Water filter suggestions

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PurpleJeepXJ

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In the past, I haven't worried much about the water I use to brew. However, in the last year I can swear that the chlorine taste in my tap water has become stronger. The county claims they have not changed anything. I am looking for an in line filter option. What are my options for say $50. I really just want to filter out the chlorine as my water chemistry here is actually pretty good.
 
reverse osmosis is a better option for about $100. the pre-filters take out chlorine/chloramine, and the RO membrane knocks out the remaining ions.

probably one of the best bang for the buck additions i've made out of anything. it made a step level improvement in the quality of the beer. it'll also create a level of consistency even as your tap water changes seasonally.
 
In the past, I haven't worried much about the water I use to brew. However, in the last year I can swear that the chlorine taste in my tap water has become stronger. The county claims they have not changed anything. I am looking for an in line filter option. What are my options for say $50. I really just want to filter out the chlorine as my water chemistry here is actually pretty good.

rather than reinventing the wheel here I'm linking a recent thread from a few days ago that may help..

Depending on which agent is actually used to treat your water, one of them can be removed by leaving the water sit open for 24hrs or by using a Camden tablet (I cant remember if its chloramine or chlorine though) charcoal or activated carbon will help as well but wont remove everything. (I suggest a couple cheap 10" standard filter housings from the hardware store for this.
RO systems remove everything and you have to rebuild your water which you've kind of indicated you dont want to do.
 
there are industry standard filter housings and filter cartridges that are much cheaper than these, especially for replacement filters.

I assume your referring to these 10" standard filters sold at just about every hardware and department store around the country?

the filters are like 1 dollar in bulk... my Ro system uses the same sediment and charcoal filters as well as the stand alone filters at my camp. and before my tankless water heater in the house...

Heres a good possibility for the OP, has the sediment and charcoal filter only.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dual-Whole-...763219?hash=item3a8f172a53:g:9NIAAOxy63FSrHoz

It should do everything that expensive proprietary filter linked a few posts above does only with a lot more flexibility and lower maintenance costs.

BTW theres no real regulatory system for these filters so they often promise to do wonders but dont live up to the hype in many cases which is why its best to to not go for the gimmick products but stick to whats proven. And remember theres no free lunches... You want smaller filters thats less surface area and a higher filter replacement turnover..
 
In the past, I haven't worried much about the water I use to brew. However, in the last year I can swear that the chlorine taste in my tap water has become stronger. The county claims they have not changed anything. I am looking for an in line filter option. What are my options for say $50. I really just want to filter out the chlorine as my water chemistry here is actually pretty good.

This is what I use to remove chlorine.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Whirlpool-10-in-Whole-House-Complete-Filtration-System/50412474

I use standard carbon 5 micron filters which are relatively cheap on Amazon and at Lowes they're around $5 each.

I do have an RO system for brewing but before that I would just use the standard tap water and the 5 micron carbon filters would remove all the chlorine smell and taste.

I believe that you can get a 1 micron filter for these as well which will obviously remove more 'stuff.'
 
I really just want to filter out the chlorine as my water chemistry here is actually pretty good.

Just showed up because I am also interested in a way to remove only chlorine/chloramine. Finding it a bit odd that so many are talking RO when you basically said you don't want RO.

I have been curious about DuPont's 1-Stage and 2-Stage undersink filters. It is a bit difficult to find brewing-focused reviews about filter systems that aren't RO.
 
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Just showed up because I am also interested in a way to remove only chlorine. Finding it a bit odd that so many are talking RO when you basically said you don't want RO.

I have been curious about DuPont's 1-Stage and 2-Stage undersink filters. It is a bit difficult to find brewing-focused reviews about filter systems that aren't RO.

A single carbon 5 micron whole house filter will remove most chlorine. Put it right by where the water comes into the house.
 
Chlorine is easy as it will dissipate if left open over night. You can also remove with campden tablets.

Chloramine requires filtration. Buckeye hydro can sell you a cheap chloramine filter and housing. If you only use it for brew water it will last a long time.
 
Yes. My water in the town I live in has over 700ppm with half of that being sodium. With my RO system I get down to 14ppm.

Great! I got 160 ppm after my iron water goes through the softener and I'm tired of buying water to brew with. RO system going in as soon as I can swing it.
 
They sell 5 micron filters in packs of 50 for about 1 dollar each on amazon and ebay...(individually sealed) Thats like 15 years worth but if you look at it long term its still a way better deal.
 
Just showed up because I am also interested in a way to remove only chlorine/chloramine. Finding it a bit odd that so many are talking RO when you basically said you don't want RO.

I have been curious about DuPont's 1-Stage and 2-Stage undersink filters. It is a bit difficult to find brewing-focused reviews about filter systems that aren't RO.
I believe thats because theres nothing to really compare.. The decent quality industry standard 10" filters do the work not the plastic housings they sit in... A proprietary smaller filter system with a well know name brand on it sold by commissioned dealers really doesnt mean very much... The "Certified NSF/ANSI Standard" they all claim doesnt really mean anything in terms of effectiveness and performance according to a rather large article I read on water filtration systems. The truth is theres no real authority on testing this stuff. Brand names aside theres no magic patented filter type or process that will really work better other than a more advanced multi filter system like an RO setup.

The reality is $43 filter I linked above can accomplish the same thing with the right replacement filters and buying something that uses a standard sized 10" filter thats made by many manufacturers would be a better bet.
That a proprietary filter system that can be discontinued at any time and the filters will likely demand a premium in the stores.

The charcoal filters remove the smells and a lot of the chemical compounds.. The 5 micron filter is only a mechanical filter for removing sediment and solids only and wont do much at all to remove chlorine or chloramine... Thats why one stage filters are used as whole house filters and 2 or more are usually used for drinking water because the activated carbon doesnt last all that long before it looses its absorption factor... another reason why the small under the sink filter systems like the one you linked isnt really that ideal since the filters arent big enough to last long when your taking buckets at a time.
 
A single carbon 5 micron whole house filter will remove most chlorine. Put it right by where the water comes into the house.

Thats really not true.. The 5 micron filters are mechanical filters to filter solids only. Think of it like a fine sponge... you need the carbon in a filter system to remove the chemicals and some dissolved solids. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_filtering and some actually need RO membranes to be removed.
 
Note, the slower you run water through a charcoal filter, the more chlorine it removes. If you go full bore, full pressure, you aren't doing much.
The first thing to find out is if your water has chlorine, chloramine, or both.
I use a filtrete undercounter filter at just above a trickle and Camden on top of that. I use the same filters under my kitchen sink for drinking water to a designated tap.
I just hit the shut-off valve, pull the filter, brew, return the filter under the counter. I only have chlorine in my water.
The only way around chloramine is RO AFAIK.
 
Thats really not true.. The 5 micron filters are mechanical filters to filter solids only. Think of it like a fine sponge... you need the carbon in a filter system to remove the chemicals and some dissolved solids. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_filtering and some actually need RO membranes to be removed.

I said carbon in the post that you quoted. There are 5 micron carbon filters available that will surely remove chlorine.
 
I said carbon in the post that you quoted. There are 5 micron carbon filters available that will surely remove chlorine.

My apologies, I missed that. A single 5 micron carbon filter being used to filter all the water in a house would have to be changed like every week though to remain effective. And as Jwin noted they arent not intended for full house water flow either.
 
My apologies, I missed that. A single 5 micron carbon filter being used to filter all the water in a house would have to be changed like every week though to remain effective. And as Jwin noted they arent not intended for full house water flow either.

I'm not sure where you are getting this information about the carbon filter having to be changed so often.

I assure you that after a couple months there is still no chlorine smell. If I pour a glass of non-filtered water it smells like a swimming pool.

The pressure is knocked down with the filter, there's no doubt. However, those filters are indeed intended for whole house filtration. Hard to say where that information came from as well.
 
I'm not sure where you are getting this information about the carbon filter having to be changed so often.

I assure you that after a couple months there is still no chlorine smell. If I pour a glass of non-filtered water it smells like a swimming pool.

The pressure is knocked down with the filter, there's no doubt. However, those filters are indeed intended for whole house filtration. Hard to say where that information came from as well.

Look at all the descriptions of the 5 micron carbon filters for sale... the 6-9 month life cycle is for thier advertised use and they are not the type of filter sold for a single stage whole house water filter system.


every single vendor I can find selling them either doesnt mention anything or states they are great for RO and drinking water systems and to use a sediment filter beforehand to prolong life...

I use the 5 micron carbon filter as one of the stages of my RO systen and the manufactuer still recommends they get replaced after 400 gallons even with the crazy low flow rate and the two stages of filtration before it even reaches it. realistically I get more like 600 gallon out of it before I start getting algae blooms and other negative side effects in my reef tank from the filters not working correctly any more.
in a whole house system your usually using hundreds of gallons a week. in single stage filter the life is dramatically reduced And as mentioned its effectiveness would likely be lower with the high flow use in a whole house water system
 
Look at all the descriptions of the 5 micron carbon filters for sale... the 6-9 month life cycle is for thier advertised use and they are not the type of filter sold for a single stage whole house water filter system.


every single vendor I can find selling them either doesnt mention anything or states they are great for RO and drinking water systems and to use a sediment filter beforehand to prolong life...

I use the 5 micron carbon filter as one of the stages of my RO systen and the manufactuer still recommends they get replaced after 400 gallons even with the crazy low flow rate and the two stages of filtration before it even reaches it. realistically I get more like 600 gallon out of it before I start getting algae blooms and other negative side effects in my reef tank from the filters not working correctly any more.
in a whole house system your usually using hundreds of gallons a week. in single stage filter the life is dramatically reduced And as mentioned its effectiveness would likely be lower with the high flow use in a whole house water system

Got ya.

I replace my 5 micron carbon whole house filter every 3 months and that's what's recommended by Whirlpool.

On my 2 stage RO system there is a sediment filter and a .5 or 1/2 micron carbon filter. So there's quite a bit of difference between the two carbon filters. My understanding is that the finer filter in the RO system can actually remove chloramine as well. The RO pre filters are supposed to be changed every 9 months or so.
 
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