Thread: U use Brita water system?

I usually buy bottled water and a friend of mine uses the Brita system
for his drinking water and he likes it. Anyone here use it and if so,
your thoughts on the taste of the water? Also, how many gallons get
one get from a filter before it has to be changed?

Thanks,
Mark

On 23-Nov-2009, FERRANTE <[email protected]> wrote:

> I usually buy bottled water and a friend of mine uses the Brita system
> for his drinking water and he likes it. Anyone here use it and if so,
> your thoughts on the taste of the water? Also, how many gallons get
> one get from a filter before it has to be changed?
>
> Thanks,
> Mark

I have water that tastes good from the tap; but, I do use a Brita filter for
some purposes. Filtered water is flat, tasteless, IMO; if that is what you
want, it's a good thing.

I don't pay attention to gallons filtered; when the time it takes to filter
increases (due to all the trapped stuff) beyond my tolerance, I change the
filter. The number of gallons filtered is a bogus metric, since it will
vary widely, depending on how much stuff needs to be filtered from your
water supply. FYI, Walgreens sells a house-brand filter that fits the Brita
pitcher at approximately half the cost of the Brita brand.
--
Change Cujo to Juno in email address.

On 23-Nov-2009, FERRANTE <[email protected]> wrote:

> I usually buy bottled water and a friend of mine uses the Brita system
> for his drinking water and he likes it. Anyone here use it and if so,
> your thoughts on the taste of the water? Also, how many gallons get
> one get from a filter before it has to be changed?
>
> Thanks,
> Mark

I have water that tastes good from the tap; but, I do use a Brita filter for
some purposes. Filtered water is flat, tasteless, IMO; if that is what you
want, it's a good thing.

I don't pay attention to gallons filtered; when the time it takes to filter
increases (due to all the trapped stuff) beyond my tolerance, I change the
filter. The number of gallons filtered is a bogus metric, since it will
vary widely, depending on how much stuff needs to be filtered from your
water supply. FYI, Walgreens sells a house-brand filter that fits the Brita
pitcher at approximately half the cost of the Brita brand.
--
Change Cujo to Juno in email address.

FERRANTE <[email protected]> wrote:

>I usually buy bottled water and a friend of mine uses the Brita system
>for his drinking water and he likes it. Anyone here use it and if so,
>your thoughts on the taste of the water? Also, how many gallons get
>one get from a filter before it has to be changed?

Works great, other than that it fails to remove the chloramine.
Maybe future generations of the product will deal with this.

We change it every 70 to 90 days, whether it needs changing
or not. (Normal kitchen usage level for two people.)

Steve

"FERRANTE" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> I usually buy bottled water and a friend of mine uses the Brita system
> for his drinking water and he likes it. Anyone here use it and if so,
> your thoughts on the taste of the water? Also, how many gallons get
> one get from a filter before it has to be changed?
>
> Thanks,
> Mark

Hi Mark,
I used a Brita for years and it worked fine. We have extremely hard water
and it made it drinkable. I usually got about 4 or 5 months from a filter
before it got too clogged to use.

I switched to an under counter filtration system a few years ago and found
that the convenience beat the heck out of filling pitchers.

Jon

I use a Pur filter on the end of the faucet. I think I paid about $30
for it, and replacement filters are $15. They say you can get a year
out of the filter, but their little indicator goes all the way to 100%
after about 6 months. Usually then, I'll pull the filter out and put
it back in to reset the meter.

I like it because my water sometimes tastes a little 'rubbery' or once
in awhile the chlorine levels will spike. Without filtering, my
coffee and especially tea will get an almost metallic tangy taste to
them that ruins the experience. Water that is filtered tastes like
"nothing" as I not-I said, but that's fine with me. They do have
filters that include minerals, and my guess is that the water will
then taste like rural well water, but I've never tried it.

The only thing that I don't like about it is that it adds all this
bulk to the end of the faucet. If I'm filtering water and putting it
into a tall glass (like a pub-style tumbler) the sink below has to be
pretty much empty or i won't be able to fit the glass under the
filter. A different faucet would help, but this isn't my place so I'm
not going to change it.

I initially bought it when I was on a 3-month work assignment in
Delaware in a furnished hotel last year. The water there tasted as
though you toasted a piece of moldy bread and made tea out of it. I
didn't expect this filter to do very much, but it completely removed
all that taste from the water.

-J

FERRANTE wrote:
> I usually buy bottled water and a friend of mine uses the Brita system
> for his drinking water and he likes it. Anyone here use it and if so,
> your thoughts on the taste of the water? Also, how many gallons get
> one get from a filter before it has to be changed?
>
> Thanks,
> Mark

Why do you drink bottled water? Actual reason or just habit?
We used to use a Brita in Europe because the village I lived in had
water that was so hard it was like cement. The Brita was much cheaper
than bottled water. My community's water tastes just fine so I don't
need to use it anymore.

FERRANTE wrote:
> I usually buy bottled water and a friend of mine uses the Brita system
> for his drinking water and he likes it. Anyone here use it and if so,
> your thoughts on the taste of the water? Also, how many gallons get
> one get from a filter before it has to be changed?
>
> Thanks,
> Mark

Mark -

I live in the boonies, and have a water softener that filters. So my
options are slightly different. And with well water, I have the hardness
issues, not the fluoride/chlorine issues.

For drinking water, I changed from bottled water to filtered water when
last I upgraded my refrigerator. I have a Maytag I am happy with. The
filters for the water dispenser are about $30 US each, but they filter
approximately 600 US gallons each. It does meter the water so I know
when to replace the filter via a light indicator.

Just another option.

Bob

On 2009-11-23, FERRANTE <[email protected]> wrote:
> I usually buy bottled water and a friend of mine uses the Brita system
> for his drinking water and he likes it. Anyone here use it and if so,
> your thoughts on the taste of the water? Also, how many gallons get
> one get from a filter before it has to be changed?

I'm now in CO and have killer rocky mountain water (honestly). When I
was in CA, I did use Brita. Good product. I compared (real honest
room temp taste tests) with the long time SFBA std, Alhambra. Brita
filtered water, which is basically what Alhambra is, is every bit as
good.

If you use less than 1 gal per day, a filter will last about 4-6 wks.
Filters can be pricey, but sales get them down to 3 for $21, which
works out to about $7 mo. Buying in bulk reduces them even more. I
used them and recommend them. NOTE: Do not neglect changing filters.
Overextending use of a Brita filter will result in possible stomach
and intestinal tract distress. In my case, unnatural stomach aches
was always a clue I needed to change my Brita filter.

nb

"FERRANTE" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
>I usually buy bottled water and a friend of mine uses the Brita system
> for his drinking water and he likes it. Anyone here use it and if so,
> your thoughts on the taste of the water? Also, how many gallons get
> one get from a filter before it has to be changed?
>
> Thanks,
> Mark

Where is Sheldon with his reverse osmosis spiel?
Reverse Osmosis is the way to go for good drinking water.

Beea wrote:
> "FERRANTE" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]..
>> I usually buy bottled water and a friend of mine uses the Brita system
>> for his drinking water and he likes it. Anyone here use it and if so,
>> your thoughts on the taste of the water? Also, how many gallons get
>> one get from a filter before it has to be changed?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Mark
>
> Where is Sheldon with his reverse osmosis spiel?
> Reverse Osmosis is the way to go for good drinking water.
>
>
We use a Brita Pitcher all the time. Our water comes from a well.
I have a whole house filter on the well, but for cooking we use the
Brita Pitcher. We change the Brita filter monthly. The whole house I
change weekly...
--
Skype <fxdlrider2>

Beea wrote:
>
> "FERRANTE" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]..
> >I usually buy bottled water and a friend of mine uses the Brita system
> > for his drinking water and he likes it. Anyone here use it and if so,
> > your thoughts on the taste of the water? Also, how many gallons get
> > one get from a filter before it has to be changed?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Mark
>
> Where is Sheldon with his reverse osmosis spiel?
> Reverse Osmosis is the way to go for good drinking water.

Certainly RO water will be superior to ordinary carbon block filtered
water, but may be overkill depending on how bad your source water is. RO
filter systems use carbon block filters as their first stage since
chlorine is bad for the expensive RO membrane.

I used an RO system in my previous house where I had lousy city water
and it was great. At my current place we have co-op water that is quite
good, so I haven't added any extra filtering.

In article <4b0b2ecd$0$22028$[email protected] .com>,
"Pete C." <[email protected]> wrote:

> Beea wrote:
> >
> > "FERRANTE" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]..
> > >I usually buy bottled water and a friend of mine uses the Brita system
> > > for his drinking water and he likes it. Anyone here use it and if so,
> > > your thoughts on the taste of the water? Also, how many gallons get
> > > one get from a filter before it has to be changed?
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > Mark
> >
> > Where is Sheldon with his reverse osmosis spiel?
> > Reverse Osmosis is the way to go for good drinking water.
>
> Certainly RO water will be superior to ordinary carbon block filtered
> water, but may be overkill depending on how bad your source water is. RO
> filter systems use carbon block filters as their first stage since
> chlorine is bad for the expensive RO membrane.
>
> I used an RO system in my previous house where I had lousy city water
> and it was great. At my current place we have co-op water that is quite
> good, so I haven't added any extra filtering.

Hmmm ....

I think - not positive.

I believe the Brita Systems are for city based chlorinated water
systems. City water systems tend to have the biologicals removed or
killed. Brita systems will remove some chemical based items from the
water. I am not sure about Brita removing biologicals from the water.

R.O. based water purification systems will remove biologicals and most
chemicals from well based systems. Most wells do not have chlorine in
them and not a problem for the first stage R.O. membrane. Again I think
- not positive. Something for you to research.

I have a well system with a water softener and a R.O. purification
system. I think - water softener only systems are not safe to drink.

Brita's for city water.
R.O.'s for well water.

To be positive have your water tested for biologicals and chemicals.

Enjoy Life ... Dan

--
Garden in Zone 5 South East Michigan.

Dan L. <[email protected]> wrote:

>I believe the Brita Systems are for city based chlorinated water
>systems. City water systems tend to have the biologicals removed or
>killed. Brita systems will remove some chemical based items from the
>water. I am not sure about Brita removing biologicals from the water.
>

Correct, those Brita's that are carbon filters do not remove
microbes the way a micropore filter (e.g. Pur) will.

Maybe different Brita products will do this.

Steve

In article <[email protected]>,
FERRANTE <[email protected]> wrote:

> I usually buy bottled water and a friend of mine uses the Brita system
> for his drinking water and he likes it. Anyone here use it and if so,
> your thoughts on the taste of the water? Also, how many gallons get
> one get from a filter before it has to be changed?

I use a Britta pitcher and it works great. Bottled water costs a lot
more than filtered per gallon, plus filtered water is much more
environmentally friendly than filtered water.

"phaeton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I use a Pur filter on the end of the faucet. I think I paid about $30
> for it, and replacement filters are $15. They say you can get a year
> out of the filter, but their little indicator goes all the way to 100%
> after about 6 months. Usually then, I'll pull the filter out and put
> it back in to reset the meter.

So to save $15 you put the bacteria laden filter back in.

"FERRANTE" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
>I usually buy bottled water and a friend of mine uses the Brita system
> for his drinking water and he likes it. Anyone here use it and if so,
> your thoughts on the taste of the water? Also, how many gallons get
> one get from a filter before it has to be changed?
>
> Thanks,
> Mark

If it is your house, consider a whole house or under-sink filter for hte
kitchen cold water line.

On Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:21:05 -0600, FERRANTE
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I usually buy bottled water and a friend of mine uses the Brita system
>for his drinking water and he likes it. Anyone here use it and if so,
>your thoughts on the taste of the water? Also, how many gallons get
>one get from a filter before it has to be changed?
>
>Thanks,
>Mark

I used the Brita for some years before we got the latest fridge, which
has a filter installed for the water dispenser. The Brita filters ran
about $8 each and lasted about 3 months so $24 for a year's supply.
The current fridge has a $40 filter that is supposed to last a year
but seems to go significantly longer for us; we don't use that much
filtered water.

Brita took the excess chlorine taste out of our tap water. It was a
bit of an annoyance to fill the pitcher; I like the convenience of the
fridge filter. But the Brita worked just fine.

Terry

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:18:19 -0500, "Ed Pawlowski" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>
>"FERRANTE" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]. .
>>I usually buy bottled water and a friend of mine uses the Brita system
>> for his drinking water and he likes it. Anyone here use it and if so,
>> your thoughts on the taste of the water? Also, how many gallons get
>> one get from a filter before it has to be changed?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Mark
>
>If it is your house, consider a whole house or under-sink filter for hte
>kitchen cold water line.
>

My RO filter is mounted on my basement wall just below my kitchen
sink... doesn't steal that space, makes for much easier servicing, and
just in case of a leak nothing gets damaged. RO filters are available
in many sizes, a few gallons a day for residential use to hundreds of
gallons a day for restaurant use and larger for commissary/hospital
use. Mine has a 2 1/2 gallon storage tank, stops producing when full,
but will generate about one quart per hour... I've never emptied the 2
1/2 gallons. An RO filter membrane will last on average about ten
years, depends on usage... the accompanying sediment and charcoal
filters last about a year. I also have a whole house UV lamp water
treatment device. and I have a water softener. I have all the hydro
equipment professionally serviced once a year, costs about $125
including filter cartridges. The UV lamp adds another $100, those
lamps are expensive, and there is a government mandated disposal
charge on those lamps now, $15. I have all the air in my house
constantly treated with UV too... makes a big difference with
respiratory illness (colds), allergies, and skin eruptions, fewer and
far less severe. I think UV treats water better than chlorine and
with no side effects... folks have skin afflictions from bathing with
bacteria laden water too. And most municipal water systems don't
contain chlorine so folks on those systems are totally unprotected...
no fluoride either. Bottled water is the least pure, especially with
how folks tend tend to slobber those bottles all day and they share.
And bottled water is very expensive, for water no purer than directly
from your own tap.