Author Topic: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?  (Read 7226 times)

nottoolatetostart

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Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« on: June 28, 2016, 06:33:23 AM »
Hi there! We recently moved into a 1959 home and I did some water testing on it from a kit purchased from Lowes. It passed all tests, like lead, chlorine, etc....just a minor water hardness issue (to be expected). So, overall great tap water and it tastes fine! Yeah!

I was curious if anyone filters their drinking water or if you just go straight tap. I hate the filters and the time spent loading water into a Brita - feels like a waste of time. plus the pitcher is an eye sore/more clutter. 

Thanks for your thoughts.

VaCPA

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #1 on: June 28, 2016, 06:46:08 AM »
We have a Brita because my wife likes it. She tends to be more on the paranoid side in regards to health, safety, etc. I typically just drink tap water because it tastes the same to me and is more convenient. I don't have to get out the Brita jug, fill my glass, refill the Brita, put back in the fridge...

I think it just comes down to personal preference. It's not like a Brita jug and occasional refills are a big investment. I have drank tap water before that didn't taste very good although it most likely was perfectly safe.
« Last Edit: June 28, 2016, 06:47:51 AM by anorman79 »

retiringearly

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #2 on: June 28, 2016, 07:07:04 AM »
I use a Pur filter that is attached to my tap. Very happy with it.  I drink a lot of water every day.  I buy the replacement cartridges at Costco when they are on sale.

merlin7676

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2016, 07:17:02 AM »
Growing up in the midwest the water was horrible tasting. I believe it came mostly from Lake Michigan and was treated with so much chemicals it was just nasty.

Here in Seattle the water is delicious and I've always drank from the tap. It's from glacier/snow melt from the mountains and tastes like it. It always surprises me when I hear about people using filters or even getting those big jugs of water delivered. We get it delivered here at work but I still use the tap since I'm sure it's probably the same thing

FIREdancer

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #4 on: June 28, 2016, 07:46:56 AM »
I used to always just drink from the tap, but I just got a Brita pitcher last week because my city changed how they purify the water supply and now a glass of water from the tap smells like a swimming pool.  They've done this before and it never really bothered me, but this year the smell was enough to make me feel sick, so filter it is.


21runner

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #5 on: June 28, 2016, 07:52:51 AM »
I use a Brita pitcher and can tell a definite taste difference. I don't hardly ever drink straight out of the tap anymore. Except after a long run and I'm dying when I get back inside, so at that point I don't take the time to fill up the pitcher and just drink out of a glass (could care less what it tastes like after a run).

ketchup

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #6 on: June 28, 2016, 08:10:11 AM »
Chicago suburbs area.

We have a Brita pitcher in the fridge.  My girlfriend drinks that because she prefers the taste.  I drink tap water straight, because I prefer the taste.

Davids

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #7 on: June 28, 2016, 08:17:40 AM »
Our fridge has filtered water. Have to replace filter every 6 months but it is worth it. I drink a lot of water and i am not trusting tap water.

Spork

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #8 on: June 28, 2016, 08:17:57 AM »
We lived in an area where there was one month a year that the algae bloomed in the water supply.  The result was that month, they dumped TONS of chlorine in the water and it tasted terrible ... for a month.

So, yes, we used a Brita.  It worked fine.  I'm also not afraid of tap water.  If it tastes ok, I drink it.

We currently have some Pur thing inline in the refrigerator water dispenser.  I'm not a huge fan of water-through-the-door because I've had bad experience with them breaking.  And breaking.  And breaking.  But... we have one... and we use it.  It's fine.  But it mostly is a thing that causes us to buy a filter twice a year.

Juan@FinanceClever.com

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #9 on: June 28, 2016, 08:23:34 AM »
I live in Raleigh, NC and we use a regular Brita filter that screws on to the water faucet. I share your apathy towards the pitchers.
My wife is an environmental engineer who works on water treatment and she thinks is worth it.
One of her colleagues says Pur filters are a little better.
Hope that helps!

sonjak

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #10 on: June 28, 2016, 08:29:36 AM »
I use Aquasana with the attachment on my kitchen sink.  Love it except that it really slows down the water flow so filling a jar/etc. takes a long time and there isn't a lot of force if you need to rinse dirt off of something and want filtered water (I usually skip the filter for that).  They send a replacement filter every 6 months automatically.

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #11 on: June 28, 2016, 08:30:40 AM »
Just tap

Basenji

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #12 on: June 28, 2016, 08:31:54 AM »
I use a Brita pitcher and can tell a definite taste difference. I don't hardly ever drink straight out of the tap anymore. Except after a long run and I'm dying when I get back inside, so at that point I don't take the time to fill up the pitcher and just drink out of a glass (could care less what it tastes like after a run).
+1 I can taste and smell the difference. I noticed that my dogs started drinking more water after I started filling their water bowl with Brita-filtered water. Seriously. Can you imagine how powerful the smell of chloramines must be to a dog if the water smells/tastes so strongly of chlorine to me?

We keep the pitcher in the fridge for nice cold water. I'm not under the impression that it's healthier, but the taste is so much better for me that I'm less tempted by flavored drinks.

Choices

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #13 on: June 28, 2016, 08:34:38 AM »
We use a filter in our fridge door dispenser when we're drinking plain water because it tastes better, but if we're using water for cooking or flavoring it like making lemonade we use tap water.

HPstache

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #14 on: June 28, 2016, 08:35:59 AM »
It's amazing how different water can taste around the country.  Fortunately our water in WA is amazing so I go straight from the tap.  I'm not going to blame people who prefer to filter for taste reasons because I've lived in MI and travel a lot to CA so I know how nasty it can be...

rockstache

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #15 on: June 28, 2016, 08:42:31 AM »
Our water is perfectly safe but it gives my husband an upset stomach. We use the brita, and we can tell when we need to change the filter by how his stomach reacts. I have no idea what sort of water chemical or bacteria would make this happen (I know little about chemistry), but it happens like clockwork.

NextTime

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #16 on: June 28, 2016, 09:12:08 AM »
Used to drink tap water. Don't like the taste here in Kansas. Have gone back and forth over the years.

Went to a Brita after the Flint thing. I don't think I'm being paranoid either. It most likely wouldn't happen, but I don't trust the government here to not pull something like that and certainly not going to risk the health of my children for a few bucks or a few minutes of my time.


misshathaway

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #17 on: June 28, 2016, 11:19:58 AM »
Boston area. The water is safe but I prefer the Brita for coffee making. I have 2 pitchers so I never have to fill one right when I need water.

JAYSLOL

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #18 on: June 28, 2016, 11:52:30 AM »
I live in an area where we have great tap water 90% of the time, and intermittently not so great tap water.  I used to use a brita filter, but switched to a Berkey and now use my brita as a jug to fill the Berkey up, lol.  I've been using it for 4 years and only changed the filters once, but clean them every few months.

TexasRunner

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #19 on: June 28, 2016, 11:58:50 AM »
East Texan here.

We use a Pur system directly attached to the faucet.  Filters last about 4 months (but could be stretched further).  We prefer it for the better taste but it probably has a significant health benefit by pushing down the amount of toxins for the body to process.  It is worth the cost to us because we no longer purchased bottled water and it is much cheaper than fruit juice / milk / other options when you really just need water.

When we build our house I plan on installing a reverse-osmosis or similar system for the kitchen (to feed the kitchen sink as well as the fridge).  Those will remove the remaining toxins.

Rubic

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #20 on: June 28, 2016, 12:09:19 PM »
Love my Brita.

The water tastes better, so I drink more of it.  Compared to almost any other beverage (sodas, juices, etc.) the cost of Brita-filtered water is a negligible expense.

lbmustache

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #21 on: June 28, 2016, 12:23:00 PM »
I can drink tap but it's not my favorite. I use a Brita filter.

acroy

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #22 on: June 28, 2016, 12:38:37 PM »
Split, tap and filtered water from the fridge.
Activated carbon, so it removes the chlorine.
Local water ain't bad!

frugaliknowit

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #23 on: June 28, 2016, 01:03:18 PM »
Local water tastes nasty.  I use Brita "in-line".  Buy refills at Bed Bath and Beyond with coupon (the lowest price I've seen).

Lake161

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #24 on: June 28, 2016, 01:32:49 PM »
We live in Panama, where using a filter very common. Water quality varies a lot, generally good, but sometimes not.

We use an Instapure faucet-mount system. It has a ceramic filter that can remove the agricultural toxins that occasionally get into the water system.

We like the system a lot, though the faucet mounted filter is sometimes in the way as you are washing dishes in the sink. As we make plans to return to the U.S., I'm giving some thought to getting one for our home there. If we had a spare sink, it would be a no-brainier to install one just for drinking and cooking water. But since it would have to go on the kitchen sink, I'm not sure if I want to put up with the awkwardness. Our water tastes fine, but I do like the peace of mind that if any contaminants did get into the system, we'd have that extra layer of protection.

If you are getting a filter, it's worth it to get a proper ceramic filter, rather than one that just helps the taste. I saw a study done in India that compared everything from pouring water through cloth (doesn't work) to ceramic filters (reasonably effective) to RO systems (very effective, but they waste water and produce brine that goes into the sewer system). http://news.mit.edu/2015/mit-usaid-program-releases-evaluation-water-filters-1006

Clean Shaven

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #25 on: June 28, 2016, 02:18:53 PM »
We have a well, and hard water, so also have a water softener -- which acts as a sort of filter.  The fridge has a filter built in, but I honestly don't notice much difference between a glass of water from the fridge dispenser vs. from the kitchen faucet.

renata ricotta

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #26 on: June 28, 2016, 03:36:01 PM »
I think my local water tastes fine (husband disagrees), but I use a Brita because I much prefer drinking cold water. I have one of those large britas with a tap on it, so I don't have to remove it from the fridge, just stick my glass in the fridge and pour. With a small household, I only change the filter every 6-8 weeks (I'm sure it stops filtering as well by then, but since I mostly care about the water temperature, I don't mind). I get a big pack at costco every year or two.

galliver

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #27 on: June 28, 2016, 05:03:03 PM »
I'm in SoCal right now, and we have a filter, mostly for the taste. The other thing I do sometimes (particularly in summer) is throw some combination of cucumber, lemon, lime, mint, etc in a pitcher and fill it with water. The fruit/veg/herb lasts several refills, and their nice flavors overpower the chlorine/minerals/whatever. Also good for me because I get bored just drinking water. :)

NoStacheOhio

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #28 on: June 29, 2016, 08:28:48 AM »
Filter attached to the faucet is our preferred thing, but our current kitchen sink isn't conducive. We switched to a big jug with a spigot in the fridge. It's fine, filters are relatively inexpensive, and last three months. We only have to refill every couple of days.

ZMonet

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #29 on: June 29, 2016, 08:51:16 AM »
We have well water.  For drinking, we use a reverse osmosis system, which has a separate tap at the faucet.  We drink a lot of water and I definitely prefer the taste of the RO water. 

choppingwood

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Re: Anyone use a Brita/water filtration system? Or just tap?
« Reply #30 on: June 29, 2016, 08:35:43 PM »
I drink lots of water, but drink tap water. I've lived all over Canada, and have always drunk tap water. Sometimes it tastes different when I move to a new place, but I adjust to the taste. (I actually notice the change more in coffee.) I put ice cubes in my water to make it cold. The cubes are made in a tray -- they are not pouring out of a fridge.