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Drink Up Savings From Your Water Filter

By Nadine Cheung Posted 10:00AM 05/15/12 Savings Experiment |
Savings Experiment: Vitamins
Do you use filtered water?
No14984 (16.2%)
Yes, water filters through my refrigerator21567 (23.3%)
I use a filter pitcher 34128 (36.8%)
I use a filter on my faucet13462 (14.5%)
I buy filtered water8595 (9.3%)
Did you find our video on filtered water helpful?
Yes, it's a great idea2662 (34.5%)
Yes, useful and entertaining2080 (26.9%)
No2979 (38.6%)

When it comes to saving money on fresh-tasting water, large capacity pitcher filters are a popular option, but are you pouring your money down the drain by using them?

Seychelle makes a pitcher filter that offers good value compared to its competitors. At a retail price of $56, it has a higher up-front cost than other brands, but is equipped with a long-lasting filter. Seychelle's pitcher can process 150 gallon of water, and the replacement filters cost $30 each. However, the downside is that the pitcher holds less than a gallon of filtered water and can take up to 10 minutes to fill. It also takes up valuable refrigerator space.

Another option is a faucet filter, which attaches right to the bottom of your faucet. Culligan makes a model that's priced at $20, which can process 200 gallons of water. Its replacements are only $6, and it comes with a shut off valve, which will help preserve the life of your filter. If hot water passes through, it can damage the filter, moving up your replacement time.
water
So, if you're weighing your water filter options, go with a faucet filter. It costs less up front and far less to replace over time. Plus, you won't have to make room for it in your fridge. We'll drink to that.
Tagged: best deals, best water filter, BestWaterFilter, culligan water filter, CulliganWaterFilter, drinks, faucet filters, FaucetFilters, filter pitchers, FilterPitchers, home water filters,

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533 Comments

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AllproInstall

Who writes these articles? Why did they choose to exclude the even more efficient under the sink filter?

November 28 2012 at 11:46 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
BOB

Don't like to get ripped off. Just drink from the tap.

November 28 2012 at 11:30 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
howdudy_steven

I have a under sink filter. After instation the cost is only $9.00 for a replacement filterUse a charcol . Needs replacement every 3 to 6 months depending on how dirty your water is. Filter is installed only in the cold water line under the kitchen sink. Use a charcole filter. Takes out the bad taste and smell.
Those filters hanging on the faucet are just a waste of money

November 28 2012 at 4:44 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to howdudy_steven's comment
AllproInstall

Spot on howdudy_steven. The under the sink filter is the definitely the way to go.

November 28 2012 at 11:48 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Kayla

I'll admit it's large and sometimes inconvenient but we have a 3 gallon tank to fit in the fridge with a little spout, you take it to the store for refills which is a hassle but it's really worked well for us and 3 gallons lasts 2 people for quite awhile. The water tastes very crisp and pure which I still can't say about the water filtered through my Brita filter.

November 28 2012 at 3:47 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jffrysmit

Anyone that is changing their filter when the manufacturer is telling them too, are the ones that are actually throwing away money.

November 28 2012 at 2:20 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Coupons

You did not evaluate the filter capability regarding the quality of the water. The pitchers have ion exchange in them to reduce the hardness and thereby saltiness, improving the taste substantially. Also, the reason for the long time to filter on the pitchers is to allow longer contact time to remove the salts. If you want it faster, leave the top off the pitcher. However, the water won't taste as good. So if you want cheap water use the faucet device. If you want good water get the pitcher. Lastly, if it takes up too much room, buy a smaller pitcher. They come as small as five cups and fit in RV refrigerators very well.

November 28 2012 at 1:49 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
arenadood

We have a top of counter switch able filter, it filters out just about everything. If we just want water for dishes we just switch it off at the nozzle. It filters about 500 gallons of water per cartridge change, well worth it for clean, filtered water.

November 28 2012 at 11:21 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
JT

That's all fine and good but the water is still not icy cold from the faucet. The purpose of using the pitcher is to not only filter the water but to keep it cold.

I have a refrigerator that has a dispenser that filters & makes the water cold at the push of a button.

November 28 2012 at 10:56 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
skjuice

If you have city water service at your home.... a quick check by the local health dept... or chem lab... will tell you how pure.. contaminated or filthy your water is.. Bottom line, Its probably cleaner and a little more pure than you would think.....
A quick trip to your local bottled water store.. aka:...... Wal Mart or Walgreens will open your eyes a bit.. read the bottle.. you may be shocked to find out your buying water supplied by St. Louis, Mo... or other public utilities.. have fun fool.... its only $4 or more a case .. better yet Pray you dont live in St. Louis or other cities making a buck peddling the wet stuff that is 36" inches away at your friendly kitchen faucet...

November 28 2012 at 9:21 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
bodhikt

Re: Vote-- none of the above. We have a REAL filter, a counter top Berkey, with both the "black" and the ceramic filters. The refrigerator types don't remove anything other than "bad taste".

November 28 2012 at 8:54 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply

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