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ZeroWater to the Rescue
Water. We don’t realize how much we rely on it until we don’t have it. I live in the northeast and last year we were having a drought. My well dried up and we were without water for 3 months to the day. It’s a long story and a period of time I would like to forget, but suffice it to say that water was on our minds day and night.
Once we had a new well dug we had to wait for the silt and sludge to work its way through the system, which took a couple of weeks. So at this point in time, we had water, but we had no idea if it was going to ultimately be any good to drink! There was the taste issue and the chemical content issue still to be resolved.
FODMAPs & Water
Water is low FODMAP, so why talk about it? Because we are obsessed with food and drink around here and when we are brewing tea, making soup or creating something in the kitchen where water is a big component, we want that water to be the best it can be. Plus, staying hydrated is just good for all of us, FODMAPer or not.
Ironically, right around when we were having our well issues, we received a ZeroWater kit at the Test Kitchen. This is a water filter that promises to remove anything and everything that you might want removed from your water – hence the name “zero”. Specifically it addresses “total dissolved solids” (TDS) and claims to be the only water filtration system to remove lead and chromium 6.
Water Should Taste Good
My husband, Damon, and I love drinking water and while we want it to be healthful and free from all the chemicals and minerals that we cannot see but that might be affecting our pipes or our bodies deleteriously, we are also very much invested in it tasting good. Was ZeroWater going to be water we wanted to drink?
According to the brand information, their water pitchers, which hold their own filters, are 5-stage filters, as opposed to most pitcher style filter systems, which are 2 stages. They make several claims (language from manufacturer):
- The ZeroWater system removes up to 99% of TDS opposed to 50% for competitors
- Their Stage 1 is a coarse filter screen that filters out fine particles and sediment
- Stage 2 is a layer of foam that distributes the water evenly across the filter for maximum efficiency
- Their Stage 3 is multi-layer: the activated carbon filters out many contaminants, particularly organics, and improves taste and then an oxidation alloy reduces and removes chlorine and other heavy metals and also retards any mold growth.
- Stage 4 is duel comprehensive ion exchange resin that strips foreign ions from the water and returns them to a pure state.
- Stage 5 is an ultra-fine screen and non-woven membrane that removes ultra fine particles.
Most water filter systems feature the equivalent of their Stage 3 and Stage 4 only.
On the ZeroWater website, they ask the question, “What Does This Mean for You?” The answer?
- ZeroWater works harder to remove contaminants from your water.
- Removes more impurities.
- Provides the purest tasting water.
So into the Test Kitchen we went. Damon kept asking me “is this ZeroWater?” every time I served him a glass. And you know what? Right away we really liked the taste of the water. It has a very clean taste.
How Do You Make ZeroWater?
The system is simple. There is a carafe, and they come in different sizes. The largest one, pictured, fits perfectly on the top shelf of my fridge and we can draw water easily from the spout. There is a filter inside the carafe. You add tap water to the carafe and it goes through the filter into the body of the carafe and then you serve yourself water from there.
The system comes with a tester, which they call a meter. It can be inserted into a glass of your tap water, or a glass of ZeroWater and it will read the amount of TDS within. You are aiming for, you guessed it, a reading of zero. Our tap water read 096 and we should point out that this was after it went through a filter on our main intake from the well. After the same water went through the ZeroWater system, you can see that it registered 000.
What Does This All Mean?
I guess it depends on your needs. Do you want great tasting water? I can tell you that we all like the taste of this water very much. Robin has been using her carafe as well at The Farm and has also commented on how much better it tastes than the town water coming from her taps that she filters through an under counter filter.
Or, is your focus on drinking healthy water? And here’s the issue – that can mean a lot of different things to different people. Some folks do not want fluoride in their water, and being a TDS, it will be removed with this system. For others, it is very important that they do have fluoride in their water for dental health. Only you can decide if the removal of metals and certain chemicals is important enough for you to spend the money on this system.
What Does it All Cost?
ZeroWater has a few different systems, ranging from an individual drinking bottle to extra large carafes, like the one pictured. They all use filters, that must be replaced, and those come from the same company. One thing that we think is brilliant on the part of their marketing is that they also make filters that fit Brita systems, so if you already have one of those, you can just buy replacement filters.
Obviously they hope you buy into the system, because then you will be buying filters on an on-going basis. The filters range from about $10 a piece to $15, depending on whether you buy in bulk and they will last a varying amount of time, depending on how “dirty” the water is. Ours last for months at a time.
Our Take on ZeroWater
Our Take on ZeroWaterIf you have issues with your water due to off tastes or chemical content, the ZeroWater system is certainly one to look into. Buying the filters in bulk will save you money.
Where to Buy: Currently available through the ZeroWater site, Amazon and other outlets.
Price at Time of Review (June 2017): There are several versions. The smallest is their 26-ounce Portable Filtration Tumbler that comes with 2 replacement filters for about $15. The largest is the 23-cup Dispenser (pictured), which comes with one filter, for about $40. There are several choices in-between with various price points, including replacement filters for Brita carafes.
Have you tried this product? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
FODMAP Everyday received this product as a gift for review. All opinions are the reviewer’s own.
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