PUR water
For several years now, I’ve been a Poland Spring bottled water customer. Once a month a delivery truck drops off three 5-gallon bottles of water for my water dispenser. I’ve never been able to get used to our public water’s foul frog-pondy taste, so bottled water seemed the way to go. I tried a Brita water filter, but it didn’t remove the nasty taste. I gave up on that idea.
However. As part of the 90% Project reduction awareness, it occurred to me that bottled water is a pretty significant waste of resources. Although the bottles I get are recycled, there is still the fuel used to bottle the water and the fuel used to deliver it. Not to mention the huge draw on Maine’s water supply to fill all those bottles. While I don’t imagine that my three bottles per month amount to that much in the scheme of things (and Nestle probably wouldn’t miss me as a customer), I’d feel better if I didn’t have to depend on them to deliver my drinking water.
Besides which, I don’t have a good place to store the full bottles or the empty ones that I end up tripping over half the time. I’m tired of large and heavy bottles of water.
So, I did a little research and learned that the PUR tapwater filters are highly recommended by consumer reports and other consumer organizations. I remembered seeing some at the Brooks pharmacy a while back. I stopped by today and bought the one in the image above. Assembly was easy, it only took a couple of minutes. Then it was time for the moment of truth. Does this water filter remove the awful frog-pond taste from my tap water?
Amazing. It does. My tap water running out of the filter tastes every bit as good as the Poland Spring water. And, since the inner filter will reliably last for 60-80 gallons (rated for 100 gallons), that means this water filter will pay for itself within two months with no added fees for the next several. When I don’t need filtered water (used only for drinking water), I just tip the filter to a horizontal position, so I don’t need to waste the filter on every day water use.
The question remaining is if this method of achieving drinkable water is that much better than getting Poland Spring delivery. I don’t know how to qualify or quantify that. I will have to replace the small filters every few months and they, of course, are not without environmental cost. Nor the disposal of them.
From a household perspective though, the filter eliminates large bottles that I have to mess with and the water dispenser that is plugged into an outlet 24/7. And, of course, the dollar savings. Poland Spring has been getting pricey lately. I certainly won’t miss that bill every month. From what I’ve read, I’d guess that my filtered tap water is purer than my bottled water, too. I tend to think this is a better option. Bye-bye Poland Spring.
I always thought Boston had wonderful water and then when we moved here, was shocked that it wasn’t!! I have a filter on a side faucet on my sink just for drinking water - the gizmo is under the cupboard - filter needs changing twice a year - not expensive and then we have filtered water on the fridge--that one is changed more often - I would say about every 3 months at a cost of approximately $35 each filter. Not terrible and my water is just fine.
Of course if taste is the only reason we do other things (and in this house it was), we could all just put lemons in our water--takes care of it perfectly. On second thought, they aren’t so cheap anymore either.
Kim, your water comes from the reservoirs a little upstate from you, correct? That would pretty much be the same water I grew up on and it is absolutely the best tasting water anywhere. So, I am not at all surprised that you have delicious water. 
Cyn, I never gave water any thought before I moved here. All my life water had tasted good. And then the first time I ran a tap here I almost gagged from the smell of it before I even got it to my mouth. Yeesh, what lousy tasting water.
How big is that water purifying gizmo under your sink? That might actually be a better long term solution than the one I bought. I tried to fill my teakettle with it this evening and the darned filter couldn’t fit under the kettle’s handle. I have a feeling this thing will get in the way a lot. But darn, my water surely does taste good now. Really good. I’m so excited that I can’t stop going over to get a glass.
By the way, have you been listening to the Senate pajama party tonight? I wanted to throw darts at Joe Lieberman. What an awful liar he is. Good gosh, he was just flagrant. I think I even blushed for him.
Posted by Kate on 07/17/07 at 11:42 PM
I stayed at a bed and breakfast in Wichita (KS) once and the water there had that same terrible pond water taste. Even after they filtered it, the stuff was horrible. That weekend the local paper had a front-page article talking about how bad the water was and how the city didn’t know a) what was causing it or b) if it was dangerous. On the other side of town, the water was great.
Our water is apparently quite safe to drink. I don’t know the source of the foul taste, though. It’s always been there as far as I can tell. For the whole town. Before I’d even moved in, I had stopped at the grocery store and was completely amazed to find one entire aisle at the store devoted to bottled water. I had never seen that before. Once I tasted the tap water, I understood. We do get our water from a reservoir where, I presume, actual frogs live, but I have my doubts that they add to the earthy bouquet. Whatever it is, I’m glad that my new filter removes it.
Posted by Kate on 07/18/07 at 04:13 PM
Guilford, Connecticut.
I don’t know why, but they have the most delicious municipal water you’ll ever taste.
It really does not take up that much room, there are two canister type things, each one is about 10” high, they are braketed on the side of the cupboard under the sink so are off the floor, you really don’t notice them under there. Replacement filters for them are at Home Depot and am assuming the unit itself is available there. I will take a flashlight tomorrow and see if there is a name on it that is visible.
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I feel so fortunate that we have such wonderful tap water here in the Bronx. People always snicker a little when I say so, but once they taste it, they stop snickering fast. Our water is some of the best tasting tap water in the country.