ESPRESSO MACHINE WATER QUALITY

Brett H

Great site Lwowiak!!  Nice find mate, thanks!  I have only just upgraded to a ZIP filter with scale inhibitor and have bought the head and two filters for $130 on sale (eBay!!)  That'll get me through the next 24 months then I'll hope your guys are still trading happily and grab their stuff. It looks great and the prices are certainly wallet friendly! Great that they are here in Queensland also.  :thumb:

Muscles

on 1333803192:

Hi Muscles I am using a Digipure900s from fridge filters.    I can tell you that my local water has a hardness of 60ppm and after filtration comes out at zero. I have the luxury of using two laboratories to test my water and it was confirmed at both - both free testing as I have contacts (which makes life easy).  I did however buy a jar of 50 test strips from fridge filters and for the life of me they expire on 8/12.  I am not impressed with such a short expiry date and need to lodge a complaint. http://fridgefilters.com.au/Countertop-System-with-Softener/

Cheers mate, will check them out. Very reassuring to hear you have lab access to verify claims, I have always been very skeptical about a lot of the claims, especially 100% removal of Giardia etc...

Muscles

Update, last night I bought one of these twin filter systems http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250913892326 I reckon $79.95 (inc shipping) for dual stage filtering is great value, even if I have to spend a bit on a softening cartridge. And low and behold it is coming from the mob in Brisbane, Gundrill Trading, they trade as Magnetic Trading on the bay... I've emailed them to see what catridges they recommend I use for the espresso machines, drinking water, kettle and iron, with the espresso machines and drinking water being the priority.

beanflying

Everyones water filtration needs are different! As with a lot of the above general chlorine removal, softners and scale reduction filtration is all most will need some need a lot more. Generally accepted "normal" for espresso is 50PPM nd for brewed somewhere between 1-200 PPM range is desirable. So to clean leads to flat taste and or in extreme cases can lead to autofills etc not working  :doh: I would vouch for this as my R/O filtered bore water is to clean for a really good cup of tea and to low for brewed coffee to taste at it's best so I tend to use a shandy with rain water (I really need to buy a remineraliser cartridge to play with). Due to our local water being so bad to start with autofills and for espresso the water is fine after going through the R/O.

Muscles

Cheers BF, my water comes from 3 sources, 2 dams and the desal plant and  my hardness fluctuates between 60 and 75 and PH is up there at 7.5 -7.8 also indicating hard water. There have been suspected Giardia issues in our area recently (as informed by our GP, due to all the recent rain) and the wife has been crook hence the want to upgrade my filtration. With the countertop filter I plan to fill the appliances around the house including the sunbeam chiller with brita cartridges. I just heard back from Gundrill re the cartridges that come with my filter and he reckons it will be sufficient re Giardia and Crypto removal - but he didn't really mention softenening so I will keep searching...

Lwowiak

Muscles, ask him about the inline magnetic filter for scale removal. It is a simple magnet. The Theory is basic, but I can vouch it works. I attached it inline,  after the filters. On the Gold Coast the water is very good, but you really do notice a huge difference in taste when you add the sediment/carbon filter, plus the magnet. Each region in Australia is different, so requires different setups. I have found Gundrill very helpful, they really know what they are talking about. Cheers.

Muscles

Gundrill are giving me a modified attachment for the countertop 2 stage system using 3/8 reducers so I can utilize the magnetic scale reduction on top of the sediment and charcoal cartridges. Looking forward to doing some blind testing against the Brita in a couple of days. Thanks Lwowiak for the tip with this mob  :thumb:

Koffee_Kosmo

I have a magnet for domestic use on my exit line of the water filter There is a company in Toowoomba that specialises in magnetic water for farm use and the results of before and after are simply amazing I was a non believer until I saw proof with my own eyes The magnets are so strong that a normal person can't pull the 2 pieces apart KK

Muscles

Update: I've installed the dual stage + magnetic filtration and ran some blind tests. My sister, the wife and both of my in-laws were my guinea pigs over 3 rounds and all of them picked and preferred the new filtered water over the Sunbeam Brita chilled water. I did too when the wife blind tested me. Now, this had me wondering for a second if I should keep using Brita cartridges in the Sunbeam chiller... if I did, I'd get double charcoal filtration and extra expense, if I didn't I would save some coin and still have great tasting tap and chilled water - but I reckon it's a no brainer, give the spare Brita cartridges to the inlaws for their chiller and hope they use them up before deciding they want an on-bench 2 stage and magnetic filter system. Wonder if I'll notice a difference in the cup, think I should?

askthecoffeeguy

slightly off topic but somehow the water (and thus the ice) in my ice machine at work today turned out to be a murky brown - its not plumbed in we add the water ourselves (its a bench-top unit) - all i can think of is either coffee grind got into there or (more likely unfortunately) someone emptied the dregs from a ice coffee (from the blender) into the ice machine instead of the sink - for reasons that continue to escape me  :tearhair: :head: :doh:

Brett H

on 1334313327:

slightly off topic but somehow the water (and thus the ice) in my ice machine at work today turned out to be a murky brown - its not plumbed in we add the water ourselves (its a bench-top unit) - all i can think of is either coffee grind got into there or (more likely unfortunately) someone emptied the dregs from a ice coffee (from the blender) into the ice machine instead of the sink - for reasons that continue to escape me  :tearhair: :head: :doh:

Um... Yuck!  We had the ice machine die at and old restaurant I worked at and they are a right pain to clean out.  Every blasted sink was filled with ice!  Brown ice everywhere is an even worse look.  Good luck with the clean.

Lwowiak

Having moved into a new place, I needed to upgrade the filter system. Zip Tap was pulled out and this installed: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/PREMIUM-Twin-Undersink-Water-Filter-System-UPGRADES-1-46Webay-/310405664790?pt=AU_SmallKitchenAppliances&hash=item48459e9016 Twin filters plus a PLV. Very good value from Gundrill. I installed a T piece, and an inline tap as well, and ran a line to the coffee machine, effectively plumbing it in. I have installed a magnetic inline filter after the two filters as a precaution against scale. The water on the Gold Coast is pretty good, and I have been using the magnet for over two years now, and am happy with the result; no scale evident. In SA we used similar technology to reduce scale in our irrigation pipes, as the bore water on my parent's property was heavily mineralised. When living in SA, scale and taste was an issue, so I only used filtered rain water in my kettle and coffee machine. Over the years I have tried all the filters on the market and have to admit this current one is the best. The coconut carbon cartridge is excellent. I have used all sorts of expensive carbon filters and found them to be a waste of money. You have to flush at least 100L of water through them until the small particles of carbon stop appearing in your glass. No such issue with the H2-Blue, and the water tastes better. As for the hype about water softening cartridges (Brita C150 and the like), here is the truth: If you have poor quality water, do not put it in your machine. A true water softening system involving ion exchange is very effective and very expensive, circa $2500. A single cartridge will not do the same job, and will only claim to reduce scale. I tried them for a while in SA, and was lucky to get 8 months from a filter, they are notorious for blocking up. However, if you have no other choice, these filters are a great precaution, but very expensive. Make sure you change them religiously. Cheaper to use filtered rain water or bottled water for your machine.

Koffee_Kosmo

When I had the BZ40 I had a dedicated coffee machine filter as it was a plumbed in machine However for the home drinking and the Strega I use a filter that removes the bad particles and then re mineralizes through a special rock filter It was originally developed for the Japanese hospital system And as I noted above I also use a magnet as well So that's what I use now KK

borat123

I just put in one of these for use with the 'funny' tasting desal water over here.  From what I understand it just reduces the dissolved solids, which significantly improves the taste.  The desal water has already gone through RO and test strips showed it to be quite soft.  I hear that some people also use UV disinfection. http://www.filtersfast.com/P-Everpure-4H-Replacement-Filter.asp Tried it out today with the first real shot from the Urania, and I was very happy with the result.

UNM

would this be s good time to put in the obligatory dig at RO water? :stir seriously though , given what home users spend on filtration and the amount of water used, I would think that many/most home users would find bottled water a better solution. what are the key things to look for in bottled water? Mineral water is presumably bad, as I suspect is distilled.

Lwowiak

Re: RO water: A very informative post by member Psaigh: Adelaide's Best Coffee Houses

Koffee_Kosmo

I have taken delivery of a new filter system It's more of an upgrade to a newer model from the same company Wellness S-5 pro is the new model I chose as it has twice the amount of mineralization and magnetization It is primarily for health reasons and the coffee tastes superb as well  The old model is an S-3 When it's fitted I will take a couple of photos and post them up The kit is very comprehensive and comes with everithing one needs including a water circuit breaker just incase there is a leak KK

Brett H

As well as pics KK a ball-park price would be great also.  We're allowed to do that on this forum.  :stir  8)

derrilex

And let me know how many $$$ you want for the old one :D

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1344771412:

As well as pics KK a ball-park price would be great also.  We're allowed to do that on this forum.  :stir  8)

Depends on the model and filters chosen My old S- 3 unit cost $1100.00 but prices have come down I suspect due to the strong dollar The upgrade was made more sweet because of a special price for current customers The S-5 Elite model will normaly cost $995 Lots to read on the site http://wellness.com.au/how-it-works#Magnetite-69 KK

Koffee_Kosmo

The new Wellness filter system has been fitted The model I got is the Elite Series 5 (S-5) Having this filter system previously in the equally great S-3 model I updated to the model that has twice the size filter for remineralising Upgraded primarily for health benefits for the family I must say that the coffee and tea does taste better with the wellness system KK 

Lwowiak

Nice one KK, thank you for sharing the link. :thumb: Some know-it-all, would label this as snake oil, and find some so called paper published somewhere in "doubt it" land. They would then deride this and feel smug about it, because a site sponsor has a "better" product........ wait, this forum is red not green. Sorry my eyesight is getting worse. :stir  :stir It is interesting how the site you provided the link to, refers to the Hunza people of Northern Pakistan and other regions renowned for the health benefits of certain spring waters. In Eastern Europe, certain spring waters of different mineralization are used for the treatment of many illnesses. Unfortunately in the land of coke and big macs, very little research is dedicated to simple things like water. We are told we must add fluoride or our teeth will fall out, just like they have in all the third world countries where all the children have no access to fluoride, .........but wait they have perfectly white teeth ??? ???

derrilex

Where is the install pic KK. I want to critique some plumbing :rofl:

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1345190511:

Nice one KK, thank you for sharing the link. :thumb: Some know-it-all, would label this as snake oil, and find some so called paper published somewhere in "doubt it" land. They would then deride this and feel smug about it, because a site sponsor has a "better" product........ wait, this forum is red not green. Sorry my eyesight is getting worse. :stir  :stir It is interesting how the site you provided the link to, refers to the Hunza people of Northern Pakistan and other regions renowned for the health benefits of certain spring waters. In Eastern Europe, certain spring waters of different mineralization are used for the treatment of many illnesses. Unfortunately in the land of coke and big macs, very little research is dedicated to simple things like water. We are told we must add fluoride or our teeth will fall out, just like they have in all the third world countries where all the children have no access to fluoride, .........but wait they have perfectly white teeth ??? ???

The studies were conducted by the Japanese health system for many years and approved for use in there hospitals Cant argue with that When I have this water it makes my mouth feel really wet It's slightly more viscous Even on hot days when one just finishes mowing the lawn and have a dry mouth thinking that you could drink a gallon just a glass or two is adequate to quench ones thirst KK

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1345191558:

Where is the install pic KK. I want to critique some plumbing :rofl:

I took a couple of snaps of my very neat handy work This photo is of a special 3 way 1/4 turn stop cock The top hose goes to the regular tap on the sink The bottom hose goes to the pressure regulator of the water filter system You will notice that its a hose with a right angled end and is most suitable for these tight situations Attachment not found.Attachment not found. And overall the filter unit looks like this   KK