Product Review and Questions: water filters

[Claire]

A few months ago we had to discontinue our Culligan reverse osmosis drinking water filter. So I bought a Pur faucet-mounted filter. I bought one, liked it, so bought a 6-pack of filter replacements. Well, very soon thereafter, the part that switches from tap water to filtered water started squirting water when in tap water mode. I took it apart, and broke it in the process of trying to fix it. Because I still had 5 replacement filters, I went to Wally World and bought a new one. Well, now a couple of months later, it sprang a leak and gives you a shower when on tap mode (both times when in drinking water filter mode, there are no leaks, but you can't wash dishes in cold drinking water!). Idiotically (do not ask me why), we once again tried to fix it rather than return it (actually it had to do with the foot of snow on the ground), again rendering it something I'd have difficulty returning. I feel stupid for not immediately taking it back. I still have 3 new filter replacements, so am just trying to get by until I can throw the whole thing out. The questions? Has anyone else had problems with the on-faucet Pur system? Has anyone tried the Brita system? We drink a lot of water, and our water here isn't the best.

[SusieQTX]

If you have a cat, please give it premium water. I don't have Culligan, I have Rayne. My unit is 8 years old and still doing great.

Good luck with your problem.

[Andy M.]

We buy gallons of supermarket brand spring water ($0.50 a gallon) and use it for coffee and other drinking.

[justplainbill]

Our Pur faucet mounts normally last about 3 years. It seems water quality affects the longevity of these devices. Guess there is more than lead in Galena. Even though for many cooking purposes we double filter cooking water, first through the Pur and then through a Brita pitcher, we use bottled water for beverages and soups.

[Claire]

Ha-ha. Yes, we have lots of minerals here in Galena, lead being a biggie (for those not in the know, Galena means a type of lead). We have a regular Culligan water softener that gets changed once a month, then I purify our drinking water because we drink a LOT of water. I've always been a person to drink lots of water, then my husband got gout and even with alopurinol, is very conscientious about drinking his 2 quarts a day. So I want it to be as good as it gets, and water from the faucet looks awful in a cup of coffee or tea. When my mother visited, when we first moved here, she made a cup of tea and I looked at it and rolled my eyes. Please, Mom, tell me you didn't put that water in my tea kettle! It looked like a gasoline slick on top of the cup. For now I've patched the leak, but when I'm through I guess I'll try Britta.

[Claire]

Oh, by the way, it isn't the filters that are the problem, it is the mount on the faucet. They didn't even last a month. Twice.

[Timothy]

Hi Claire,

I have a suggestion for you. I use a "GE SmartWater", water dispenser in my kitchen. I own six, 5 gallon plastic water jugs that are just like the ones you've seen in office buildings. I fill the jugs at my local store, from a machine that produces Reverse Osmosis Filtered Water.

Three gallon jugs are also available that fit this dispenser and are easier to lift.

The dispenser has nozzles for hot, cold and room temperature water. The hot water is hot enough for tea, the cold water is like ice water and if neither hot nor cold is needed, then room temp water can be dispensed to prevent the machine from having to heat or cool any more.

The dispenser costs about $200 and each 5 gallon empty jug costs about $10.

My town has 4 of the RO machines that I know of. It's 25-35 cents per/gallon to fill your own jugs.

I've used this dispenser now for about 4 years and have had no problems at all with it.

You have to fill it with "one-teaspoon-per/gallon" of bleach water, let it sit for 30 minutes and then run the bleach water out of it. Refill it and again run the water out of it to "purify" it the first time. In four years, I've never had to do that again.

You may want to look into getting one of these and to stop using a faucet mounted add-on device.

Plus, you can stock-pile extra water this way in the event of storms, earthquakes or whatever.

Just a suggestion for you.

Good luck!