What is the best faucet-mounted water filter?
June 22, 2013 12:29 AM Subscribe
What brand/model of faucet-mounted water filter works best?
My apartment has very hard water, and I have taken to filtering it to make it a bit more pleasing -- straight from the tap it is full of little (visible) particles. It's not just turbulence, as they settle to the bottom of the glass.
I used a Brita pitcher filter for a while. It worked beautifully -- the water was crystal clear -- but it was a pain to refill every few drinks.
I installed a Culligan faucet-mounted filter, which has great reviews on Amazon. The water still has tons of little particles.
Does anyone have experience with such faucet-mounted filters? Do Brita's faucet-mounted filters work as well as their pitcher filters (or at least better than Culligan's faucet-mounted filters)? Has anyone tried PŪR or something else? Thank you.
My apartment has very hard water, and I have taken to filtering it to make it a bit more pleasing -- straight from the tap it is full of little (visible) particles. It's not just turbulence, as they settle to the bottom of the glass.
I used a Brita pitcher filter for a while. It worked beautifully -- the water was crystal clear -- but it was a pain to refill every few drinks.
I installed a Culligan faucet-mounted filter, which has great reviews on Amazon. The water still has tons of little particles.
Does anyone have experience with such faucet-mounted filters? Do Brita's faucet-mounted filters work as well as their pitcher filters (or at least better than Culligan's faucet-mounted filters)? Has anyone tried PŪR or something else? Thank you.
Well that saved me a question since I was ready to post exactly this. The main complaint I've heard in regards to the tap-mounted filters is the crappy connection that quickly starts leaking after installation, so if anybody could speak to that...
posted by The Michael The at 5:04 AM on June 22, 2013
posted by The Michael The at 5:04 AM on June 22, 2013
Best answer: Hard water is addressed by a water softener, not a filter, but visible particles are not the same thing as hard water. If your water tastes okay and you're just trying to remove solid chunks of rust, sediment, etc. then you need a particulate filter, which is not the main function of any of the faucet-mounted (or pitcher, for that matter) filters I'm seeing. My guess is that the pitcher worked better because sediment had time to settle out, and because the water wasn't being forced through the pitcher filter at 60 PSI.
There are filters designed to be installed in the cabinet under the sink between the cold water supply and the faucet, for which you can get cartridges that remove sediment along with a lot of other stuff.
And then there are similar whole-house filters that remove only sediment, for which the cartridges are much cheaper. With a few common plumbing fittings, you could put one of these under the sink too.
posted by jon1270 at 5:26 AM on June 22, 2013 [3 favorites]
There are filters designed to be installed in the cabinet under the sink between the cold water supply and the faucet, for which you can get cartridges that remove sediment along with a lot of other stuff.
And then there are similar whole-house filters that remove only sediment, for which the cartridges are much cheaper. With a few common plumbing fittings, you could put one of these under the sink too.
posted by jon1270 at 5:26 AM on June 22, 2013 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I have a similar problem in with our water. We use one of the undersink style of filters that jon1270 recommended (though a different brand) it made our horrible water that tasted like it crap and had floating stuff in it like yours, seriously I thought something had died in the hot water system, anyway it made that water taste just like bottled water. It's easy to install, there are videos online, and easy to replace cartridges and it would be easy to remove and take with you, maybe leaving 2 small screw holes in an out of the way place no one would notice. Replacement cartridges are not cheap ($25 to $30) but they do last a surprisingly long time and are easy to swap out.
posted by wwax at 11:40 AM on June 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by wwax at 11:40 AM on June 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: jon1270, wwax: Thanks for the input! Is there a way to turn the filtering on and off without removing the filter? I ask because I wouldn't bother filtering for when I wash the dishes, for example.
posted by dhens at 8:55 PM on June 22, 2013
posted by dhens at 8:55 PM on June 22, 2013
No, the undercounter types don't have a built-in bypass valve. You could plumb one in, but you'd have to open the cabinet and reach under the sink to operate it, which would probably be more of a pain than it would be worth.
Proper installation is more critical with the filters I suggested than with a faucet-mounted type. If you are not comfortable with tools and basic plumbing, you should enlist the help of a handy friend.
posted by jon1270 at 3:50 AM on June 23, 2013
Proper installation is more critical with the filters I suggested than with a faucet-mounted type. If you are not comfortable with tools and basic plumbing, you should enlist the help of a handy friend.
posted by jon1270 at 3:50 AM on June 23, 2013
The under sink ones don't turn off for dishwashing, but I have found that it actually helped to have it on as I got a lot less water spots on things. You can get under sink filters plumbed in to separate little spouts with a lever you press for water, these cost a little more and would be harder to put in and take out in a rental without anyone noticing, but if they are cheap enough you could offer to leave it, most landlords don't mind improvements they don't have to pay for. I had one of those when I lived in Australia and loved it. We have a tiny sink in our current house which is why we went for the one plumbed into the main line one we did.
For the one I mentioned in my first comment I have almost no skills at DIY but love a challenge and did it myself in about half an hour, including time to stop and rewatch the videos to make 100% sure fittings were the right way around. The main challenge is clearing all the crap out from under the sink, well that and to make sure everything is firmly and completely pushed in as I'm not very strong in my hands.
posted by wwax at 8:51 AM on June 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
For the one I mentioned in my first comment I have almost no skills at DIY but love a challenge and did it myself in about half an hour, including time to stop and rewatch the videos to make 100% sure fittings were the right way around. The main challenge is clearing all the crap out from under the sink, well that and to make sure everything is firmly and completely pushed in as I'm not very strong in my hands.
posted by wwax at 8:51 AM on June 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by dottiechang at 1:40 AM on June 22, 2013 [1 favorite]