cold water filter in kitchen

last year

New kitchen Will have 2 sinks- coffee bar sink with (hopefully!) an instahot/ filtered cold water faucet and a regular faucet for handwashing etc- and a main sink with a cold-water filter installed on the main faucet.

Anyone have any experience with either of these cold water filters and instahot faucet?

Waterdrop is cheaper but filter lasts one year- CuZn pricier with filter lasting up to 5 years.

Or any other options/setups?

Thanks!

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Comments (3)

Jake The Wonderdog
last year
last modified: last year
Here's general information:

I would avoid any instant hot water dispenser. I don't want to drink hot water that's been sitting around in an instant water heater for a long time. They also seem like a big maintenance problem.

Water filters are a known commodity. They are generally some version of carbon (carbon block, GAC, etc.) There's no "special sauce". In addition to improving taste and odor, carbon removes chlorine (and chloramine if you use they right type of filter) which are the disinfectants used in most municipal water systems. Without a disinfectant, they can become a breeding ground for bacteria and such. Some units use ultraviolet light, silver or KDF for dealing with that issue, but generally the filter needs to be replaced 6 months to 1 year because of bacteria - if not because they are at the end of life. The CuZn uses GAC and KDF - which would extend the life, but 5 years sounds fanciful to me. If you go with CuZn, get the proper one for your water disinfectant.

Here's what I do: I have one centrally located (in the basement) carbon filter for drinking water that I have the plumbed to the cold water in the kitchen sink, the cold water in the upstairs bathroom sink and the ice maker in the fridge.

It's a standard size KDF 55/carbon GAC filter that can filter 3 gallons a minute in a standard Big Blue filter housing. I replace it every 2 years. Since the holder is a standard size, I can put any brand/type of filter in that fits - I'm not married to a brand of filter.
lsalahi
Original Author
last year
Thanks for your comment! Do you know how much a central water filter system would cost and if it would require special plumbing? That was another option for us but I didn’t follow through with the research because I was afraid of the cost
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Jake The Wonderdog
last year
last modified: last year
A standard 20" big blue housing is about $85. The filter that goes in it will vary depending on what you buy - but the one I use is $120 (KDF 55 GAC).

You would need a bracket to mount it and a couple of ball valves - so you are talking about $300 in parts.

As far as "special pluming" it's just PEX to your faucet - so pretty standard stuff.

I ran mine to a PEX manifold so I could split it out from there.

Something to be aware of: A standard kitchen faucet will have a flow rate of around 2.2 gpm.

The 20" filter can filter water at 3 gpm.

The 10" filter you are looking at is typically rated at 1 gpm - so it's good for a separate "drinking water" dispenser but it's not going to provide the normal flow if you just use it on your cold side of your kitchen faucet - which is how I have mine.

So I have a full 2.2 gpm for filling coffee pots, pasta pans, pitchers, dog bowls etc. and don't have to have a separate drinking water faucet.