Stop Hitting the Bottle with 3M Filtrete Water Filtration
When recently visiting a fine dining institution in the Bay Area, we found that they did not serve bottled water. Instead, they were extremely proud of their cheap and well-thought out filtration system. Considering the cost and environmental waste of the bottled water industry, there’s a growing trend towards filtration systems. And while everybody may have at one time or another owned those water pitcher filters that go in your fridge or the filters that you install on your faucet, we’re taking a look at a slightly less visible filtration system, the kind you install under your sink.
The 3M Filtrete 3US-PS01 Under-Sink Professional Water Filtration System is designed to filter out chlorine, strange odors, sediment, and even parasitic cysts if you opt for the professional version. It can be installed under your sink either by a plumber or by motivated do-it-yourselfers. To install the system you need a drill, a Phillips screwdriver, an adjustable wrench, a utility knife and a pencil.
Installing the system involves drilling two holes behind your sink, attaching the mount, cutting the cords to the right length, and connecting everything to its proper places, including to the cold water system. Finally, the filter itself snaps into place with a satisfying click. Overall it’s not too difficult of a process (though I found it to be quite wet), but if you would like to install it yourself, you will probably need to watch their installation video first. In all, it DEFINITELY took longer than their 6-minute video, but we were remarkably impressed with the accessibility of their push-in fittings to non-plumber types like us (though how plumbers view them, we don’t know).
The Filtrete advertises that it doesn’t interfere with the flow of your faucet. We found that to be mostly true. The system is designed to filter only the cold water, so the only time we perceived a difference was when we turned the tap to all the way to cold.
The water itself had an indefinably different taste. Our area’s unfiltered water wasn’t bad, it simply has a slightly metallic taste. The filter’s effect was quite noticeable, even with our relatively good water. It gave it a softer taste, much closer to bottled water or the distilled water you might find at restaurants.
The Filtrete runs about $50 on Amazon. Of course, keep in mind that you will have to replace your filter about every 2000 gallons, which will run you about $36 a pop.
