Drinking water do you use a water filter? (Austin, Portland: Home Depot, refrigerator)

[sunshine088]

I am not used to the tap water here, it really has a different taste to it. Do people here use filters? I have lived in Seattle, Portland and Philadelphia and I didn't mind the water there. However, here I have a hard time drinking it. Any recommendations, I am trying to avoid buying bottled water because I drink a lot of water and that adds up fast.

[Moonlady]

Same here. Our water tastes funny to me. We purchased an under the sink filter at one of the big box stores (don't remember which plus neither one sell that brand any more). They're not too terribly complex to install, but we hired a plumber for ours anyway. We had to replace ours recently and were able to do so without calling the plumber though! Anyway, they take these standard filters available at Lowes/ Home Depot for between $8 and $20 (depends on what you want filtered out) that you change every 6 months and they definitely help. We also have a filter on our fridge so the ice and water from the door taste better too. Only thing we haven't figured out is the water in the bathroom, but it's not like we drink a lot of it.

[Jennibc]

When we lived in Austin we used a filter on the tap. Until we installed that, outside of the grocery stores there were these water dispensing machines (I think they were "Glacier" brand). We'd fill up gallon jugs - maybe five at time and would go twice a week. At the time (about 10 years ago) it was .25/gallon. It may have gone up. At any rate, that was a lot more economical than buying Desani or Aquafina.

[Trainwreck20]

Eh, just drink the water, you will get used to it .

[parkk]

I have been using Britta water pitchers and filters for years and have been happy with them. You can really tell the differance when using the water for making coffee, cooking with or drinking. I have never liked the tast of water, I have to put lemon or lime juice in it.

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Eh, just drink the water, you will get used to it .

Nope, some of us have such refined palates that we can never get used to it. I grew up in Los Angeles and NEVER drunk water as a kid. Couldn't stomach it. As a teenager we moved to the PNW and for the first time I could drink water. It was so, soooo, refreshing! After that I've never been able to live anywhere else without a filter on the tap.

[TX-Griff]

Originally Posted by parkk

I have been using Britta water pitchers and filters for years and have been happy with them. You can really tell the differance when using the water for making coffee, cooking with or drinking. I have never liked the tast of water, I have to put lemon or lime juice in it.

I do the same. I have the Britta refrigerator jug and just fill it as necessary for coffee, water-based cold drinks and ice cubes.

I use plain tap water to steam food and/or cook pasta though... I can't taste a difference when tap water is used for these sort of cooking tasks.

TX Griff

[woodinvilleguy]

silly queston, has anyone who installed a filter under the sink found one with a brushed nickel spicket rather than chrome?

[readymade]

I've gotten so used to the LA water that Austin tap water tastes like manna to me. Not that I drank the water in LA... I went to "The Water Store" (or, rather, my husband did) and filled up about 10 5 gallon jugs every 6 or 7 weeks. We go through a lot of water (we gave our pets bottled too). And it was expensive! He is very VERY happy not to have to do that anymore.

It feels so good to be able to drink out of the tap here! Especially with all the stuff about chemicals from plastic seeping into the water!

Even though the water tastes pretty decent, we got one of those Pure water filters, but we have yet to install it (because it won't fit our fixture).

[CaseyRyan]

I just moved here and I think the water is disgusting. I use a Brita water filter. Really makes a difference. I've lived here for almost 2 months and I can't get used to the water so I'll probably stick with the filter.