Is Water Filter (under Kitchen Sink) Worth It? If So, Recommendations for Installers Please

virhlpool on 04/02/2024 - 21:33
Last edited 05/02/2024 - 10:59 by 1 other user

I have been drinking tap water across my stay in a few cities in Australia without any issues.

However, my current kitchen has an extra tap, previously piped to a set of water filter cartridges which the previous person may have used but the pipes and cartridges aren't there anymore. So, I was wondering if I should get one of the water filters vendors to come and install the system (basically a set of three cartridges with pipes connected to the small tap that already exists) for me. One company I asked a quote for came back with $300 for installation, including supplies but I couldn't find many options.

Do many people use water filters and is it worth it?

If you do, can you recommend a vendor (Sydney based)? I guess it's not too hard to install if one has right tools and some experience, but I wouldn't mind having an installer if affordable.

Thanks in advance for your opinion and help!

Home & Garden Water Filter

Comments

  • Some Human on 04/02/2024 - 21:42

    I thought Sydney had pretty decent water?

    • MrThing on 05/02/2024 - 09:53
      +2

      it does……unless your part of the tinfoil fluoride brigade

      • DrSwag on 20/03/2024 - 15:28

        Don't forget the new plastics in the water brigade (not to say I am against them).

  • ozbs25 on 04/02/2024 - 21:50

    The hardest part was putting the extra tap in. I'm guessing systems generally use fittings the same size? If so, you should be able to just follow the instructions that come with your system. Basically it's just take off this bit, put the system in between then screw it all back together. Just need some plumbing tape and an adjustable wrench or something.

    Edit: Sorry, missed part of your question.

    We definitely love our under the sink system. It works out pretty cheap over the years and never having to think about changing filters is great. We have a 2 filter system. You have to replace one of them every year, the other one every 2nd year. We went with Freshly Squeezed Water. I think we got a decent deal as they were at one of those home shows.

    • virhlpool on 05/02/2024 - 01:15

      Cheers. How much did you pay? I assume the cartridge refills can be bought from Bunnings irrespective of which brand is installed and who installed. Right?

      • ozbs25 on 05/02/2024 - 10:12

        Maybe? We just get reminders from them directly and because we got it from the home show we supposedly get discounts for the filters too. Overall we're happy and don't want to change anything.

        • Euphemistic on 21/03/2024 - 07:56

          Have you assessed the difference between filtered and non filtered?

          • ozbs25 on 21/03/2024 - 09:24

            @Euphemistic: We just can taste the difference instantly. I don't know what else there is to say.

            • Euphemistic on 21/03/2024 - 12:09

              @ozbs25: Fair enough. That wasnt clear from your first post.

              I find that fridge water tastes better than tap water - yet its the same stuff just been inthe fridge in a jug to chill. Same with filtered water at work. Tastes better (to me) when chilled to lower temp than the filter/chiller.

              • ozbs25 on 21/03/2024 - 13:11

                @Euphemistic: If you don't mind the taste of tap water, that's great. We do have some great water here in Australia. I don't have any concerns about the water from a safety perspective. If we didn't mind the taste, we'd be drinking straight from the tap too.

                My parents still boil their water before drinking. I gave them a brita to try and they just ended up using the jug to hold the boiled water in. They even stopped using that as they worry about the plastic.

                • Euphemistic on 21/03/2024 - 13:25

                  @ozbs25: Everyone is different. Some can taste the difference, some are worried about removing 'stuff', some just fell for the marketing, some will drink whatever, wherever.

  • ihfree on 04/02/2024 - 22:04

    In Sydney - almost no one I know uses a water filter.

    There was one rental property where I felt a Brita jug improved the water's taste.

  • Davo1111 on 04/02/2024 - 22:23

    no, its not worth it

  • Benoffie on 04/02/2024 - 22:44

    Very few places in Australia where water filters are necessary. People will claim reasons like taste, odour and colour but it's all nonsense. Vast majority of drinking water, especially in capital cities, is consistently highly rated across all categories.

    https://wioa.org.au/awards/national-awards/tastetest/

    • virhlpool on 05/02/2024 - 00:08
      +1

      I agree but I am also one of those who likes the taste of filtered or bottled water vs tap water. Not sure what makes it taste good though.

      • Benoffie on 05/02/2024 - 00:15

        Blind testing shows most people cant taste the difference. It's all in the psychology of it being in a bottle.

        Same as people thinking reclaimed water tastes disgusting when in fact it's as pure as water can get.

        Gotta give water companies props for marketing 👏

        • ozbs25 on 05/02/2024 - 00:17

          Don't like the taste of tap water. Simple as that.

        • coffeeinmyveins on 05/02/2024 - 10:06
          +1

          Blind testing shows most people cant taste the difference

          Cool story. My partner can 100% taste the difference in filtered water from our filter tap and tap water.

          It's all in the psychology of it being in a bottle.

          Not what's being spoken about here. Filtered water != bottled water.

          • Euphemistic on 21/03/2024 - 07:58

            @coffeeinmyveins:

            My partner can 100% taste the difference in filtered water from our filter tap and tap water.

            And have you blind tested that? Becasue the human mind is quite good at tricking you into thinking it tastes better becasue you saw it come from the right place.

            • coffeeinmyveins on 21/03/2024 - 08:21

              @Euphemistic: yes, we have. she can tell the difference between tap and filter water.

              It's not that hard to believe, tap water has minerals and stuff in it that a lot of people can discern the difference.

        • Luckymaster on 19/03/2024 - 21:23

          200% can taste the difference

      • Gdsamp on 05/02/2024 - 00:53

        Larry David

  • freefall101 on 04/02/2024 - 23:47
    +1

    You’ll be paying forever to replace filters for no real benefit.

    I used to work at a place that had plumbed sparkling water, I’d look at doing that instead.

    • Benoffie on 05/02/2024 - 00:17
      +2

      Recently looked at plumbed carbonated - $3k not including canister refills. Better off buying bottles at Colesworth or buying a Sodastream

    • virhlpool on 05/02/2024 - 01:21

      Fair point. Cartridge refills (from Bunnings) aren't very expensive though. $40 a year maybe for two or maybe $60-$70 for three. I guess it would still be cheaper than options like Brita.

  • Euphemistic on 05/02/2024 - 02:48
    +1

    Its not really worth it. Tap water in most parts of Aus is very good. Its a marketing ploy to make you think you are getting benefits when the fikters arent necessary most of the time.

  • Nutrino on 05/02/2024 - 05:53

    Why would you filter 100% of the water from the tap when 99% is not used for consumption?

    • virhlpool on 05/02/2024 - 08:22

      I am referring to the filter only for drinking water.

    • virhlpool on 05/02/2024 - 08:27

      Thanks. Nothing is installed at present except the mini tap that would come with the under bench filter system. So, it's pretty much going to be new installation if I decide to go for it.

    • MrThing on 05/02/2024 - 09:56

      not bad strike rate, only 1 tinfoil conspiracy theorist so far

      • EightImmortals on 05/02/2024 - 11:45
        -2

        Top thinking there chaps. Are you saying the tap water doesn't have chloramines and soduim flurosilicate iadded to it? Or you know that it does but nobody cares?

        • MrThing on 05/02/2024 - 12:22

          I too can copy paste nonsense of fringe websites

          Anyone not living under a rock knows our water is treated with chlorine and has flouride added…no need to use the fancy copy paste names like you have

          • EightImmortals on 05/02/2024 - 12:28
            -1

            @MrThing: Accuracy be damned!
            It's funny cos when you say fluoride is in the water most people seem to assume it's the natural calcium fluoride which isn't too bad in small amounts but not the chemical sodium fluoro-silicate from Chinese chemical factories that has an MSDS as long as your arm.

            Never mind, it's only your health.

            • freefall101 on 05/02/2024 - 12:53
              +1

              @EightImmortals: Why is the length of a MSDS a problem for sodium fluorosilicate compared to chlorine, which you don't seem to have a problem with? Chlorine is a chemical weapon, after all. What specifically is the issue when added in small amounts to water?

              Do you have a list of which water bodies in Australia add sodium fluoro-silicate to water in Australia and how it's added?

              Why would people assume it's calcium fluoride? That isn't even soluble in water, so I would assume it's a terrible choice.

              • EightImmortals on 05/02/2024 - 13:00
                -1

                @freefall101: A did mention chloramines, why don't people read before reacting? I didn't say chlorine specifically as there are a couple of different amines that are added. You can look up the issues for yourself as I've got better things to do today. I also noted (health concerns aside) that they a least have a purpose when added to the water supply.

                "Do you have a list of which water bodies in Australia add sodium fluoro-silicate to water in Australia and how it's added?"

                Mine does, you can ask your local council if you want to know (you wont). How it's added? Davo with a bucket?

                "Why would people assume it's calcium fluoride?"

                Because when the word 'fluoride' is bandied about that's usually the one most people know about.

                • freefall101 on 05/02/2024 - 15:24

                  @EightImmortals:

                  A did mention chloramines, why don't people read before reacting? I didn't say chlorine specifically as there are a couple of different amines that are added.

                  Apologies, I figured chlorine would be ok because it's also added to water to kill ze bugs. Chloramines also have a SDS a mile long though, they've also been pretty problematic (replacing chlorine with chloramines when there are lead pipes turned out to be a good way to kill people).

                  Point being, is there something specific about sodium fluorosilicate that makes the MSDS a valuable piece of info? I read it a couple, there's nothing about the harms of drinking water.

                  You can look up the issues for yourself as I've got better things to do today. I also noted (health concerns aside) that they a least have a purpose when added to the water supply.

                  I did look it up, which is why I'm confused. I can't google why you replied with telling people to look at the MSDS because you gave no context as to why that's important, which is why I asked for clarification.

                  Also, fluoride doesn't have a purpose when added to the water supply? I can google that too, but I find everything from claims that it's used for mind control to making us submissive to communists destroying the health of the western world. Most medical reviews come back with it having a minimal benefit but still a benefit.

                  Mine does, you can ask your local council if you want to know (you wont). How it's added? Davo with a bucket?

                  My local council wouldn't know, because they don't manage my water supply (Yarra Valley Water does and the answer is "it varies"). Also I think it's Tim with the bucket.

                  Because when the word 'fluoride' is bandied about that's usually the one most people know about.

                  Calcium fluoride isn't an approved way to add fluoride to water in Australia though, so why would have anyone heard of it in this context? It's a bizarre thing to assume is all.

                  • EightImmortals on 05/02/2024 - 15:37
                    +1

                    @freefall101: Cheers, I'll pm a reply with some links to you, I'm not really up for too much of a public debate today. :)

            • MrThing on 05/02/2024 - 13:32
              +1

              @EightImmortals: We're ticking off a lot of points on conspiracy bingo today

              • flouride in water bad ✅
              • chlorine in water bad ✅
              • Chinese chemical factories ✅
              • MSDS as long as your arm ✅

              SDS as they are known, are a default format and yes they are very long because of it

              • kmwa on 05/02/2024 - 13:46
                +1

                @MrThing: If you prefer rainwater from your roof, you should add:
                Dust and soil ✅
                Bird shit ✅
                Insects ✅
                Dead rats ✅

                • MrThing on 05/02/2024 - 15:12

                  @kmwa: lucky I use sydney water mains then hey

              • Euphemistic on 21/03/2024 - 07:59

                @MrThing: You need to be careful about the SDS amd tale it in the context of how its used. Aeroguard SDS says not to get it on your skin and use gloves and respirators.

                The SDS is typically about handling the raw product in bulk. If they put it in water it is in pretty small quantities and the SDS is likely not applicable.

    • kranix on 06/02/2024 - 21:07

      You should have mentioned that tap water also contains DHMO and hydroxyl acid, which can be hazardous. You can filter it with the right equipment.

  • abear on 05/02/2024 - 07:44

    The filters are under mains pressure.
    We had one crack a while back, luckily we were at home.
    Removed it.
    Couldn't taste any difference between the filter and Sydney tap water

    • virhlpool on 05/02/2024 - 08:25
      +2

      That's interesting. I have tasted Brita filtered water at someones's place and it definitely tastes more like bottled water, quite different from the tap water.

      • rumblytangara on 05/02/2024 - 08:29
        +1

        it definitely tastes more like bottled water,

        Ah, the sweet, sweet taste of taste of plastic.

      • BLAIL on 05/02/2024 - 08:45

        We've had a Britta for months now - and refill the Ice Machine with Britta filtered water too.

      • Euphemistic on 21/03/2024 - 08:02

        Have you tested while at the same temperature? Thw temperature of water does affect your perception of the flavour a lot.

    • kmwa on 05/02/2024 - 13:27

      That's not true.
      Even cheap ones like this have an NSF certified Pressure Limiting Valve
      https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/223930453698
      I know because I've got one.
      Having said that, the water quality here is good (Champion Lakes WA) and I can barely taste any difference between the tap water and the filtered water.
      At my old house (Kinross WA), the incoming water was often very heavily chlorinated, and you could smell it and taste it. Still perfectly palatable, but the filter used to take out the chlorine taste.

  • AustriaBargain on 05/02/2024 - 09:08

    I use a RO filter outside and refill large water cooler jugs with it. Takes about 70 minutes to fill as RO filter is slow, and puts out like 4x as much waste water as it delivers filtered water. I always drank tap water but I want the RO water for the coffee machine so I don't need to descale it, so I thought I may as well drink it too. The water cooler was shared between everyone in the house but I noticed the shithead I live with never refills it, just leaves it empty, so I bought my own bottles to refill myself.

    • JimB on 05/02/2024 - 09:35

      I was reading one factor of good coffee is the minerals in water.

      Some cafes and people at home add back minerals to their RO Water.

      Some claim that part of the reason why Melbourne coffee is well regarded is the good tap water, minerals and all.

      • AustriaBargain on 05/02/2024 - 11:14

        Meh, I'm using Aldi beans and a cheap delonghi anyway.

        • JimB on 05/02/2024 - 11:18
          +1

          Probably easier to descale it every 6 months than the effort to use RO every other day.

          • AustriaBargain on 05/02/2024 - 11:31

            @JimB: I bought four big jugs and fill them all up at once, takes about six hours. But most of it is waiting.

  • Duckie2hh on 05/02/2024 - 09:24

    Melbourne = no

  • KaTst3R on 05/02/2024 - 10:17
    +1

    Australia has one of the best tap water quality in the world…not sure why people still need Brita jugs and filters.

    • virhlpool on 05/02/2024 - 14:38

      To make it taste better maybe? I guess for some people it's about taste more than purity.

      • KaTst3R on 05/02/2024 - 14:50

        If i put out 5 glasses of water, 4 from tap and 1 from filter. I can guarantee you majority of the people there cannot taste the difference.

        Filter can remove some minerals from tap water but Australian tap water is already considered one of the purest and highest quality drinking water you can find globally. It wont make such a big difference in taste. Unless you love the taste of activated charcoal in your water which some filters uses, then i can understand. You are not removing minerals from your water, you are added them.

        I have used Brita jugs in the past, it is pure marketing and does not add any value to the already high quality drinking water direct from the tap.

        • virhlpool on 05/02/2024 - 16:53

          Filter can remove some minerals from tap water but Australian tap water is already considered one of the purest and highest quality drinking water you can find globally.

          It's not bad for sure but you are quite overestimating our standing in the world: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/water-qua…. We don't seem to be anywhere near the top.

          • KaTst3R on 05/02/2024 - 21:04

            @virhlpool: We are talking about the quality of tap water here. The stats you linked to is referring to drinking water (which can be from natural sources) and it is age-standardized disability-adjusted life-years lost (i.e. number of people who die per 100,000 due to unsafe drinking water). If you were to check this out, the ABS has some old stats which says says less than 70% of regional household were connected to main water sources, which could skew the result a little if 30% of those house holds had no access to our clean tap water for drinking.

            Definitely compared to other countries like Finland, Iceland, Switzerland, Norway, etc those with natural mountain springs and frozen lakes etc which often boast of the "purest water" to man, our starting base is less pure compared to those. But our processed water that comes out of the tap is definitely very high quality. Just google "Australia tap water quality" and you probably see multiple sites agreeing that it is high standard.

            If people want to use a filter to give them a peace of mind, sure go for it. Do whatever that makes you happy.

            https://youtu.be/6JiCkphQsm4?si=Ovl0ksEvgYxNg5oT

  • altomic on 05/02/2024 - 13:56

    I installed a double cartridge filter system in my old house.

    Bought a tap that was hot/cold + filtered. H/C handle on one side, filtered handle on the other.

    Paid $80ish for the tap, $40 for the filter housing, another $30 for inline on/off valve, brass t-junction, and necessary piping. Bought the filter cartridges off ebay in bulk 10 pack (5 of each different filter ratings).

    Plumbed it in my self. Very easy. Turn off at the mains, lots of plumbers tape. Bingo.

    I was in north bris and definitely noticed a difference in water quality/taste. Tap water was okay before but filtered tasted cleaner. (I did do blind taste testings with the family and there was consensus).

    Had the system for 5 years (sold house) . Replaced the filters every year. Changed when You could either taste it wasnt good or via a visual inspection of the filter.

    Been meaning to install one in the new house but am incredibly lazy…

    Can't recommend and installer, but it is very easy to DIY. Plenty of youtube clips.

    • highon2str on 05/07/2024 - 12:41

      Do you remember the brand and model of the system? Looking at Birita alternatives.

  • JIMB0 on 05/02/2024 - 17:29

    The filter material makes a great breeding ground for bacteria.

  • w33w00 on 05/02/2024 - 23:26

    I live in regional NSW where my particular area has a much much higher average rate of motor neurone disease (MND) but no one seems to know why. Working theory is that it's linked to the nearby lake that consistently has insanely high presence of blue-green algae. Council allegedly will intermittently divert the lake water to be filtered and put into the water supply.

    Scary crap.

    • virhlpool on 06/02/2024 - 10:54
      +1

      I live in regional NSW where my particular area has a much much higher average rate of motor neurone disease (MND) but no one seems to know why.

      If this has been for years or even a decade, I doubt if the council hasn't taken it seriously yet and if they haven't then it's scary indeed.

      • w33w00 on 06/02/2024 - 17:28

        My local council was previously known for a lot of corrupt and dodgy shit. Thankfully they all pretty much got voted out last election, hopefully it'll get addressed.

  • 852 Neon Nights on 31/08/2024 - 12:45

    Is any maintenance needed for under-sink systems besides just changing the filters?

    I am aware that with filtration systems other than reverse osmosis under-sink models, biofilm can build up on the filter, leading to a slimy feeling or buildup that can usually be cleaned off with a rinse. Does this also apply to under-sink systems?

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