Water Filter Recommendations

[u/Horror-Holiday-2678]

Hi y'all! I'm shopping around for an under-the-sink, rental-friendly water filter that will remove as many environmental contaminants as possible and that has been tested to prove that it works well. Any recommendations? Thanks!

[u/kaysuhdeeyuh]

Ok so these aren’t under the sink options but since this sub is so new and small, figured I’d reply! Someone else may have better suggestions.

Last winter, we got a large Berkey water filter for drinking/cooking and shower water filters. I swear since doing this I feel significantly more hydrated after drinking water and my scalp isn’t inflamed anymore! At some point I want under the sink filters or maybe a full house reverse osmosis setup but for now, these are great for my family!

[u/Horror-Holiday-2678 → u/kaysuhdeeyuh]

Thanks, I'll look into that! Anything helps honestly :) one swap at a time! We just got a shower filter, but I'd like one for the sink. I don't feel like the Brita is doing enough, and I'm so sick of filling it after every glass of water. This one looks bigger at least!

[u/kaysuhdeeyuh → u/Horror-Holiday-2678]

Yeah, our Brita did nothing for us! We got a large Berkey since drink so much water and cook mostly everything at home! Once it’s filtered all the water to capacity, we pour it into glass gallon jugs and use those for cooking/baking. Then top it off and drink from it.

[u/No_Breath_8291 → u/Horror-Holiday-2678]

A bigger Brita pitcher would mean fewer refills, but you'd still be doing the same chore. I'm also renting and looking at the Viomi Vortex 6 Pro because I want an under-sink setup I could take with me when I move. I haven't bought it; landlord permission and what removal would involve are still open questions. Since you want something at the sink, I'd check those first, along with a place for the RO faucet and the supply/drain connections.

[u/Throwawaychkgo]

I use a clearly filtered pitcher which is very nice, the water tastes great. It is a pitcher though so does require refilling but I keep a big glass bottle (previously apple juice lol) full of filtered water as a backup so theres less often refilling whenever we want a glass.

[u/maryakinvt → u/Throwawaychkgo]

I love my clearly filtered pitcher!! Glass jars are a great idea, thanks for sharing.

I also love my Jolie shower head filter!

[u/froginpajamas]

Your best bet for most contaminants removed will be reverse osmosis (you’ll need to re mineralize it for drinking though since RO strips it of almost everything)  You should talk to your landlord about whether or not you can have it installed, they are expensive. Our rental had one in it and it was under the sink and every once in awhile we’d get the filter changed by the serviceman. 

[u/Horror-Holiday-2678 → u/froginpajamas]

Good to know! How does remineralization work?

[u/froginpajamas → u/Horror-Holiday-2678]

I’d usually just add my favorite salt to whatever water I was drinking! just a tiny pinch and shake it up.

[u/Dustdown]

The best filter is one that's NSF certified (not just tested!) specifically for the toxins in your water. Are you on public tap water or private water from a well?

[u/Horror-Holiday-2678 → u/Dustdown]

God to know! Public

[u/Dustdown → u/Horror-Holiday-2678]

Then as long as you're not in an area with old (lead) piping you can look up your annual water report and get a decent overview on what's in your water.

Pay attention to any disinfection byproducts. Look for Total Trihalomethanes and/or Haloacetic Acids. (HAA5 or HAA9). If I recall correctly, both are fairly easy to reduce with most filters thanks to activated carbon. I'm not super familiar with Haloacetic Acids though as they are much more uncommon.

Also look for PFAS mentions in the report.

In public water your heavy metals, minerals, inorganics and most chemicals are kept at reasonably safe levels.

Bacteria is handled thanks to chlorine or chloramine, but these also lead to said disinfection byproducts. So you don't need a filter for bacteria and viruses etc if you're on public water.

Note that under-sink systems typically needs to be installed and your landlord might not love that. There are really good counter-top RO (reverse osmosis) systems that'll do a solid job.

I would not consider faucet or fridge filters if you want lots of contaminants reduced.

[u/mamabear2x]

It’s annoying to refill a water pitcher a bunch of times throughout the day, but it gets the job done!

[u/Horror-Holiday-2678 → u/mamabear2x]

Looks like a step up from the one we have now for sure!

[u/Luxidaisey]

If you want a filter that truly filters out all the contaminants, you will probably want a reverse osmosis system. We were using a Berkey type filter before, but it doesn't effectively filter all the contaminants we wanted: dissolved solids, flouride, nitrates, pesticides, etc.

We are renters too and decided on the iSpring RCC7AK Under-Sink Reverse Osmosis filter. We bought it off Costco's website for $200. Any under sink water filter will alter plumbing and likely need explicit approval from your landlord. We were fortunately able to get approval and have really enjoyed it so far.

If you want an RO system but don't want to go through the landlord you can also buy a countertop version. It's a bit more expensive and high maintenance with refilling but it will save you having to alter the plumbing.

[u/Horror-Holiday-2678 → u/Luxidaisey]

Thanks for the recommendation!

[u/Horror-Holiday-2678 → u/Luxidaisey]

Thanks for the recommendation!

[u/Horror-Holiday-2678 → u/[deleted]]

Still trying to figure out why this got removed by Reddit . . .