Best Water Filter For Home Brewing – Abigail Clarkin is a contributing writer to Serious Eats. She currently works in marketing for a real estate developer in Providence, RI, where she regularly photographs food, plans events, writes articles, and creates press assets for new businesses.
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Best Water Filter For Home Brewing
Our favorite water filters from Brita and Culligan are easy to install, look great, and have certifications that guarantee their quality,
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The importance of having clean, filtered water in kitchens every day can make all the difference. Although most tap water is safe to drink, whatever chemicals are used to clean it (cough cough chlorine) can affect its taste. Not only does a glass of water taste blah, but it can also have a negative effect on the taste of tea and coffee.
That’s why we set out to find the best faucet filter by testing four popular models. We reviewed how easy they are to install and use, how effective the filter is, how much new filters cost, and what certifications they have.
One of our favorite filters, from DuPont, has expired. We removed him as a winner and added a high performer from Culligan in his place.
The Winners, At a Glance Best Faucet Water Filter Brita Mount Water Faucet Filter System Amazon View At Amazon $28 View At Walmart $20 View At Home Depot $23
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Brita is a solid choice for everyone. This particular filter has the fastest flow rate yet, is light and sleek looking, and features a button that changes colors depending on how close the filter is to expiring. It also boasts the longest time between filter changes in our lineup.
The Culligan impressed us with its fast flow and sleek look. It’s a reasonably priced option that’s simple to install, if somewhat difficult to master during use (to activate the filter, a pin must be pulled out in the middle of the stream). Replacement filters are affordable, hold up to 200 gallons, and are easy to find online.
While it’s easy to determine why you want to filter water, choosing the type and model of filter can be quite complicated. Here are the general types and how they work:
Faucet filters often promise to filter out undesirable substances such as lead, chlorine, cadmium and mercury from water. It is important to make sure that this is true. Water quality authorities are the Water Quality Association (WQA), the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). All organizations ensure that filters are thoroughly tested to meet qualifications. Some certifications to look for are NSF/ANSI Standard 53, NSF/ANSI Standard 42, NSF/ANSI 401, and NSF/ANSI 372.
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We would like to point out that although most faucet filters remove many chemicals and undesirables from water, they cannot remove perfluoroalkyl and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAs. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, PFAs are “long-lived, widely used chemicals, the components of which degrade very slowly over time.” To find all the details on water certifications, check out our water filter pitchers review.
The intricacies of the filtration process may vary depending on the particular model of water faucet filter, but the basics remain the same. After attaching the filter and mounting base directly to a faucet, you flip a switch (or pull a pin, in Culligan’s case). The water flows until it reaches the filter section. According to Culligan, “the water passes through a ‘sediment trap.’ This screen helps remove sediment particles such as dirt or sand. After that, the water is usually sent through a block of activated carbon and zeolite, which is filled with pores that capture contaminants such as chlorine. ” This process ensures that some of the worst offenders (and perhaps the thinnest of) do not end up in your drinking glass.
When it comes to making coffee, for example, filtered water is essential. “Water that’s too soft has a really hard time pulling the fine solids out of the coffee bed,” writes former trade writer Jesse Raub. “At the same time, it’s very difficult to control the chemical composition of your faucet. A good rule of thumb is to start with a carbon water filter.”
When conducting a blind taste test, we found that Brita, Culligan, and DuPont filter out every taste found in unfiltered water. (We didn’t know we could describe water in so many ways until this test.) Our undisturbed, unfiltered water was quite metallic, so we were disappointed that the PUR filtered water had traces of that taste.
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We always enjoy simple instructions when it comes to installing any kitchen appliances. (We’ve banged our heads against a lot of walls in frustration at making cheap furniture, thanks!) Most sets involve loading the filter cartridge into the faucet mount and then screwing the whole thing onto the faucet itself . PUR, Brita, and Culligan include adapters for faucets that are either internally or externally threaded. But things got a little messy when we found out the hard way that the Brita cartridge wasn’t fully screwed in – filling the filter chamber with water and then sending the cartridge flying up and out of the mountain (and into the face). The lesson? Make sure the filter is properly connected before turning on the water.
If you want to take your filter home, install it, and throw away the first glass of filtered water, think again. All filters require water running through the filter for at least five minutes before use. The Culligan’s initial flush took longer, taking 10 minutes (we were surprised to find that the flush water was quite warm at first even though we were running cold water through the system) . The flush has two purposes: 1. To activate the filter. 2. Clean any dust or other debris inside the room. Each filter also comes with a warning to only filter cold water – as hot water can damage the filter – so it’s important to switch to the “unfiltered” setting before doing something like washing dishes.
If you’re staying as hydrated as possible (get that glowing skin, friends!) then you’re probably putting your filter through the wringer. Most faucet filters need to be replaced every two to four months, depending on usage. Culligan has the shortest filter life as the company recommends replacing all filters approximately every two months. At the other end of the spectrum, Brita takes the suggested four months. PUR and DuPont suggest filter changes every three months. Not sure if you can keep track of the time? We recommend Brita for its indicator light. As the filter wears off, the light changes from flashing green to flashing amber, to flashing red.
During testing, we looked for filters that were easy to install, use and replace. We also considered filter effectiveness by performing a blind taste test and checking to make sure each one was officially certified by ANSI/NSI.
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Our Favorite Faucet Filters The Best Water Faucet Filters Brita Faucet Mount Water Filter System See Amazon At Amazon $28 See At Walmart $20 See At Home Depot $23
What we liked: The Brita’s flow is the second fastest of the group, filtering a gallon in one minute and 24 seconds. Unlike other filters, this one only requires a filter change every four months. Better? It comes with a filter light to let you know when the filter needs to be changed! Overall, the filter is light, simple and sleek, and belongs to other chrome accessories. Also, at the time of testing, it was half the price of DuPont (our previous, no-win).
What we don’t like: We found out the hard way that the filter cartridge has to be very securely attached to the main part of the filter unit, otherwise the built-up water sends the cartridge flying. After tying it properly, we never had this issue again.
What we liked: Most importantly, this filter produced clean, neutral-tasting water. We were very impressed with the Culligan’s flow rate: it filtered a gallon of water in just one minute and 19 seconds, faster than our winner, the DuPont. New filters are $19 per filter, which is quite affordable. On that note, the filter cartridge should be replaced every 200 gallons, rather than the Brita every 100. The filter is smooth and looks great.
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What we didn’t like: Activating the filter itself — once installed and flushed — wasn’t intuitive. We had to take a pin out of the side of the engine to get the filter to start. This activation only works if the water flow is fairly regular.
The filter is directly connected to the faucet itself. As the unfiltered water flows through the filter section, it is purified by a screen that filters out larger particles. The next part of the process – a section that usually contains activated carbon and zeolite – takes care of smaller impurities.
Although each filter has
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