Under sink water filter systems

[Bum]

Anyone have any experience with them?
The water from the city has taken on a poor taste and affects coffee, cooking and the smell of the laundry; the city states its safe to drink and is caused by the "new" filtration process and minerals in the soil at the water table ....I would like to know if installing an inline filtering system under the sink would help, and if it's difficult to install?
Pros and cons?

 

[NatMorton]

IMO, they're worth it. The quality of water they produce is good. The con is the cost. You need to buy and change filters every few months. If you have a second sink in your kitchen, it really makes sense. If you have only one sink, I think you'd need some kind of toggle on the system since you'd be using up the filter's lifespan just doing the dishes.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Since our ‘hard’ city water contains loads of sediment (scale?) we installed a Home Master (2 stage, whole house) water filtration system. They also make a 3 stage system, but that’s more applicable for well water with a high iron content.

Loading…

www.amazon.com

For use in the coffee maker and drinking water, we also use a Zero Water filtration ‘tank’ kept in the refrigerator.

Loading…

www.amazon.com

 

[Port & Starboard]

Anyone have any experience with them?
The water from the city has taken on a poor taste and affects coffee, cooking and the smell of the laundry; the city states its safe to drink and is caused by the "new" filtration process and minerals in the soil at the water table ....I would like to know if installing an inline filtering system under the sink would help, and if it's difficult to install?
Pros and cons?

Unless you know what contaminates your water contains, then it's hard to say what type of filter you need.

There are over 50 different types (maybe more) of filters to tackle these kind of things.

 

[Port & Starboard]

Water testing companies in my area charge anywheres from 75-150 dollars to test tap water. You tell them on the work order what your specific complaints are and it helps them narrow in on things a little faster.

I think I paid $110.00 when I had mine tested about 6 years ago.

I had mine tested because I was going through water heaters every 4-5 years. I found out that I had a very high mineral content.

 

[ElChupacabra]

Anyone have any experience with them?
The water from the city has taken on a poor taste and affects coffee, cooking; the city states its same to drink and is caused by the "new" filtration process and minerals in the soil at the water table ....I would like to know if installing an inline filtering system under the sink would help, and if it's difficult to install?
Pros and cons?

Filtration
The first thing to consider is the level of filtration you want because there are good varieties out there for your needs. A good 3 level filtration system will remove most of the things you want out of the water, and that will address chlorine and other trace metals like lead etc. If you're looking for much purer water, than a reverse osmosis (RO) filter is the best bet. One thing to note with many of these systems, is they connect to the cold water line and have a spigot from which you get the filtered water from. If you're looking for filtration for all the water in the home, then something that connects to the waterline is worth looking into.

I have a 3 stage filter from Waterdrop. This has been a great system because the water gets filtered really well, been easy to maintain, and is well designed. I had a Kenmore 3 filter system which filtered water pretty well, but was prone to leaks after changing filters. Waterdrop also offers different model types in case you prefer a mounted unit unlike the one I linked to which is a free standing version. This model and filtration type works well for me because I don't want water that's overly filtered like RO water, mainly because trace minerals are good to get in water. It's also good for my plants and aquariums, otherwise I'd have to supplement trace minerals.

RO systems are great if you want to have that level of filtration and water that's even better than distilled water. The thing to consider with these systems is the filtered water is stored in a tank, so you have to think about water usage in that context. If you're only using it to drink and cook, then this might be less of a concern. For me it was more problematic because I use filtered water to do aquarium water replacements weekly and water plants as well. I really like Waterdrop's products, but other companies like Aquasana, and A.O. Smith are worth looking into in both their 3 stage and RO models.

Installation
The Waterdrop was really easy to install, and so long as you don't have really old pipes/valves, it's all standard sizing in terms of the fitment for the hoses which connect the cold water line. The installation took me about 15 minutes, but as someone who lives in a prewar building, I had to change my angle stop valves so they're in the more standard configurations. I don't have experience with RO installations, but I can't imagine it being any different outside of making the space for the tank.

Good luck!

 

[Lisa]

Anyone have any experience with them?
The water from the city has taken on a poor taste and affects coffee, cooking and the smell of the laundry; the city states its safe to drink and is caused by the "new" filtration process and minerals in the soil at the water table ....I would like to know if installing an inline filtering system under the sink would help, and if it's difficult to install?
Pros and cons?

Have you tried a cheap Brita filter first? Buy the blue long-life filters for the best performance.


The RO systems are very good but they are expensive and a lot of upkeep if a simple pitcher filter will do the same job.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Water testing companies in my area charge anywheres from 75-150 dollars to test tap water. You tell them on the work order what your specific complaints are and it helps them narrow in on things a little faster.

I think I paid $110.00 when I had mine tested about 6 years ago.

I had mine tested because I was going through water heaters every 4-5 years. I found out that I had a very high mineral content.

Yep, our city water will trash a (30 to 40 gallon) electric water heater in about 5 years. The sediment (scale?) will build up enough to render the lower (electric) heating element useless.

 

[anatta]

Use a home water softener system. showers and laundry are much cleaner.. no itchy residue.and the water has no taste ( what you want)

 

[Port & Starboard]

Yep, our city water will trash a (30 to 40 gallon) electric water heater in about 5 years. The sediment (scale?) will build up enough to render the lower (electric) heating element useless.

I used to buy the cheapest dual element State water heater I could find at Lowes and HD.

I paid the extra money last time and bought a Rheem................it's still going strong after 6 years.

 

[ttwtt78640]

I used to buy the cheapest dual element State water heater I could find at Lowes and HD.

I paid the extra money last time and bought a Rheem................it's still going strong after 6 years.

Either way, filtering the water supplying it will make the water heater last longer than its warranty period.

 

[Stealers Wheel]

Have you tried a cheap Brita filter first? Buy the blue long-life filters for the best performance.


The RO systems are very good but they are expensive and a lot of upkeep if a simple pitcher filter will do the same job.

And remember this: RO water systems produce a lot of wastewater. Some as much as 5 gallons of wastewater for every gallon of purified RO water. And drinking RO water exclusively is not recommended. First, it doesn't taste good, and second, because it lacks the minerals which become electrolytes in your body, it can be harmful to your body chemistry, especially if you have health issues, like kidney disease.

 

[ttwtt78640]

And remember this: RO water systems produce a lot of wastewater. Some as much as 5 gallons of wastewater for every gallon of purified RO water. And drinking RO water exclusively is not recommended. First, it doesn't taste good, and second, because it lacks the minerals which become electrolytes in your body, it can be harmful to your body chemistry, especially if you have health issues, like kidney disease.

The RO process is also expensive compared to filtration.

 

[Lisa]

And remember this: RO water systems produce a lot of wastewater. Some as much as 5 gallons of wastewater for every gallon of purified RO water. And drinking RO water exclusively is not recommended. First, it doesn't taste good, and second, because it lacks the minerals which become electrolytes in your body, it can be harmful to your body chemistry, especially if you have health issues, like kidney disease.

I was not aware of much of that information. I had considered am RP system when they started to drill and frac in NE Ohio but luckily the 2 wells that were drilled closest to be were a bust and were never frac'd. There has been no more drilling in this area because of those wells being unproductive.



I have a cheap 2 liter Brita filter pitcher that makes a huge difference when I make coffee or tea.