Help. please! We want to replace the old and inadequate water filter we have, but.... Please, have a look and do tell (from quality to costs and onwards): https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_p...ds=propur water filter&ie=UTF8&qid=1505167032 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00519A...DZTSXMB0HNA8Q9DA0&ie=UTF8&qid=1505167032&sr=3 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005193...DZTSXMB0HNA8Q9DA0&ie=UTF8&qid=1505167032&sr=1 What about the filters themselves, the running costs, how long do they last/how many litres can they filter safely etc.? I read what Michaela posted on the manufacturer's website but real life conditions can be different... Cheerio!
The old time mariners used to put 10% Rum in their barrels of drinking water to keep it safe. I suggest this to all concerned.
@Femfatale: The problem is that some of the commercial water aquifers used for bottled water may be picking up contaminants from the ground. Add to that the fact that these micro plastics are extremely small and difficult to filter out only compounds the problem. @gorski: On average, I get about 6 months from a propur 6 inch filter. When I start tasting chlorine (It's easy to notice now) I swap it out. I have a ProPur Traveler, and it holds 1.5 Gallons (roughly 5.7 litres). You'll notice the difference in taste straight away. @dhjohns: I would say that adding Rum to filtered water would definitely improve the taste. However, I highly recommend Captain Morgan Spiced Rum.
Thanx, MJ! (My favourite mixer rum, too! Yum! ) Is it (the filter) made of plastic, btw? At least partially, that is...?
Got it: three different ranges etc. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Propur-150...05215506&sr=8-12&keywords=propur water filter Third image says it... Plus below, stainless steel etc. That does it for me. Bought! Ta, MJ, appreciated!!!
@gorski: Some advice. Before you refill the top reservoir, take it off and rinse it out in the sink with cold water. It will smell -stinky- when you rinse it. No sense adding that sludge to the fresh water supply. As far as the filter casing goes, the bottom has a plastic ring. Don't worry though; the ceramic is a micro-pore filter. Nothing gets into the clean water. Even the diatoms are removed. The brown scale is probably Iron from the old pipes. It can be removed with the scrungee pad that they provide. Remember: No soaps or detergents! They'll ruin the filter. Also, the first 2 filter runs should be discarded. They will be very slow but will get faster as the filter becomes wet. The first 2 will also clean out the bottom reservoir. The washers are Nylon., so they're safe. If you have any questions, just let me know.
MJ, tell us more about the filter, please? Thanx a bunch, it does taste better. But: it has plastic included in the product, both the filter and bits around it. Does it filter out plastic? The inside of the tap is not exactly polished. I hope it won't rust... Anyway, keep informing us, please...
@gorski: I wouldn't give much thought to the plastic around the filter. That micro-pore ceramic filter should remove just about everything, including the diatoms in the water. Also, the metal parts are stainless steel. You might get some pitting in the top half of the chamber, but that's because the levels of halogens rise as the water level is dropped. The bottom...not so much. Remember that filtering the water will remove as much as is possible, but there will always be some residue left. Over time, the filter becomes saturated and you have to replace it. You'll know when, because the water will start to taste different. After 6 months of not tasting Chlorine and / or Fluorine, you'll notice it right away. I would suggest putting the filtered water into jugs and storing it in the fridge. A gallon jug is good, although I usually fill mine halfway. It gets cold quicker. Use the water in the filter for coffee / tea and / or cooking. Best of luck with your new water filter. It looks exactly like the one I have.
'Cause it is, thanx to a certain Ms MJ! I already bought a pitcher (1,7l) and 2 water bottles (all stainless steel) and I have the kettle, of course, so it will be as you said... Actually, it already is, since great minds think alike... "Diatoms"? Explain, please? Does that mean that big plastic molecules (tiny fragments but still - molecules are big?) can't pass through it? What else do you know of it, please? For instance, any idea if medication remnants, hormones and whatever else which might affect us is stopped by this filter, please? It says that it lasts 6 months ('cause it's AIO, I guess), so in 5 months time I am buying another one, 'course. And I will stop buying bottled water, naturally. Also, all plastic gets the boot from the kitchen... Bought silicone food containers but I have a feeling that lids are plastic (PP & TPR?) Since I mentioned it, anyone knows what those are, for sure? I mean, it says food grade silicone but it also... hmmm... Some silicone can be very hard, non? We'll see how far I get... Cheerio!!!
Really ? Goto https://www.propurusa.com/ProOne-G2-5-inch-Filter-Element.html#tab-1 and scroll to the section which looks like : Available Lab Reports: NSF/ANSI-42 &53 Test Report (Now includes radiologicals) P231 Test Report Microcystin Test Report NEW Mineral Report And start reading. Anything beyond that is speculation. Oh, nevermind. I forgot you thrive in speculation.
Ahem, now we need a completely plastic-free, either stainless steel of glass electric kettle... And that ain't easy to find, it seems, from a quick search thus far... For instance: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Queensense...1&keywords=glass electric plastic free kettle - it looks like the filter frame is plastic and the lid may also be plastic, dunno... The point it that water must not get in contact with any kind of plastic, lid, water level indicator, water level measuring floating tool, filter frame, spout, whatever...
OKI: https://www.lifewithoutplastic.com/store/is_silicone_a_plastic Very important to notice the new studies on such products! Is Silicone a Plastic? Good question. Here are some others... Is it a rubber? Is it natural? Is it synthetic? What the heck is it? And most importantly: Is it safe? Description and Typical Use: What is silicone? Technically, silicone is considered part of the rubber family. But, if you define plastics widely, as we do, silicone is something of a hybrid between a synthetic rubber and a synthetic plastic polymer. Silicone can be used to make malleable rubber-like items, hard resins, and spreadable fluids. We treat silicone as a plastic like any other, given that it has many plastic-like properties: flexibility, malleability, clarity, temperature resistance, water resistance. Like plastic, it can be shaped or formed and softened or hardened into practically anything. But it is a unique plastic because it is much more temperature resistant and durable than most plastics and has a low reactivity with chemicals. And while water resistant, it is also highly gas permeable, making it useful for medical or industrial applications where air flow is required. It's also easy-to-clean, non-stick, and non-staining, making it popular for cookware and kitchen utensils. In her book "Plastic Free", Beth Terry provides the following easily understandable description of silicone: "First of all, silicone is no more "natural" than fossil-based plastic. It is a man-made polymer, but instead of a carbon backbone like plastic, it has a backbone of silicon and oxygen. (Note that I'm using two different words here: silicone is the polymer and silicon, spelled without the "e" on the end, is an ingredient in silicone.) Silicon is an element found in silica, i.e., sand, one of the most common materials on earth. However, to make silicone, silicon is extracted from silica (it rarely exists by itself in nature) and passed through hydrocarbons to create a new polymer with an inorganic silicon-oxygen backbone and carbon-based side groups. What that means is that while the silicon might come from a relatively benign and plentiful resource like sand, the hydrocarbons in silicone come from fossil sources like petroleum and natural gas. So silicone is a kind of hybrid material." (Terry, p. 277) Thus, while most plastics have a polymer backbone of hydrogen and carbon, silicones have a backbone made of silicon and oxygen, and hydrocarbon side groups - all of which gives them plastic-like characteristics. Silicone is often used for baby nipples, cookware, bakeware, utensils, and toys. Silicones are also used for insulation, sealants, adhesives, lubricants, gaskets, filters, medical applications (e.g., tubing), casing for electrical components. Toxicity: Is Silicone Safe? Many experts and authorities consider silicone completely safe for food use. For example Health Canada states: "There are no known health hazards associated with use of silicone cookware. Silicone rubber does not react with food or beverages, or produce any hazardous fumes." Scientific American reports that in 1979 the US Food and Drug Administration determined silicon dioxides—the raw material for silicone products—were safe for food-grade applications. However, the first silicone cookware only appeared a decade later (e.g., spatulas) and no follow-up studies were done to assess whether silicone cookware leaches anything potentially harmful. The fact is, there has not been a lot of research done to date on the health effects of silicone. Nonetheless, our own research and review of peer-reviewed scientific studies that have been done indicates we should begin to be cautious about silicone. Here are some highlights: Silicones are not completely inert or chemically unreactive and can release toxic chemicals. They can leach certain synthetic chemicals at low levels, and the leaching is increased with fatty substances, such as oils. Evidence of contamination from silicone was found in wine and edible oil foods. Materials such as aluminium, platinum, magnesium and calcium were found to have leached into food when testing was carried out on silicone bakeware. Fluid silicone studies indicated release of siloxanes, one of which - cylcopentasiloxane - is considered toxic and persistent. This siloxane, also known as D5, is used as a softener in cosmetics, and according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may also be carcinogenic. (2005 Report commissioned by the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency: Chemical migration from silicones used in connection with food-contact materials and articles) Silicone tubing commonly used for medical applications has been shown to leach several chemicals, including dioctyl phthalate (DOP). (2006 Study in International Journal of Pharmaceutics: Extractables/leachables from plastic tubing used in product manufacturing) Silicone intravenous devices have been shown to leach silicone and cause local inflammation. (1999 Study in Archives of Disease in Childhood: Plastic migration from implanted central venous access devices) Silicones likely not completely inert and may cause local inflammation. as suggested in this study on the breakdown of silicone joint implants. (1985 Study in Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology: Silicone-induced foreign body reaction and lymphadenopathy after temporomandibular joint arthroplasty) Recyclability: Low recycling rate. Silicone does not biodegrade or decompose (certainly not in our lifetimes). It is recyclable, but not likely through your local municipal recycling program. You likely would have to take it to a specialized private recycling facility. Our Suggestion: Relatively safe. But silicone is not as inert, stable and chemically unreactive as many claim. Use with caution, and if you can find an alternative, use it. As you can see from our product line, we carry a number of items that contain silicone, usually in the form of seals or gaskets. Silicone has become a standard high quality seal for products requiring a airtight watertight seal, and a suitable alternative has not yet become available. For now, we are comfortable continuing to carry products that have high quality, food grade silicone parts. We balance the toxicity information stated above with the knowledge that silicone is a high quality, relatively stable material, and leaching of chemicals from other plastics is of much greater concern. We feel uneasy about silicone cookware. While silicone is durable and has a high temperature resistance, it makes us queasy to be heating food to very high temperatures in a material like silicone which has now been shown to leach and is not completely inert and stable. If you are going to use silicone, be sure it is high quality, food grade silicone and does not contain any fillers. To test a product for fillers you can pinch and twist a flat surface of it to see if any white shows through. If so, a filler likely has been used. As a result, the product may not be uniformly heat resistant and may impart an odor to food. But most importantly, you will have no idea what the filler is and it may leach unknown chemicals into the food. For all you know, the filler may be a silicone of low quality or not silicone at all. IMPORTANT NOTES: While we strive to provide as accurate and balanced information as possible on our website, Life Without Plastic cannot guarantee its accuracy or completness because there is always more research to do, and more up-to-date research studies emerging -- and this is especially the case regarding research on the health and environmental effects of plastics. As indicated in our Terms & Conditions, none of the information presented on this website is intended to be professional advice or to constitute a professional service to the individual reader. All matters regarding health require medical supervision, and the information presented on this website is not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. Throughout our website, some technical terminology is used. In the interest of making the articles accessible and not too long, dry, or complex, technical terms may be hyper-linked to more detailed explanations and relevant reference material provided in Wikipedia. Please keep in mind that Wikipedia articles are written collaboratively by volunteers from all over the world and thus may contain inaccuracies. Life Without Plastic makes no guarantee of the validity of the information presented in Wikipedia articles to which we provide links. We suggest you read the Wikipedia General Disclaimer before relying on any information presented in a Wikipedia article. © 2014 Mama Mundo Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced without the prior written permission of Mama Mundo Inc.
This one, inexpensive and secure, in the US as "Secura": https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01MDM7RNE/
I just saw a specific US diatoms etc. https://westerndiatoms.colorado.edu/about/what_are_diatoms You learn a new thing every day...
That has been my goal also. I have been using the old fashioned (stove top) Corning ware Coffee pot after finding a (rubber?) seal in my plug-in electric pot. Totally happy w/ the mental comfort avoiding plastics. https://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_...COFFEE POT P 166&_trksid=p2047675.m4099.l9146
@MrG: Stainless Steel contains Chromium. Not Cadmium. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel You could also get a pyrex coffee pot. http://www.ebay.com/bhp/pyrex-coffee-pot