The ds-1800 / ds-1800z does the job, if slowly. Rough ballpark is that if the base is 1/3rd full and you fill the top to full, it'll take 40 minutes (yes, I timed it) for it to filter (slows down towards the end.) If you're starting from empty, you are looking at over an hour to a full container.
The filter spec sheet lists mostly high-90's for percent-removal of lots of things, except for MTBE- of which it only removes a minimum of 70%, and a maximum not much higher...still under 80%. Given how common MTBE pollution in water is these days (thanks, California!) and its carcinogenic nature, that's pretty poor.
Also, Pur only rates it for a maximum of 2 gallons a day, and "approximately" 40 gallons per filter "depending on local water conditions". They warn you that the filter's performance drops rapidly, but there's no way to tell how long that'll be, even if you have your water tested!
Watch out as the top is not 1/2 of the size of the bottom. The bottom is about 1.5x larger than the top. A line on the inside of the lower reservoir for a "don't fill the top to full when the reservoir is above this" would be a good addition.
The amazon description is slightly misleading; it does not have a "filter life indicator". It has a sticker showing a 12 month dial, and a second sticker to place on that. A molded in dial with spinner would be an improvement and all that's necessary (the brita lcd thing is silly.)
The spigot lever is strongly spring-loaded and cheaply built. If you pull it down and then let go, it will smack the side of the container very hard.
Make sure you insert the filter with the tabs aligned with the hole; you'll see a lock-down mechanism that seats the filter after you give it clockwise turn. The instructions do not mention this. Also, the filter may seem like it sits too high in the upper tray, but the inlet slats go down almost to the o-ring, so don't worry about it draining the upper tray. PUR DS-1800Z 2-Stage Water Dispenser
This is a great Water Filtration System.
We recently moved to the Washington DC area where the water tastes like metal and chlorine. My Fiance is something of a water afficionado, she would rather dehydrate and die than drink what she calls "yucky water", and if it wasn't in a bottle from a store then chances were she wouldn't drink it.
In our last place we had a Brita filter attached to our sink, from our experience and from what I've read, these things, Brita and PUR, have a tendancy to get clogged and break, as was the case with ours.
Also from reading I found out that Brita does not filter out bacteria, not that it's something most people need to worry about in chemically saturated city water but it's always better safe than sorry.
This System fits perfectly in our fridge, it holds a lot more water than some of the others I've seen and doesn't need to be refilled nearly as often because of that.
The water tastes great and even the Water Afficionado will happily guzzle it down.
I noticed a few reviewers complaining that the filters dont inform you of the quality of the water but rather just try to give you an estimate of the filters life and when to replace it.
Thats true and it's also worth noting that none of the consumer level water filters will actually tell you the quality of the water, filtration systems of that nature would be considerably more expensive than these. And would most likely require electronic parts that exceeded the standard red light green light functionality.
Anyway, it works great, the filters seem to have a long life, it fits nicely in the fridge and we're both very happy with the quality of the water that the filter produces. We bought ours over a month ago along with a triple pack of replacement filters and have yet to replace the one that came in the box.
Worth your cash! :)
Yes I'll admit it, everytime we went grocery shopping we lugged home a few big bottles of "spring water" (what the heck does that mean anyways and why do we think it's better then our tap water, I mean what is really in those plastic jugs?). Given this sudden realization recently I went on a quest to pick a water filter for our tap water, and decided upon this dispenser and I'm so glad I did! It's super easy to fill up, fits nicely into the fridge (plus it's my favorite shade of blue, that's a plus right?) and OMG this is what water is supposed to taste like, nothing... pure & clean & crisp (are you sure this is from my tap?) It's wonderful! I find myself happily filling up a glass with water to drink now instead of juice or tea etc.
At first, I was a little surprised at the amount of cash I was going to have to pay for this filter. But my husband and I were moving to a part of the former Soviet Union, and we had no idea what could be lurking in the water there. After 2 weeks of being here, and using this filter, I truly say I love it! We have had no problems with leaking, black specks in the water or anything. The size is wonderful. I use it to make tea and coffee with, and basically on any food that will not be boiled. My husband was brave enough to try the water from the tap (the stuff the nationals don't even drink!) and then tried the purified version. What a difference!
I did do a bit of research before buying. I was going to buy a Brita, but after many reviews from people who weren't very happy with it, I went with Pur. I'm very glad I did. I have NO complaints at all.
Thank you Pur for making a wonderful product!
We got this pitcher for our family of 6 almost 3 years ago, and have used it constantly since. It does fit nicely in a fridge, but we keep it on the counter because it gets used so often and I don't like the fridge door opening all the time. We have a smaller Brita pitcher for the fridge, and there is a HUGE difference in the taste. The Pur is much better. We live in NYC, which has heavily chlorinated water. With this Pur filter, we can't taste the chlorine at all.
We have found that after a couple of weeks (sometimes less) the filters really slow down. At first we'd just replace them, because even with replacing the filter every couple of weeks it's cheaper to filter water than to buy it pre-bottled. (My daughter just did a science project on the fact that bottled water is almost completely unregulated, so filtering your own tested/regulated tap water is probably safer anyway.) However, we have since discovered that if you pull the filter out and soak it in cold water for 10 minutes, the same as you do when starting a new filter, the drip speed increases again. Now our filters really last the month or two they're supposed to.
I have never had a problem with mold or mildew with this dispenser, a problem that some people have with Britas. I wash it every once in a while when I see dust in the top part, but I'm really amazed at how clean and fresh it has stayed all these years. It is really convenient to use though it's a little heavy to return to the fridge once it's filled (another reason ours stays on the counter).
I'm on this page now just because our dispenser has (finally) started to leak from the spout. There aren't many products that can be used heavily for 3 years without a single problem! So after I finish this review, I'm going to buy another one. I don't know of any better, safer, cheaper, more delicious way to keep a large family hydrated. - Pur - Water Dispenser - Dispenser - Pur Filter'
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