Brita Water Filter Efficacy?

[JAB]

Has anyone ever read, or even done their own, experiment to see if Brita water filters actually filter out any PPM's / metals etc? I was just curious. My better half is convinced the water tastes better, but we have such awesome water (quality wise) here in Seattle to begin with so...

Just curious of thoughts in regards to orchids.

Thanks
JAB

 

[Ray]

Brita is just activated carbon. Organic and chlorine are trapped, but it has no impact on dissolved minerals.


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[JAB]

Good to know. Thanks

 

[PaphMadMan]

With most reasonable quality tap water the primary taste problems are organic compounds and chlorine, so a Brita filter is fairly effective. If you want a similar style of filter that actually lowers total dissolved solids PPM very effectively check out ZeroWater. From online comments I suspect this product may have problems if the source water is acidic but with my very hard (400ppm +) slightly alkaline tap water it is the best choice I have tried to supply a few gallons of pure water a week for seedlings and sensitive plants etc. It would be less practical as a primary source of drinking water as filters would need to be replaced quite often. I'm sure there are other products out there too.

 

[Ray]

Yes, the ZeroWater filter uses deionization cartridges to extract pretty much everything from the water, but they foul pretty quickly. Last time I checked, it came out to about $1/gallon.

 

[PaphMadMan]

For me, with my often 400ppm + tap water, and using the water until it reaches about 20-25ppm, the cost works out to about $0.50 a gallon if I keep a watch for good deals on replacement filters in bulk. Far more convenient for me than hauling water in, and RO is not an option.

I often collect a few gallons over the 25ppm point to use for coffee or tea, as it is still a vast improvement over the tap water.

 

[gego]

For small quantities, this sounds like a good idea.
Thanks for the info.