Water Filtration Systems: What’s Best?

[chane]

Since my family sold our home almost 3 years ago I’ve been drinking Shoprite supermarket brand bottled “spring” or sometimes “purified” water, here on Long Island. Recently, I’ve seen white stuff floating in almost every bottle of the spring water, presumably the plastic said to be present in water practically everywhere.

Some months ago a young 20 something was filling his Brita water pitcher in the company cafeteria. So I thought about the Brita and competing Pur pitcher type filter systems and checked the reviews at Consumer Reports, BB & Beyond and Amazon. While users seem to agree that these pitcher filters are good for making the water more tasteless, they don’t all filter out lead and other contaminants and/or bacteria and other pathogens.

How serious are these filtration deficiencies for Long Island NY water districts like Syosset Woodbury?

At Consumer Reports I also learned of the Reverse Osmosis systems.
https://www.consumerreports.org/pro...0/reverse-osmosis-water-filters-200313/view2/

vs. the Brita and Pur pitcher types
https://www.consumerreports.org/products/water-filters-32980/water-filter-pitchers-200280/view2/

Majority opinion on drinking distilled seems to be that it’s not harmful if your diet has adequate calcium and magnesium, but that it will virtually guarantee poor tasting coffee.

But now I see that even the more expensive RO systems don’t filter out bacteria
https://waterpurificationguide.com/brands-of-bottled-water-that-are-reverse-osmosis/

This Indian-based company is the only one that makes a system that does it all. https://www.aosmithindia.com/blog?field_listing_category_tid=427

Again, how serious are these filtration deficiencies for Long Island NY water districts like Syosset Woodbury?

Who else makes these RO-UV-VT filter systems? And how cost effective are they vs. Brita vs. Par vs. Shoprite or Brand XYZ spring or “purified” water?

All things considered, what’s best?

 

[mike8675309]

I use a Berkey water filter for drinking water. I chose that over any other systems for ease of use and integration into my life. 99.5% of what I drink daily over a month is water. So I figured I might as well make sure it's filtered. I avoided RO units due to their water waste and their improved filtering is beyond what I felt was necessary for water in an American city.

 

[sdifox]

Your tap water should not have dangerous level of bacteria at all. Do a water test first, figure out what is wrong with your water. Only consider filtration if it cannot be mitigated.

You need a tank system if you want to do proper uv. You need exposure time for it to work.

 

[BoomerD]

There is no one "best" water filtration system. Yes, RO works very well, but wastes 3-5x as much water as it produces...
Deionization/ion exchange systems can be very good options. (Water softeners are a type of ion exchange)
A simple sediment/carbon filter system can also be excellent. I have two of the "Big Blue" canisters in my garage. One is a 5 micron sediment filter, the other is a very good carbon filter for taste.
Our water here is heavily chlorinated...and has tons of iron in it. The filter combination I have does a decent job removing both. I've considered going to a water softener system...the particulate level in out water runs well over 300 ppm...that's a LOT.

It really comes down to what kinds of problems your source water has.

 

[deadlyapp]

There are numerous commercial options out there if you want a water purification system that does UV, multiple levels of filtration, etc but none of them would I consider for home use (they're about the size of a medium refrigerator.

As others have said, if you have city water, there is no reason why you should be worried about bacteria. Removing heavy metals can be done with a standard charcoal activated filter system and chlorine can be mostly removed by RO.

Microparticles of plastic should be able to be easily removed with nearly any filter of the correct size. Most microplastics should be above 5 micron and you can get filters that go down to 1 micron.

 

[BoomerD]

There are numerous commercial options out there if you want a water purification system that does UV, multiple levels of filtration, etc but none of them would I consider for home use (they're about the size of a medium refrigerator.

As others have said, if you have city water, there is no reason why you should be worried about bacteria. Removing heavy metals can be done with a standard charcoal activated filter system and chlorine can be mostly removed by RO.

Microparticles of plastic should be able to be easily removed with nearly any filter of the correct size. Most microplastics should be above 5 micron and you can get filters that go down to 1 micron.

A good carbon filter will remove the chlorine as well. No need to waste water with an RO unit just for chlorine.

(the amount of actual waste water from an RO unit will depend on many factors...water pressure, input water quality, age of the RO membrane, etc.)

 

[pauldun170]

Berkey Brigade checking in

Eventually, I'd like to upgrade from the 3.25 to the 6 gallon version and hook it up to water line to auto refill.

 

[shortylickens]

For many years I've been using the 3M filtrete system. Its hooked up under the sink.
Water tastes much better, which means I drink more. I dont know if its "Best" but it works well.

 

[MrSquished]

I've been eyeing a Berkey as well. My sister's family uses it and swears by it. She is crazy about this kind of stuff. They do take up a decent bit of counter space if you have a smaller kitchen for the larger models.

 

[pauldun170]

I've been eyeing a Berkey as well. My sister's family uses it and swears by it. She is crazy about this kind of stuff. They do take up a decent bit of counter space if you have a smaller kitchen for the larger models.

Picked up a stand for ours.
Filters last a for a couple of years, just need to scrub them with a rough side of a sponge if they get dirty.

 

[Desert Gal]

There is no one "best" water filtration system. Yes, RO works very well, but wastes 3-5x as much water as it produces...
Deionization/ion exchange systems can be very good options. (Water softeners are a type of ion exchange)
A simple sediment/carbon filter system can also be excellent. I have two of the "Big Blue" canisters in my garage. One is a 5 micron sediment filter, the other is a very good carbon filter for taste.
Our water here is heavily chlorinated...and has tons of iron in it. The filter combination I have does a decent job removing both. I've considered going to a water softener system...the particulate level in out water runs well over 300 ppm...that's a LOT.

It really comes down to what kinds of problems your source water has.

I just saw your post. You have two "Big Blue's," have you ever run a TDS with both in service? I am interested in what difference it would be with them in Bi-pass. Thanks!

 

[BoomerD]

I just saw your post. You have two "Big Blue's," have you ever run a TDS with both in service? I am interested in what difference it would be with them in Bi-pass. Thanks!

AFAIK, no difference. The sediment and carbon filter don't seem to make a difference. The 300ppm is the final TDS after the filters. I've never had the "raw" water tested.

 

[right_to_know]

How can we test our water without expensive lab tests?

 

[deadlyapp]

How can we test our water without expensive lab tests?

There are some cheap do it yourself kits that use test strips, however they're a bit hard to interpret if you want really concrete results.

 

[Brainonska511]

Having grown up in that area, I'd be perfectly happy drinking the tap water - nothing wrong with it. Usually I just use a Brita pitcher though, largely for the refrigeration aspect.

 

[GrowlikePro]

From post covid, we only use water from earthen pots to drink as it is considered that pot’s water leads to a healthy body.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I have an under sink Kinetico Kube system and it does a good job removing the chlorine taste and making the water taste better. Essentially you set it up so that your cold water faucet runs through the filter system, so when you use the cold water, it's filtered. I fill a jug and put it in the fridge. Make sure your jug has a lid that seals so the water does not pickup smells from the fridge (pizza is especially bad for that). I had a Britta and because it's open spout I found the water would start to taste funny depending on what's in the fridge.

There should not be any bacteria in your city water unless they have serious issues with their filtration plant or have a pipe failure where contaminates might get in while they are repairing it and then when they turn it back on, but normally they will tell you of these things so you can boil your water, and in the case of a pipe break you usually just need to let it run for a while.

If you don't trust your city, you can always boil your water to be safe. Though it's probably better for boiling to be the first stage, then you filter it, so you don't end up with bacteria growing in your filter. So this would be a bit more involved as you can't just use an under sink system.

If there is bacteria chances are you'd hear more about it though in the community. Bad water, whether it's bad chemicals or bacteria is kind of a big deal, like what Flint or lot of indigenous communities are dealing with.

 

[Brainonska511]

Well it is always be good to have a safe side, what I do is that I boil water after filteration also and then let it cool naturally, this is the most healthy way and economical too as you can use basic candle type filters for this.

I wouldn't call routinely boiling water for daily use economical.

 

[deadlyapp]

I wouldn't call routinely boiling water for daily use economical.

Unless you live in a third world country lol

 

[Kaido]

I have this & absolutely hate it:

Amazon.com: Aquasana AQ-RO-3.55 undersink Water Filter, one size, Brushed Nickel : Everything Else

Amazon.com: Aquasana AQ-RO-3.55 undersink Water Filter, one size, Brushed Nickel : Everything Else

www.amazon.com

My city water tastes a bit metallic; this made my water taste SIGNIFICANTLY worse. No one in my family will use it. Triple-filter with an RO tank. Issues include:

1. Tastes bad
2. Slow to fill up your cup
3. Typically never cold (water stays in the small RO tank)

I would have sent it back to Amazon, but I had a plumber buddy help me install it & there's a hole for the faucet in my sink, so I just ate the cost thinking maybe it would get better over time. It's been two years, nope! Yuck.

 

[paperfist]

The problem with RO is it strips out all the minerals. Some new systems put them back in though.

 

[Kaido]

The problem with RO is it strips out all the minerals. Some new systems put them back in though.

From what I understand, Aquafina & Dasani pretty much just clean out the water & then add a little mineral packet back in for flavoring. That's the flavor I was looking for with my system. I should look into bypassing the RO tank & seeing how the triple-filter system works by itself...

 

[paperfist]

From what I understand, Aquafina & Dasani pretty much just clean out the water & then add a little mineral packet back in for flavoring. That's the flavor I was looking for with my system. I should look into bypassing the RO tank & seeing how the triple-filter system works by itself...

Does yours have the remineralization filter? I would try bypassing that first. It’s hard to tell but those filters look small. The other issue with RO, but I’d assume the manufacturers address it with these kits is they require certain water pressure levels to work. The bigger ones are 70-90 PSI, if it’s get too low or high the membrane can’t remove the solids.

I can’t remember the site, but they talked about running water through RO and then remineralizing the water to be like carbonated Perrier.

 

[pauldun170]

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