Brita pitcher?
Posted by yabbitgirl on Sep 24, 2006 · Member since Apr 2006 · 14266 posts
Hi friends...I've heard talk of the Brita filtration pitchers and they have them at a shop down the street. The brochure wasn't v. informative (they just want to sell it, and say how wonderful it is but not how it works) and the boy in the shop is a part timer and a teen and NO help at all. What is the filtration method? Does it involve replacing (expensive) cartriges, or is it a filter you can clean and re-use? We had a charcoal filter on the tap for about a yr but in our hot climate the plumber told me it could grow cultures in the summer...yuck!
We have a lot of chemicals in our water due to semidrought conditions and I can't afford to drink mineral water all the time.
There are no reuseable filters that I know of.
The filters cost around $4(Canadian, maybe less in the States?)& they're cheaper if you buy a package of 2 or 3 & they should last at least 3 months. So in the long run, it's not all that expensive :)
Hi. I have the two quart Britta pitcher. I pay a little more for filters but I live in Manhattan and everything is more expensive here. I can get them cheaper at Bed, Bath & Beyond than at my local supermarket. For my family, water is our primary beverage and we probably process at least fifteen gallons a week through that pitcher, if not more. I also use it for cooking, etc. There's nothing really wrong with the water from the tap but it doesn't taste as good as the filtered water. I have to replace the filter about every two weeks. It's still MUCH cheaper than bottled water.
For me, the Brita filters cost about 3 for 20$, and you need to replace them every 3 months... though it depends on how much you use it. ita a carbon filter and must be soaked before you use it, then you can never let it dry out... if you have a well (which im assuming you dont) you don't want to use filters because it allows certain bacteria to flourish and it will smell like sulfur (though apparently ok to drink).
We also tried the pur filter on the faucet... didn't like it as much... leaked too often, but we have hard water.
finally we just got a plumber to install a filter directly on the water line coming into the house... it filters all the water in the house. it cost a few hundred to install and filters are a bit cheaper, every 3 months or so. we turn it off if we are doing loads of laundry usually to help extend the filter's life. I have to say, though its expensive, its easier, and i understand you can take the filter system off and take it to another home,if you should move.
each filtration system removes different things, i think brita removes the least, but i would check websites beforehand... things may have changed.
cheers!
To complicate things more, there are multiple models of Brita and some of the others.
When the filters get funky, you know! The water smells "green" and you'll want to replace the filter for aesthetic reasons.
Since they filter out lots of bacteria and heavy metals, they're nice to have-- even if your city has good water, your building might or might not, depending on how old the pipes are and what condition they are in. Also: pipes, cisterns, etc. can also get funky-- that's why they mildly chlorinate many city water supplies. You don't want THAT green stuff or chlorine, either. That's why I'm pro-filter-- almost 2 years of an unlined concrete cistern in Peru has taught me a lot about tap water and standing water.