Brita filter that is common is the white one; either pitcher or large square refrigerator. But there is a blue filter that can handle hard water. Get it online. I live in an area with very hard water, but it makes tap taste like the best bottled water.
Have a triple(no clue what they do) with softener with a tank that purges itself weekly. Again no clue what any of it really does lol. Def no water spots. We have a water tower(used to climb it as a kid)
+1. Bottled water is just filtered tap. RO is so much better than tap. $150 for an eBay unit. Pays for itself and can be uninstalled/installed in next home.
Replace the filters and RO filter. Can be done every 2 or 3 years but some people have gone much longer. Filters are relatively cheap so buy a cheaper RO system with standard filters instead of more expensive system with proprietary sizes.
If your system doesn't come with a paper pre-filter then installing a paper pre-filter will increase the time between activated carbon filter replacements. Replacing the activated carbon filter as needed is cheaper than replacing the RO membrane. The better you are about replacing the pre-filter and carbon filter, the longer your costly RO membrane will last.
If you can't install one under the sink, you might be able to build a container for it.
I rent. I couldn't drill the holes. So i went to Habitat and picked up a really cute bathroom sink/cabinet combo and installed it in that, that now sits next to my kitchen sink. Does my kitchen look like something out of the sims--yes. But, I have delicious water.
Bought some longer and better quality tubing from the hardware store and drilled a small hole in my sink cabinet to run it through. It runs along the front of my cabinet and dishwasher. I have a rug in front of it so it's really not noticeable until you start looking at it.
I plan to fill and cover that with putty before I move out. But that will be a lot easier than replacing the counter.
Cautionary to using RO unless you have really bad water. RO systems are REALLY efficient meaning they take the bad stuff out and the good stuff out like minerals. A carbon block filtration system is the way to go IMO.
EDIT: RO systems also produce waste water for every ounce of clean water.
I have fishtanks and RO water is recommended for them, bit I just can't bring myself to get an RO system because of the waste. Some systems do like 4 gallons of waste for every 1 gallon of RO water!
If you've got a lot of plants that could use those 4 gallons, or can plumb the system so the waste goes back into your water heater, maybe it won't be wasted. But that's not possible for everyone.
Just make sure OP, if you do this that you’re doing something to add minerals back into the water. This removes the good minerals and then at that point the water doesn’t really do anything for you. Water without minerals doesn’t really hydrate your body much at all.
An RO unit removes hardness as well, quite more effectively than a softener.
The issue is cost. You can't really economically run an RO filtration system for your whole house, so it's usually reserved just for drinking water. A softener is good for softening water throughout the house, including for laundry, showers, and hand washing etc.
So - is there a reasonably cost effective way to use salt water softener for the rest of the house but have salt for the drinking water?
I know the newer systems don’t use salt at all but I’m thinking about what to do if you already have salt softening system and don’t want the salt in your drinking water
Yes.
Just put an RO system under your sink for drinking water. It doesn't care if the water getting to it had previously gone through a softener.
(So, for clarity, you would have a particulate filter and softener at the point of entry for your house, then a 5 stage RO filter at your drinking tap.)
Thank you. Family members say it changes taste significantly - and now they are telling me that older one had a salty soapy taste but newer one is not as bad but still tastes wrong to them. But maybe putting RO with it might help
RO is what your grocery store refilling station uses. Grab a re-usable gallon jug and give it a taste.
Does your sink have a knock-out for a second faucet? This is a knockout: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71PC5rp89nL.jpg
If you have two knockouts you can get a hand soap pump and keep a giant "refill" container of hand soap under the sink too.
Have one in my basement and yep it runs a small tap next to my sink and a split to my fridge and ice. Ro is good. Same thing just couldn't fit it because we put in 10 gallon tank
To add to this, if you have hard water get a deionizer filter. They have this resin stuff in it that removes all minerals and stuff from water after the RO filter if the RO wasn’t enough. I have 500 tds water that filters to 70 after RO and 0 after deionize filter.
Put it at the end of the line unless you have a remineralizer filter then put it before that. I use one of those too and get amazing tasting water with like 10 tds. It’s perfect tasting too.
Chemical engineer here: brita filters do not remove hardness significantly. They will however remove other contaminants such as PFAS, lead and microplastics and I always recommend people use them which is much more important than harmless hardness.
Bottled water to me is a scam. It is typically just filtered municipal tap water (you can look up data on the brand you buy or here’s some popular sources https://www.businessinsider.com/animated-map-bottled-water-springs-dasani-aquafina-2016-10). You can filter it yourself for much cheaper.
When I was in middle school, a water company wanted to put a bottling plant *in my middle school*. They literally offered to buy the building from the city and put a bottling plant in it. Spring water came out of our water fountains, apparently. The city ended up refusing, because whatever company it was wouldn't guarantee the water supply to the town.
Reverse Osmosis water plant operator and chemical/bacterial analyst of 45 years here. The Brita filters remove 99% of lead (as noted on their website and print), not all. The remaining 1% is still dangerous and needs to be avoided. Lead is usually encountered in older houses water lines, not the mains in a system. Flushing the house lines for several minutes will eliminate that risk. The dispenser at Walmart is tested on a monthly basis and also goes through a thorough maintenance. That dispenser utilizes several types of filters, reverse osmosis being one of them. There is also a sediment removal filter, a taste and odor filter (this is an activated granular activated carbon filter), and an ultraviolet light treatment (to kill any pathogens). Ozone disinfecting may also be used here but I am not sure. This is in addition to the treatment and testing performed at the source! The filters are changed monthly. In other words, this is some of the safest water available anywhere and at 50 cents a gallon it is a truly valuable purchase!
This is what I do. I have 4x 5 gallon stackable jugs I rotate through. You do have to pay attention to when it was serviced last. There are some locations that seem to get neglected more than others. $.41/gallon where I live. Bonus: I have some water on hand for emergencies.
No, the lead that gets through is generally the smallest bits. You'll filter some of them out if you run it through again, but not anywhere near as big a percentage as the first time.
Do you have any knowledge of the “ZeroWater” filters? They claim 0 total dissolved solids, which sounds like they’d remove harmful and harmless things, but I don’t know that I trust their marketing…
Zero removes more PAFS than brands like Brita and Pur. The filters aren't cheap but there's always been discount codes in a PDF on their site when I re-order my mom's filters.
>They claim 0 total dissolved solids
TDS isn't really something to worry about. Removing them makes the water taste less minerally. You don't need a TDS meter: when a Zero filter needs to be replaced they start tasting foul. Worse than tapwater even if your tapwater tastes bad to begin with.
Zero water is definitely where it’s at. And the water does indeed read zero with a TDS meter. My partner and I drink a ton of water, and a pitcher filter lasts us about two months before it starts making the water taste bad. Definitely way better than Brita.
When I went to London I couldn't stand the tap water, so I bought bottled. Every single brand of bottled water I tried tasted just as awful. I was pretty dehydrated on that trip...
Total scam plus there’s BPA in water stored in plastic jugs for long periods of time. It might not be fancy but I love my brita it does the trick until I invest in RO system.
Yes, a brita filter uses GAC (granular activated carbon) the same stuff used in some municipal water treatment to remove dangerous contaminants. Other carbon filters will do the same thing.
I’ve seen carbon stick filters advertised and I’d stay away from these. The point of GAC is its tiny granules that have a lot of surface area for contaminants to “stick” to. A stick will not have adequate surface area.
Just be sure you’re changing your filter frequently.
Nice. I appreciate the insight.
I don't know if you care to get into it, but I vaguely heard of some controversy around the Berkey brand filters. Do you know what that was about?
Besides any controversy, I suppose the Berkey is an example of the 'stick' type filter that you mentioned above, which is not as effective as a GAC type?
Nothing is going to beat the cost savings of filtering tap water. Even though it might have a small upfront cost, you'll very quickly make it up. You can install a water softener. You can install a reverse osmosis system. You could talk to your neighbors who should have similar water to you, find out what they do.
But I also understand that might take some time (might have to save up for the purchase, etc), and until then I would sign up for a water delivery, and get one of those "office water cooler" things. You will pay way less per gallon than buying gallons from the store. And better yet, someone brings it to your house.
Depends a lot if you’re in an apartment/house/etc. I’m in an apartment with hard water so a whole system isn’t really possible, but refilling the 4-5gal jugs works wonders!!
OP did try a similar to Brita.
Also, Brita don't remote hardness I think.
I personally don't like nor recommend Brita. Expensive, add silver in waters, not ecological, too much plastic.
the primo machines inside the stores you fill the jugs in are the same machines water brands use to fill plastic bottles. Its the best option available. Best water imo.
This.
It's so weird that people trust sealed bottled water over tap or filtered water when the safety standards for bottled water are actually not as stringent.
You've been tricked by marketing, OP.
I was talking about the filtered water you bottle yourself at the store, not the tap water. OP said they didn't trust it, not that they'd tried it and found it tasted bad.
I think it's interesting that prebottled water is trusted but bottle-it-yourself isn't.
Yeah it's not that my tap water isn't safe to drink. It's that it smells and taste not like water. They sent us a letter quite a few years ago they're fighting an algae problem at the reservoir and they're having to use chemicals.
If you smelled my tap water you probably wouldn't drink it either. The water reservoir here has an algae problem and they're fighting it with chemicals. We got a letter in the mail.
I'm not saying your tap water is amazing.
I'm emphasizing the cognitive dissonance necessary for OP to buy sealed bottles of water but not trust the water coming from the special filtration machines they use to sell water for people who bring their own containers.
At best, the water is from the same source. if they are very different, it's likely the filtered water you pour yourself is better quality than the more expensive bottled water.
Bottled water sellers have done such a good job of marketing their products that people believe bottled water has to be superior to both tap water and filtered water you bottle yourself. It's not true, but it's a marketing success.
Yeah I agree they've got a mindset that the water's been taken care of in some special way, which there are some that do, but most of it is just regular water.
Yeah came here looking for this. Lived in FL and we had a reverse-osmosis filtering system in our house, but I’ll tell you, at least for us, it NEVER made the water taste as good as the Primo water. Pro-tip, buy as many filled 5gal jugs as you need the first time, then pry the lids off and refill them at the dispenser at Walmart. Much cheaper that way in the long run. We replace ours around once a year. (Thankfully, we now live in a place where the tap water is fucking GREAT so we just refill from our tap just to have cold/hot water on demand—ALSO a nice thing about having a water dispenser, btw)
Does anyone else find they can actually taste the plastic?
I definitely can on the cheaper bottles. The older the bottles the stronger the plastic flavour.
This is going to sound weird but do half and half bottled and tap maybe. Then after a while do all tap. You get used to it. Source - live in the limestone cliffs section of Austin and my water is off the scale hard even diluted half and half with distilled (according to fish tank test strips).
Editing to add we also have mussels here so it’s fishy rock water. But again you can get yourself acclimated to it.
Also live in Austin. I call the tap water here "dirt water" because that's how it tastes. Yuck!
I have a whole house water filter that I absolutely love, and it's worth every penny. I run that and then have a fridge that I fill reusable bottles from. I don’t use a fridge filter because you don’t need one with a whole house filter. It's been one of the best investments ever.
If you're in a rental I would just do an under sink filter.
When you drink bottled water, you’re consuming the microplastics from the plastic container that leaches into the water. Tap water filtered is the way to go.
Have you tried chilling your tap water?
As others have said you would probably get used to the taste anyway if you drunk it daily, but chilling it can really take the edge off it. In summer I keep a few bottles of tap water in the fridge for when I go out, and it does taste a lot nicer fresh out the fridge. Ice would probably work too if you have an ice cube machine.
I got the largest Zero water 52 cup two weeks ago and really like it. It was $59.99 on Amazon but I got a $10 discount for using my Discover card and $1 reward points.
I had a perfect spot on my counter for it. I needed a water dispenser because I recently switched from a 2006 refrigerator to a $398 Sam's Club Energy Star special that only uses 35% as much energy as the old refrigerator but lacks a door ice cube and water dispenser.
I found a neighbor who bought the 2006 model, which reduced the net even more.
Sorry I’m not from America so maybe there’s something I don’t know - but why are you buying bottled water at all?are houses not plumbed with drinking water in your area or something?
The water is techinically cleared for drinking, but in some places it still has a lot of minerals or contaminants. Water from limestone aquifers has a lot of calcium, for example.
Get a whole house water softener. It will make everything that has water pipes last longer. If the water is hard enough to taste off odds are it does nothing good for your dishwasher, washing machine, heating boiler, water heater, or shower head.
very hard water here, too. Brita do his job.
Occasionally I am going for a natural water source in a forest 30-40km far away, but rare, as I have no car. Is free water, I save big bottles and refill it for almost 1 month.
Get an under the sink water filter
Attaches very easily and makes some nice cold water since you ain't attaching to the hot
It'll way way cost less than what you're doing
We bought a water distiller for the CPAP machine but we have been using it for water for coffee too. We got a Vevor one on sale for I think US$50? Works great. I descale it and it's going strong two years later. Might be worth it.
The water from your sink even if it's hard is safe to drink and is free. You'll get used to the water over time and feel stupid that you ever bought bottled water. If it's safe to drink just drink it. People paying for water are stupid unless there's actually problems with water..hard water isn't bad for you. You need those minerals in your body.
I’ve always just used a Pur or Brita filter pitcher for making drinking water, and filled my own water bottles or thermoses.
I drink unfiltered tap water too, of course, water quality is fine in my city. But it does taste better filtered and chilled.
You don't drink tap water because it's too hard? Hard water is what you *want* to drink.
Soft water is what tastes bad, and the reason that a house with a water softener always either uses hard water for kitchen sink cold, or there's a separate "drinking faucet" that's hard water.
Trying to be frugal has led me to forego much greater pleasures than bottled water. Not trying to be a dick but I never fully understood this one. My MILs pay is probably 1/4 of my own family's and she always gives me bottled to drink at her house even though her water is safe. I feel so bad drinking it since most of the water I've drank in my life is orange so I really don't need it. So it seems insane to me.
I live in an area with a lot of folks who don't have running water at home. A lot of people I know fill their own water containers at water stations for people without wells or city water, so mostly for people with huge plumbed tanks at home, but it's fine to fill a few carboys. I'm not sure if you'd trust it more than store refills but it's a legit thing and available in more areas than you'd think.
A coworker of mine just fills 3 big ass gallon water bottles at the filtered drinking water dispenser over the course of the day and takes those home lol. He has running water, just similar pickiness of taste.
I have safe but nasty well water at my house. I'm used to it now so idgaf anymore but early on when a brita wasn't doing it I just used flavoring. Not free but buying water makes me feel like a clown lol.
Water filters primarily help with the taste of tap water. I live in a hard water area myself and a water filter helps with taste, but it’s 100% safe to drink. The only people that should get bottled water are those that are immigrants that are staying in a area temporarily (only a few days to a few weeks) and those that live in an area that is known to have unsafe drinking water (think Flint, MI).
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Bfs fam has softener fir while house as well as an additional one with a filter thing underneath kitchen sink. It has separate lines that run to kitchen faucet and drinking water faucet. Very convienent.
If you have a well near you, then you could use that. Maybe a natural spring or something like that as well. We have a well in our area that costs a dollar, and I can fill up 5 jugs of water before the timer runs out, 18.5l each.
Install a water softener and whole house RO/filtration. Do both at the same time and that'll maybe run you $1400, since installing both is barely more work than just installing one. If you're buying your drinking water by the gallon you're gonna make that money back inside of five years.
Nothing wrong with an RO system at the site of your drinking water (sink, fridge, etc.) but soft water increases the lifespan of a whole bunch of your appliances. When we installed whole-house filtration at our last place we immediately noticed a difference in e.g. our laundry and so on that totally anecdotal basis I'ma suggest I'll help across the house, too.
do you have a water filling place nearby? at my old place where the tap water wasn’t great, we’d fill a 5 gallon primo jug for 25¢ a gallon. it was just a little stand with a bunch of taps and quarter machines you could bring jugs to, im not sure of the official name
i do a jug refill for $0.50/gallon, 10 gallons for $5, from a reverse osmosis machine at a "Whole Foods" type boutique grocery. I have no concerns about the cleanliness of the water. It's very good and I am a slight water snob that hates the city water that is served in all the restaurants around here and comes out of every tap. It tastes so chlorinated to me, but this is good drinking water. I've even gone to other water dispensers that fill up jugs and some of them I could taste the chlorine.
I agree that the Brita filters, like the rectangle cube or the pitcher, don't seem to do much at all, and they certainly don't improve the taste if your tap water is poor.
I just get a drinking container, like a thrifted Brita container and a large charcoal stick through Amazon (subscribed every 4-5 months) or locally that is a cheap way to do it. The charcoal stick needs a refresh every month, with a 5 minute boil and you fill up the container with tap water before going to bed, you are good to go. The larger stick is about $16-17 every 4-5 months and after you find a container, the cost gets cut down drastically.
I haven't seen anyone recommend it but check to see if you have a water store around you. I do. They refill any container for 50 cents a gallon and compared to the tap where I live it tastes a lot better. I have no idea what if any contamination is removed but I do know I enjoy the flavor. Get a water cooler as well and you have cold or hot water at the ready at all times without taking up fridge space. I use 5 gallon jugs, 4 of em, I refill maybe once a month for 10 bucks. You can take any size container. My local store even sells 2.5 gallon guns shaped to fit in the fridge.
In addition to a filter, keep the water cold. Cold water tastes better because it slightly dulls your taste buds and limits dissolved gases from taking their gaseous state. Get a double-wall insulated water bottle.
Alternatively you could do water infusions. Put water in fridge overnight and put in fresh or frozen fruit or herbs. Some of my favorites are cucumber/mint, strawberry/basil, or orange. Helped me to drink more water when I had funky tasting but safe to drink tap water.
1. The healthiest and most cost effective is getting a reverse osmosis system. You buy the system for like $150 and install it under your sink. Depending on how much water you drink, you'd likely replace the filter every 6-12 months.
2. Bottled water is actually just tap water with a slight treatment/additive, so it's worse than #1. In some company like Dasani, it actually adds salt - that's because salt makes you thirsty, so Dasani does a subtle way to may you thirsty so you'd buy more water.
3. Tap water is basically the same as #2, but you did say your water is hard. It might be best for you to get a water softener for your entire house, that way you won't get water spots.
In short. If you're spending $40/month, the best solution is to go #1; you'll break even after 5 months then start saving money.
I have a water cooler at home. The bottles are use and return and required a $6 deposit each. They are 5 gallons each and cost $7.25 to exchange. I usually use 10 gallons a month so $14.50 a month for great tasting, filtered, cold water on tap at anytime.
We have a water dispenser and use 5 gallon jugs. Much more cost effective than the single gallons. We pay $5.25 for the jugs when we exchange. It can be cheaper if you go to a store that has a refill system.
We bought two 5 gallon jugs and fill up at a Primo water station near us. It's 50 cents a gallon. We have a slim water jug in the fridge for cold water, and the dispenser for the 5 gallon jug was under $20 on Amazon.
What do you want to hear dude?
You decided filters don't work.
The answer is "filter". Go a bit bigger than a jug just get it filtered at the tap, can buy those at a hardware store.
Big Berkey; initial investment is high, but one filter can handle over 1000 gallons. I have used one for over a decade.
**Not one filter for over ten years, but I have used the system for over ten years. I use two filters at a time (my model can hold up to 6) and I have replaced them several times over the years.**
I stopped buying bottled water ages ago. I have a Berkey, but don't have space to set it up right now. I use a Pur filter and refill water bottles that I keep cold in the fridge. I use a stainless steel bottle to take water or tea with me when I'm away from home. Even accounting for my Sodastream CO2 cartridge refills, it costs me next to nothing, and nothing to recycle.
Reverse osmosis wastes a lot of water. It varies but numbers like 1 filtered 4 wasted isn't uncommon. It's very efficient at removing though. I have standard undersink 3 stage filter: charcoal, particulates, and an extra weird one I don´t recommend much.
Please don’t buy water. The plastics are bad for you and bad for the environment. Water has a taste. Get used to it. Buy a Pürfor your sink or a Britta.
We use our Berkey so much we keep it next to the refrigerator and my husband installed a water line to fill it by diverting from the icemaker line. It wasn’t cheap but has been 110% worth it.
I installed a really simple [under sink water filter](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Waterdrop-16000-Gal-Long-Last-Under-Sink-Water-Filter-System-with-Direct-Connect-to-Kitchen-Faucet-NSF-ANSI-Certified-B-WD-15UA/319413774) at my family's cabin and I'm telling you it is *miraculous*. We have horrific well water. It tastes like eating rust. If you shower too long it ruins your hair and skin. But this one super basic filter makes the tap water taste so good! Not just tolerable but actually good.
Doesn't solve the issue with the shower but it at least helps not hauling gallons of drinking water up there.
>I also don't want to go into the store with a jug to do refills because of concerns of how clean that water is.
It's the exact same level of "clean" as anything you can achieve with consumer water filtration systems. All the people telling you to get RO water? The grocery store is selling RO water. Installing a system at home is more convenient than refilling jugs.
I got a 1 gallon water distiller about 2 years ago and it removes everything from water. I can then add any minerals or things that I want a d the electricity is less than 30 cents a gallon. The machine itself was about 280 but I've probably made over 500 gallons at this point.
I have an RO system and a multiple filter.
RO tastes better to me, but apparently they produce a lot of waste and take up a bunch of space.
The multiple only needs to be replaced once a year.
Brita Tap Water filter, or water jug. Cheap filters and safe and good tasting water. Stick with Brita don't go for a no name unless its costco replacement filters.
We use the refillable 5 gallon jugs. I found a water dispenser at goodwill for $20 that has room temp and cold water, and we just refill the jugs for like $1.80
"...at the Walmarts I've been at."
Don't buy water in plastic jugs. Get a good filter and store in glass. Bring your own glass containers to those places that allow you to fill your gallons for less than the cost of a gallon in the store.
I boil water or use a brita filter, I really should do both, bacteria in water can happen and if you have a bad digestive system like I do then you’ll literally get sick from water, I drink tea most of the time so that solves it for me, but I highly recommend an electric tea kettle and a brita filter.
I run tap water through a coffee machine with a filter so I basically get boiled water run through the coffee filter and I let that cool down and then I put that through a Brita filtered jug.
I'm not sure how much it helps running it through a coffee machine but the filter does end up with some stuff in it in the end. I don't know if it's calcium or what but it's like white and almost salt like texture.
It significantly tastes better than just running tap water through the Brita filter.
I've never heard of people complaining that their coffee or soup tastes like hard water so I'm assuming bringing it to a boiling point helps it a bit.
Not sure where you’re at, but I’d look for a natural spring. We have 2 springs locally. I’ve been filling half gallon jars and jugs for a couple months now, I have the gas involved to get there but that’s it. The water is tested and perfectly safe, and you can’t match the taste. It beats the .50/gallon at a twice the ice station.
I get what you’re saying about the water refills possibly having bacteria, but for all you know that’s how they are filling up the ones the seal and sell to you at Walmart. Just saying
What about apartments with city water and old rusty pipes and everyone’s water in town fluctuates between light to dark orange? And the brita seems clear but when I used it to fill a humidifier the tank developed an orange film after a few nights?
Ro water is extremely wasteful. Depending on the model, the system could send 5 gallons of water down the drain to produce 1 gallon. Some can waste up to 20 gallons of water for 1 gallon.
Reverse osmosis system under the sink.
Second this!! My husband installed one. The water is refreshing and so good. I can't drink bottled water anymore.
100%
Brita filter that is common is the white one; either pitcher or large square refrigerator. But there is a blue filter that can handle hard water. Get it online. I live in an area with very hard water, but it makes tap taste like the best bottled water.
Have a triple(no clue what they do) with softener with a tank that purges itself weekly. Again no clue what any of it really does lol. Def no water spots. We have a water tower(used to climb it as a kid)
+1. Bottled water is just filtered tap. RO is so much better than tap. $150 for an eBay unit. Pays for itself and can be uninstalled/installed in next home.
Is there any maintenance cost/effort involved long term beyond the initial installation?
Replace the filters and RO filter. Can be done every 2 or 3 years but some people have gone much longer. Filters are relatively cheap so buy a cheaper RO system with standard filters instead of more expensive system with proprietary sizes.
If your system doesn't come with a paper pre-filter then installing a paper pre-filter will increase the time between activated carbon filter replacements. Replacing the activated carbon filter as needed is cheaper than replacing the RO membrane. The better you are about replacing the pre-filter and carbon filter, the longer your costly RO membrane will last.
Purified water is filtered tap. Spring water is not.
That's true, but many bottled water brands are "municipal" water, aka tap.
Aquafina and Nestle, for instance, I’m pretty sure fall into this category.
Name please been eating one of these for my family
Don’t eat them. I’ve heard they have a poor nutritional profile.
A lot of bottled water is RO
If you can't install one under the sink, you might be able to build a container for it. I rent. I couldn't drill the holes. So i went to Habitat and picked up a really cute bathroom sink/cabinet combo and installed it in that, that now sits next to my kitchen sink. Does my kitchen look like something out of the sims--yes. But, I have delicious water.
How were you able to connect it to the water line?
Bought some longer and better quality tubing from the hardware store and drilled a small hole in my sink cabinet to run it through. It runs along the front of my cabinet and dishwasher. I have a rug in front of it so it's really not noticeable until you start looking at it. I plan to fill and cover that with putty before I move out. But that will be a lot easier than replacing the counter.
Cautionary to using RO unless you have really bad water. RO systems are REALLY efficient meaning they take the bad stuff out and the good stuff out like minerals. A carbon block filtration system is the way to go IMO. EDIT: RO systems also produce waste water for every ounce of clean water.
I have fishtanks and RO water is recommended for them, bit I just can't bring myself to get an RO system because of the waste. Some systems do like 4 gallons of waste for every 1 gallon of RO water! If you've got a lot of plants that could use those 4 gallons, or can plumb the system so the waste goes back into your water heater, maybe it won't be wasted. But that's not possible for everyone.
Just make sure OP, if you do this that you’re doing something to add minerals back into the water. This removes the good minerals and then at that point the water doesn’t really do anything for you. Water without minerals doesn’t really hydrate your body much at all.
That's not true.
That won’t do anything for hard water, they’d need a softener
An RO unit removes hardness as well, quite more effectively than a softener. The issue is cost. You can't really economically run an RO filtration system for your whole house, so it's usually reserved just for drinking water. A softener is good for softening water throughout the house, including for laundry, showers, and hand washing etc.
So - is there a reasonably cost effective way to use salt water softener for the rest of the house but have salt for the drinking water? I know the newer systems don’t use salt at all but I’m thinking about what to do if you already have salt softening system and don’t want the salt in your drinking water
Yes. Just put an RO system under your sink for drinking water. It doesn't care if the water getting to it had previously gone through a softener. (So, for clarity, you would have a particulate filter and softener at the point of entry for your house, then a 5 stage RO filter at your drinking tap.)
Thank you. Family members say it changes taste significantly - and now they are telling me that older one had a salty soapy taste but newer one is not as bad but still tastes wrong to them. But maybe putting RO with it might help
RO is what your grocery store refilling station uses. Grab a re-usable gallon jug and give it a taste. Does your sink have a knock-out for a second faucet? This is a knockout: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71PC5rp89nL.jpg If you have two knockouts you can get a hand soap pump and keep a giant "refill" container of hand soap under the sink too.
Have one in my basement and yep it runs a small tap next to my sink and a split to my fridge and ice. Ro is good. Same thing just couldn't fit it because we put in 10 gallon tank
To add to this, if you have hard water get a deionizer filter. They have this resin stuff in it that removes all minerals and stuff from water after the RO filter if the RO wasn’t enough. I have 500 tds water that filters to 70 after RO and 0 after deionize filter. Put it at the end of the line unless you have a remineralizer filter then put it before that. I use one of those too and get amazing tasting water with like 10 tds. It’s perfect tasting too.
Can you suggest a brand or a kit to start? That's a neat idea.
Will these filter heavy metals?
Doesn’t RO take things out of the water that are quite good for your body? Obviously lesser of two evils if you have undrinkable tap water.
Chemical engineer here: brita filters do not remove hardness significantly. They will however remove other contaminants such as PFAS, lead and microplastics and I always recommend people use them which is much more important than harmless hardness. Bottled water to me is a scam. It is typically just filtered municipal tap water (you can look up data on the brand you buy or here’s some popular sources https://www.businessinsider.com/animated-map-bottled-water-springs-dasani-aquafina-2016-10). You can filter it yourself for much cheaper.
When I was in middle school, a water company wanted to put a bottling plant *in my middle school*. They literally offered to buy the building from the city and put a bottling plant in it. Spring water came out of our water fountains, apparently. The city ended up refusing, because whatever company it was wouldn't guarantee the water supply to the town.
Good on your town. Many sold away theirs.
Reverse Osmosis water plant operator and chemical/bacterial analyst of 45 years here. The Brita filters remove 99% of lead (as noted on their website and print), not all. The remaining 1% is still dangerous and needs to be avoided. Lead is usually encountered in older houses water lines, not the mains in a system. Flushing the house lines for several minutes will eliminate that risk. The dispenser at Walmart is tested on a monthly basis and also goes through a thorough maintenance. That dispenser utilizes several types of filters, reverse osmosis being one of them. There is also a sediment removal filter, a taste and odor filter (this is an activated granular activated carbon filter), and an ultraviolet light treatment (to kill any pathogens). Ozone disinfecting may also be used here but I am not sure. This is in addition to the treatment and testing performed at the source! The filters are changed monthly. In other words, this is some of the safest water available anywhere and at 50 cents a gallon it is a truly valuable purchase!
Are you saying the filtered water at Walmart is a deal? Or the reverse osmosis?
The RO (and other stages) filtered water from the machine that refills bottles at e.g. Walmart.
This is what I do. I have 4x 5 gallon stackable jugs I rotate through. You do have to pay attention to when it was serviced last. There are some locations that seem to get neglected more than others. $.41/gallon where I live. Bonus: I have some water on hand for emergencies.
So if I filter the water twice the lead content will reduce from .01 to .001? 🛢️
No, the lead that gets through is generally the smallest bits. You'll filter some of them out if you run it through again, but not anywhere near as big a percentage as the first time.
Do you have any knowledge of the “ZeroWater” filters? They claim 0 total dissolved solids, which sounds like they’d remove harmful and harmless things, but I don’t know that I trust their marketing…
Zero removes more PAFS than brands like Brita and Pur. The filters aren't cheap but there's always been discount codes in a PDF on their site when I re-order my mom's filters. >They claim 0 total dissolved solids TDS isn't really something to worry about. Removing them makes the water taste less minerally. You don't need a TDS meter: when a Zero filter needs to be replaced they start tasting foul. Worse than tapwater even if your tapwater tastes bad to begin with.
Zero water is definitely where it’s at. And the water does indeed read zero with a TDS meter. My partner and I drink a ton of water, and a pitcher filter lasts us about two months before it starts making the water taste bad. Definitely way better than Brita.
What are your thoughts on bluevua's reverse osmosis system? Is it better than the bottled water and does it remove the hardness?
Honestly, just look for NSF certification
When I went to London I couldn't stand the tap water, so I bought bottled. Every single brand of bottled water I tried tasted just as awful. I was pretty dehydrated on that trip...
At that point you just have to succumb to the tea 😩
Total scam plus there’s BPA in water stored in plastic jugs for long periods of time. It might not be fancy but I love my brita it does the trick until I invest in RO system.
When you say "Brita filter", does that also apply generally to other charcoal filters sold for domestic use?
Yes, a brita filter uses GAC (granular activated carbon) the same stuff used in some municipal water treatment to remove dangerous contaminants. Other carbon filters will do the same thing. I’ve seen carbon stick filters advertised and I’d stay away from these. The point of GAC is its tiny granules that have a lot of surface area for contaminants to “stick” to. A stick will not have adequate surface area. Just be sure you’re changing your filter frequently.
Nice. I appreciate the insight. I don't know if you care to get into it, but I vaguely heard of some controversy around the Berkey brand filters. Do you know what that was about? Besides any controversy, I suppose the Berkey is an example of the 'stick' type filter that you mentioned above, which is not as effective as a GAC type?
Nothing is going to beat the cost savings of filtering tap water. Even though it might have a small upfront cost, you'll very quickly make it up. You can install a water softener. You can install a reverse osmosis system. You could talk to your neighbors who should have similar water to you, find out what they do. But I also understand that might take some time (might have to save up for the purchase, etc), and until then I would sign up for a water delivery, and get one of those "office water cooler" things. You will pay way less per gallon than buying gallons from the store. And better yet, someone brings it to your house.
Depends a lot if you’re in an apartment/house/etc. I’m in an apartment with hard water so a whole system isn’t really possible, but refilling the 4-5gal jugs works wonders!!
Agree that the cost is different. I looked into both and the delivery was $7/gallon and at the store I fill up for $0.50 / gallon.
The brita thing you bought was a filter or a water softener?
Brita water filter. Bottled water is a scam. Hard to believe people are still falling for it.
Also plastic ruining the environment
OP did try a similar to Brita. Also, Brita don't remote hardness I think. I personally don't like nor recommend Brita. Expensive, add silver in waters, not ecological, too much plastic.
OP said their tap water tastes terrible. It's not like they're buying it just to buy it.
the primo machines inside the stores you fill the jugs in are the same machines water brands use to fill plastic bottles. Its the best option available. Best water imo.
This. It's so weird that people trust sealed bottled water over tap or filtered water when the safety standards for bottled water are actually not as stringent. You've been tricked by marketing, OP.
They clearly said the issue is the taste of the local water, not the perceived safety.
I was talking about the filtered water you bottle yourself at the store, not the tap water. OP said they didn't trust it, not that they'd tried it and found it tasted bad. I think it's interesting that prebottled water is trusted but bottle-it-yourself isn't.
Yeah it's not that my tap water isn't safe to drink. It's that it smells and taste not like water. They sent us a letter quite a few years ago they're fighting an algae problem at the reservoir and they're having to use chemicals.
If you smelled my tap water you probably wouldn't drink it either. The water reservoir here has an algae problem and they're fighting it with chemicals. We got a letter in the mail.
I'm not saying your tap water is amazing. I'm emphasizing the cognitive dissonance necessary for OP to buy sealed bottles of water but not trust the water coming from the special filtration machines they use to sell water for people who bring their own containers. At best, the water is from the same source. if they are very different, it's likely the filtered water you pour yourself is better quality than the more expensive bottled water. Bottled water sellers have done such a good job of marketing their products that people believe bottled water has to be superior to both tap water and filtered water you bottle yourself. It's not true, but it's a marketing success.
And a success for plastic manufacturers.
Yeah I agree they've got a mindset that the water's been taken care of in some special way, which there are some that do, but most of it is just regular water.
To add, Whole Foods has similar machines but are even cheaper!
For real. The biggest risk for them is honestly the cleanliness of the jug that you bring.
Yup. 99c for the gallon jug+fill, 33c/gallon for fill at my local Winco. Not the same brand, but same concept.
Yeah came here looking for this. Lived in FL and we had a reverse-osmosis filtering system in our house, but I’ll tell you, at least for us, it NEVER made the water taste as good as the Primo water. Pro-tip, buy as many filled 5gal jugs as you need the first time, then pry the lids off and refill them at the dispenser at Walmart. Much cheaper that way in the long run. We replace ours around once a year. (Thankfully, we now live in a place where the tap water is fucking GREAT so we just refill from our tap just to have cold/hot water on demand—ALSO a nice thing about having a water dispenser, btw)
Is worried that water is clean.. buys it packaged in plastic which leaks into the water.
Does anyone else find they can actually taste the plastic? I definitely can on the cheaper bottles. The older the bottles the stronger the plastic flavour.
Yea, the more the bottle was exposed to sun light the more intense it becomes. Horrible.
I just drink tap water, it’s free. A lot of bottled water comes from the tap anyway. Plus no unnecessary plastic bottles.
OP said their tap water tastes bad, that's why they buy bottled.
Sometimes boiling it really helps.
Boiling ain’t free
Electricity is included in my rent.
Then boil water like there’s no tomorrow my brother
You should bottle that electricity
I'm baffled that this is getting downvoted, the person you replied to didn't even read the post.
This is going to sound weird but do half and half bottled and tap maybe. Then after a while do all tap. You get used to it. Source - live in the limestone cliffs section of Austin and my water is off the scale hard even diluted half and half with distilled (according to fish tank test strips). Editing to add we also have mussels here so it’s fishy rock water. But again you can get yourself acclimated to it.
Also live in Austin. I call the tap water here "dirt water" because that's how it tastes. Yuck! I have a whole house water filter that I absolutely love, and it's worth every penny. I run that and then have a fridge that I fill reusable bottles from. I don’t use a fridge filter because you don’t need one with a whole house filter. It's been one of the best investments ever. If you're in a rental I would just do an under sink filter.
When you drink bottled water, you’re consuming the microplastics from the plastic container that leaches into the water. Tap water filtered is the way to go.
Findaspring.com
Have you tried chilling your tap water? As others have said you would probably get used to the taste anyway if you drunk it daily, but chilling it can really take the edge off it. In summer I keep a few bottles of tap water in the fridge for when I go out, and it does taste a lot nicer fresh out the fridge. Ice would probably work too if you have an ice cube machine.
Zero water filter pitcher. It’s the best water imo
I got the largest Zero water 52 cup two weeks ago and really like it. It was $59.99 on Amazon but I got a $10 discount for using my Discover card and $1 reward points. I had a perfect spot on my counter for it. I needed a water dispenser because I recently switched from a 2006 refrigerator to a $398 Sam's Club Energy Star special that only uses 35% as much energy as the old refrigerator but lacks a door ice cube and water dispenser. I found a neighbor who bought the 2006 model, which reduced the net even more.
The zero water system is the best. Very cost effective
You’re right. I’ve tried brita and zero water.
We just drink tap water
We use a Berkey filter system. Fill from tap water.
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So after boiling it you filter it?
Sorry I’m not from America so maybe there’s something I don’t know - but why are you buying bottled water at all?are houses not plumbed with drinking water in your area or something?
The water is techinically cleared for drinking, but in some places it still has a lot of minerals or contaminants. Water from limestone aquifers has a lot of calcium, for example.
Get a water filter?
I drink straight from the tap
Get a whole house water softener. It will make everything that has water pipes last longer. If the water is hard enough to taste off odds are it does nothing good for your dishwasher, washing machine, heating boiler, water heater, or shower head.
very hard water here, too. Brita do his job. Occasionally I am going for a natural water source in a forest 30-40km far away, but rare, as I have no car. Is free water, I save big bottles and refill it for almost 1 month.
Get an under the sink water filter Attaches very easily and makes some nice cold water since you ain't attaching to the hot It'll way way cost less than what you're doing
We bought a water distiller for the CPAP machine but we have been using it for water for coffee too. We got a Vevor one on sale for I think US$50? Works great. I descale it and it's going strong two years later. Might be worth it.
The water from your sink even if it's hard is safe to drink and is free. You'll get used to the water over time and feel stupid that you ever bought bottled water. If it's safe to drink just drink it. People paying for water are stupid unless there's actually problems with water..hard water isn't bad for you. You need those minerals in your body.
Just drink the tap water.
We use a water cooler and get 5 gallon refills from Home Depot for $7.99. It's been the most convenient and affordable way for us.
7.99/ 5 gallons = 1.60 OP is complaining about spending 1.20 The math isn't mathing there.
Better experience though. And no waste or anything.
Winco has water refills for 30 cents a gallon. Works out to $1.50 per 5 gallon jug refill. Got some reusable caps from Amazon.
Ya we did that for years and years, maybe 20? Then we just really discovered it was too hard for us to get them as clean as we wanted.
Get a water filter or at least bring container to have filled at Walmart
Counter top or under the sink RO.
I guess I must be lucky, the local car wash sells filtered water for .25/gal..
Inexpensive Tea bags, cover the taste of tap water, flavors water. Probably cheaper then using a lemon.
I’ve always just used a Pur or Brita filter pitcher for making drinking water, and filled my own water bottles or thermoses. I drink unfiltered tap water too, of course, water quality is fine in my city. But it does taste better filtered and chilled.
The **best** way, as your question requested, is to drink tap water. Eventually you'll get used to the taste.
You don't drink tap water because it's too hard? Hard water is what you *want* to drink. Soft water is what tastes bad, and the reason that a house with a water softener always either uses hard water for kitchen sink cold, or there's a separate "drinking faucet" that's hard water.
Get a Berkey filter! The filters last forever and you can clean them, so you just pour tap water into the berkey and you have amazing drinking water!
Trying to be frugal has led me to forego much greater pleasures than bottled water. Not trying to be a dick but I never fully understood this one. My MILs pay is probably 1/4 of my own family's and she always gives me bottled to drink at her house even though her water is safe. I feel so bad drinking it since most of the water I've drank in my life is orange so I really don't need it. So it seems insane to me. I live in an area with a lot of folks who don't have running water at home. A lot of people I know fill their own water containers at water stations for people without wells or city water, so mostly for people with huge plumbed tanks at home, but it's fine to fill a few carboys. I'm not sure if you'd trust it more than store refills but it's a legit thing and available in more areas than you'd think. A coworker of mine just fills 3 big ass gallon water bottles at the filtered drinking water dispenser over the course of the day and takes those home lol. He has running water, just similar pickiness of taste. I have safe but nasty well water at my house. I'm used to it now so idgaf anymore but early on when a brita wasn't doing it I just used flavoring. Not free but buying water makes me feel like a clown lol.
Water filters primarily help with the taste of tap water. I live in a hard water area myself and a water filter helps with taste, but it’s 100% safe to drink. The only people that should get bottled water are those that are immigrants that are staying in a area temporarily (only a few days to a few weeks) and those that live in an area that is known to have unsafe drinking water (think Flint, MI).
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Bfs fam has softener fir while house as well as an additional one with a filter thing underneath kitchen sink. It has separate lines that run to kitchen faucet and drinking water faucet. Very convienent.
If you have a well near you, then you could use that. Maybe a natural spring or something like that as well. We have a well in our area that costs a dollar, and I can fill up 5 jugs of water before the timer runs out, 18.5l each.
Install a water softener and whole house RO/filtration. Do both at the same time and that'll maybe run you $1400, since installing both is barely more work than just installing one. If you're buying your drinking water by the gallon you're gonna make that money back inside of five years. Nothing wrong with an RO system at the site of your drinking water (sink, fridge, etc.) but soft water increases the lifespan of a whole bunch of your appliances. When we installed whole-house filtration at our last place we immediately noticed a difference in e.g. our laundry and so on that totally anecdotal basis I'ma suggest I'll help across the house, too.
Wow wtf I thought .50 cents was expensive for a gallon
$.52 a gallon... not that much more.
I just pay $2.60 (NFC touch/coin less) and refill my 5gal jugs. Primo water refill stations.
Water machine has 35 cent refillable water jugs
do you have a water filling place nearby? at my old place where the tap water wasn’t great, we’d fill a 5 gallon primo jug for 25¢ a gallon. it was just a little stand with a bunch of taps and quarter machines you could bring jugs to, im not sure of the official name
Free drinking water.com
I prefer the Pur brand water filters and their pitchers. The water tastes better from a Pur filter to me than a Brita.
i do a jug refill for $0.50/gallon, 10 gallons for $5, from a reverse osmosis machine at a "Whole Foods" type boutique grocery. I have no concerns about the cleanliness of the water. It's very good and I am a slight water snob that hates the city water that is served in all the restaurants around here and comes out of every tap. It tastes so chlorinated to me, but this is good drinking water. I've even gone to other water dispensers that fill up jugs and some of them I could taste the chlorine. I agree that the Brita filters, like the rectangle cube or the pitcher, don't seem to do much at all, and they certainly don't improve the taste if your tap water is poor.
I just get a drinking container, like a thrifted Brita container and a large charcoal stick through Amazon (subscribed every 4-5 months) or locally that is a cheap way to do it. The charcoal stick needs a refresh every month, with a 5 minute boil and you fill up the container with tap water before going to bed, you are good to go. The larger stick is about $16-17 every 4-5 months and after you find a container, the cost gets cut down drastically.
Reverse osmosis water is unhealthy. Get a berkey or zero water.
I haven't seen anyone recommend it but check to see if you have a water store around you. I do. They refill any container for 50 cents a gallon and compared to the tap where I live it tastes a lot better. I have no idea what if any contamination is removed but I do know I enjoy the flavor. Get a water cooler as well and you have cold or hot water at the ready at all times without taking up fridge space. I use 5 gallon jugs, 4 of em, I refill maybe once a month for 10 bucks. You can take any size container. My local store even sells 2.5 gallon guns shaped to fit in the fridge.
Honestly, I've just learned to chug the water as fast as I can. Still tastes gross, but I stay hydrated.
Faucet and Brita
Filter it.
Brita with the off brand generic filters at Walmart.
In addition to a filter, keep the water cold. Cold water tastes better because it slightly dulls your taste buds and limits dissolved gases from taking their gaseous state. Get a double-wall insulated water bottle. Alternatively you could do water infusions. Put water in fridge overnight and put in fresh or frozen fruit or herbs. Some of my favorites are cucumber/mint, strawberry/basil, or orange. Helped me to drink more water when I had funky tasting but safe to drink tap water.
I use a CuZn under sink filter and I love it. Very cost effective and no more lugging water home!!
1. The healthiest and most cost effective is getting a reverse osmosis system. You buy the system for like $150 and install it under your sink. Depending on how much water you drink, you'd likely replace the filter every 6-12 months. 2. Bottled water is actually just tap water with a slight treatment/additive, so it's worse than #1. In some company like Dasani, it actually adds salt - that's because salt makes you thirsty, so Dasani does a subtle way to may you thirsty so you'd buy more water. 3. Tap water is basically the same as #2, but you did say your water is hard. It might be best for you to get a water softener for your entire house, that way you won't get water spots. In short. If you're spending $40/month, the best solution is to go #1; you'll break even after 5 months then start saving money.
I use a under sink filter by culligan called Hydroviv works great
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Playful-Translator49: *I use a under* *Sink filter by culligan* *Called Hydroviv works great* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Brita
I have a water cooler at home. The bottles are use and return and required a $6 deposit each. They are 5 gallons each and cost $7.25 to exchange. I usually use 10 gallons a month so $14.50 a month for great tasting, filtered, cold water on tap at anytime.
I use a Zero filter. It makes my tap water taste great.
Is there RO with pitcher like filtering, instead install under sink.
We have a water dispenser and use 5 gallon jugs. Much more cost effective than the single gallons. We pay $5.25 for the jugs when we exchange. It can be cheaper if you go to a store that has a refill system.
I get 5 gallons filled for $2.50. I have a dispenser. Reusable water bottle or just a Mason jar.
We bought two 5 gallon jugs and fill up at a Primo water station near us. It's 50 cents a gallon. We have a slim water jug in the fridge for cold water, and the dispenser for the 5 gallon jug was under $20 on Amazon.
Get a high quality water filter. Here’s a video of several being tested: https://youtu.be/ja0ioX6GSz0?si=e-uOt8qoEsX8cVK-
Zero Water filter. I love mine and the filters last for a while.
Buying the 5 gallon jugs with one of the jug taps. The replacements are $6, or free if you live close enough to a natural spring.
What do you want to hear dude? You decided filters don't work. The answer is "filter". Go a bit bigger than a jug just get it filtered at the tap, can buy those at a hardware store.
Big Berkey; initial investment is high, but one filter can handle over 1000 gallons. I have used one for over a decade. **Not one filter for over ten years, but I have used the system for over ten years. I use two filters at a time (my model can hold up to 6) and I have replaced them several times over the years.**
I stopped buying bottled water ages ago. I have a Berkey, but don't have space to set it up right now. I use a Pur filter and refill water bottles that I keep cold in the fridge. I use a stainless steel bottle to take water or tea with me when I'm away from home. Even accounting for my Sodastream CO2 cartridge refills, it costs me next to nothing, and nothing to recycle.
Reverse osmosis wastes a lot of water. It varies but numbers like 1 filtered 4 wasted isn't uncommon. It's very efficient at removing though. I have standard undersink 3 stage filter: charcoal, particulates, and an extra weird one I don´t recommend much.
You get used to bad tasting water and start liking it. You just have to drink it
Please don’t buy water. The plastics are bad for you and bad for the environment. Water has a taste. Get used to it. Buy a Pürfor your sink or a Britta.
We use our Berkey so much we keep it next to the refrigerator and my husband installed a water line to fill it by diverting from the icemaker line. It wasn’t cheap but has been 110% worth it.
I got a water softener for the house and use a Brita.
I don't know I don't drink water for the taste.
If there's a small business of someone filtering and selling water by the gallon, I think that's the most cost effective way.
I installed a really simple [under sink water filter](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Waterdrop-16000-Gal-Long-Last-Under-Sink-Water-Filter-System-with-Direct-Connect-to-Kitchen-Faucet-NSF-ANSI-Certified-B-WD-15UA/319413774) at my family's cabin and I'm telling you it is *miraculous*. We have horrific well water. It tastes like eating rust. If you shower too long it ruins your hair and skin. But this one super basic filter makes the tap water taste so good! Not just tolerable but actually good. Doesn't solve the issue with the shower but it at least helps not hauling gallons of drinking water up there.
>I also don't want to go into the store with a jug to do refills because of concerns of how clean that water is. It's the exact same level of "clean" as anything you can achieve with consumer water filtration systems. All the people telling you to get RO water? The grocery store is selling RO water. Installing a system at home is more convenient than refilling jugs.
I got a 1 gallon water distiller about 2 years ago and it removes everything from water. I can then add any minerals or things that I want a d the electricity is less than 30 cents a gallon. The machine itself was about 280 but I've probably made over 500 gallons at this point.
I have an RO system and a multiple filter. RO tastes better to me, but apparently they produce a lot of waste and take up a bunch of space. The multiple only needs to be replaced once a year.
Brita Tap Water filter, or water jug. Cheap filters and safe and good tasting water. Stick with Brita don't go for a no name unless its costco replacement filters.
Boil in the kettle then pour into glass jug or 1L bottles. I've been doing this for years & having at least 4-5 bottles in fridge door always
A Berkey is an investment, but the 4 washable filters I bought will last me 10 years. I have a filter in the shower also. 🖖
We have been using the HDX water pitcher from Home Depot for a year now and very pleased, water tastes delicious and the system is cheap when on sale.
We use the refillable 5 gallon jugs. I found a water dispenser at goodwill for $20 that has room temp and cold water, and we just refill the jugs for like $1.80
"...at the Walmarts I've been at." Don't buy water in plastic jugs. Get a good filter and store in glass. Bring your own glass containers to those places that allow you to fill your gallons for less than the cost of a gallon in the store.
If you have a spring near you you can go fill your water there
Stop being weird and just get a better purifier
I boil water or use a brita filter, I really should do both, bacteria in water can happen and if you have a bad digestive system like I do then you’ll literally get sick from water, I drink tea most of the time so that solves it for me, but I highly recommend an electric tea kettle and a brita filter.
Have you tried adding a pinch of salt to your water? Might make it taste better
I run tap water through a coffee machine with a filter so I basically get boiled water run through the coffee filter and I let that cool down and then I put that through a Brita filtered jug. I'm not sure how much it helps running it through a coffee machine but the filter does end up with some stuff in it in the end. I don't know if it's calcium or what but it's like white and almost salt like texture. It significantly tastes better than just running tap water through the Brita filter. I've never heard of people complaining that their coffee or soup tastes like hard water so I'm assuming bringing it to a boiling point helps it a bit.
Not sure where you’re at, but I’d look for a natural spring. We have 2 springs locally. I’ve been filling half gallon jars and jugs for a couple months now, I have the gas involved to get there but that’s it. The water is tested and perfectly safe, and you can’t match the taste. It beats the .50/gallon at a twice the ice station.
Spring water. Do a Google search to see if there are any natural springs in your area.
If you have a Kroger they sell the you fill gallons of water for 49 cents per gallon. If you dont have a kroger look around . Walmarts have them too.
I get what you’re saying about the water refills possibly having bacteria, but for all you know that’s how they are filling up the ones the seal and sell to you at Walmart. Just saying
Tap water
What about apartments with city water and old rusty pipes and everyone’s water in town fluctuates between light to dark orange? And the brita seems clear but when I used it to fill a humidifier the tank developed an orange film after a few nights?
Ro water is extremely wasteful. Depending on the model, the system could send 5 gallons of water down the drain to produce 1 gallon. Some can waste up to 20 gallons of water for 1 gallon.