Anyone have a Filtrete under-sink water filter?

I'm planning to replace our countertop water filter with an undersink model. The Filtrete under-sink filter looks like it would do the job and also easy to install. We have plastic plumbing lines, so that's a strong consideration from an installation perspective.

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Any other suggestions?

TIA

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright
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Looks like a pretty simple filter. Have you considered an RO filter? I used to use a GE one at my previous place with icky city water.

Installation on all of these is pretty simple no matter what your plumbing is, you just have to purchase the correct fittings. An RO filter does need one more connection, to the drain for reject water, but that is minimal fuss.

Reply to
Pete C.

On Tue 05 May 2009 02:59:33p, Pete C. told us...

Yes, actually we did give RO a brief consideration, but eliminated it for several reasons. We had it in a previous house and did not particularly like it. Also, I don't want to devote the space to a storage tank, and also don't want to add any more water (from the backflush) to our septic system.

Thanks for the suggestion, however. I'm sure it's a good choice for many people.

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright

A RO system doesn't "backflush", it produces product water and "reject" water. Small technicality, but it's important not to confuse it with salt laden backflush water from a water softener. In a dry climate like yours, your septic system could probably use the extra reject water.

Reply to
Pete C.

On Tue 05 May 2009 05:52:29p, Pete C. told us...

Thanks for the distinction, Pete. I knew it produced unusable water, but didn't really think of the difference in that and the backflush from a water softener. We had both in our previous house. You're probaby right that our climate could handle the extra water in the septic tank. Still, there's the issue of the storage tank. I would want a system large enough to easily fill one and sometimes two 8-10 quart stockpots. I don't think I can spare that much space, but it might be worth looking into the various configurations available. The only place I could locate it would be under the sink, since the dishwasher is to the right of the sink and a bank of drawers is to the left of the sink.

One factor I failed to mention intially is cost, and an RO system would be considerable more expensive than the filter.

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright

Hi, I installed 6 stage RO unit with UV light myself. It was pretty easy job. Just make sure there is no water leak.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

On Tue 05 May 2009 09:44:51p, Tony Hwang told us...

Thanks, Tony. That sounds really nice, but I'm sure it's out of my budget range. Also, I don't think I have enough room to devote to that type of setup under my sink. The adjacent spaces are occupied by the dishwasher and a bank of drawers.

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright

Hi, I got it from eBay with a box of filters(~2 year supply) for 150.00 including shipping. I had to lay the tank side way for lack of room under the sink. Inxinkerator was in the way. Since our kettle stays shiny clean, no more lime build up!

Reply to
Tony Hwang

On Wed 06 May 2009 04:28:02p, Tony Hwang told us...

Sounds like you got a good deal and nice unit. My space concern is that under the sink is the only place I have for convenient cleaning supplies and trash bin. It's full now. :-) My other concern with RO is that you lose virtually all the minerals which I think are important for drinking water. Our water analysis shows a good balance of minerals. What I want to filter is sediment, cysts, chlorine, etc.

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright

consideration

Don't do it. I installed one as directed and it worked great for 3 months. Then the smooth plastic tube that connects to the water shut off valve (held in place with a hard plastic ferrule) came lose in the middle of the night. The resulting water damage amounted to over $20,000 in repairs. A web search found a number people having the same problem. It's just not worth the risk. Get a water filter pitcher instead.

Reply to
EdS

Mine's not a Filtrete, but it's a similar style single cartridge unit. I'm not sure how the Filtrete cartridge works, but mine has a housing that unsc rews from the top where the water connections are and the cartridge is remo ved from the housing and replaced.

The initial problem I had was that the back of the cabinet wasn't strong en ough for the force required to screw the housing in and out. They provide a long wrench to ensure a tight fit, but the mounting screws are only about

2 inches apart, so there was a lot of torque on them. I ended up screwing a longer board into the studs behind the cabinet and then mounting the unit onto the board for a nice secure hold.

The other thing to be aware off is the way the inlet hose is attached to yo ur water supply. We use our filter for drinking water only, so we used the needle valve provided to tap into the copper cold water pipe. I have a (pro bably unwarranted) fear of needle valves failing if operated too often, so I alway close the shutoff to the sink when I change the cartridge. If you d on't have shutoffs, you should install them as part of the filter installat ion.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

I don't know about Filtrete but I've been using a RO system for about 8 years now. The water taste great. Like bottled water. Unbelievably good coffee.

Real easy to install but you do need a hole in the sink for the tap.

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System are available from costco.com. Or were.

Reply to
gonjah

  1. A water filter can only filter out anything smaller than a H2O molecule.
  2. All elements are smaller than a molecule.
  3. That means that all harmful elements such as: Aluminum, Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury, Osmium, Thallium, Vanadium, Polonium, Thorium, Radium, Uranium etc. are NOT filtered. The only way to get completely clean water is to make or buy distilled water.
Reply to
recyclebinned

  1. A water filter can only filter out anything larger than a H2O molecule.
  2. All elements are smaller than a molecule.
  3. That means that all harmful elements such as: Aluminum, Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury, Osmium, Thallium, Vanadium, Polonium, Thorium, Radium, Uranium etc. are NOT filtered. The only way to get completely clean water is to make or buy distilled water.
Reply to
recyclebinned

Hmmm, What is your house running water pressure? Ours are set at 60 psi when water is running with regulator. I have filter rack installed more than

3 years ago and every 6 months I replaced all but RO membrane every year. Also it has UV light. Still working good. B4 we had bottled water delivery service. Compared to it, we saved some money. No carrying around the bottle.
Reply to
Tony Hwang

Osmium, Thallium, Vanadium, Polonium, Thorium, Radium, Uranium etc. are NOT filtered.

Hi, Not really. Dialysis machine does not use distilled water.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

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