Reddit mentions: The best replacement countertop water filters

For six years of my life, I was in an emotionally/verbally abusive relationship. I was able to finally break free from my ex with the help of a wonderful friend who supported me more than my ex ever had, despite being half a country away. A huge defining moment in my life was when my son and I flew across the country to meet that man in person for the first time. I knew right away that he was the one I'd been hoping to find my whole life, and the three of us became a family almost right away. Almost two years later, we are now married, and he has been a wonderful father to our son.

If I win, this would be a huge help. Our tap water is gross and our water filter won't stay on the faucet anymore. If that's too expensive though, this cheese slicer would make me happier than I'd like to admit.

I_Define_Me

Thanks for the contest!

Ooo Nice. You didn't happen to live in the ELLC last year did you?

LC as in liquid chromatography? I took organic chemistry 1 + lab during summer A and I did numerous types of chromatography. I would say for this either TLC or GC might be better for this (I found liquid chromatography to be inaccurate and annoying). Gas chromatography was very accurate and in your case would be practical because simple alcohols have relatively low boiling points. If you can get in contact with a chemist especially an organic chemist (they deal with a lot of Chromo) then you will be in luck. There are a lot of chromatography labs on the 2nd floor of NES, you may be able to find someone there. There are also a lot of friendly orgo TA's that may be able to help you.

Also if you're looking to purify your alcohol a great investment would be a distiller that I have come across. I really want to buy one haha. They are not cheap though.

http://www.amazon.com/Water-Distiller-Countertop-Enamel-Collection/dp/B00026F9F8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373847977&sr=8-1&keywords=water+distiller

This episode of the Survival Podcast will tell you more about home distillation than you'd hope to know. In my state Everclear is darn cheap and much more pure than what you can do at home. Then again, we're the DIY types, aren't we.

That said, hands down the easiest way to distill at home is with a counter-top electric still. I suppose you could hypothetically start with a cheap vodka and go from there, but nothing says you couldn't start from scratch with any scrap starch, sugar or corn and make a fuel mash in a 5 gallon bucket. Not economical, but certainly a useful skill.

EDIT: They mention it in the podcast, but I should add it's perfectly legal to make your own fuel at home. You can get a free permit from the treasury department. On the scale you're talking about, however, I don't think it would matter.

I doubt you will find any for sale in town. I bought this one years ago for 219 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ANW7HQ/ref=pe_385040_30332190_pe_175190_21431760_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_1

it has only gone up 10 bucks in price so it's a great deal. it makes 6 liters in about 4 hours and is really easy to use. It also has the capability to accept a carbon filter in case you want to try distilling other things (I haven't tried yet but I hear rumors it works great for moonshine). I use it for a lot of things including drinking it occasionally. The best use though is in mixing with sal suds to create cleaners for the house. It basically eliminates all my other cleaner costs.

Have been battling hard water (TDS of 360) at a friends house for many years. I have been using one similar to this one to distill water and blend tap water down to a reasonable hardness level :

https://www.amazon.com/Megahome-Countertop-Water-Distiller-Collection/dp/B00026F9F8

or here:
http://www.h2olabs.com/c-2-countertop-water-distillers.aspx

It is slow (5 hrs per gallon) but it is set and forget and easy to clean with citric acid. Store finished water in glass containers. Easier and less expensive than lugging water from the market. You can then build your own water as you see fit. Either blend distilled with tap water or try the Third Wave Water suggestion. A TDS meter is helpful when blending and they can be had from most hydroponic supply outlets for $35 US.

My water is regularly in the 200's ppm and its fine. The extra minerals are good for the plant.

The main reason to buy a filter is if your city is using chlormines to treat their water vs chlorine. Especially if you grow organic. Chlorine can kill the microbes. Which cause issues in teh soil with ph and nute uptake issues. If they use chlormines then get a filter. My WOW guildy who grows recommended this to me that includes a sediment filter. Even though I think your ppm is fine. It can help bring it down as well.

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KL0JG6/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

depends what your water issues are. here in nyc the only issue are particulates and chloromines,
so i got a generic 10" cartridge housing and use appropriete chloromines absorbing carbon block.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013JVPN1M (all you need for now)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051VC7CW (recommended cartridge replacement)

since this housing comes with an adequate filter cartridge, you can use that for the first 1000gal,
then replace it with the Pentech for the next 1000gal. if you have a lot of particulates such as mulm,
I would get a second stage filter housing and use one for particulates and the other for chloromines.

https://www.amazon.com//dp/B0014C0850

it's best to stick with the 10'|20' cartridge standards, not use any proprietary housing like culligan.
2 stages means you'll save on cartridge costs because particulate-only are much cheaper to replace,
thus extending the useful life of your other more expensive carbon block cartridge.

I brew 2L of tea daily, while removing chloromines has significantly improved the taste of my tea.
if you are a high end aquarium hobbyist, removing chloromines is a must for your invertebrates.

Allow me to save you a bunch of money.


Buy two of THESE
and something like THIS and THIS
Along with $15 worth of fittings from home depot you'll have many years of spare filters. If you're interested I can go take a picture of my setup. I have these two filters before my water softener.

I meant something like this:

Water Distiller, Countertop, White Enamel, Glass Collection https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00026F9F8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_Idp7wbVY0VGXS

I use this because the tap water I get has a weird smell that filters don't seem to remove.

This contraption yields delicious water (i.e. no taste) that is perfectly clean and costs a fraction of what buying bottled water would cost.

It is less convenient than a filter though.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011N1JOYM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

works great

i distill and then send it through a filter, best ever.

I run mine through a filter pad which catches emulsion and larger solids, then through couple of canister filters, like 25 and 10 microns or so. I have another larger filter I'm going to add in front of those because I'm getting a lot of particles that are clogging things up too often, but otherwise it works pretty well at removing solids and sludge.

https://www.amazon.com/DuPont-WFPF13003B-Universal-000-Gallon-Filtration/dp/B007VZ2O0Q/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=canister+filter+whole+house&qid=1568728664&sr=8-4

been using this water distiller for 4 months.

Has good reviews, couple downsides (does not have power switch) but works great. Just get a power plug timer so that it does not evaporate all the water. The tap water that is left over is yellow.

That closet organizer is awesome! So pricey... but probably worth it!

My answer is the same as what I just posted in a "what item do you WANT the most" thread:

For me, it's a tie between the filtered water pitcher (because our water is really crappy) or the hair straightener (because the cracks in my old one are snagging/breaking my hairs).

It could be something like this: https://www.amazon.com/finum-63-421-70-00-Universal-Filter

This works very well for tea, even fine tea, and makes an acceptable coffee too (similar to french press)

We have very clean (no chlorination or any other treatment) but also very hard water. I use Brita, which does the job for tea.

Are you sure your water is ok? Others suggested reverse osmosis, which, however, is mostly an option for labs.

An option might be a water destillation kit, which takes up electricity but would work well for just potable water. I don't know how well e.g.

http://www.amazon.com/Nutriteam-Countertop-Distiller-Stainless-Collection/dp/B000ANW7HQ

works, or whether there are cheaper options around.

z32 is talking about a system to maintain a closed loop cooling system. So you don't have to add new cool water, just remove heat from reservoir water.

My original post was about basically making a fairly flat worm and blowing air over it to condense vapor. Just an idea I found intriguing, water cooling makes much more sense for most of us. I would imagine the small air cooled distillers use some form of this setup. [distiller] ( http://www.amazon.com/Water-Distiller-Countertop-Enamel-Collection/dp/B00026F9F8) alcohol vapor is much easier to condense than water vapor.

I feel you are overpaying for the filters and housings. Here are some Dupont housings that are substantially cheaper. Also I noticed you have a water softening filter in there, you might want to just look at installing a real water softening solution, amazon has a nice one that would do a better job than just a single softening filter, especially because that filter is only rated at 2gpm

I've been making 1 gallon with a piece of aluminum foil on the jug of apple wine for about eight years and use a Water Distiller to help it taste better. Never had a problem yet

Depending on what your water is like, you might not need something as expensive as that. I only need to filter sediment from my well and am not worried about heavy metals or pesticides, so these work fine:

https://www.amazon.com/DuPont-WFPF13003B-Universal-000-Gallon-Filtration/dp/B007VZ2O0Q

These distilling devices are perfectly legal in the US...

Not very practical for the purposes generally espoused in this subreddit however.

You can make the same thing for less money if you have some plumbing knowledge.

Housing: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007VZ2O0Q/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3GPTD5IY4PUZ3&coliid=I29TBOOJZKNKD9

Stage 1: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007VZ2O1U/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3GPTD5IY4PUZ3&coliid=I3UH3UQDY1YG9G

Stage 2: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007IJ1GVI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3GPTD5IY4PUZ3&coliid=I2WPUSYXAAJ6PS

Stage 3: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007JRDT96/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3GPTD5IY4PUZ3&coliid=I2DR3294UM5E6K&psc=1

Just run them inline with whatever piping you're comfortable with, pex, galv, or copper will all work. 2 galv nipples between the three units and then an adapter to your other line will probably be cheapest.

I'm gonna start with a little story. about 3 months ago i was up to 385 lbs, the highest I have ever been. My boss told me if i lose 50 lbs he will give me 100 dollars. ive been doing really good trying to watch what I eat. i would like this. i need to drink more water but i hate the taste of tap water. this is something i can fill up and have in the fridge and i can use to fill up a water bottle. i need all the help i can get. im 28 and being so heavy is dangerous to my health.I know this water filter isn't going to magically change my life but it is a step in the right direction. also if i win this or not , when i make it to my 50 lb goal im going to do a 20 dollar contest of a similar fashion. you never know these health contests might save a life!

Pur 18 cup dispenser.


I use it, and love it.

this is probably the best thing i've ever given myself.

Wish I could do something like that, My still just makes brandy.

I know this will distill. And the video when I saw the video I picked up the distiller and even today I make great brandy, I buy the cheap 1 gallon wine and let the distiller do the work.

Look into distillation systems. They do a pretty good job of getting most shit out of water, last a long time, and often cost less than filtration systems: https://chestsculpting.com/how-to-remove-estrogen-from-your-drinking-water/. I personally like the concept of small countertop distillers: https://www.amazon.com/Megahome-Countertop-Water-Distiller-Collection/dp/B00026F9F8

A whole house water filter can help a lot with the sediment, and if you use a charcoal block filter, it could be pretty decent water. The iron is a tough one if there really is a lot of iron in there. Might as well get it tested to find out, not that expensive from Ward Labs.

In the US - midwest. Do you have a Wal*Mart in the area? If so, that should be easy. But I've been to Kroger and other local chains without any trouble.

At $4/gallon, you'll probably come out ahead with an in-home distillation machine: https://www.amazon.com/Megahome-Countertop-Water-Distiller-Collection/dp/B00026F9F8/

Yes, especially if you're on well water you need/want a filter (not RO, just a solids filter) before the softener. The resin pellets in the softener will be destroyed by incoming silt or solids. It's cheap insurance.

Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007VZ2O0Q/
Is all you need. Maybe a little bigger if you have many bathrooms.

So, water is extremely heavy and hard to lift and load and because it's a solvent it isn't a great idea to store it in any container for a long period of time. Other people have mentioned this.

Honestly, for the budget you are talking about, I would look into a single water can you keep empty and look into going "modular" with a filtration setup and some food grade buckets. You can buy a dome filter off amazon that is silver impregnated for $11. You can easily pack one or two into the footprint of a bucket along with fittings, tubing, tools and other things that would be useful in other situations.

When things get bad, you stop and scoop some water to filter through your rig and keep trucking. You also have extra hose around in case you need to make repairs or have a makeshift tourniquet. Etc.

More useful water containers than that Jerry can are going to be personal nalgene or similar bottles for everyone with you (which are also good for keeping supplies dry) and possibly some of those new fangled stainless vacuum flasks if you want to try and backpacker cook in them (I have some of the ozark mountain ones and have been so busy with work I haven't had a chance to do oatmeal or red wheat in em yet).

I use a Berkey with flouride filters. Its by far the cheapest way to filter water without reverse osmosis. I've been using it for 5 years. Well worth it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y1VTW9H

Thanks man,

I got this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008KL0JG6

It's supposed to filter chlorine, chloramine and heavy metals. I'll give it go for a few days and see how she responds. They also sell an 'upgrade kit' which is an additional RO stage. I'm thinking I might go for it, although I'll have to get creative with the waste water line

For everyone with horrible tap, you can distill your own. http://www.amazon.com/Water-Distiller-Countertop-Enamel-Collection/dp/B00026F9F8

Is it as convenient as having great tap water to begin with? No. But it's an alternative to "oh well, guess I'm giving my money to Big H2O."

If you buy a universal size like This then the filters are cheap and available at any hardware store. Many RV models have unique proprietary filters you must buy from the manufacturer.

Also the larger size can handle more volume and that means faster fills and shorter brew days!

I use a hydrologic Small Boy with a special activated carbon filter. It's supposed to remove most chlorine and chloramine.

I use a distiller like this one for drinking water. https://www.amazon.com/Megahome-Countertop-Water-Distiller-Collection/dp/B00026F9F8

how do you distill it ? just with a regular distiller?

like this

This is some real shit. Would love to chat with you more re astro magick.

You could just distill it if I'm not mistaken. THere are a ton of water distillers on amazon for under $200.

Looks like about $200 on Amazon though I'm not sure that's the exact same model.

I'm using something similar to This one. It works well although it only reclaims about 50% of the everclear.

Safe, but tastes gross.

One of these will take care of the taste just fine though. Works way better than that Brita bullshit.

If you needed to distill a lot, it might be worth investing in a dedicated countertop unit.

> A pitcher filter doesn't really filter anything

Got a citation for that?

$100 for two filters?

Sorry, but that's ridiculous.

Edit: with time to look around, I found these solid carbon filters are now commonplace, even Brita and others selling pitcher style water filtration products have products with solid carbon filters. Just include the words: "solid carbon" when you're searching.

For drinking water, my fridge has a water filter and i distill that water with a countertop water distiller i purchased from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Water-Distiller-Countertop-Enamel-Collection/dp/B00026F9F8

What are you talking about?

$200 and you're good to go. The only challenge is getting water to shower with (kind of annoying to shower with salt water).

http://www.amazon.com/Water-Distiller-Countertop-Enamel-Collection/dp/B00026F9F8

You can't swing $60

$85 and you can Distill your own!

I've gotten a couple of Megahome: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ANW7HQ

My first one cost about $100 But they're over double now.

A home water distiller is probably the cheapest way.

Get a Water Distiller remove the carbon filter and distill it. video

@dbreidsbmw: Saw a video year's ago about distilling and the distiller http://www.amazon.com/Water-Distiller-Countertop-Enamel-Collection/dp/B00026F9F8

Question: what's the difference between jacked cider and distilling cider.

Best $250.00 I ever spent.

This is what I use. Would that work for your situation?

http://www.amazon.com/Water-Distiller-Countertop-Enamel-Collection/dp/B00026F9F8

(or any cheaper alternative)

As a last resort you could buy a steam distillation set-up.

[steam distilation](Megahome Countertop Water Distiller, White, Glass Collection https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00026F9F8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.qRLBbDP3JFE1)

I suppose I should have done that initially, lol.

3x - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B007VZ2O0Q/

1x - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B007JRDT96/

1x - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B007IJ1GVI/

1x - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B007VZ2O1U/

Then just whatever copper/PVC/PEX fittings you need to make it happen. I guess a bit over $100 but the filters drive that cost up a little and last ~3 months each so each pack is a half years worth.

I plumbed mine with a bypass too so I could bypass the filters for maintenance or if I had problems of if I'm doing a lot of outside watering (power washing).

EDIT: Pic here https://imgur.com/7ukQ9p4.jpg

I think it's roughly every 3 months, but filters are cheap. It also depends how much water you use and how dirty your water is. I think if you have well water a lot of people uses a 3 filter system. The first filter is a 10 micron then 2nd is a 5 micro the 3rd is a carbon filter. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007VZ2O0Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1518883549&sr=8-9&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=Water+filter+system&dpPl=1&dpID=41Nn7qeHteL&ref=plSrch

The permit is easy to get the annoying part is you have to pay taxes on every drop of alcohol you distill and a $1000 yearly fee for the license even if your making it for personal use.

Which were the exact same restrictions on home brewing up until the 1973 law was passed removing the permit and taxing on personal use.

But yeah don't distill alcohol unless you want to risk a fine.

There are several options to consider for water.

I personally have two setups that I think works for my family. As always, I try to get the most bang for my buck.

The first is using a simple ceramic filter, and then buying a couple of cheap buckets (with lids) from Lowes or Home Depot. You drill a hole in the bottom of one bucket, and a hole in the lid of the second bucket. You insert the filter in the hole. When you are ready to use it, you pour your water into the top bucket, and let it drain to the bottom bucket, ready to drink. You might also drill a second hole in the bottom bucket for a faucet. Start to finish, this system will cost you about $25-30, but is capable of filtering thousands of gallons of water.

A second option is a little simpler. Something like the HydroBlue is a little more expensive, but doesn't require any tool work.

Most water filters will get bacteria and parasites. Filters with carbon will also get heavy metals, though for really bad situations where I'm in strict survival mode, I'm not worried about trace amounts of lead that might be in the water, that will affect me only after a few years of consumption.

Most filters will NOT get viruses, but those that do are a LOT more expensive. I would still argue that viruses aren't nearly as much of a concern as bacteria and parasites, but if your still worried about viruses, a cheap way to deal with them is to use bleach or pool shock. (Bleach doesn't have a very long shelf life, but pool shock does.) You can also use a UV light to neutralize viruses, though this option is somewhat more expensive.

The gold standard for water filters would be a Berkey, though these are very pricey.

All in all, I'm condensing this to keep from overwhelming you. I've done lots of research on this, so if you have any more questions, I'd be happy to elaborate further on anything.

I used to waste so much money on bottled water because my tap tasted bad. Then I got one of these and I haven't spent a dime on bottled water since.

I have the same problem with the low humidity: asthma, allergies, nose bleeds. We don't have a whole house humidifier so I use a combination of a Honeywell console humidifier and a Mabis Steam Inhaler. I keep them in whatever room I'm in.

They will go bad quickly with tap water so I bought a tabletop distiller. I put the water through a Brita filter first, then I distill it, and I use that in the humidifiers.

I use a little EVOO in my nostrils, especially at night.

Some of us just don't do well with low humidity. It's an ongoing battle.