Undercounter water filters

[audioguy]

Wasn't sure where to post this since it is not a major appliance.

After reading the book, "Detox of Die" by Dr. Shirley Rogers, and doing a bunch of other independent research on how we ingest/absorb toxins and the effect on our health, my wife and I are getting very serious about detoxing and staying detoxed. We recently purchased a far infrared sauna and are looking at all of the toxins we ingest or apply to our bodies. The quality of water in our area (Atlanta) is awful. More toxins than you can shake a stick at. We have been using a manual filtration system but it is time consuming and cumbersome. Drinking water out of plastic water "bottles" is a no-no if you are concerned about toxic materials in your body (if you have not heard this, go do the research). So we decided to do it right and get an under-the-counter system. And thus the problem.

There are all kinds of systems (ionizers, reverse osmosis, etc) and we are trying to find the best one. Anyone done the research who would care to share what you have learned and what you ended up purchasing?

Thanks

 

[fas42]

We've been using an above counter unit for over 20 years, and the housing is still going strong. Not the most elegant way, but if you move around a bit it does the job nicely. The compressed carbon block filter catridges do an excellent job, down to sub-micron elimination, and last from 12 months up to a year and half, depending upon how fussy you are. We couldn't live with drinking tea and coffee without one! Testing shows 95-100% elimination of virtually everything, and also remove E-coli, Giardia and Crytosporidium bacteria and parasites.

Frank

 

[RBFC]

We have an under-counter reverse osmosis unit, and have a calcite post-filter. RO systems typically reduce the mineral content in water drastically, which is good when the contaminants are unhealthy (i.e. arsenic) but often leaves the water tasting bad due to low pH. The calcite post-filter actually adds back some safe calcium, etc. and improves the taste. Taste is one of the reasons that folks prefer bottled water to RO water, and this technique provides the best of both worlds.

Lee

 

[rblnr]

We've used a two stage undercounter filter for years -- sold under many names including GE, the filters are made by Pentek. It's a very fine sediment filter along with a charcoal filter -- it gets rid of a long list of things Eliminating some of the chlorine makes the water taste better too We get the version that gets rid of MTBE, a contaminant that may be in NJ water due to the resident chemical plants. The filter was a consumer reports top pick. Walterfilters.net has good prices on all this stuff.

Reverse osmosis systems can work well but typically waste a lot of water.

 

[audioguy]

We've used a two stage undercounter filter for years -- sold under many names including GE, the filters are made by Pentek. It's a very fine sediment filter along with a charcoal filter -- it gets rid of a long list of things Eliminating some of the chlorine
Ames the water taste better too We get the version that gets rid of MTBE, a contaminant that may be in NJ water due to the chemical plants. The filter was a consumer reports top pick. Walterfilters.net has good prices on all this stuff.

Reverse osmosis systems can work well but typically waste a lot of water.

Thanks Bob. I will check it out. Given the number of bodies dumped into the New Jersey rivers, you probably DO need special filters

 

[audioguy]

We have an under-counter reverse osmosis unit, and have a calcite post-filter. RO systems typically reduce the mineral content in water drastically, which is good when the contaminants are unhealthy (i.e. arsenic) but often leaves the water tasting bad due to low pH. The calcite post-filter actually adds back some safe calcium, etc. and improves the taste. Taste is one of the reasons that folks prefer bottled water to RO water, and this technique provides the best of both worlds.

Lee

One of my concerns about RO systems is that they do remove minerals, including the good stuff so we would possibly need to somehow add that back in.

 

[rblnr]

Thanks Bob. I will check it out. Given the number of bodies dumped into the New Jersey rivers, you probably DO need special filters

Yep, there's a Hoffa version of the filter too.

 

[danielk141]

Audioguy,

I work for a large municipal water system. I've been in water quality for approximately half of my 28 years. I will give you my opinion on your issue, as a private citizen.
I'm not supposed to endorse any brand of device. I will tell you what I personally use, to give my perspective.
1. I drink tap water. I never drink it immediately from the tap. I add water to my pool or take a shower, etc., to get water from the water main (i.e. not water that's been sitting in my service line).
2. I do store the water in plastic. My favorite bottles have a high recycle number (usually a 7). i've read these have minimal outgassing. Langer's juice and many ice teas come in thick 1 gallon jugs like this.
3. I wait at least 24 hours before I drink the tap water. I have 7 jugs in my fridge, I fill them all when I get down to one. After 24 hours, the chlorine dissipates and is not detectable.
4. Your selection of a "point of use' filter is very good, IMO. The "point of delivery" or whole-house filters are not needed & even a negative, IMO. The ones that include a charcoal filter take out all chlorine, before the water enters your house. This is not good for your plumbing - biofilm can form, also, legionella can grow & flourish in your plumbing. This issue specifically can happen in houses in the southwest (where I live). The legionella issue is also caused by turning down a water heater to save money. 130 degree water kills legionella, 105 degree water makes it grow.
5. I don't drink bottled water unless I have to. When it's over 100 degrees here, I sweat a fair amount working outside. If I drink water from a process that takes out the minerals, I feel bad.
Most noticeably joint pain.
6. I don't shower in chlorinated water. I have a filter on my showerhead, that eliminates >90% of the chlorine. It was about $20.00 & the replceable cartrige is less.
7. Whatever device anyone uses, I strongly urge them to change the filter element(s) as often as suggested by the manufacturer. Many people try to save money by leaving the filter element in longer. As soon as anything starts growing on the filter, it becomes a negative. The customer would then be better off just taking the filter out, and leaving it out.

 

[amirm]

Welcome to the forum Daniel! Very informative first post. Any advice for people on a well? We have one at our vacation house and it is about 0.1 miles from the house distance wise. When we go there, we try to run the water for a while but that pipe holds a lot. So we tend to use bottled water and only use the water for cooking and such where it is boiled or showers. The taste is fine and we tested it before we bought the house.

 

[Steve Williams]

Also welcome Daniel.

Does working for the large municipal water system make you take the precautions you do or is it for water anywhere

 

[danielk141]

Amir,

Being on a private or shared well can present challenges that are site specific. I would talk to your neighbors & any local water companies about any issue specific to your area.
The water should already have been sampled & analyzed regularly. The results should be public record.

 

[danielk141]

Steve,

The precautions I take are specific for my area. The #1 disinfectant here is chlorine. You'll see water treatment device vendors label this as a poison.
At 1.0 mg/L (parts per million), it is simply a cost effective disinfectant, IMO.
I would drink tap water anywhere, unless I know it has an issue meeting state or federal standards.

 

[amirm]

Amir,

Being on a private or shared well can present challenges that are site specific. I would talk to your neighbors & any local water companies about any issue specific to your area.
The water should already have been sampled & analyzed regularly. The results should be public record.

Thanks Daniel. We own our own well so it is not subject to rules of public reporting and such (it is not shared). Being in Seattle area and property being near water, the water table is quite high and quality really good from what we heard and experienced. Still, we take caution and drink bottled water.

For testing the water, do I just find someone at random or is there a better lab than others?

 

[danielk141]

Amir,

Whenever a citizen asks me about an analysis from a private lab, I tell them to look in the Yellow Pages under "water analysis".
There are usually several labs in an area. This can get pricey. I would find out if there are any substances that are of concern in your area,
and have the water tested specifically for those.

 

[mep]

We have a Culligan RO system that has 4 different filters. It feeds a special faucet on our sink and our ice cube maker. Our water tastes great and our ice cubes taste great. We bought it originally for my wife’s salt water tank because you have to have very pure water. I have been very happy with our RO system.

 

[RBFC]

We have a Culligan RO system that has 4 different filters. It feeds a special faucet on our sink and our ice cube maker. Our water tastes great and our ice cubes taste great. We bought it originally for my wife’s salt water tank because you have to have very pure water. I have been very happy with our RO system.

We have the same type setup! Cool, Mark!

Lee