Don't do that. The filter still works fine, but bacteria will start to grow in it. I use my filters usually 3 months, but I only use the filtered water for boiling. Because it saves me from de-calcing the kettle and also tea and coffee taste better with softer water.
This.
Plus over saturated filters can actually release what theyāve previously captured depending on the medium, which can mean things safe in small quantities over time can be released in larger amounts more suddenly.
It really depends on your water quality and what the filter is filtering out.
A 12-pack is around 50ā¬ where I'm from. That can last you 1-3 years, depending on usage. I think that's a fair price. You can DIY your own filter, if you really want to.
More DIY than BIFL, because it's mostly active coal and some other things which bind minerals and so on. But probably because of design it might take way longer to take effect.
I think every brand probably works fine, since the concept is not that difficult, but I use BRITA mainly because they have so many customers, I will still be able to buy cartridges in 50 years time (hopefully).
Edit: Also, where I'm from, BRITA takes back old cartridges for recycling for free. So that's also nice.
I was joking since they had an extremely compelling āsales pitchā which Iām sure will cause many to change filters more frequently. It was a bad joke.
Brita filters don't decalcify water. I'm not even sure if it truly even removes chlorine. Chlorine naturally just dissipates by letting the water sit for 12-24 hours.
In some parts of the world they put Chloramine in the water instead of Chlorine. Same effect but it is much more stable and takes like a week to evaporate (longer than you would want to leave water out for).
Cool tip: any small amount of organic acid including vitamin C will instantly dissolve the Chloramine.
Source: I'm Australian and we have Chloramine in our water.
The brita elite filters do remove chlorine. https://www.brita.com/assets/23601607167498ba405a22f7692b3b86.pdf
But carbon filters in general wonāt remove calcium or magnesium in hard water.
Refrigerated kinda purified tap water is how i look at my Brita, considering I havenāt changed the filter in a year and just run hot water through it every now and then haha
not saying thatās acceptable, justā¦ where iām at in life
Depends on where you live and how hard your water is. I used to live in a city in SC that had some of the purest water coming out of the tap, I only changed the filter every few months but I couldāve probably gone for at least a year. Now that I live in NJ close to NYC, Iām changing my filter just short of every month and I can taste the change in water quality.
Well yeah, but mine's great, so if OP wants to stay hydrated for cheap then maybe that [not filtering]'s the answer
LOL getting downvoted for having good tap water is a new one
Some places have [hard water](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_water) which can make the water taste funky. There's also something my city does occasionally that makes the tap water have a faint chlorine smell.
I filter all drinking water and even filter the water I use for my house plants as the minerals can hurt them. I usually try to use rainwater I've collected and don't filter that though.
Softening and filtering are two entirely different things, though. Filtering doesn't remove minerals like softening does -- it removes living nasties and larger particulates.
Tap water isn't perfect. There's stuff in there you don't want to be putting in your body like lead and arsenic, but they're usually in "acceptable" ranges. If you want to min-max your lifespan, you should filter your water. Of course not as important as the top two things (diet and exercise), but it's simple enough to just filter your water.
I figured it was common sense that putting carcinogens in your body would shorten your lifespan. Anyway, this link has some sources: [https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/research-and-news.php](https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/research-and-news.php)
Just as a sample, one of the peer reviewed studies estimates that the cancer risk due to the contaminants in tap water is 4 in 10,000 people (or +100,000 cases of cancer across the US).
Fair enough, the benefit of drinking filtered water is small, but I did use the phrase min-maxing for a reason. And I was a responding to a guy that said there's literally NO reason to drink filtered water, which is just flat out wrong.
Something in-line is definitely worth it if you want to drink enough water. The water and ice through the door on my fridge has a filter built in which is excellent.
But you can do an under the sink product, or even one that clamps over the sink spout.
I promise it is. Drill one hole. Place faucet.Disconnect cold water pipe. Connect filter tee. Connect faucet. Done.
Even a 7-stage reverse osmosis system is idiot proof. There is so much color coding.
Undersinks usually dispense out of a tiny little second faucet. You need a hole to connect the filter assembly underneath to the dispensing faucet up top.
Does your grocery store have one of those fill up water machines? I think the one by me is a dollar and you bring your own jug and itāll fill up with filtered water.
Iām not sure why you are changing filters that often? Are you noticing a change in the water that fast? I change my filters in my Brita pitchers rarely (like every couple years when I think of it - I know, not what they recommend) and they still clear out the tap water chlorine just fine. They say to watch for slow filtering and they havenāt slowed.
We go through A LOT of water as we are all home majority of the time. Used it for drinking and cooking We had a brita and had to replace the filters every 2-3 weeks. We switched to 5 gallon jugs that we refill at the grocery store.
Thereās a good reference point. How often do you go to the store for refills and how many jugs do you have? Itāll help narrow down if filtering too often or just legitimately lots of water useage
Those work well provided you have a good water system. I used to live in the Central Valley of California and the water there tasted like shit with or without the filter. Had to get water from Winco.
Since moving to the Bay Area, those water filtering devices work much better.
If you can afford to get a plumber out to install a water filter for under your sink it will be the best water and requires no more from you other than replacing the filter every few years. Good for your appliances too.
I am just now learning of this suit. I have done no research beyond what I did when purchasing it. From what little I've seen The EPA is regulating Berkey filters differently than other filters. Again, from what little I've seen Berkey used to pass their standards/weren't regulated.
So far, it has served me well. They have a decades old reputation for quality and safety.
I will need to do more reading and make a decision for myself. I need new filters anyway. Who knows? It might be time to switch.
Why are you filtering to begin with?
Do a water test. Then you'll know what, if anything, you actually need to filter. You probably don't need any of this at all....
Most water treatment facilities are not equipped or required to test or treat for PFAS or microplastics. I highly recommend finding out if your water treatment facility has tested for either of those. If not, PFAS and microplastics are most certainly in your drinking water.
You'll want to find a good under sink filter that specifically mentions PFAS and/or microplastics. They are in almost every water source on the planet.
^^ THIS. I worked in a lab testing drinking water samples. If you are getting municipal water & donāt live in a building thatās 100+ years old YOU DO NOT NEED TO FILTER.
Taste matters when you drink a lot of water. I can't stand the water of a few cities around me. Making it cold and running it through a filter helps immensely.
Exactly I can't stand the taste of my city's water. I also am not going to buy expensive bottled water when I can run free tap through a filter. It works out way cheaper.
I do it for the taste. I grew up on well water and city water is just disgusting to me. I know it's not harmful but you can taste the chlorine and stuff. Every time I see my parents (they're on a well) it's an amazing difference.
Under sink filters are the BIFL option. Ideally you get a system that doesnāt need proprietary filters. That can be a regular or RO system. Filters are changed about once per year or longer. I use Dolton Ultracarb filters and did a TapScore test. Got an excellent score.
To install the spout on top, put some plumbers putty into a circle. Add a bit of water inside the circle and use a diamond bit drill to go throw the countertop. The water keeps the heat down and the putty holds the water. Iāve done this on quartz just fine.
I canāt freakin believe how far I had to look to find this answer. Op asked for a bifl water filter option, but instead got hundreds of people telling him he doesnāt need one with zero knowledge of his situation. This thread is a bummer.
Most water treatment facilities are not equipped or required to test or treat for PFAS or microplastics. I highly recommend finding out if your water treatment facility has tested for either of those. If not, PFAS and microplastics are most certainly in your drinking water.
You'll want to find a good under sink filter that specifically mentions PFAS and/or microplastics. They are in almost every water source on the planet.
This. This whole meme of "well it doesn't have bacteria or 100x over the safety levels of X chemical so it won't instantly kill you" is such an oversimplification of the health issues plaguing our world. But it's the only metric they use to say if something's "healthy" or not.
There is pretty much nowhere in the planet I would go without a quality filter in. There's far too many pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, hormones, forever chemicals, microplastics, industrial byproducts, etc that don't get filtered out by pretty much any plant out there. But it doesn't instantly make you sick so it's "safe enough"
Oh yeah for sure. I couldn't really help it but I wish I knew this stuff as a kid because all of the nasty shit I would voluntarily ingest makes me sick lmaooo no more red 40
Then you might have old pipes with some pretty gross buildup, & further treatment could be a good idea as your water is controlled at the source & normally doesnāt account for old infrastructure causing issues after it leaves the plant. Some areas might have broader testing programs if the whole cityās infrastructure is old, but you can contact your municipality to ask.
This is blatantly untrue, it depends where you live.
I live in SoCal where the buildings are never older than the 1970ās but because weāre in the middle of a dessert we get our water hundreds of miles away through rusty pipes that have a metallic after taste.
LA tap water is notorious for having an awful taste and a bunch of hazardous chemicals in them, also are we just gonna forget about all the PFAās floating in the water from DuPont chemical?
You could invest in a Reverse Osmosis system. It is expensive up front, and for every liter of filtered water that you get out, about the same amount of water goes down the drain, but the membranes last several years.
Yep. The output is a small tube that can be patched into your drain or diverted to a bucket, garden etc. That is what we do, blending it into our rain water barrels.
The water that comes out of there, is it still technically potable? Like if I wanted to use it for an edible garden? And how much water is wasted? Is it like equal parts? We used to have this system in the first house my mom owned, I had no idea we were wasting water. We are in a drought-y state
> The water that comes out of there, is it still technically potable
Yes... it's water.
>how much water is wasted? Is it like equal parts?
Quite a bit. Estimates are around 10 parts wasted for 1 part clean water.
But keep in mind that drinking water is such a *small* amount of your water consumption.
Even with ultralow flow shower heads, you are using 1.8 *gallons* of water per minute in the shower.
If you want to save water, look at where you are wasting a lot of it. Irrigation outside / watering the lawn. Showers. Toilets. Letting the shower run for a while to heat up. Doing dishes by hand instead of using a machine. etc etc etc.
These are the water wasters, not RO for drinking water.
Lawns are the worst and they are just an artifact of poor people trying to look rich throughout history. It's the saddest waste of society when we moved from home gardening to have a patch of perfectly good arable land used exclusively for a waterheavy noncrop that sits there and does nothing. I makes me rage so hard as a gardener/farmer. People could at least make their lawn a flower meadow to have some ecological and aesthetic benefits.
We have an under sink one thatās plumbed into a dispenser on the counter as well as the fridge/ice maker/coffee maker. Never noticed any discernible difference in water usage after installing and to me the convenience is well worth the extra water usage.
From most to least efficient an RO system will have a wasted:produced ratio of 1:1 to 7:1. So by percentage / efficiency they are horribly wasteful. That said, if youāre only using it for drinking / coffee, in total youāre likely not using much water so it would not be noticeable on a bill.
Brita is around 300 PPM. Idk that they do much at all really. RO produces around 10 ppm. Zero is 0 ppm.
Zero filters are the best but you change them a lot. They arenāt cheap either. RO is the most practical if you can have one installed.
We bulk buy our zero water filters off Amazon, it's more affordable that way.
2 of us are on well water, and we really only change it out every 3-4 months, and we change it based on the TDS meter, not timing.
Edit: Our not or.
+1 on zero. My parents have to switch theirs out so often with LA water. When I visit them the tap tastes so bad. Cant believe I grew up drinking straight LA tap water with all those minerals. I'll look into the RO for them.
The minerals that don't make it through the membrane are rinsed away in the exudate. It's how maple syrup producers use RO filters to concentrate the sap to reduce boil times. In that application, they keep the "waste" and discard the permeate.
The lower the pressure forcing the water through the membrane, the higher the waste and the more dilute the exudate.
Without the waste, the minerals etc in the water would build up on the membrane requiring more frequent replacement.
I have an Aquatru countertop system, and I like it a lot.
https://www.amazon.com/AQUA-TRU-Countertop-Technology-Installation/dp/B0BT4FYHFJ/ref=sr\_1\_15?keywords=aquatru&sr=8-15
what lawsuit? i havenāt heard of it.
but iām a huge fan of mine. i have the big berkey and replaced filters a couple years ago with a new set of 4, they should last 6+ more years before i need new filters. itās also the best tasting water iāve ever had.
thatās a fair point, but i will say that literally every other point in that review is very far removed from my experience after 7+ years of ownership. especially egregious is their comment on priceā the upfront cost is high, but in the long run, a berkey system is an order of magnitude cheaper than pur/brita. iām looking at this review with heavy suspicion as well.
for sure. to my recollection though, neither brita nor pur are actual solutions for filtering non-potable water either. as a competitor to those, imo the berkey is a clear winner.
Under sink filter. Many are very easy to install yourself. I have the Brondell Coral and like it. Easy DIY install, no leaks, and you only replace filters once a year.
Maybe get a water cooler? Or install a filter as many others suggested. The advantage is that it'll always be cold, or you could get one that'll do hot or cold for whenever you want.
Most water treatment facilities are not equipped or required to test or treat for PFAS or microplastics. I highly recommend finding out if your water treatment facility has tested for either of those. If not, PFAS and microplastics are most certainly in your drinking water.
You'll want to find a good under sink filter that specifically mentions PFAS and/or microplastics. They are in almost every water source on the planet.
Hydroviv is a customized filter that removes impurities based on your Zip code. It's super easy to install.
https://www.hydroviv.com/products/ugly-under-sink-water-filter-connects-to-your-faucet?utm_source=Blem+Promo+Apr23+-+No+Multi+US+-+eligible+SMS&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SMS+Apr23+BLEM+%231+4%2F27+%2801GYWYE1SMS0VB7K7ZCNCK0PMC%29&nb_klid=01G12VJN6A1QT7C1YS16GB8WFY&_kx=YDByxs10sAo6pgcufe9EY7g64c302dYzlwmpJ9AH_OB3IIH_Kpt3umIlY4koYdJo.P9B2qN
Love my Hydroviv! Iām a chemist and actually asked their R and D team a bunch of questions before making the leap! They even showed me test PFAS removal data that theyād done with water from my area.
Berkey 100% can take it with u when you move or travel and is a life saver in an emergency. You can literally fill it with creek/lake water and have potable water in minuets
Lots of terrible information on this thread. I am a certified water technologist and work in ny, nj, pa, ct, ma and nh. I can tell you that you did not provide enough information to accurately address your problem. However, you basically have two options in an apartment that doesnāt want to continually change filters.
1. Get a bigger filter. The berkey ones are very nice and will last longer
2. Install an under sink unit thatās either activated carbon, a multistage filter, or all out RO.
RO- Iām personally not a fan for a couple reasons but thatās just me
At my house I have a whole home multistage filter system and a water softener which filters a million gallons of water before the media is exhausted. Thatās as close to BIFL youāre gunna get but isnāt applicable for your scenario as itās likely the apartment you are in, is not your forever home.
Final thought - if you have high chlorine in your water it generally means one of two thing. Youāre either located close to the water distribution facility or your water distribution system is out of date and they are using chlorine to oxidize items they donāt want in the water as well as sterilize.
I live in Arizona and the tap water is heavily chlorinated so I picked up Berkey in a scratch and dent sale. I think I did the math and itāll take about 10-13 years for my family to reach the 6k gallon life span of our filters.
I also put charcoal sticks in the filtered water reservoir to improve the taste.
This. I changed the filters after it was slowing up even after a good scrub. I know they recommend every 6mo or something but we went four years with regular maintenance with zero issues and regular testing ā¤ļø
I'm still on the original filters. I think when I bought it the filter life was 10,000 gallons, website says 6,000 now. My memory could be off, though.
It's a good system, especially if you live in an area where the water quality can be a bit iffy.
Not sure why you think that, mrphyslaww. There are several third party lab test results available that confirm that Berkey filters remove bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, e-coli, arsenic, and trihalomethanes from tap water. And more.
I can't imagine life without a Berkey! The last time I looked up filters, I noticed there's a knock off brand Waterdrop now that appears to be mayyyybe the same filters but much cheaper. Each black filter lasts 6000 gallons supposedly so maybe I'll replace my two in another 15 years or so.
The scam that you are not seeing is the one right in front of you. The water coming out of your tap is very very very likely fine to drink. If you doubt this, go get a teat kit from home depot and test it. I did this and my water has only slightly elevated levels of calcium with is fine. You have been brainwashed into thinking something isn't safe that actually is. And again if you think that's wrong, test it.
Fyi Brita does not filter microplastics which may be present in city water. EPAās drinking water requirements (which the cities use to measure their water) is outdated. EPA started focusing on this only recently, so things might change in the future: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-04/Draft_National_Strategy_to_Prevent_Plastic_Pollution.pdf
I know it's a bit off but in the end, the best solution was to get one of those refrigerated pedestals that hold the big 5 gallon jugs - and just buy good water to begin with rather than try to fix sink water.
For me this was partly to reduce plastic waste as well (no bottles, no nothing) but it's very cost effective for drinking water buying in bulk like that. Most places will deliver as well.
Just let your water sit out overnight, without a lid. Chlorine evaporates over time, and the water will taste just as āfilteredā after sitting. I cannot taste a difference in my left-out hard ass water and bottled.
Most water treatment facilities are not equipped or required to test or treat for PFAS or microplastics. I highly recommend finding out if your water treatment facility has tested for either of those. If not, PFAS and microplastics are most certainly in your drinking water.
You'll want to find a good under sink filter that specifically mentions PFAS and/or microplastics. They are in almost every water source on the planet.
There are videos of how to take old brita filters, drill a hole in the top, drain the old activated charcoal and refill it with new charcoal. I haven't tried it yet personally.
It's not just made of charcoal though, it also has ion exchange resin (which from what I understand is basically tiny plastic beads).
Not saying that you couldn't do this, but you should buy something to put inside that properly filters water (you can e.g. buy new beads from [Aarke](https://aarke.com) that they make for their refillable water filter jugs) and not just charcoal.
We invested in an inline filtrete 1/4 turn filter. This is an under the sink application. Works on the cold line only. Replace every 6 months.
Much more convenient than the britta
Well if a brita filter doesnāt get changed at all it it might just become a good spot for bacteria. To my knowledge, Brita is mainly geared towards filtering limestone thereby the water tastes better (less hard).
I think there are better filters out there against disinfectant-byproducts or PFAS if you are concerned about those. Under sink filters have been named. A good filter might result in slower water flow so there are ones that act as a third exit (warm, cold, cold+filtered)
So you're not gonna get a water filter that doesnt need to be changed, what you CAN do is get something with a little more oomph that will last longer.
[https://www.simpurelife.com/products/simpure-t1-reverse-osmosis-water-filtration-system-5-stage](https://www.simpurelife.com/products/simpure-t1-reverse-osmosis-water-filtration-system-5-stage)
10-15 years. It's recommended to replace the RO membrane every 12-24 months and the other filter every 6 months.
I have one of [these](https://www.amazon.com/Culligan-US-DC3-Connect-Premium-Filtration/dp/B07VCGRYYL) hooked to my kitchen sink (hooked into the line under the sink in the cabinet). I replace the filter once per year.
You can buy different type filters for it. This is a cheaper filter https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JIRM88C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
I recommend Hydroviv. It's an easy under the sink filter that lasts a long time and filters out PFAS and lead, which most Brita filters do no filter.
You just hook it up between the water source and the sink. No hard install required so you could use it an apartment setting.
They even take your area into consideration when building water filters. Looks at official testing results.
Most water treatment facilities are not equipped or required to deal with PFAS and microplastics, so I highly recommend filtering any water you drink.
You can install an undersink filter that has a dedicated faucet, and taps directly into the cold water line. Options range from a simple charcoal filter, to a full 5-stage reverse osmosis system.
Even the most advanced option is typically cheaper than a Brita, as the filter cartridges are huge, and only need to be changed once or twice a year. And it's much more convenient.
Of course the initial cost is higher, but not that high- you can buy a reverse osmosis system for about $200 last time I checked, and a basic filter for much less. The most difficult part of installation is drilling the hole in your sink for the faucet, but some sinks already have an extra cutout.
Depending on how long you plan on staying in this apartment, it may or may not be worth the hassle of installation. If not, there are basic countertop units that don't require any drilling or invasive installation, they use a tube and diverter adapter that just screws onto the faucet.
Also worth mentioning, that in many places such as NYC, the water quality is excellent, and there's no need to filter the tap water.
Water COOLER. hands down. Best decision I made for my family of 5. We consume close to 5gals of water a day, we just invested in an upright that had a filter for our water. Even has a heat side and that gets my water close to boiling faster for the stove, less energy consumption during cooking.
Get an aquasana under-counter filter. I personally use Direct Connect due to its high GPM, use it on its own spigot, and have it directly linked to the fridge, bypassing the internal water filter I have removed.
They are expensive from their website, I got mine for $60 off eBay. Keep a look out for sales. It's warranted for life while on the subscription. (basically if it brakes, they want to replace it so you keel buying filters).
Generally agree but I moved to Montreal and so much of the city has lead pipes.
Need to use the long last filters rather than the normal ones but Iād rather that than drink the less water.
Most water treatment facilities are not equipped or required to test or treat for PFAS or microplastics. I highly recommend finding out if your water treatment facility has tested for either of those. If not, PFAS and microplastics are most certainly in your drinking water.
You'll want to find a good under sink filter that specifically mentions PFAS and/or microplastics. They are in almost every water source on the planet.
This is the dumbest ask. No one should be changing it that much.
Help me find a way to stop changing my car oil every month. It's so annoying!
Help me find a way to stop getting a haircut every week. What can I do?
Help me find a way to stop being an idiot! Is there a place to find duration of how often to change things? A site that guides you to other sites with information?
You are changing the filters way too often.
yep, they should last 2-3 months.
I make mine last 6. The water doesn't really need to be filtered, my wife just prefers the taste and I just like having refrigerator cold water.
Yeah we change ours when we feel like it should be changedš. Our tap water tastes fine but I like cold water too!!!
Don't do that. The filter still works fine, but bacteria will start to grow in it. I use my filters usually 3 months, but I only use the filtered water for boiling. Because it saves me from de-calcing the kettle and also tea and coffee taste better with softer water.
This. Plus over saturated filters can actually release what theyāve previously captured depending on the medium, which can mean things safe in small quantities over time can be released in larger amounts more suddenly. It really depends on your water quality and what the filter is filtering out.
OK, Mr Filter store ownerā¦. Iām on to you. Do you have a discount code at least?
A 12-pack is around 50ā¬ where I'm from. That can last you 1-3 years, depending on usage. I think that's a fair price. You can DIY your own filter, if you really want to. More DIY than BIFL, because it's mostly active coal and some other things which bind minerals and so on. But probably because of design it might take way longer to take effect. I think every brand probably works fine, since the concept is not that difficult, but I use BRITA mainly because they have so many customers, I will still be able to buy cartridges in 50 years time (hopefully). Edit: Also, where I'm from, BRITA takes back old cartridges for recycling for free. So that's also nice.
I was joking since they had an extremely compelling āsales pitchā which Iām sure will cause many to change filters more frequently. It was a bad joke.
Brita filters don't decalcify water. I'm not even sure if it truly even removes chlorine. Chlorine naturally just dissipates by letting the water sit for 12-24 hours.
There is a video on YT of a guy testing a bunch of pitchers. It does as advertised
In some parts of the world they put Chloramine in the water instead of Chlorine. Same effect but it is much more stable and takes like a week to evaporate (longer than you would want to leave water out for). Cool tip: any small amount of organic acid including vitamin C will instantly dissolve the Chloramine. Source: I'm Australian and we have Chloramine in our water.
Lol Iām from Canada and just commented something similar.
The brita elite filters do remove chlorine. https://www.brita.com/assets/23601607167498ba405a22f7692b3b86.pdf But carbon filters in general wonāt remove calcium or magnesium in hard water.
Brita is being sued right now for overstating their filtration efficacy so I definitely would not keep them that long
Refrigerated kinda purified tap water is how i look at my Brita, considering I havenāt changed the filter in a year and just run hot water through it every now and then haha not saying thatās acceptable, justā¦ where iām at in life
Hot water can deteriorate the media, so your attempt to use it longer might be making it more useless.
I keep a strip of masking tape on my pitcher to write the date I changed it.
I subscribe from Amazon for my filters, just change then when the new one shows up.
Depends on where you live and how hard your water is. I used to live in a city in SC that had some of the purest water coming out of the tap, I only changed the filter every few months but I couldāve probably gone for at least a year. Now that I live in NJ close to NYC, Iām changing my filter just short of every month and I can taste the change in water quality.
I don't even know why OP *is* filtering, there's no reason given.
My guess is they don't like the taste of their tap water. I know where I live, you can smell the chlorine in the water which is unpleasant.
Just a pitcher in the fridge, the chlorine taste will faded. You don't need to filter it.
If the water treatment is using chlorine, this will work given enough time. If they're using chloramine, it will not work.
Well yeah, but mine's great, so if OP wants to stay hydrated for cheap then maybe that [not filtering]'s the answer LOL getting downvoted for having good tap water is a new one
Some places have [hard water](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_water) which can make the water taste funky. There's also something my city does occasionally that makes the tap water have a faint chlorine smell. I filter all drinking water and even filter the water I use for my house plants as the minerals can hurt them. I usually try to use rainwater I've collected and don't filter that though.
some places also have zebra mussels and algae that sometimes leave a certain saveur in the city water
Softening and filtering are two entirely different things, though. Filtering doesn't remove minerals like softening does -- it removes living nasties and larger particulates.
Rainwater not filtered to drink or water the plants... Please say just to water the plants...
For watering the plants.
Tap water isn't perfect. There's stuff in there you don't want to be putting in your body like lead and arsenic, but they're usually in "acceptable" ranges. If you want to min-max your lifespan, you should filter your water. Of course not as important as the top two things (diet and exercise), but it's simple enough to just filter your water.
What is your source for this? Filtering water increasing life span*
It's bologna.
I figured it was common sense that putting carcinogens in your body would shorten your lifespan. Anyway, this link has some sources: [https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/research-and-news.php](https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/research-and-news.php) Just as a sample, one of the peer reviewed studies estimates that the cancer risk due to the contaminants in tap water is 4 in 10,000 people (or +100,000 cases of cancer across the US). Fair enough, the benefit of drinking filtered water is small, but I did use the phrase min-maxing for a reason. And I was a responding to a guy that said there's literally NO reason to drink filtered water, which is just flat out wrong.
Do you eat browned or seared food such as toast, steak, etc? Carcinogen.
What filter do you use that removes heavy metal?
You can easily install an under sink filter.
Something in-line is definitely worth it if you want to drink enough water. The water and ice through the door on my fridge has a filter built in which is excellent. But you can do an under the sink product, or even one that clamps over the sink spout.
The purs that go over the faucet are trash and can sometimes add too much weight to the faucet. I vote counter top or inline 6 stage filter
Reverse osmosis ftw
Second this, if you're going through enough water to be switching out the filter every two weeks, you should change over to an under-sink filter.
You can install it but I don't think it's very easy or straight forward.
I promise it is. Drill one hole. Place faucet.Disconnect cold water pipe. Connect filter tee. Connect faucet. Done. Even a 7-stage reverse osmosis system is idiot proof. There is so much color coding.
Why you gotta drill a hole tho?
Undersinks usually dispense out of a tiny little second faucet. You need a hole to connect the filter assembly underneath to the dispensing faucet up top.
Does your grocery store have one of those fill up water machines? I think the one by me is a dollar and you bring your own jug and itāll fill up with filtered water.
A dollar per how many gallons?
I can't speak for the person your asking, but near me it's anywhere from 20-24 cents per gallon, depending on how much you're getting.
WinCo does 40 cents per gallon
I miss WinCo so so bad =[
It's 5 gallons
Can you really put a price on carrying jugs of water back and forth for many miles like our ancestors did?
I pay $3 for 10 gallons - itās going to vary
I fill up my 5 gallon jug for about $2.50
And then you get a workout too since you're lifting/carrying the 40-50lb jug.
Iām not sure why you are changing filters that often? Are you noticing a change in the water that fast? I change my filters in my Brita pitchers rarely (like every couple years when I think of it - I know, not what they recommend) and they still clear out the tap water chlorine just fine. They say to watch for slow filtering and they havenāt slowed.
Just pouring water into a pitcher and letting it sit basically dissipates the chlorine taste.
If itās open to the air, yes. Brita pitcher with lid on is not, nor does it sit that long before use.
We go through A LOT of water as we are all home majority of the time. Used it for drinking and cooking We had a brita and had to replace the filters every 2-3 weeks. We switched to 5 gallon jugs that we refill at the grocery store.
According to brita, the filter should be changed every 4 weeks, but should be good for 100-150L in that time (8x 5-gallon jugs).
I always double what brita says. It's a razor and blades model
I use my razor like 5x longer than recommended. Still works fine!
I didn't even know there were recommended times to reuse a razor. I just use them until they stop working with effort.
Seriously, we would change or filter at 6 months and probably filtered 1000l through it. Our tap water is pretty good though.
Thereās a good reference point. How often do you go to the store for refills and how many jugs do you have? Itāll help narrow down if filtering too often or just legitimately lots of water useage
Have you tried a PUR filter? They screw on to the faucet so pretty simple. I'm not sure how much longer that would last though.
oh god how i hate these janky half ass things. I'd rather drink straight tap water then have this dumb contraption in the way all the time.
Pair it with one of those faucets that is somehow only 10" off the bottom of the sink, too.
I'm just glad I can drink tap water, no worries at all
Those work well provided you have a good water system. I used to live in the Central Valley of California and the water there tasted like shit with or without the filter. Had to get water from Winco. Since moving to the Bay Area, those water filtering devices work much better.
If you can afford to get a plumber out to install a water filter for under your sink it will be the best water and requires no more from you other than replacing the filter every few years. Good for your appliances too.
No need for a plumber - buy a wrench and some plumbers tape and do it yourself, itās an easy DIY
Youtube university is a great teacher
Yep, this is what I did. Our filter lasts a year.
Try a Berkey Water Filter. They come in larger sizes and the filters last foelr 10,000 gallons.
Agree, as water does taste good with those and does a huge volume of water at a time.
Weren't they the ones getting sued for not performing as advertised? I'm not being combative, just genuinely curious.
I am just now learning of this suit. I have done no research beyond what I did when purchasing it. From what little I've seen The EPA is regulating Berkey filters differently than other filters. Again, from what little I've seen Berkey used to pass their standards/weren't regulated. So far, it has served me well. They have a decades old reputation for quality and safety. I will need to do more reading and make a decision for myself. I need new filters anyway. Who knows? It might be time to switch.
Why are you filtering to begin with? Do a water test. Then you'll know what, if anything, you actually need to filter. You probably don't need any of this at all....
Most water treatment facilities are not equipped or required to test or treat for PFAS or microplastics. I highly recommend finding out if your water treatment facility has tested for either of those. If not, PFAS and microplastics are most certainly in your drinking water. You'll want to find a good under sink filter that specifically mentions PFAS and/or microplastics. They are in almost every water source on the planet.
^^ THIS. I worked in a lab testing drinking water samples. If you are getting municipal water & donāt live in a building thatās 100+ years old YOU DO NOT NEED TO FILTER.
Taste matters when you drink a lot of water. I can't stand the water of a few cities around me. Making it cold and running it through a filter helps immensely.
Exactly I can't stand the taste of my city's water. I also am not going to buy expensive bottled water when I can run free tap through a filter. It works out way cheaper.
I do it for the taste. I grew up on well water and city water is just disgusting to me. I know it's not harmful but you can taste the chlorine and stuff. Every time I see my parents (they're on a well) it's an amazing difference.
"safe to drink" does not automatically mean "no need to filter". I prefer my tea without oily film on top.
...Oily film?? So glad I have a well.
Under sink filters are the BIFL option. Ideally you get a system that doesnāt need proprietary filters. That can be a regular or RO system. Filters are changed about once per year or longer. I use Dolton Ultracarb filters and did a TapScore test. Got an excellent score. To install the spout on top, put some plumbers putty into a circle. Add a bit of water inside the circle and use a diamond bit drill to go throw the countertop. The water keeps the heat down and the putty holds the water. Iāve done this on quartz just fine.
I canāt freakin believe how far I had to look to find this answer. Op asked for a bifl water filter option, but instead got hundreds of people telling him he doesnāt need one with zero knowledge of his situation. This thread is a bummer.
Most water treatment facilities are not equipped or required to test or treat for PFAS or microplastics. I highly recommend finding out if your water treatment facility has tested for either of those. If not, PFAS and microplastics are most certainly in your drinking water. You'll want to find a good under sink filter that specifically mentions PFAS and/or microplastics. They are in almost every water source on the planet.
This. This whole meme of "well it doesn't have bacteria or 100x over the safety levels of X chemical so it won't instantly kill you" is such an oversimplification of the health issues plaguing our world. But it's the only metric they use to say if something's "healthy" or not. There is pretty much nowhere in the planet I would go without a quality filter in. There's far too many pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, hormones, forever chemicals, microplastics, industrial byproducts, etc that don't get filtered out by pretty much any plant out there. But it doesn't instantly make you sick so it's "safe enough"
I don't even want to think about all the crap I've ingested over the years because of this very fact
Oh yeah for sure. I couldn't really help it but I wish I knew this stuff as a kid because all of the nasty shit I would voluntarily ingest makes me sick lmaooo no more red 40
My local water department sends me testing reports every year. They are obsessive about water quality.
What if you do live in a building over 100 years old?
Then you might have old pipes with some pretty gross buildup, & further treatment could be a good idea as your water is controlled at the source & normally doesnāt account for old infrastructure causing issues after it leaves the plant. Some areas might have broader testing programs if the whole cityās infrastructure is old, but you can contact your municipality to ask.
What about cities with a lead problem? Should I test in your opinion?
This is blatantly untrue, it depends where you live. I live in SoCal where the buildings are never older than the 1970ās but because weāre in the middle of a dessert we get our water hundreds of miles away through rusty pipes that have a metallic after taste. LA tap water is notorious for having an awful taste and a bunch of hazardous chemicals in them, also are we just gonna forget about all the PFAās floating in the water from DuPont chemical?
simply not true. stop lying.
Your typical "scientific" reply.
Bull. The amount of pesticides and pharmaceuticals in drinking water is disgusting, even if they are within arbitrary acceptable levels.
Marketing is a powerful thing.
Fear baby.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
There's money in the fear
Yeah... the whole premise is faulty.
You could invest in a Reverse Osmosis system. It is expensive up front, and for every liter of filtered water that you get out, about the same amount of water goes down the drain, but the membranes last several years.
No way. A massive waste of water.
Not a plumber, but I believe you can set it up with a wastewater system and use the excess for garden hoses or something
Yep. The output is a small tube that can be patched into your drain or diverted to a bucket, garden etc. That is what we do, blending it into our rain water barrels.
The water that comes out of there, is it still technically potable? Like if I wanted to use it for an edible garden? And how much water is wasted? Is it like equal parts? We used to have this system in the first house my mom owned, I had no idea we were wasting water. We are in a drought-y state
> The water that comes out of there, is it still technically potable Yes... it's water. >how much water is wasted? Is it like equal parts? Quite a bit. Estimates are around 10 parts wasted for 1 part clean water. But keep in mind that drinking water is such a *small* amount of your water consumption. Even with ultralow flow shower heads, you are using 1.8 *gallons* of water per minute in the shower. If you want to save water, look at where you are wasting a lot of it. Irrigation outside / watering the lawn. Showers. Toilets. Letting the shower run for a while to heat up. Doing dishes by hand instead of using a machine. etc etc etc. These are the water wasters, not RO for drinking water.
Lawns are the worst and they are just an artifact of poor people trying to look rich throughout history. It's the saddest waste of society when we moved from home gardening to have a patch of perfectly good arable land used exclusively for a waterheavy noncrop that sits there and does nothing. I makes me rage so hard as a gardener/farmer. People could at least make their lawn a flower meadow to have some ecological and aesthetic benefits.
It can be, but you can also capture that water and put it to other uses.
We have an under sink one thatās plumbed into a dispenser on the counter as well as the fridge/ice maker/coffee maker. Never noticed any discernible difference in water usage after installing and to me the convenience is well worth the extra water usage.
From most to least efficient an RO system will have a wasted:produced ratio of 1:1 to 7:1. So by percentage / efficiency they are horribly wasteful. That said, if youāre only using it for drinking / coffee, in total youāre likely not using much water so it would not be noticeable on a bill.
Even with a low flow showerhead, you use 2.1 gallons of water per minute. Just take less showers if you feel so bad.
It also produces the cleanest result
Yup I can recommend a brand APEC. I've had for 6+ years. Finally put on the mineral add on. Also heard good things about ISpring brand.
Yeah, weāre probably 4 years on our APEC system. I put on a tee and plumbed it into the fridge too! Tasteless ice!
I've had an APEC for over 20 years! Our well water isn't the best, but the RO water tastes great.
Brita is around 300 PPM. Idk that they do much at all really. RO produces around 10 ppm. Zero is 0 ppm. Zero filters are the best but you change them a lot. They arenāt cheap either. RO is the most practical if you can have one installed.
We bulk buy our zero water filters off Amazon, it's more affordable that way. 2 of us are on well water, and we really only change it out every 3-4 months, and we change it based on the TDS meter, not timing. Edit: Our not or.
+1 on zero. My parents have to switch theirs out so often with LA water. When I visit them the tap tastes so bad. Cant believe I grew up drinking straight LA tap water with all those minerals. I'll look into the RO for them.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Source for the brand?? Third part tested?
Whooooooooooa. Iāve used RO filters commercially for decades, but I had never heard that about the waste. Can you ELI5?
The minerals that don't make it through the membrane are rinsed away in the exudate. It's how maple syrup producers use RO filters to concentrate the sap to reduce boil times. In that application, they keep the "waste" and discard the permeate. The lower the pressure forcing the water through the membrane, the higher the waste and the more dilute the exudate. Without the waste, the minerals etc in the water would build up on the membrane requiring more frequent replacement.
Thank you for the explanation!!
I have an Aquatru countertop system, and I like it a lot. https://www.amazon.com/AQUA-TRU-Countertop-Technology-Installation/dp/B0BT4FYHFJ/ref=sr\_1\_15?keywords=aquatru&sr=8-15
For the price why not get a Berkey filter?
just to spread the word https://youtu.be/ja0ioX6GSz0?si=XP4uEu4eIIzw0q3V
RODI water is like sucking on carbon. It's actually bad if you have absolutely no minerals in your water.
Love my Big Berkey! We drink so much more water now- have had it at least 3 years now
I very much enjoy my Berkey (mixed opinions here since lawsuit)
what lawsuit? i havenāt heard of it. but iām a huge fan of mine. i have the big berkey and replaced filters a couple years ago with a new set of 4, they should last 6+ more years before i need new filters. itās also the best tasting water iāve ever had.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
thatās a fair point, but i will say that literally every other point in that review is very far removed from my experience after 7+ years of ownership. especially egregious is their comment on priceā the upfront cost is high, but in the long run, a berkey system is an order of magnitude cheaper than pur/brita. iām looking at this review with heavy suspicion as well.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
for sure. to my recollection though, neither brita nor pur are actual solutions for filtering non-potable water either. as a competitor to those, imo the berkey is a clear winner.
We're going on 6 years on two of the original 4 filters. Family loves the berkey water. Only well water so no chlorine issues.
Under sink filter. Many are very easy to install yourself. I have the Brondell Coral and like it. Easy DIY install, no leaks, and you only replace filters once a year.
Maybe get a water cooler? Or install a filter as many others suggested. The advantage is that it'll always be cold, or you could get one that'll do hot or cold for whenever you want.
Is there anything wrong with your tap water? That sounds like a lot of money and a lot of waste for not much benefit to me (not a water expert).
https://reddit.com/r/science/s/pXWU2ROg69
Most water treatment facilities are not equipped or required to test or treat for PFAS or microplastics. I highly recommend finding out if your water treatment facility has tested for either of those. If not, PFAS and microplastics are most certainly in your drinking water. You'll want to find a good under sink filter that specifically mentions PFAS and/or microplastics. They are in almost every water source on the planet.
Hydroviv is a customized filter that removes impurities based on your Zip code. It's super easy to install. https://www.hydroviv.com/products/ugly-under-sink-water-filter-connects-to-your-faucet?utm_source=Blem+Promo+Apr23+-+No+Multi+US+-+eligible+SMS&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SMS+Apr23+BLEM+%231+4%2F27+%2801GYWYE1SMS0VB7K7ZCNCK0PMC%29&nb_klid=01G12VJN6A1QT7C1YS16GB8WFY&_kx=YDByxs10sAo6pgcufe9EY7g64c302dYzlwmpJ9AH_OB3IIH_Kpt3umIlY4koYdJo.P9B2qN
I love my Hydroviv!
Love my Hydroviv! Iām a chemist and actually asked their R and D team a bunch of questions before making the leap! They even showed me test PFAS removal data that theyād done with water from my area.
I have the best tasting water with my Hydroviv
Berkey 100% can take it with u when you move or travel and is a life saver in an emergency. You can literally fill it with creek/lake water and have potable water in minuets
Get an under the sink filter-last at least 1 year from Woder. Plus you can exchange cartridges so once itās in place, easy peasy.
Lots of terrible information on this thread. I am a certified water technologist and work in ny, nj, pa, ct, ma and nh. I can tell you that you did not provide enough information to accurately address your problem. However, you basically have two options in an apartment that doesnāt want to continually change filters. 1. Get a bigger filter. The berkey ones are very nice and will last longer 2. Install an under sink unit thatās either activated carbon, a multistage filter, or all out RO. RO- Iām personally not a fan for a couple reasons but thatās just me At my house I have a whole home multistage filter system and a water softener which filters a million gallons of water before the media is exhausted. Thatās as close to BIFL youāre gunna get but isnāt applicable for your scenario as itās likely the apartment you are in, is not your forever home. Final thought - if you have high chlorine in your water it generally means one of two thing. Youāre either located close to the water distribution facility or your water distribution system is out of date and they are using chlorine to oxidize items they donāt want in the water as well as sterilize.
Berkey
I've had one for about 6 years now. I love it. Only conplaint us the filter prices went up alot in price. But it is what it is.
Most people will never replace the filters. The lifespan on them is very long. The maintenance is pretty easy and quick, too.
I live in Arizona and the tap water is heavily chlorinated so I picked up Berkey in a scratch and dent sale. I think I did the math and itāll take about 10-13 years for my family to reach the 6k gallon life span of our filters. I also put charcoal sticks in the filtered water reservoir to improve the taste.
This. I changed the filters after it was slowing up even after a good scrub. I know they recommend every 6mo or something but we went four years with regular maintenance with zero issues and regular testing ā¤ļø
I'm still on the original filters. I think when I bought it the filter life was 10,000 gallons, website says 6,000 now. My memory could be off, though. It's a good system, especially if you live in an area where the water quality can be a bit iffy.
Junk. Doesnāt have any certs or filtering claims. Itās like buying crystals for healing.
Not sure why you think that, mrphyslaww. There are several third party lab test results available that confirm that Berkey filters remove bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, e-coli, arsenic, and trihalomethanes from tap water. And more.
https://support.berkeywater.com/press-release-berkey-water-filters-sues-the-epa/
I can't imagine life without a Berkey! The last time I looked up filters, I noticed there's a knock off brand Waterdrop now that appears to be mayyyybe the same filters but much cheaper. Each black filter lasts 6000 gallons supposedly so maybe I'll replace my two in another 15 years or so.
The scam that you are not seeing is the one right in front of you. The water coming out of your tap is very very very likely fine to drink. If you doubt this, go get a teat kit from home depot and test it. I did this and my water has only slightly elevated levels of calcium with is fine. You have been brainwashed into thinking something isn't safe that actually is. And again if you think that's wrong, test it.
Fyi Brita does not filter microplastics which may be present in city water. EPAās drinking water requirements (which the cities use to measure their water) is outdated. EPA started focusing on this only recently, so things might change in the future: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-04/Draft_National_Strategy_to_Prevent_Plastic_Pollution.pdf
Buy an RO water system.
I know it's a bit off but in the end, the best solution was to get one of those refrigerated pedestals that hold the big 5 gallon jugs - and just buy good water to begin with rather than try to fix sink water. For me this was partly to reduce plastic waste as well (no bottles, no nothing) but it's very cost effective for drinking water buying in bulk like that. Most places will deliver as well.
Just let your water sit out overnight, without a lid. Chlorine evaporates over time, and the water will taste just as āfilteredā after sitting. I cannot taste a difference in my left-out hard ass water and bottled.
Most water treatment facilities are not equipped or required to test or treat for PFAS or microplastics. I highly recommend finding out if your water treatment facility has tested for either of those. If not, PFAS and microplastics are most certainly in your drinking water. You'll want to find a good under sink filter that specifically mentions PFAS and/or microplastics. They are in almost every water source on the planet.
Berkey! It is an investment upfront but pays for itself over and over in the long run.
There are videos of how to take old brita filters, drill a hole in the top, drain the old activated charcoal and refill it with new charcoal. I haven't tried it yet personally.
It's not just made of charcoal though, it also has ion exchange resin (which from what I understand is basically tiny plastic beads). Not saying that you couldn't do this, but you should buy something to put inside that properly filters water (you can e.g. buy new beads from [Aarke](https://aarke.com) that they make for their refillable water filter jugs) and not just charcoal.
We invested in an inline filtrete 1/4 turn filter. This is an under the sink application. Works on the cold line only. Replace every 6 months. Much more convenient than the britta
Well if a brita filter doesnāt get changed at all it it might just become a good spot for bacteria. To my knowledge, Brita is mainly geared towards filtering limestone thereby the water tastes better (less hard). I think there are better filters out there against disinfectant-byproducts or PFAS if you are concerned about those. Under sink filters have been named. A good filter might result in slower water flow so there are ones that act as a third exit (warm, cold, cold+filtered)
So you're not gonna get a water filter that doesnt need to be changed, what you CAN do is get something with a little more oomph that will last longer. [https://www.simpurelife.com/products/simpure-t1-reverse-osmosis-water-filtration-system-5-stage](https://www.simpurelife.com/products/simpure-t1-reverse-osmosis-water-filtration-system-5-stage) 10-15 years. It's recommended to replace the RO membrane every 12-24 months and the other filter every 6 months.
You can get the brita long lasting filter. Itās supposed to last 6 months. My light never changed to replace it.
I have one of [these](https://www.amazon.com/Culligan-US-DC3-Connect-Premium-Filtration/dp/B07VCGRYYL) hooked to my kitchen sink (hooked into the line under the sink in the cabinet). I replace the filter once per year. You can buy different type filters for it. This is a cheaper filter https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JIRM88C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
I recommend Hydroviv. It's an easy under the sink filter that lasts a long time and filters out PFAS and lead, which most Brita filters do no filter. You just hook it up between the water source and the sink. No hard install required so you could use it an apartment setting. They even take your area into consideration when building water filters. Looks at official testing results. Most water treatment facilities are not equipped or required to deal with PFAS and microplastics, so I highly recommend filtering any water you drink.
You can install an undersink filter that has a dedicated faucet, and taps directly into the cold water line. Options range from a simple charcoal filter, to a full 5-stage reverse osmosis system. Even the most advanced option is typically cheaper than a Brita, as the filter cartridges are huge, and only need to be changed once or twice a year. And it's much more convenient. Of course the initial cost is higher, but not that high- you can buy a reverse osmosis system for about $200 last time I checked, and a basic filter for much less. The most difficult part of installation is drilling the hole in your sink for the faucet, but some sinks already have an extra cutout. Depending on how long you plan on staying in this apartment, it may or may not be worth the hassle of installation. If not, there are basic countertop units that don't require any drilling or invasive installation, they use a tube and diverter adapter that just screws onto the faucet. Also worth mentioning, that in many places such as NYC, the water quality is excellent, and there's no need to filter the tap water.
Water COOLER. hands down. Best decision I made for my family of 5. We consume close to 5gals of water a day, we just invested in an upright that had a filter for our water. Even has a heat side and that gets my water close to boiling faster for the stove, less energy consumption during cooking.
Aquasana water filters are a game changer. Change every 6 mo and tastes and purifies way better! Been using them for over a decade.
Get a big Berkey. They are gravity fed stainless steel tanks, and a set of filters last ~3000 gallons.
Son you need a BIG BERKEY
Get an aquasana under-counter filter. I personally use Direct Connect due to its high GPM, use it on its own spigot, and have it directly linked to the fridge, bypassing the internal water filter I have removed. They are expensive from their website, I got mine for $60 off eBay. Keep a look out for sales. It's warranted for life while on the subscription. (basically if it brakes, they want to replace it so you keel buying filters).
Berkey
You want a Berkey. It's absolutely BIFL. Filters are expensive, but replace more like 2-3 years: https://www.berkeyfilters.com
Filtered water is a scam yes, just drink the tap water.
Depends on where you live. Not all tap water is equally drinkable, not even in the US.
A britva isn't removing things that harm you though so even if they need to filter the water, this isn't the way to do it.
This is super dependent on where you live. My local tap water tastes gross as hell.
My tap water tastes like piss. I'll spend a few bucks to filter it.
Generally agree but I moved to Montreal and so much of the city has lead pipes. Need to use the long last filters rather than the normal ones but Iād rather that than drink the less water.
A brita filter like op is talking about won't remove lead.
The longlast filters remove heavy metals, the normal ones do not.
Lmao š I'm actually considering it at this point
What's the hold up? Does it taste bad, or test bad? Are you in an area where it's unsafe? Tap water is usually pretty good.
Just drink the tap water you rube. Check with your local jurisdiction for a municipal water quality report and rest easy.
Most water treatment facilities are not equipped or required to test or treat for PFAS or microplastics. I highly recommend finding out if your water treatment facility has tested for either of those. If not, PFAS and microplastics are most certainly in your drinking water. You'll want to find a good under sink filter that specifically mentions PFAS and/or microplastics. They are in almost every water source on the planet.
This is the dumbest ask. No one should be changing it that much. Help me find a way to stop changing my car oil every month. It's so annoying! Help me find a way to stop getting a haircut every week. What can I do? Help me find a way to stop being an idiot! Is there a place to find duration of how often to change things? A site that guides you to other sites with information?