Do Pur water filters work?

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

JellyBaby

Diamond Member
Apr 21, 2000
9,159
1
81
Also with filter-based pitchers you must also specially wash the containers regularly or tap water buildup will stain them badly, depending on how ugly your water is to begin with. Most recommend a vinegar treatment of some sort.

I switched from a Brita pitcher to buying contained water, mostly because the later tastes so much better. At some grocery stores you can bring back your containers and just refill them using their filtering systems. Pretty cheap that way.
 

0roo0roo

No Lifer
Sep 21, 2002
64,795
84
91
how pure do you want it, jeez. are you going to be drinking deionized reverse osmosis/condensed water in a bubble? haha.

your food is grown from mud.. yes mud:p ieeee!

and tap filters are better then pitcher since they rely on pressure instead of gravity and thus can use denser filter material.
 

Kelvrick

Lifer
Feb 14, 2001
18,422
5
81
What do you guys think of this?

It is a filter on a 3 gallon cooler bottle. I was figuring on getting this and just filling up the bottle every one in a while. How does it compare to britas/purs?

EDIT: Better link
 
Jan 25, 2001
743
0
0
I'ma big water drinker. In the apt. I just moved into, I started getting diaherea big time. Some day, brown water would come out when I knew they were working on the sewer system. I thought nothing of it at the time as I let the brown water run though for 15 seconds until clear water came out.

I still had digestive problems.

So now I'm buying water at .60/gallon from the corner store that specializes in reverse osmosis process. I bought a 3 gallon plastic jug from them for $11 and refill it with a frequent water card that costs $20 @ .60 cents/gallon.

These stores are really popular in my area and MANY people frequent them. It's just a pain having to go every week to refill my jug. They have bigger jugs, but it's overkill for me.

So far, never have I had a digestive problem. There was a cause and effect there that was eliminated when buying filtered water. Now, I'm paranoid about drinking tap water anywhere. Who knows what sh!t is in there!

I have relatives that live in Lake Tahoe where the water is 99.8% pure from the tap--the purest anywhere in the world besides a lake in Switzerland. Unless you live in those places, it looks like a good idea to buy water.
 

Chaotic42

Lifer
Jun 15, 2001
35,164
2,317
126
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
how pure do you want it, jeez. are you going to be drinking deionized reverse osmosis/condensed water in a bubble? haha.

your food is grown from mud.. yes mud:p ieeee!

and tap filters are better then pitcher since they rely on pressure instead of gravity and thus can use denser filter material.

You've never had the water here. It's like half chalk/half water. Very nasty.
 

Miramonti

Lifer
Aug 26, 2000
28,653
100
106
Water filters are basically like inkjet printers, they sell the unit cheap and gouge you on price of the filters. :|
 

Paulson

Elite Member
Feb 27, 2001
10,689
0
0
www.ifixidevices.com
Reverse osmosis system is the way to go.. besides, you constantly are buying filters for the other crap... with a reverse osmosis system you just set it up and that's that...

we have one that does the water that goes into our fridge... nothing like chilled great tasting water...

better than those stupid filters...
 

Miramonti

Lifer
Aug 26, 2000
28,653
100
106
I use a culligan faucet filter. They only seem to sell it at walgreens now tho ($17) and the replacement filter ($10) is good for 200 gallons vs. only 40 for pur/brita.

CR rated it well 4 or 5 years ago, greatly improves the taste of chicago's water.
 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,405
8,585
126
we've got a nice filter system here, culligan something or other, 3 large filter reverse osmosis system... man those things get dirty in a hurry
 

Luden

Platinum Member
Jul 15, 2001
2,269
0
0
Originally posted by: Paulson
Reverse osmosis system is the way to go.. besides, you constantly are buying filters for the other crap... with a reverse osmosis system you just set it up and that's that...

we have one that does the water that goes into our fridge... nothing like chilled great tasting water...

better than those stupid filters...

 

Kelemvor

Lifer
May 23, 2002
16,928
8
81
Here's the Transcript of the thing they had on the News here last week or so for whoever is interested....

IF YOU WANT A CLEAN GLASS OF WATER MANY OF YOU USE WATER FILTERS...
INSTEAD OF JUST THE TAP.


BUT THOSE FILTERS MAY NOT BE YOUR BEST BET.
A SURPRISING CONSUMER INVESTIGATION REVEALS THOSE FILTERS MAY BE ADDING
GERMS NOT GETTING RID OF THEM.


HERE'S LYNISE WEEKS.


THERE ARE FEW THINGS MORE REFRESHING TO MEG MORELLO THAN A COLD GLASS OF
WATER....AND TO MAKE SURE HER WATER IS CLEAN SHE DRINKS THE FILTERED
STUFF....TAP WATER PLACED IN A 20-DOLLAR FILTERED CONTAINER.


"You never know what you are getting out of tap water with all of the
problems that go on with Milwaukee water I just want to be sure I'm
getting good stuff."


THE MOST POPULAR FILTERS INCLUDE, THE FAUCET FILTER, THE REFRIGERATOR
FILTER.. IN THE REFRIGERATOR DOOR, AND THE PITCHER FILTER.
FOUR ON YOUR SIDE GATHERED WATER SAMPLES FROM THE FILTRATION SYSTEMS IN
FIVE MILWAUKEE AREA HOMES INCLUDING MEG'S.


"It looks clean"


WE ALSO TESTED THE TAPS AND OUR RESULTS,


"I will not be asking you for a drink of water today."


THERE ARE NO SET STANDARDS FOR BACTERIA COUNTS IN WATER, BUT OUR
MICROBIOLOGIST SAID A COUNT OF 500 PER MILLILITER OR MORE INDICATES A
PROBLEM


IN 3 OUT OF THE FIVE SAMPLES WE FOUND BACTERIA LEVELS MUCH HIGHER THAN
500, 30-THOUSAND IN THE REFRIGERATOR SAMPLE, 4 THOUSAND IN A BRITA
CONTAINER, 840 IN THE FAUCET FILTER... AND IN TWO OF THE SAMPLES
INCLUDING MEG'S WE FOUND COLIFORM, INDICATING FECAL CONTAMINATION.


"Oh no."


OH YES.
COMPARING OUR FILTERED FINDINGS WITH THE TAP, THE TAP FARED MUCH BETTER.
WE FOUND VERY LOW BACTERIA LEVELS IN ALL BUT ONE SAMPLE AND OUR
MICROBIOLOGIST SAID THE SAMPLE THAT TESTED HIGH PROBABLY CAME FROM A
DIRTY PIPE.


"With those results it is telling you what you think is a nice clean
glass of filtered water isn't so clean."


IT WOULD APPEAR BY USING THE FILTERS YOU ARE ADDING BACTERIA TO WATER
THAT IS ALREADY PRETTY CLEAN....BUT DON'T BLAME THE FILTERS, THEY WORK
JUST FINE. IN ALL BUT ONE CASE THE HOMEOWNER ADMITTED TO NOT CHANGING
THE FILTER AS OFTEN AS THE INSTRUCTIONS REQUIRE.


"Oh I'm just disgusted with myself because it is probably my cleaning or
something I did in my house that got into my water so it is not the
Brita it is me."


IRONICALLY THOUGH MANY BUY THESE THINKING IT WILL ELIMINATE BACTERIA,
THE DIRECTIONS EVEN SAY NOT INTENDED TO PURIFY WATER. BOTTOM LINE, IF
YOU HAVE A FILTER, FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURER'S GUIDELINES IF YOU DON'T YOU
MIGHT AS WELL DRINK TAP, IT'S CLEANER


THERE ARE MORE EXPENSIVE AND ELABORATE FILTRATION SYSTEMS ON THE MARKET
THAT WILL REMOVE SOME BACTERIA.