Best water filter?

[Ascholten]

Just as an interesting side note here.  I have a bodum santos electric pot.  I used descaler and it started leaking.   Eventually the leak 'sealed up' again.  Hence I won't descale it again I do not believe or will probably kiss it goodbye.   

I remember our (very young) first house, had well water,  they eventually hooked up to city water.  It 'cleaned' everything out and all those old coated pipes, the deposits starting coming off and everythign started leaking etc.  Appliances too.

Just keep in mind that if you start putting 'very clean' water into your stuff, it might have some unintended consequences.  Also remember that filters generally take ALL the stuff out of the water, the good and the bad stuff. If it is 'clean' enough to absorb the already built on scale into itself when you put it in your pot, it can also absorb minerals in your body and flush them out too.  Ultra clean water is not very tasty either,  it's actually bland, if you can call water that.  They do make cartridges that do inject some chemicals back into the water to make it tastier.

Just some random thoughts.
Aaron

[Tex]

I use the water softener kit from Chris Coffee. The replacement filter cartridges are standard 10" and cheap. The Cat ION water softener cartridge is rechargeable - just soak it in a saline solution.


edited: The Cat ION cartridges can be recharged with potassium chloride instead of salt. Potassium is good for you!

[Ascholten]

But the chlorides?

Its better if you can pressurize it a bit to actually flow the soaking solution through them, that gives  a more thorough recharge as it rinses the crap out and not just what ever touches and then goes in one shot.

I used to use string wound/  DE filters when I brewed my beer to help clarify them ... well wine too,but id use co2 to force through the filter.  with a 1 micron rating, it took out pretty much everything.

Aaron

[Tex]

But the chlorides?

Its better if you can pressurize it a bit to actually flow the soaking solution through them, that gives  a more thorough recharge as it rinses the crap out and not just what ever touches and then goes in one shot.

I used to use string wound/  DE filters when I brewed my beer to help clarify them ... well wine too,but id use co2 to force through the filter.  with a 1 micron rating, it took out pretty much everything.

Aaron

http://www.mortonsalt.com/faqs/water_soft_faq.html#q22

I use an extra filter case to recharge my cartridge.

[Tex]

I pulled the trigger on a 2 stage water filter setup, a water softener cartridge, and spare filter housing to go the simple water softener method for now.

I've thought that it may be interesting to use a pump and a pail to flush and recharge the water softener cartridge.  I'll probably use potassium chloride when I recharge, any tips on a good place to pick this up in bulk is appreciated.

I've actually use the standard 10" filter housing with a string filter for years on my whiskey barrel pond as a filter, works awesome to clear up the water with very little maintenance, just change the filters.  It's all torn apart now since a raccoon or other pest got into my pond and ate all the fish and made a mess.

Thanks, everyone, for all the input.

Home Depot & Lowe's have the big sacks of potassium chloride at the exit by the water softener salt pellets. It's ~1/3 more than salt, but better for you.

Recharging: I let the cartridge soak in potassium solution, then run clear water through until I can't taste the potassium.

[Ascholten]

Potassium chloride,  look in the pool section they sell 50 lb bags of it fairly cheap.

Aaron

[rasqual]

For what it's worth, I'm loving this company lately after buying a hose-mount carbon filter for the farmers market.

http://www.purewaterproducts.com/

[Tex]

For what it's worth, I'm loving this company lately after buying a hose-mount carbon filter for the farmers market.

http://www.purewaterproducts.com/

I mention it only because you didn't - not all hoses are safe for potable water. Most  are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which uses lead as a stabilizer.

Unless there's a lead-free label on the hose, don't drink from it. Using a Standard 53-certified filter that specifically removes lead, is an option.

[rasqual]

Yeah, the local hardware store specifically labeled some hoses as safe for potable water.

Cringeworthy: watching a kid drink from a hot hose on a summer day without letting it run a while first.   

[Tex]

Yeah, the local hardware store specifically labeled some hoses as safe for potable water.

Cringeworthy: watching a kid drink from a hot hose on a summer day without letting it run a while first.   

Cringworthy²: Cheap garden hoses last a few years then end up in landfills. All that lead from a 50' hose seeping into the groundwater - yummy! BTW: I've read that an oridnary garden hose produces water containing 10 to 100 times the acceptable amount of lead. IIRC that's flowing water; who knows what that kid you mentioned took in from water that was standing in the hose?

[Tex]

Still no response from Water Anywhere, so I decided to try recharging the gel myself.  Man, the Potassium Chloride is four times the Sodium Chloride, but I guess it's worth it.

I rigged up a way to circulate the brine through the cartridge with a six dollar drill pump and some adapter parts, would have been easier with the housing that comes with garden hose adapters.  I just need a screen to keep the salt out of the line.

The info I got was that just soaking the filter in the solution was sufficient. They will need to be rinsed out with flowing water to remove the excess brine.

[RobertL]

Yakster I was wondering how this worked out for you I'm considering ordering the same set up from water anywhere.

[Tex]

I've got a dual stage cation/carbon filtration system for my HX. I've pulled various pieces from the machine in the 8+ months it's been installed, and haven't seen any indications of scale build up.

I do have a spare cation cartridge I keep charged, and swap them out approx. every 4 months for recharging. I'm probably doing it more frequently than necessary, but it's easier to do than descaling the machine.

I did buy a cheap pump for the electric drill, and now use it to flush the potassium chloride solution through the cation cartridge.

[Tex]

I thought some more about it and my frustration is with my ability to measure the effects of the water softener.  Water chemistry and TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) is a complex field.

In actuality, I haven't had any problems with scale since installing the water softening system.  I started with my closed boiler Gaggia Factory with bottled water temporarily but knew that I wanted something more sustainable so I installed the softener cartridge.  I also have a stainless steel water kettle and the bottom of the kettle has a mirror clean surface which would normally show scale with tap water.

So, yes, I'd say that ion exchange water softening is a proven way to reduce scale and that it's working for me.

I think I'll order another cartridge like Tex since he took my idea of a cheap pump for the drill... great minds think alike?   

I don't know about that - but there's no idea I won't steal and claim as my own!

I'm still toying with the idea of putting in a whole-house water softener. I don't know why I didn't do it when I had the place built? Stupid, stupid, stupid!

[RobertL]

Thanks guys for the replies I think I will pull the trigger on a three stage under sink set up. I'm not really an espresso guy so the water will mostly be used for making coffee, tea and drinking water. I'm leaning towards a three filter set up sediment, carbon and softener. I will admit I don't know much about water treatment do you think three filters would be best for my uses? Here is a copy of my local water quality report from 2009 I don't think it has changed much since then.

http://www.leaguecity.com/DocumentView.aspx?DID=2724