apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I know you say a faucet mounted filter is ugly, but I have one for my stainless steel sink, and PUR acutally makes a stainless steel finish filter so something like that to me, would go together well

For years, our system was to use the Brita box filter - basically a big plastic box with a tap. I think it holds more water than the pitcher. We would then fill a regular pitcher with filtered water from the box (and then refill the box) so as to sort of hoard the filtered water. It worked fine, but was definitely an annoying daily task, filling the filter box. Also, the box took up room in the fridge, and also seemed to constantly be in the sink being filled, just when I needed the sink for some other task. And, it does seem hard to get those things truly clean.

We just recently (because we moved and re-did the kitchen) switched to the undercounter kind - an Aqua-Pure system. That might not be spelled right. At any rate, it's WONDERFUL to just have that little tap there at the sink - no more filter box to fill or clean or find room for. We use it for drinking, cooking, cleaning fruit and veggies, making coffee and tea. For us, it was a great investment. If you have room under the counter and you're going to be there for a while, it's worth considering.

I have an undercounter water filter, too, and it is so great. It really doesn't take up THAT much space in the sink cabinet. (Then again, I don't have a garbage disposal, so maybe that's why.) I got mine from Home Depot, I think it's a GE product. (Though the faucet that came with it is ugly so I bought a different one at Ira Wood online for a super reasonable price.)

As for where to put the filter faucet, if you have a separate sprayer next to your main faucet you can take over that hole in the countertop. Otherwise, yep, you'll need to make a new one.

http://www.multipureco.com

I have a MP750SC from multipure, and I love it.
You set it next to your sink and attach it to your faucet. Push the valve in, and you get normal water, push it the other way, and it diverts the water to go through the filter.

It bought it because it was recommended by several health organizations around here, it does a better job of removing contaminants from the water than other filters, and has a lower total cost of ownership.

The unit itself is somewhat expensive, but it is made out of stainless steel so it will not break like some of those cheap plastic attachments or pitchers. Assuming you'll be using this for many years to come, the filters are cheaper in the long term as you only have to change them about ONCE a year.

Of course they have the under-counter units available, but that's not what you were looking for.

Get one. You'll not be disappointed.

Not to be a total philistine, but in some places, the tap water is really very good (for instance, Manhattan, where I used to live, or Boston, where I now live with our new water treatment system). If you don't like the taste of your water, I understand, but it might be worth spending some time with your local tap water to see what it's like. You could try keeping a pitcher cold tap water in the fridge, if you like super-cold water. I would certainly do that before using bottled water, which is enormously wasteful.

V in Boston,

Unfortunately not all of the pipes in our buildings are as good as the water.

-B

Here was my response from last week's post. What do others think of Aquasana? (I also have their shower filter - I didn't feel any noticeable difference with it, but am happy to think it's doing some good anyway.)

Candice,

To do a really good job, water filters have to push the water through the filter (so passive pitcher systems are not as good/thorough as those connected - either over the counter or under - to your cold water flow.

When I researched this question a few years ago, paying attention to particular problems in New York City water (different water problems arise in the country and other areas, depending on water source), I came up with Aquasana. They have an under-the-counter conversion kit that is NOT AT ALL difficult to install. I think it took me all of 20 minutes (and I am NOT a plumber). In fact, I spent much much more time than that (days, going into months) worrying that it would be too big a job for me to pull off. Even after the box arrived, it sat there ominously while I worried about all the things I might make go wrong by fiddling with stuff under my sink. Anyway, there's NO need to be like that; as I say, it's not hard at all. By the way, in my case, I had a hole in my sink for a water sprayer, and I simply removed that to install the Aquasana water spout in its place. Looks nice. Tastes great.

My husband and I use the Brita box filter and really like it. I suspect that it's good for a smaller household, but probably not so for a big family. The thing that's nice about it is that you can fill it and still dispense water from it because you don't have to tip it.

I started with a Brita pitcher and now have a Brita filer that is attached to the faucet. I don't care if its ugly (it's really not). My only dislike is that the water stream is so unbelievably slow. But its a step up.

Does the water stream from an under the sink unit flow reasonably quickly? If so, I'll consider one.

My husband and I had a Brita pitcher for years but we just switched to their faucet-mounted one. I love it; you can still get tap water, there's a spray-shower function, and now I use filtered water for cooking, which I never did when we had the pitcher.

I don't think it looks too bad, but I'll let you judge for yourself. Here's a pic of ours, installed -- http://flickr.com/photos/mamichan/427476469/

I've had the Brita faucet-mounted filter for a while and have just had to switch back to a filter pitcher - much to my chagrin - because the mounted one would eventually start to leak and spray at the point it connected to the faucet. I have actually gone through two of these in the last year. It is so frustrating, because it is very convenient in terms of having a constant source of filtered water for cooking etc. Has anyone else had this problem, or is it a function of my ancient sink fittings?

I use both the Brita faucet-mount AND the pitcher. The tap water in my building is partularly cloudy / minerally (old pipes i guess) but the the two filters combined make a huge difference. The water tastes good. I also like the fact that the faucet mount has a spray function.

Am I the only person that uses an inline filter on the supply to my fridge? It's way easier.

And someone mentioned tap water quality... I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not filtering because of the tap quality, but because of the age of my pips! :)

I am also using the tap-mounted Brita filter. Its appearance suits me fine, and I've been happy with its performance thus far. It was less than $30 and was very easy to install. The water tastes remarkably better than my tap water.

When you say an "under counter filter" I can only assume you mean a reverse osmosis filter correct?

in which case its rather easy to install using a saddle clamp and the only thing left is too install the tap on the sink and install a T into your drain for the wast (I would prefer to capture it in a bucket to water the garden or plants)

I would also recommend you get a filter setup that has a small storage tank, means you wont be waiting 5 minutes to fill a glass.

I have the Britta box filter that goes in your fridge and the pitcher. I didn't plan it this way, I bought the pitcher first and it wasn't big enough to make pitchers of drinks so I use the smaller pitcher for cooking. They work well, but take up significant space in the refrigerator. The plan is to install a GE or other undersink filter.

If you change to a sink with a faucet-sink sprayer combination, I would suggest changing your faucet to a pull out type which frees the sink sprayer hole for the water filter spigot. This installation should not be difficult, follow the instructions on both the faucet and filter and make sure you have the appropriate tools, one or two adjustable wrenches, channel locks, or large pliers.

Maxwell - Lift away, the additional feedback is welcome!

Mint - Your filter looks fine, thanks for sharing the pic. I'm just overly attached to my faucet. It's the most expensive thing I've bought my kitchen (so far), and for once I bought the thing I liked best, not just a cheapie.

Mat: I have a super-basic fridge, no water, no icemaker even.

Ben - Storage tank? Ugh. That sounds like another mark in the favor of a pitcher or box.

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

(Am I the only one who gets rather excited to see MY name on AT?)

I'm late to this one.... but I use a two pitcher system. One Brita and one regular run of the mill Rubbermaid pitcher. I drink water constantly, so I always want to have a cold full pitcher on hand...so I pour the filtered water from the Brita into the regular pitcher..and that is what I drink from. Then I refill the Brita pitcher and I always have cold water on hand.

I use a faucet mounted Pur (in stainless steel "look" finish) and love it. It's easy, not ugly, and reminds you when to change the filter. However, if I owned (rather than rented) I would totally get an under sink one installed.

I'm no expert, but I think there are two kinds of undersink filtration systems: reverse osmosis and carbon block. The GE Smartwater from Home Depot (what I have) is the carbon block, which I believe is basically what the Brita system is. I think reverse osmosis systems are more expensive and perhaps bulkier? I'm not totally sure. All I know is that the dual-filter thing I have hanging in my sink cabinet is about 10" tall, 2.5" deep and 3" wide. There's no "storage tank." The water pressure it delivers is the same as my regular faucet--it takes about 20 seconds to fill a glass.

Water filters are a good example of manufacturers creating the need for something that we actually don't need at all. Same with bottled water. Sorry to break it to y'all but studies show that bottled water and the water you get from the tap *just about* anywhere in the US are negligibly different. It's wasteful and pointless.
Here's a thought: take the money you'd spend on filtered/bottled water and donate it to a group that works to provide potable drinking water to people in the third world- where there actually is a need! Or at least match what you spend on your filtered water, if you're not willing to give up that illusion of luxury.

As people have been saying, Molly, it's not a matter of the quality of the water supply itself so much as problems with mineral leach from old pipes. Here in DC we are actually advised not to drink unfiltered water because of the commonness of lead-lined "service pipes" in buildings. Last year DC children were discovered to have been testing with very high blood lead levels and the whole thing came out. Turned out the water authority had been sitting on the news for several years - so, better to be safe. Also, filtered water does just taste better. I don't think your sense of superiority is justified when you pass judgement on the desire of others to look after their health!

I hate to break it to *you* Molly, but before you decide to lecture people, you should really understand what you're talking about. I know being all preachy and condescending is fun, but really...

Of course bottled water is the same as tap water. Around here, the bottles even say "from municipal water supply". What you don't understand is that 1) tap water at out of the municipal supply is not the same as tap water out of the faucet in your home, and 2) the fact that tap and bottled is the same has *nothing* to do with how good the water is.

As to 1, home/building plumbing can be a source of nasty contamination. As many others have pointed out, this can render the water undrinkable, if not unhealthy.

As to 2, tap water still contains chlorine, fluorine, minerals & metals. These may or may not be a direct health hazard (I think much of the hysteria is overblown), but they do in fact have an effect.

For example, if you keep a salt water aquarium, you learn real fast that "clean" tap water is full of stuff that is plain outright toxic to a lot of the stuff in your tank (coarls, certain sensitive fish). I know this first hand, with my very clean municipal water.

And go to talk to someone with hard water how much fun that is.

They say the water in New York is some of the best drinking water in the country, but I have to agree that the pipes in your own home can cause a potential hazard. Yet, you can have your water tested, and this probably makes the most sense before putting out money for a filter you may not need.