Overview
Since the body is made up mostly of water it only makes sense that we need to drink a fair share of it each day for optimal health. But this also provides the chance to accidentally allow water pollutants like chlorine, mercury, lead, and asbestos into the body on a gradual and daily basis. That’s why it’s very important to make sure that your water is as clean as can be, since it is being used to help flush out your system and help your organs function properly.
The Claim
The major claim made by Brita regarding its water filters is that they remove enough of the bad stuff in tap water to make it taste better and make it safe and healthy for drinking. They also claim that it is a far cheaper option than buying bottled water, which infers that their water is just as clean as the kind you’d buy in a bottle, either spring water or water that has been filtered like Aquafina.
The Hype
With so much competition between the different brands of filters there is a lot of money at stake in the water filtration market. Bottled water companies also want a cut of the pie, and there are also companies like Culligan that make their livelihood off of providing better water to thousands of households.
The Cost
There’s the one-time cost of the Brita pitcher or faucet mount, and then the ongoing maintenance cost of replacing the filters when they need it. When you are looking at your different options this might look like an economical choice at first, but you should run the long-term numbers. There may be a system that you can have professionally installed that costs more on the front end, but requires less in the way of replacement filters down the road.
The Commitment
In order to really get your money’s worth you will want to use it continually for the long term so
Evaluation
With so many different filters to choose from in the Brita line, there is sure to be one that suits your needs, and your kitchen situation. If you want something that is stored in your refrigerator there are pitchers you can buy. These range in size from an ordinary pitcher to longer and bigger models that have dispensers so that you simply put your glass to it to fill it. There are some things you should think about before going with a particular type of filter.
You may want to consider going with one of the faucet mounted units rather than a pitcher. The water is pushed through the filter at a faster rate, and can therefore use more densely packed filtration materials. The pitchers are relying on gravity to help the water pass through the unit, and this doesn’t provide enough push for it to work as properly as it should.
The big question is whether or not Brita filters get out all of the impurities that you’d want out of your water. It’s good to know that they remove the chlorine, as this is a major contaminant that you don’t want to ingest. Also, they are effective at getting rid of lead and mercury, two other major offenders found in plenty of tap water across the country. As far as covering the full spectrum of nasty things you wouldn’t want to drink, they fall short, leaving behind things like asbestos and other bacteria that can make it through to your glass.
It’s good to get your water tested to see what you actually need to be concerned about. Perhaps the things that Brita filters miss are not present in your tap water to begin with, so you don’t need to be worried about it and it will suit you just fine.
Our Recommendation
As far as a quick fix that makes tap water suitable for drinking, Brita filters seem to work quite well. However, when compared to your other water filtration options they might not be the best choice for you and your family. You may want to consider a whole-home filtration system, or an under-the-counter unit so that you don’t have to worry about continually replacing the filters, and so you are getting a more comprehensive filtering of contaminants that you wouldn’t knowingly put in your body.
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View Comments
I have on the the faucet unit. It lasts 4 to 6 weeks, not the 4 months the box suggests is average. We are 2 adults and a child and only use the filtered water to cook, make coffee, tea, and cook. I would say average use.
Our city water has always been pure and pristine, but a major public infrastructure project stirred up some bacteria. The water utility started to chlorinate it, to kill any bacteria. It had a slight swimming pool odor. We use the Brita for drinking, coffee and cooking, and it works well. If we had lead or asbestos, I'd go with a more sophisticated system.
I've bought 2 of the Brita 6 month filter system. The first one lasted about 6 weeks before it took at least an hour to filter through. I contacted Brita and they said to tap it . Not knowing what that meant I banged it around a bit and found that improved it for a bit, but it became very slow as the 6 month approached.
The one reason I've bought this system is there is a high lead content in the water here. So the next filter lasted about a month before becoming incredibly slow filtering. I took the filter out dried it out banged it around a bit and for a few days it filtered through in a reasonable time. Now a week later it takes an hour to filter.
I regret not saving the receipt for each purchase so I could return this piece of crap. PC has some reasonable priced filters that I'm going to use . The addition of some lead to my 73 year old body probably won't do all that much damage.
I wouldn't recommend buying this product.
My house was built in the 1970s. The plumbing is copper pipe joined with lead solder. This means I have to filter twice to get both the copper and the lead--once with the standard filter and again with longlast. Why can't a single Brita filter get both contaminants?
Customer services at Brita are terrible. No info in their web site re how to return old filters for recycling and tried to call but on hold for 20 mins so sent an email and one week later, still havent received a reply!
Brita faucet filters are really junk!. First the filter mechanism broke, and then two of a multi-pack cartridge that I bought burst the seams at the lower end and water sprayed all over. On contacting Brita through their website to e-mail them pictures, they refused to give them the contact e-mail address...wearing down the customer till they they give up. Don't ever buy Brita!!!
i think we are talking about the quality of the water
At the end of the day and according to scientific studies (the ones that matter anyway) because Brita also use a chemical in the filtration process it's more than likely that in the process of trying to remove the bad parts in water like bacteria you are actually adding more to your filtered water!
Why else would Brita in the smallest of small prints tell you to check your own water supply quality before buying a filter? As if the average consumer would be doing that. And why would those scientists then recommend you boil filtered water before consuming?
The only defence Brita has for water filters is that you are saving the planet by not buying water in plastic bottle but the whole model of scaring the public in the pursuit of profits has turned the water industry into a very lucrative business much like the Cheap price of printers but the extortionate cost of Printer Ink which now costs more per litre than most fine wines!
And even the readers have to admit the cost of replacement filters is simply not worth the money considering you have to change them every 4 weeks. 6 filters average £40 on ebay! No doubt it tastes different to someone buying under the belief their water will be cleaner but try getting a glass of tap water and a glass of filtered water, mixing them up and then drinking each one. Can you taste the difference then? Probably not.
It's clever don't get me wrong. I mean when you can sell something that does absolutely nothing then convince the consumer it makes them safer it takes a certain type of business to do that so no wonder Brita which is owned by the chemical giant Clorox—has invented a problem in order to solve it.
The Hegelian Dialectic hard at work.
Brita and similar water filters work by the charcoal filtration method, the same as aquarium filters, or fancy alcoholic beverages. Eventually the charcoal's capacity to capture particles is maxxed out, and you need to replace it, and if the water is especially full of particles then this will happen sooner.
It's also true that not all contaminants can be removed by charcoal, either. But it does catch many things that cause water to taste funny, and it can make a noticeable difference in the flavor of coffee, tea, etc.
However, if you're concerned about poisonous contaminants in your household or office water, then definitely get it tested! Don't rely on over-the-counter solutions to protect you from things like arsenic, perchlorate, lead, etc.
Reverse Osmosis filters are better than the water pitchers by Brita, Pur and all other brands. They have long life and provides large quantities of water in less time.
John, what about the 10-20 litres of wasted water to make 1 lire of treated water?
Lost faith right after "Brita water filters are used in many hoes across the country..."
Can't trust this writer at all lol.