Chilled tap water filter with no installation - does it exist?
January 9, 2020 12:06 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for small-rental-apartment solutions to replace stocking disposable bottled water in my fridge. A Brita filter that attaches to the faucet tap was suggested -- are there any that also produce *cold* water, assuming that my tap water starts out at room temperature? Or other solutions that fit my snowflake criteria?
My current workflow is:
1) buy a case of bottled water
2) stock the fridge door with 4 bottles of water at a time
I'd like to transition away from bottled water, but manually filling reusable bottles with filtered water has proved to be more work than I can habituate to. What I really want is a chilled undersink filtration system -- but I live in a rental apartment and can't make any permanent changes to the sink.
Note: I also struggle with chronic dehydration, to the extent that it's caused medical symptoms. So I am not willing to "cold turkey" into an environmentally friendly lifestyle. I'm looking more for an incremental improvement that still meets my picky desires for both water "taste" and convenience.
My current workflow is:
1) buy a case of bottled water
2) stock the fridge door with 4 bottles of water at a time
I'd like to transition away from bottled water, but manually filling reusable bottles with filtered water has proved to be more work than I can habituate to. What I really want is a chilled undersink filtration system -- but I live in a rental apartment and can't make any permanent changes to the sink.
Note: I also struggle with chronic dehydration, to the extent that it's caused medical symptoms. So I am not willing to "cold turkey" into an environmentally friendly lifestyle. I'm looking more for an incremental improvement that still meets my picky desires for both water "taste" and convenience.
We use a Brita filter jug, which lives on the inside of the fridge door.
posted by pipeski at 12:14 PM on January 9, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by pipeski at 12:14 PM on January 9, 2020 [2 favorites]
Was going to ask about the fridge filtered water dispenser, as well. I got one when I moved a few months ago and it's so nice, I drink so much more water. I have one of the large ones so I don't have to refill very often (because I struggle with that, too). It is a little heavy to carry the filled tank to the fridge, but I can still do it even with a weak/injured shoulder.
posted by rhiannonstone at 12:15 PM on January 9, 2020
posted by rhiannonstone at 12:15 PM on January 9, 2020
Brita is awesome. Really delicious water.
posted by gryphonlover at 12:16 PM on January 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by gryphonlover at 12:16 PM on January 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
As you noted chilled under sink filtration systems exist, but if we're talking about a solution that's doesn't require a lot of space, modifications to plumbing, or a a lot of money what about ice?
posted by nulledge at 12:19 PM on January 9, 2020
posted by nulledge at 12:19 PM on January 9, 2020
Best answer: I just used two lidded tea pitchers like: Amazon.com: tea pitcher. Fill both up from the Britta on the tap, when one is empty, refill it and let it chill while using the other. Just keep cycling between the two.
posted by zengargoyle at 12:31 PM on January 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by zengargoyle at 12:31 PM on January 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: i have the big brita cube thing in the bottom of my fridge which i refill with a gallon jug that i keep in the fridge. this means there is always cold water. like, i refill the cube with refrigerated tap water and then refill the jug for the next time the cube is getting low. i also drink approximately 10,000x more water now that i have a thermos that keeps it incredibly tooth-achingly cold, bc apparently i like to suffer.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:33 PM on January 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by poffin boffin at 12:33 PM on January 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
I use a standalone watercooler with one of these filter bottles on top. I refill it using a large pitcher, which is perhaps sufficiently less finicky than refilling individual bottles that you would be okay with that.
posted by jacquilynne at 12:37 PM on January 9, 2020
posted by jacquilynne at 12:37 PM on January 9, 2020
Best answer: Yeah, I use a Brita pitcher that's kept in the fridge. I used to live in a place where the tap water tasted so bad that it made my pasta taste bad. The Brita pitcher made the tap water taste exactly like water should, and my pasta became edible again.
And if you find that you drink so much water that what's in the pitcher doesn't have a chance to get cold, make ice cubes with filtered water.
posted by bananana at 12:41 PM on January 9, 2020
And if you find that you drink so much water that what's in the pitcher doesn't have a chance to get cold, make ice cubes with filtered water.
posted by bananana at 12:41 PM on January 9, 2020
Seconding a larger container in the fridge with a tap type dispensing mode. Fill that with a non chilled pitcher filter en masse however often, put in fridge to chill, pull out when chilled and use to fill the bottles you need easily and quickly or as you need them. Add in an additional extra container in the fridge if you find yourself churning through water before the first batch of chilled water is ready or is still being filled via pitcher thoroughput.
posted by RolandOfEld at 12:50 PM on January 9, 2020
posted by RolandOfEld at 12:50 PM on January 9, 2020
Best answer: We have a Brita with a tap dispenser in the fridge. Workflow:
1. Fill cup with tap water
2. Walk to fridge
3. Pour tap water into top of Brita for filtering
4. Dispense already filtered and cold water into cup for drinking
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:16 PM on January 9, 2020 [3 favorites]
1. Fill cup with tap water
2. Walk to fridge
3. Pour tap water into top of Brita for filtering
4. Dispense already filtered and cold water into cup for drinking
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:16 PM on January 9, 2020 [3 favorites]
It would help to know what you want filtered out of the water.
posted by JackFlash at 2:46 PM on January 9, 2020
posted by JackFlash at 2:46 PM on January 9, 2020
Response by poster: Thanks everyone for the product and workflow suggestions! Lots of little things that never occurred to me -- making ice cubes from filtered water, Brita pitchers with tap dispensers, refilling the giant pitcher from a smaller pitcher, etc.
JackFlash, I want to filter "taste" out of my tap water. I'm confident that it's safe to drink, but my taste buds are used to flavorless bottled spring water and I can definitely taste the difference in my tap water.
posted by serelliya at 2:55 PM on January 9, 2020
JackFlash, I want to filter "taste" out of my tap water. I'm confident that it's safe to drink, but my taste buds are used to flavorless bottled spring water and I can definitely taste the difference in my tap water.
posted by serelliya at 2:55 PM on January 9, 2020
I sorta forgot to add that if you plan on things other than drinking, the filter on the tap works out better. Filling a pot for pasta or a rice-cooker, things like that. Otherwise you have to stand there with the refrigerator door open trying to hold a pot and press the tap while it fills up. And it's cold water at that, taking even longer to heat up and come to a boil. Depends I guess on whether tap is fine for things other than drinking straight up by the glass.
posted by zengargoyle at 6:01 PM on January 9, 2020
posted by zengargoyle at 6:01 PM on January 9, 2020
I hooked an undersink-style reverse osmosis water filter to the fridge ice maker in addition to the sink tap. It has a three gallon tank and was basically the Sears version of the Culligan RO filter. These filters are not permanent installation except perhaps for installing the tap. If you have a knockout for a soap dispenser, that's a good place for the tap to go. They also have (had?) a countertop version.
Filtered water at the sink is obviously room-temperature. However, this is really what you want for cooking uses. I don't see that as a major downside.
The fridge is capable of dispensing chilled water, but we usually leave it on the ice crusher. It's easy enough to fill a glass with the right amount of crushed ice and then fill it from the sink tap. If you don't have an icemaking fridge or don't want to muck with the plumbing, that's still okay:
In the summer, I take a two gallon beverage dispenser with a tap on it and fill it with ice. The ice typically lasts at least through the day, slowly melting and making ice water. The next morning, it's mostly cold water with ice. Refill with more ice. Our ice maker can't make ice at the necessary volume so I just use regular stackable ice trays filled from the sink tap. You can supplement with filtered water as needed. The family loves having ice cold water available on hot days. And it's really, really 32'F ice cold.
posted by jgreco at 7:45 PM on January 9, 2020
Filtered water at the sink is obviously room-temperature. However, this is really what you want for cooking uses. I don't see that as a major downside.
The fridge is capable of dispensing chilled water, but we usually leave it on the ice crusher. It's easy enough to fill a glass with the right amount of crushed ice and then fill it from the sink tap. If you don't have an icemaking fridge or don't want to muck with the plumbing, that's still okay:
In the summer, I take a two gallon beverage dispenser with a tap on it and fill it with ice. The ice typically lasts at least through the day, slowly melting and making ice water. The next morning, it's mostly cold water with ice. Refill with more ice. Our ice maker can't make ice at the necessary volume so I just use regular stackable ice trays filled from the sink tap. You can supplement with filtered water as needed. The family loves having ice cold water available on hot days. And it's really, really 32'F ice cold.
posted by jgreco at 7:45 PM on January 9, 2020
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posted by Aleyn at 12:13 PM on January 9, 2020 [1 favorite]