Water filtration

.m.
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Sat Apr 28, 2018 2:30 pm

paulraphael wrote:
Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:59 am
The resulting tea tastes great! It's similar to tea made with the Brita filter water, although a bit more round tasting ... maybe slightly more full-bodied and slightly less tannic.
That's kind of what i'd expect. Water with higher content of minerals (carbonates) will usually make for more round and full bodied brew, but with aroma and taste less sharp. Of course it all depends on the specific minerals. A water that is too hard can quite mute the taste.

Some time ago i was trying to find the most easy and economical way to add some minerals to a water for brewing beer. I ended up mixing some Contrex mineral water; one bottle was enough for the whole batch of 5 gallons. Though this might not be that good for tea, since it contains a lot of sulfate oxide.
paulraphael
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Thu May 03, 2018 9:42 am

What I still don't understand is why the Brita water is so different from the carbon block filter water. It tastes like it has more minerals. If anything, it should make water with a lower mineral content when new, and then lose that softening ability.

In practice I don't notice a flavor difference between a new filter and an old one, so that's likely unrelated.

The carbon block filter water tastes both cleaner and softer. By all accounts it shouldn't be changing the mineral content.
evanssophiya
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Fri Jul 05, 2019 5:46 am

Hello!
Also recently faced with the problem that my filter adds a strange taste to the water. This, by the way, was the water filter Brita. We used it for about six months, until I noticed serious taste differences.

I did not like it. And my husband and I began to look for a solution on the Internet, to look at the ratings of different filters. And you know, we made the decision to install Under sink water filter with RO Membrane, information about it was found here. The water actually tasted better. We decided to leave this filter and enjoy delicious tea without unpleasant tastes.

What do you think about this solution?
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Baisao
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Sat Apr 04, 2020 2:46 am

@Ethan Kurland

My wife has ordered a Berkey with black filters. I am game because it has
become difficult to safely get bottled spring water during this pandemic and our tap smells of chloramine when heated. I could let it rest overnight but it could also taste better too so I think I would prefer filtered.

I have some concerns though:

Have you found the black filters to remove desirable minerals?

I read that you are mixing your white ceramic filtered water with spring water. Is this necessary with the black filters as well?

Does the filtered water lack body like distilled or RO?

Thank you!
.m.
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Sat Apr 04, 2020 10:20 am

Baisao wrote:
Sat Apr 04, 2020 2:46 am
Have you found the black filters to remove desirable minerals?
From my limited experience the Black Berkey gravity filter does a good job in removing chlorine and sediments from tap water. Beyond that its mainly big marketing claims and little evidence. IMO, it shouldn't change the minerality of the water in any significant matter. I'm not sure what the filter is exactly made of, but seems to be simply activated charcoal pressed in some sort of "plastic" mesh structure that holds it together.
Unlike Brita, i dont think there's any ion exchange resin that would change the mineral character. In any case, the quality of the filtered water will depend directly on the quality of the tap water.

One thing to pay attention: make sure it is not leaking around the filter. Some of them are made quite cheaply, and the plastic nut that holds the filter to the container tends to skip threads sometimes, making it difficult to tighten it sufficiently (my filter got so bad after some use that I had to use white teflon plumbing tape on the threads). In the past there's been also a batch where the carbon bloc wasn't properly glued to the plastic base and it leaked there. These things can differ one batch from another, and hopefully they've learnt from these issues and make them better now.
Sorry for the downbeat tone. All in all, i believe it is much better than most Brita type filters, and with regular/occasional cleaning of the filter it can last years.
Ethan Kurland
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Sat Apr 04, 2020 12:42 pm

I returned to the use of ceramic filters. The last time I purchased filters, I bought a different brand which seem to work the same as Big Berkey's except the water goes through quicker.

I stopped mixing water filtered with the ceramic filters with spring water. I taste no difference. I think before my filters were so old that they helped the water & hurt the water; thus, I needed to add spring water. The filtered water from fully functioning ceramic filters are fine to drink & to brew.

The black filters seemed to take more out of tap water by far. After reading all of the claims made for the filter & challenges to those claims, I don't know what to think for those concerned about truly safe water. For me, black filters produced water that seemed stripped of chemicals etc.; &, that this extraordinarily "clean" water does not become a good cup of tea. The brew from it lacks flavor.
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Baisao
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Sat Apr 04, 2020 12:46 pm

@.m.

That’s good to know. A beat down tone is fine with me. It’s difficult to suss out facts from hype. And I wouldn’t think of screwing together parts in a liquid system without Teflon tape. Thanks for confirming that it’s an especially good idea with these.
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Baisao
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Sat Apr 04, 2020 12:51 pm

Ethan Kurland wrote:
Sat Apr 04, 2020 12:42 pm
I returned to the use of ceramic filters. The last time I purchased filters, I bought a different brand which seem to work the same as Big Berkey's except the water goes through quicker.

I stopped mixing water filtered with the ceramic filters with spring water. I taste no difference. I think before my filters were so old that they helped the water & hurt the water; thus, I needed to add spring water. The filtered water from fully functioning ceramic filters are fine to drink & to brew.

The black filters seemed to take more out of tap water by far. After reading all of the claims made for the filter & challenges to those claims, I don't know what to think for those concerned about truly safe water. For me, black filters produced water that seemed stripped of chemicals etc.; &, that this extraordinarily "clean" water does not become a good cup of tea. The brew from it lacks flavor.
Thank you, sir. That’s clearly put. I had hoped this would be a solution to my spring water woes. I’ll keep looking and eventually switch to the white filters you suggested.
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Baisao
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Sat Apr 04, 2020 3:02 pm

@Ethan Kurland, do you happen to have the part number for the filters you are using. A search on the name from your earlier posts pulls up various filters with that same name.
Ethan Kurland
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Sat Apr 04, 2020 9:57 pm

Baisao wrote:
Sat Apr 04, 2020 3:02 pm
Ethan Kurland, do you happen to have the part number for the filters you are using. A search on the name from your earlier posts pulls up various filters with that same name.
Filters I am using were bought from FiltersFirst.com. They are CeraPlus @9511201 (2" x 7").

I have them in a Big Berkey. The AquaCera @9371830 SS-4 Gravity System w/2 filters is selling for $172 & looks identical to a Big Berkey which costs about $50 more. you might get a discount if you refer to me because I had received promotion e-mails from them asking for referrals months back; ,& also you can check my #s (but I think they are right).

I am awkward on computers so remember telephoning them for help or to complete transaction (can't remember which).

Good luck.
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Baisao
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Sat Apr 04, 2020 11:17 pm

Ethan Kurland wrote:
Sat Apr 04, 2020 9:57 pm
Baisao wrote:
Sat Apr 04, 2020 3:02 pm
Ethan Kurland, do you happen to have the part number for the filters you are using. A search on the name from your earlier posts pulls up various filters with that same name.
Filters I am using were bought from FiltersFirst.com. They are CeraPlus @9511201 (2" x 7").

I have them in a Big Berkey. The AquaCera @9371830 SS-4 Gravity System w/2 filters is selling for $172 & looks identical to a Big Berkey which costs about $50 more. you might get a discount if you refer to me because I had received promotion e-mails from them asking for referrals months back; ,& also you can check my #s (but I think they are right).

I am awkward on computers so remember telephoning them for help or to complete transaction (can't remember which).

Good luck.
Thank you, sir! If I order from them I will be sure to drop your name as a referral.
Ethan Kurland
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Sun Apr 05, 2020 9:10 am

I made a mistake. It is FiltersFast.com (not First). Cheers
JustinBlack
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Mon Jun 22, 2020 10:00 pm

There are three kinds of refrigerator water filters on the market: activated carbon filter, reverse osmosis filter and anion filter. Among them, activated carbon filter is the most commonly used.

It is made of activated carbon effective at removing chlorine and other unpleasant smells and tastes from tap water. The chemical structure of carbon allows it a large surface area - one gram of carbon can cover three volleyball courts after being spread out.

Activated carbons are classified on the basis of their efficiency - some of them are great for absorbing contaminants in the tap water, while others are not. Coconut shell activated carbon has been proved to have the best filtration effects.

It uses quality coconut shell as raw material and employs state-of-the-art technologies in the process of production. Coconut shell activated carbon is black in surface, in granular form, has many pores inside, and features efficiency at absorbing contaminants in the tap water, eco-friendliness and economy. Therefore, it should be your first choice in purchasing water filter. However, due to its remote location, coconut shell activated carbon is a bit more expensive than ordinary wooden activated carbon which is less efficient at filtration.

Those that have fast filtration rate

Only when your water filter has fast filtration rate can you have enough safe water to drink. If the water flow is very slow even before the expiration date, the design of your water filter is not reasonable.

But if the water flow is normal at first, and becomes increasingly slow as time goes by, your water filter is clogged, and you need to replace it with a new one.

Those able to soften your hard water

First, let’ s have a look at the differences between hard water and soft water. Hard water usually contains many calcium and magnesium ions which make it more refreshing to drink, while soft water contains few of the substances and usually tastes odorless.

So should we go for hard water? Certainly not. Drinking hard water for a long time can increase the likelihood of developing calculus. Although hard water can supply calcium and magnesium ions for our body, we can get enough of the substance from vegetables and meat.

Therefore, we should drink soft water.

There’ s a simple way to tell if the filtered water is soft or hard. Prepare a cup of hot water, add soapy water to it and gently stir the mixture. If bubbles appear, it is soft water; if scums appear, it is hard water - the more scums appear, the harder your water is.

Those able to remove contaminants from tap water

For your and your family’ s health, you must ensure that your water filter can remove most contaminants from tap water, especially when you have children. They are more vulnerable to falling ill after drinking polluted water.

One of the best ways to test the filtration capacity of a water filter is to see if it is NSF certified.

As a neutral third- party, the NSF’ s certification has been recognized by 13 authoritative national- level or industrial organizations such as American National Standards Institutes (ANSI), Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Standards Council of Canada. If you need more information then you shall be following our tips. :oops: :) ;) :twisted: :roll: :!: 8-) :lol: :P :mrgreen: :D
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