Brita water okay?

[BobInBonita]

We have duelling Brita links! The link I gave does not address hardness at all, but in two sections talks about what is removed.
From their site - quote 1:
"What do Brita® products remove from tap water?
Brita® Pitchers/Dispensers reduce copper, chlorine (taste and odor) and mercury — all of which may be found in tap water. Brita® Faucet Filtration Systems reduce lead, benzene, TTHMs and microbial cysts."

From their site - quote 2:
"What ingredients are found in a Brita® Pitcher Filter?
The Brita® Pitcher Filter contains activated carbon and an ion-exchange resin. All of the ingredients in the filter have been approved by the Water Quality Association. As you may know, activated carbon is widely used in the food and medical industry. Its function in Brita® Filters is to reduce the chlorine (taste and odor)1. The activated carbon utilized is made from coconut shells that have been subjected to a special heating process that produces a large surface area capable of maximum absorption. The ion-exchange resin acts like a magnet and reduces mercury, copper, cadmium and zinc1."

I notice that yours is a UK site, whereas mine is a US site. Even though the pitchers might be the same, the legal requirements before a claim can be made might be different. In the US, the regulatory change in lead limits meant a change in the claim that could be made. It's just a guess, but could be an explanation.

Also - since Brita uses an ion exchange resin to remove minerals, it logically couldn't remove a tremendous amount of Calcium (hardness & scale) without recharging. Think of the size of the ion exchange resin bed in a water softener and how often it has to be recharged to keep removing calcium. I think the calcium levels in hard water would quickly use up any exchange capacity present. To prevent this, the resin probably targets the trace minerals.

If you find any data on how much calcium can be removed AND what the capacity of the filter (how many liters it will continue to work at that reduction level), I would really like to see it.

[BobInBonita]

Camille,

Went back to the Brita UK site, and it definately has different information. Pulled this quote that demonstrates one difference:
"What is water hardness and why is it important to reduce it?
The overall hardness of water consists of permanent hardness and temporary hardness. Permanent hardness (caused by calcium and magnesium sulphates as well as chloride) does not influence the taste of water or the function of household appliances. Temporary hardness (caused by calcium and magnesium hydrogen carbonate) primarily affects the taste of food and other beverages prepared with hot water. It is also responsible for the scale deposits found in household appliances that heat water. Not least important, many plants and flowers flourish with decarbonised water. The BRITA water filter cartridge reduces the temporary hardness. The results of this reduction: better tasting water for hot drinks and cooked food and less scale build-up in household appliances. "

In the US, I'm not aware of the distinction between temporary and permanent hardness. I believe here calcium is considered calcium regardless of form.

[Connie Star]

Originally Posted by Ray

Connie, an RO system is not as burdensome as you might think. I am shipping one out tomorrow, and the system, bladder tank, installation kit, and extra filters I provide all fit nicely in a box that's 18" cubed.

My problem is that I don't have a faucet to hook it up to. The kitchen sink would have to be fitted with a second faucet for a dedicated RO system. There is a washer dryer (in the kitchen, actually) but the hosing for that is too difficult to take on and off for intermittent RO use. There is no utility sink in the (mostly non-existent) basement, and none that would work in any of the bathrooms. It's not really the RO system, it's the plumbing in the house.

[Connie Star]

Originally Posted by BobInBonita

Camille,

Went back to the Brita UK site, and it definately has different information. Pulled this quote that demonstrates one difference:
"What is water hardness and why is it important to reduce it?
The overall hardness of water consists of permanent hardness and temporary hardness. Permanent hardness (caused by calcium and magnesium sulphates as well as chloride) does not influence the taste of water or the function of household appliances. Temporary hardness (caused by calcium and magnesium hydrogen carbonate) primarily affects the taste of food and other beverages prepared with hot water. It is also responsible for the scale deposits found in household appliances that heat water. Not least important, many plants and flowers flourish with decarbonised water. The BRITA water filter cartridge reduces the temporary hardness. The results of this reduction: better tasting water for hot drinks and cooked food and less scale build-up in household appliances. "

In the US, I'm not aware of the distinction between temporary and permanent hardness. I believe here calcium is considered calcium regardless of form.

That's interesting information. I would think that plants would respond to the cations (calcium and magnesium) whatever the corresponding anion is; so "permanent" and "temporary" would not be much different from the plants point of view.
Right now I am using the Brita filter for the water that goes into the humidifiers. There is a fine white dusting on the surroundings which is presumably the unfiltered calcium/magnesium.
I guess I'll have to just keep melting snow until spring, at least for my masdies and phrags. We've got plenty of that, and more on the way.