Water Filtration System?

esun

Platinum Member
Nov 12, 2001
2,214
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It's becoming a hassle to refill water bottles and whatnot at the dining commons, so I want to get a water filter. Which do you guys recommend? Brita, PUR, other...? Pitcher, or larger (I've seen up to 2 gallon, but how easy are those to fill from your average faucet?)? Faucet-mounted (probably not a good idea for a dorm anyway)?. I want to spend as little as possible, and I don't want to have to worry about maintenence (replacing a filter once a month I can deal with, though).
 

Kelvrick

Lifer
Feb 14, 2001
18,422
5
81
The pitchers are pretty good from my experience. Any is fine.

Personally though, I'd grab a water cooler for like 80 bucks, and a 5 gallon bottle for another 10 bucks and refil at the supermarket things. Can't beat their reverse osmosis filtration, and you get hold AND cold water.
 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
46
91
Originally posted by: Kelvrick
The pitchers are pretty good from my experience. Any is fine.

Personally though, I'd grab a water cooler for like 80 bucks, and a 5 gallon bottle for another 10 bucks and refil at the supermarket things. Can't beat their reverse osmosis filtration, and you get hold AND cold water.

Eh... I don't know how big your college dorm room was, but there's no way in the world I would have attempted to fit a water cooler in mine.
 

esun

Platinum Member
Nov 12, 2001
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I was told about a local supermarket that offers large jugs and a cheap option for refilling, but seriously lugging around a 5 gallon jug for a mile would be a real pain (it's at least a mile to the local BART station), since I don't have a car or any other convenient such form of transportation (and lugging it on and off of buses would be a pain as well).

Are the pitchers really all the same? On Brita's website they have like 10 different models and they all look pretty goddamn similar. I've read elsewhere there are some differences in the filtration system that Brita and Pur use, but I don't know if that really matters at all. Anyway I'm off to class but I'll check back in 2.5 hours.
 

Hankerton

Golden Member
Apr 11, 2003
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Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: Kelvrick
The pitchers are pretty good from my experience. Any is fine.

Personally though, I'd grab a water cooler for like 80 bucks, and a 5 gallon bottle for another 10 bucks and refil at the supermarket things. Can't beat their reverse osmosis filtration, and you get hold AND cold water.

Eh... I don't know how big your college dorm room was, but there's no way in the world I would have attempted to fit a water cooler in mine.

hahah, seriously.


Just buy Brita, seems to be college standard.
 

vshah

Lifer
Sep 20, 2003
19,003
24
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brita or pur are both fine. doesn't your dorm have a water fountain?

and what kind of college student drinks water anyway. i'm sure there's a coke machine not too far :)

-Vivan
 

Kelvrick

Lifer
Feb 14, 2001
18,422
5
81
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: Kelvrick
The pitchers are pretty good from my experience. Any is fine.

Personally though, I'd grab a water cooler for like 80 bucks, and a 5 gallon bottle for another 10 bucks and refil at the supermarket things. Can't beat their reverse osmosis filtration, and you get hold AND cold water.

Eh... I don't know how big your college dorm room was, but there's no way in the world I would have attempted to fit a water cooler in mine.

:D I lived in a single. Here's a picture of the room I had. I had my room so that the desk is where it is now, except to the top of the room. The bed was lofted over it and I had a minifridge where the desk is in the picture. That left me with about half of the right side of the room empty. There was a microwave above the 4.3 cubic feet fridge and a TV on the desk next to my monitor.

I had one of those inflatable sofa thingies next to the closet doors so people/me could watch tv and be easily thrown aside when I want to get into my closet. The water cooler was about in the middle/top of the room. Leaving room for me to open my desk drawers and the inflatable couch to fit in.
 

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
50,419
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I highly recommend the on-faucet filters. They really make a difference!

Well, I dunno about other brands, we use PUR, and it rocks.

I believe it is much more economical than the pitchers.
 

Hankerton

Golden Member
Apr 11, 2003
1,814
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Originally posted by: Kelvrick

:D I lived in a single. Here's a picture of the room I had. I had my room so that the desk is where it is now, except to the top of the room. The bed was lofted over it and I had a minifridge where the desk is in the picture. That left me with about half of the right side of the room empty. There was a microwave above the 4.3 cubic feet fridge and a TV on the desk next to my monitor.

I had one of those inflatable sofa thingies next to the closet doors so people/me could watch tv and be easily thrown aside when I want to get into my closet. The water cooler was about in the middle/top of the room. Leaving room for me to open my desk drawers and the inflatable couch to fit in.

What is this......a dorm room for ANTS??!!?

/Zoolander
 

nycxandy

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2001
3,731
0
76
Originally posted by: Hankerton
Originally posted by: Kelvrick

:D I lived in a single. Here's a picture of the room I had. I had my room so that the desk is where it is now, except to the top of the room. The bed was lofted over it and I had a minifridge where the desk is in the picture. That left me with about half of the right side of the room empty. There was a microwave above the 4.3 cubic feet fridge and a TV on the desk next to my monitor.

I had one of those inflatable sofa thingies next to the closet doors so people/me could watch tv and be easily thrown aside when I want to get into my closet. The water cooler was about in the middle/top of the room. Leaving room for me to open my desk drawers and the inflatable couch to fit in.

What is this......a dorm room for ANTS??!!?

/Zoolander

ROFL!
 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
46
91
Originally posted by: Kelvrick
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: Kelvrick
The pitchers are pretty good from my experience. Any is fine.

Personally though, I'd grab a water cooler for like 80 bucks, and a 5 gallon bottle for another 10 bucks and refil at the supermarket things. Can't beat their reverse osmosis filtration, and you get hold AND cold water.

Eh... I don't know how big your college dorm room was, but there's no way in the world I would have attempted to fit a water cooler in mine.

:D I lived in a single. Here's a picture of the room I had. I had my room so that the desk is where it is now, except to the top of the room. The bed was lofted over it and I had a minifridge where the desk is in the picture. That left me with about half of the right side of the room empty. There was a microwave above the 4.3 cubic feet fridge and a TV on the desk next to my monitor.

I had one of those inflatable sofa thingies next to the closet doors so people/me could watch tv and be easily thrown aside when I want to get into my closet. The water cooler was about in the middle/top of the room. Leaving room for me to open my desk drawers and the inflatable couch to fit in.

That actually looks pretty darn small, but I see on the website that it's a suite setup, so you have an additional common living area. I shared a 10x16 room with another guy, and I guess we would have had a bit more room if we didn't have two couches, but then we wouldn't have had room for all the ladies. ;)

OP, I really don't think it matters what kind of water filter you get. I'm pretty sure all PURs use the same filters, and all Britas use the same filters, and they both get the job done. Get whatever's cheapest.
 

Kelvrick

Lifer
Feb 14, 2001
18,422
5
81
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: Kelvrick
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: Kelvrick
The pitchers are pretty good from my experience. Any is fine.

Personally though, I'd grab a water cooler for like 80 bucks, and a 5 gallon bottle for another 10 bucks and refil at the supermarket things. Can't beat their reverse osmosis filtration, and you get hold AND cold water.

Eh... I don't know how big your college dorm room was, but there's no way in the world I would have attempted to fit a water cooler in mine.

:D I lived in a single. Here's a picture of the room I had. I had my room so that the desk is where it is now, except to the top of the room. The bed was lofted over it and I had a minifridge where the desk is in the picture. That left me with about half of the right side of the room empty. There was a microwave above the 4.3 cubic feet fridge and a TV on the desk next to my monitor.

I had one of those inflatable sofa thingies next to the closet doors so people/me could watch tv and be easily thrown aside when I want to get into my closet. The water cooler was about in the middle/top of the room. Leaving room for me to open my desk drawers and the inflatable couch to fit in.

That actually looks pretty darn small, but I see on the website that it's a suite setup, so you have an additional common living area. I shared a 10x16 room with another guy, and I guess we would have had a bit more room if we didn't have two couches, but then we wouldn't have had room for all the ladies. ;)

OP, I really don't think it matters what kind of water filter you get. I'm pretty sure all PURs use the same filters, and all Britas use the same filters, and they both get the job done. Get whatever's cheapest.

No, thats all I had. That was my personal room. Here's a rough photoshop of my layout. Across the hall was a 4 people setup with three rooms. One middle common room and two small rooms to the side to hold 2 beds each.

EDIT: Notice how the bed is partially blocking the window. One time when I was locked out of my room, I climbed out my neighbor's window and went along a ledge on the outside. Luckily my window was unlocked and I tried to climb in. Only, it required a little jump.

When I took that little jump, I slammed my head into the bottom of the bed... Lets just say my other neighbor was woken up by my cussing and me falling into the room knocking around my monitor, anything else that was on the table and my chair.
 

ggnl

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2004
5,095
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I have a big Britta that holds about 3-5 gallons with a little nozzle on the front to dispense water. Bigger containers are more convenient.
 

wuggle

Member
Jun 24, 2004
153
1
0
I have a big brita filter, ~1 gal i think? I fill it up from the tub faucet and it spends the rest of the day chilling in my fridge. no complaints
 

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
26,120
4,766
126
I think all the models from one company use the same filters. Thus the only difference among the huge number of models is capacity and shape - minor issues. I personally use Britta, but Pur is just as good. Filtered water tastes a whole lot less like sucking on a penny.

I'd personally get a small pitcher. Then it can easilly fit in the typical small dorm fridge. You have to fill it up a bit more frequently, but when it is already out, it only takes 5 seconds to fill.
 

esun

Platinum Member
Nov 12, 2001
2,214
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0
and what kind of college student drinks water anyway. i'm sure there's a coke machine not too far

No way I'm paying $1.25 whenever I'm thirsty.

I highly recommend the on-faucet filters. They really make a difference!

I don't know, I've read they break easily (at least the Brita ones). Also, it'd be mounted in a bathroom, so that'd be kind of...weird, I guess.

where do you go to school that filtered water is such an issue?

I go to UC Berkeley, but I'm used to bottled water and the tap here tastes like pool water (okay, not really, but obviously it lacks the goodness of filtered water).


Anyway, I think I'll probably grab one of the larger pitchers. Thanks everyone for the advice.
 

Kelvrick

Lifer
Feb 14, 2001
18,422
5
81
Originally posted by: esun
and what kind of college student drinks water anyway. i'm sure there's a coke machine not too far

No way I'm paying $1.25 whenever I'm thirsty.

I highly recommend the on-faucet filters. They really make a difference!

I don't know, I've read they break easily (at least the Brita ones). Also, it'd be mounted in a bathroom, so that'd be kind of...weird, I guess.

where do you go to school that filtered water is such an issue?

I go to UC Berkeley, but I'm used to bottled water and the tap here tastes like pool water (okay, not really, but obviously it lacks the goodness of filtered water).


Anyway, I think I'll probably grab one of the larger pitchers. Thanks everyone for the advice.

Haha, Berkely is like that too? I go to Davis. Whenever it tastes nasty, people ask the host if they're drinkin Davis water.
 

xenocyd3

Banned
Jul 28, 2003
862
0
0
i suggest u clean the filter after a while..

ive had people give me water from the filter and it has all this sh!t floating around