Anyone had Aquatec install a household filter system? Opinions?

[Lucio]

Hmmm, so their "experiment" shows that their filter does something to the water, but does it make it "safer"?

Assuming it was Quinoline Yellow
that they used, I'd imagine all the experiment shows is that their system leaves a chemical behind that helps it dissolve better when reacted with the potassium hydroxide. Given that the dye is alchohol soluble, it doesn't exactly give me a lot of confidence in their test!

[Andeh13]

I've just done a quick survey of my family, and none of us have died from tapwater.

Getting really tired of all these unfounded opinions & ''surverys'' from random people who claim to be experts. I'm guessing you just believed the first set of results that came up? Did you even repeat the survery & take an average!?








(I lol'd )

[Rob_B]

Their figure of 20k in 10 years is derived from a detailed breakdown. Not simply broad claim. They take it down to one's weekly expenditure on soaps, creams, toiletries of all kinds, floor/toilet/window cleaners, etc - saving 75% monthly

Of course they also talk about the usual consequences of hard vs soft water on appliances / boiler etc. They claim an average energy saving of 40% monthly.

I'd LOVe to see their workings out. 75% less spend on cleaning products/soap? Due to it foaming better? A normal person would use the same amount regardless I'd imagine.

40% less energy costs? So it could only be due to hot water & your heating, you could replace the lot every 5 years for less than 20k & they don't become 40% less efficient overnight!

They may be pleasant & I'm sure the filter does do something, does it do much more than a couple of hundred quid DIY job though? I doubt it. As for wear on your systems, hmmm..the aforementioned systems can supply some appliances.

[muddyfox470]

Tap water in britain is of some of the best quality worldwide, if you wish you may be able to get a filter to prevent calcification/limescale build up on your system. The money they are asking for is ridiculous.

However I would recommend, if you do not like the water in your area to get a filter system built into your kitchen tap (I believe Brita do one) and for a one off fee and replaceable filters it sounds like a much better option.

Otherwise if you are really unhappy with your water just get a brita (or similar) jug that you can use on a daily basis.

[handscombmp]

Have you had anything break down due to possible hard water damage.

No?

Then you don't need it.

If yes does it mount up to aprox £2000 a year. Highly doubt it.

[muddyfox470]

There are systems like this available, the starter kit costs £400 then about £130 for each replacement filter (every 6 months).

http://www.grohe.co.uk/p/25_52411.html

It's some sort of compromise. For all incoming water it may be worth putting an ionisation filter to reduce limescale build up on appliances.

[Bootneckbandy]

I use an iopn exchange water softener (aboput stage 3 on the diagram on theuor site. And if you live in a hard water area, it is well worth wile, less detergent ion the washing machine, less soap in the shower etc.

However it is recommended that ion exchange treatyed water isn't used for drinking as the sodium levels are higher, so one tap is left untreated. So I suppose if I was that bothered I could add a disposable cartridge filter at that tap, or a feed off it. You can buy those at B&Q etc for considerably less than aquatec charge. Or use a jug filter, like a Brita filter. (Remember the running costs, the filters are disposable and need replacing every six to twelve months)

Fitting a water softener isn't particularly difficult either, and again much less than the package they offer.

Bottom line - do you think your water tastes odd? Does using a jug filter improve it? If the answer to both those is 'yes' - look at a cartridge filter, that you can install yourself.

second question - do you live in a hard water area, and if so, does it bother you? Again, if the answer ito both those is yes, then fit an ion exchange resin water softener. Again think of the running costs. I use about £40 of salt a year (salt regenerates the resin)

I have little doubt that the aquatec system does what it says, but it seems a little expensive to my mind - especially if you can do a little plumbing yourself.

I have had an Aquatec Sysem - Whole House fitted for some years, and while the only issues I have had with it, apart from the initial cost, is that the After Sales is a Complete Rip Off. Excess charges for Servicing, that is supplying and fitting replacement filters and checking the water content, which one can read about elsewhere.

I would respectfully suggest that anyone who has a need for a Water Filtration System thinks very carefully about what their needs are, and what they can afford, and that has to include the ever increasing costs of maintenance and service charges.

I am very happy with the system which we purchased from Aquatec, but, would not recommend its purchase to others, simply on the grounds that things have now improved and so cost less, and dare I suggest that the undersink systems available are just as good as my computer controlled system and a great deal less to purchase and maintain.

The Adage to be in mind of is, Only buy what you can afford if it is going to improve your lifestyle and your health, and not to deplete your wallet as my Aquatec System is now doing.

I have informed Aquatec that their services are no longer required on the grounds of cost, and instead of paying any heed to my comment, they simply replied, We Will Remove Your Details From Our Data Base so that you do not receive any Service Reminders, so that to me says it all!

I hope my comments will be useful to anyone who reads my observations.

[Andeh13]

I have had an Aquatec Sysem - Whole House fitted for some years, and while the only issues I have had with it, apart from the initial cost, is that the After Sales is a Complete Rip Off. Excess charges for Servicing, that is supplying and fitting replacement filters and checking the water content, which one can read about elsewhere.

I would respectfully suggest that anyone who has a need for a Water Filtration System thinks very carefully about what their needs are, and what they can afford, and that has to include the ever increasing costs of maintenance and service charges.

I am very happy with the system which we purchased from Aquatec, but, would not recommend its purchase to others, simply on the grounds that things have now improved and so cost less, and dare I suggest that the undersink systems available are just as good as my computer controlled system and a great deal less to purchase and maintain.

The Adage to be in mind of is, Only buy what you can afford if it is going to improve your lifestyle and your health, and not to deplete your wallet as my Aquatec System is now doing.

I have informed Aquatec that their services are no longer required on the grounds of cost, and instead of paying any heed to my comment, they simply replied, We Will Remove Your Details From Our Data Base so that you do not receive any Service Reminders, so that to me says it all!

I hope my comments will be useful to anyone who reads my observations.

Top write up! Good to see poor service & shoddy companies named & shamed!

[[GSV]Trig]

If I were having a system put in a house then I'd just get my friend to do it on the main feed into the house so all water is purified.

[Funkstar]

If I were having a system put in a house then I'd just get my friend to do it on the main feed into the house so all water is purified.

Including your toilet water and anything used in the garden or for washing the car? That seems pretty excessive.

[[GSV]Trig]

Toilet water would be recycled rain water topped up with water from the mains supply.

[Doctor Fish]

Don’t want to seem like I’m supporting the ‘bad’ guys here but let’s get some ‘real’ facts back into this discussion? I have designed and built Life Support Systems (humans and any other organisms that use water) for the last forty years plus and have ‘played’ with water in most, if not all of its different forms. I’m not representing any particular water purification company; just myself and what I know about UK drinking water. So let’s get some things straight.

Yes, the UK has some of the best drinking water in the world, but that doesn’t mean that it’s perfect. I can list a host of circumstances where bacterial, fungal or parasitic pathogenic organisms have contaminated local water supplies in the past few years. Not to mention the various chemical ‘scares’ that occur on an ever increasing scale. Or when water supply companies themselves make a mistake; look up Camelford-Cornwall, if you want an example. People there are still suffering terribly from the results of their water companies ‘cock-up’; releasing aluminium sulphate which then ‘caused’ sulphuric acid to enter their drinking water with disastrous results.

Also, hate to be controversial, but the UK is now experiencing a massive influx of pathogenic water loving bacteria from overseas. Fact; you visit another country so you obviously bring back strains of their bacteria in your tummy. Fact; you use the toilet and that foreign bacterial strain now enters the general water supply. They ‘cross-mutate’ with local strains and what do you get? That’s the point, nobody knows?

The ‘chemistry’ of your local water supply is very much down to your local geology (the rocks that your local groundwater has to permeate through), and whatever ‘other’ chemical compound has been ‘added to it’ since the industrial revolution. In the major cities and industrial areas of the UK, every litre of water that you drink has ‘passed through’ between 6 and 23 other people before you drink it. That in itself is not a problem; water has been recycled time and time again without number. However, hormones from let’s say, the birth control pill, cannot be broken down by the standard filtration used by water supply companies. So, colossal amounts of these manmade hormones pass into the water supply from female urine. Certain chemical compounds from novel drugs (legal or otherwise) have a huge resistance to any sort of normal biological breakdown used by most water supply companies. Some of the long chain molecules in well known anti-depressives being a prime example.

Most of the ‘filtration’ (the way your drinking water is ‘cleaned’) used by water supply companies in the UK was built and designed by Victorian engineers. Perfect when all it had to contend with was faeces and urine and their associated bacteria. But not too hot with modern bacterial strains or human designed chemical compounds.

Chlorine (the ‘swimming pool’ smell you get from the tap) is a fantastic destroyer of organic organisms (added by your water supply company) but, is a carcinogen in its own right (can cause cancers) if you have a propensity for a particular cancer, or if your immune system is compromised by another illness or genetic condition. Sorry, it’s just down to your particular DNA lottery.

Not every ‘water softener’ is the same. The essential part of any ‘water softener’ is the ion-exchange resin ‘beads’ that do the job of ‘softening’. The various types differ so much in their efficiency, that this really needs a separate discussion! Suffice to say that the ‘cost’ price of these resins from the manufacturer can be from approx £0.88 a litre to as much as £25.00 a litre. The price difference gives you some idea of what they can do.

Brita Filters! All a Brita Filter is is a basic carbon filter with a little ion-exchange resin included. Takes chlorine out (and a few (VOC’s) and makes your water ‘taste’ slightly better by altering the pH and slightly ‘softening’ the water. Does it do anything else? Not really.

Cheap ‘drinking water’ cartridges that you can get from the internet and fit yourself? Usually carbon or like the Brita Filter. Not all carbon is the same! Cheap carbon is usually made of coal, or you can get much ‘higher’ grades that are used in renal dialysis. The price ‘usually’ (if it’s a reputable company supplying it) denotes the grade. Again, only takes out chlorine and a few of the easier to remove Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s).

So, let’s face the main question of this discussion. UK drinking water is good, but compared with what? If you want ‘pure’ drinking water, free of any contaminant; then you have to pay for it.

If you’re unsure about a particular water purification company, then ask the prime question?
What does your system take out of my water? It’s your money, so get the best result for your buck. Just remember that sales people are ‘sales people’! Some companies call them ‘technicians’ or ‘engineers’. Most of these ‘titles’ mean very little, so find out from their head office exactly why their system is better than others on the market? Please also remember that forums like this usually just condemn ‘any’ water purification company through hearsay alone. Usually because they don’t like the sales technique or the price; doesn’t mean the kit don’t work.

As you probably now realise, I could rattle on about water for a week (or more) and still not answer every question or even go into the real problems inherent with any ‘sort’ of water, let alone for drinking purposes! So, if any of you have a particular question then just post it, I will endeavour to provide an answer. Just be aware that you may not like what you get back!