Quote:
Originally Posted by ChasWG
Does anyone here use a Brita water system for their orchids? I was just wonder if that might be a cheap and convenent solution. We have great tap water where I live, but still, it's tap water with choline, cholomines, floride and who knows what else.
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The Brita may be good for removing lead & chlorine (their website says nothing about chloramine, which is long lasting and bad for plants), but it does nothing to remove dissolved minerals from water. It's actually not very economical either:
Brita Faucet Filter $30
Replacement filter every 100 gallons $15
Bare Bones RO system $95 (Rated at 60gpd, calculations made at about 45 gpd)
Replace in-line filter every 6 months (~8000 gallons) $20
Replace membrane every 18 months (~24000 gallons) $40
4-stage RO (same rating) $189
Replace sediment filter every 6 months (~8000 gal) $2.50
Replace charcoal filter every 12 months (~16000 gal) $5
Replace membrane and polishing filter every 24 months (~32000 gallons) $40 & $20, respectively.
So, looking at it long-term - let's use the 32,000 gallon level - the total costs to put each system back to "clean" conditions are:
Brita: $30 + 319 x $15 = $4815
BBRO: $95 + 3 x $20 + $40 = $195
4-stage RO: $189 + 3 x $2.50 + 2 x $5 + 40 + $20 = $266.50 (actually less, as I include an extra sediment and charcoal prefilter in the original package)
If you look longer-term, say double that:
- Getting rid of chlorine, lead, and pesticides via a Brita costs you $9615.
- Getting rid of some organics and most dissolved minerals via a BBRO system costs about $315
- Having close to absolutely pure water via a full RO system costs $334
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