Drinking Water Filter: The Brita Water Filter and Filter Cartridges
The water that comes out of my tap at home is clear, but it smells and tastes mildly of chlorine. If I filter it with the Brita drinking water filter the chlorine taste and smell completely goes and the water just tastes much nicer.
For the first few filters with a new fliter cartridge the water tastes like mineral water with a slightly sweet taste, but as the cartridge is used more the sweet taste disappears. Even when the filter cartridge has been used for longer than the recommended four weeks the water still tastes much better, and I can easily tell if the water has been filtered or if it is straight out of the tap just by the odour.
Here are the things I think you should know before buying a Brita Fjord water filter:
What the Brita water filter is
It is a jug that holds 1.6 L of filtered water and has a total capacity of 2.6 L. The water filter consists of four parts: a clear plastic jug, a white holder for the filter cartridge which slips into the jug, a lid and of course a filter cartridge. The lid has a 'memo-thingy' -- a phrase you might remember from the television advert. The memo-thingy is a digital timer that tells you when you should change your filter cartridge and is, in my opinion a bit of a waste of time (see later for why).
What the Brita water filter does
The Brita water filter improves the cleanliness and clarity of the drinking water that comes out of your tap by reducing chlorine and metals such as aluminium, copper and lead. It also reduces pesticides and other impurities. The result is great tasting water to drink and cook with. The water filter also reduces lime scale, so you don't get that horrible scum on the surface of your hot drinks. Domestic appliances (such as kettles) have less scale build up.
How the Brita water filter works
You put a filter cartridge in the white holder, then you fill up with water from the tap, wait for it to filter through -- about 30 seconds, and pour. You also set the memo-thingy by holding down the start button until you can see four bars appear. Then the little dot in the corner flashes and week-by-week the bars disappear.
When the bars have all gone you need to, allegedly, change your filter cartridge. I find that after a few weeks of use the speed at which the water filters through slows down considerably and this tells me I should think about replacing the cartridge.
The Brita water filter cartridges
The water filter cartridges come individually wrapped for freshness, and are steam sterilised to fulfil the highest food grade quality standards. Each cartridge is a small plastic unit inside of which lies a four-step filtration system:
- Top Mesh: Pre-filtration
- Ion exchange resin: reduces lime scale (temporary hardness) and heavy metals
- Activated carbon: reduces chlorine and organic impurities
- Bottom Mesh: retains particle mixture
When you replace the filter cartridge you have to soak it in water first for 20 minutes. I don't really know why this is but it obviously prepares it in some way. Then you slot it in to the holder and filter the water through twice. On the third filter the water is ready to drink.
I have forgotten to do this in the past and I am still here, but if you don't forget I've heard the first two filters are good for watering the plants. You can recycle the old filter cartridges, which I have never done (slap wrist) by putting them in an envelope and sending them to a freepost address:
BRITA RECYCLING,
FREEPOST NAT17876,
BICESTER,
OX26 4BR
The memo-thingy
How often you need to change your water filter cartridge depends on how much you use it and the quality of the drinking water in your area, that's why Brita suggest you use it for an average of four weeks. The memo-thingy counts down four weeks, but it doesn't tell you how much water you've filtered, just roughly when to change it.
You may have barely used a filter cartridge and the memo-thingy will still tell you to throw it away. We change ours every five to six weeks and there are two of us in the household so really it is at your own discretion.
Caring for your water filter
The jug itself does have to be kept clean, I just wash mine in soapy water and rinse it well in between filter cartridge changes. The whole unit is dishwasher safe except for the lid -- it's that memo-thingy again.
Cost of a Brita water filter
The jug currently retails at £17.75 from Argos. You can buy a pack of four replacement filter cartridges for £13.50, although other pack sizes are available and prices vary. It is worth shopping around.
Additional information about drinking water filters
There are other drinking water filters available to buy, including the Brita Atlantis. This is the same as the Brita Fjord but it has a total capacity of 3.3 L and therefore does not easily fit in the fridge. The Fjord sits comfortably in the fridge door so bear that in mind if you like your water cold. You can even get kettles now, which come with a water filter cartridge.
It is important to remember that water is a foodstuff and should not be left for more than three days. If you do find you've left it for longer then pour it away or water the plants and filter some more.
I have always lived in hard water areas, and currently live in West Sussex, another hard water area. I would not be without my water filter. The Brita Fjord is the one that I have always used -- well I'm on my second, the first of which lasted four years. I got a new one because the plastic went all murky and made the water look dirty, but it had been well used!
Thames water inform me that the water with which they supply me is safe and of a high quality. I believe them but it just tastes horrible.
The copyright of this article is owned by Sharon Kirby. Permission to republish this work must be granted by the author.
