Alexvs that’s a very valid point, did you just email osmio customer service about the graded machines or are they advertised?
you mean you don’t remineralise the water? Isn’t that not recommended because it’s “hungry water” results in the water absorbing vitamins from you? Or does the osmio have a remineralisation filter?
Mik3 - I remineralise with either 100mg/L of Sodium Bicarbonate or Potassium Bicarbonate. Have been doing so for the past two years.
Sham - Just check on eBay and go for something where the water only touches stainless steel rather than plastic. But even then that’s easily solvable by removing the spout and fitting a silicone hose to distil it directly into a bottle or any container.
I bought mine second hand from Dave - it was in his garage gathering dust for years and years and it hasn’t missed a bit. It’s a very simple appliance and it will cost you around £70 or thereabouts on eBay or Amazon. There are more expensive versions of course.
A lot have a carbon filter fitted at the spout. I never used it. I simply discard the first 300ml or so - apparently it contains Volatile Organic Compounds and should not be consumed unless you use one of the filters. Some distillers have a tiny hole in the condenser where those VOCs evaporate away anyway. Mine does. I never ever seen another distiller ever, so I’m clueless. :-)
LMSC Edit : I think @dutchy101 uses the Zero Jug.
I do indeed. I have the 2.8l version, which I got from Lakeland for about £22 with a filter. I live in London with very hard water circa 300 TDS with the reader that came with the jug. When I check the water that comes out of my Britta filter in the fridge with the TDS reader it is 200. The zero water is literally zero and filters 30 - 35 litres of my London water before this changes. I have also tested this with GH and KH drop test kits, which confirm how well the zero water filter works.
I bought the jug as a temporary measure whilst I await delivery of my Skuma RO water unit, which I am expecting delivery of in June, provided there are no delays to production. The latest update on the project states they are still on schedule for June delivery. With the water in London, I only use the zero jug for feeding my Minima.
Mik3 I just emailed them and asked as I read on here they have them from time to time. I was also asking questions about having to remineralise and they said it’s unnecessary as they have the mineral cartridge as part of the filtration system which adds enough back.
It’s our main drinking source now, however the Brita is occasionally used by the wife as she likes it for ease filling drinking bottles as we go through 4 or so a day, plus we have a couple of filters left to use.
MediumRoastSteam A lot have a carbon filter fitted at the spout. I never used it. I simply discard the first 300ml or so - apparently it contains Volatile Organic Compounds and should not be consumed unless you use one of the filters. Some distillers have a tiny hole in the condenser where those VOCs evaporate away anyway. Mine does. I never ever seen another distiller ever, so I’m clueless. :-)
I carefully open the distiller and pour it back in.
I’ve had the machine 2 months now and I’ve filtered 15l of zero water on my 2nd filter since getting the machine (will be making up a further 5l today and this will leave me with 2 × 5l of water ready to use in the Minima).
From memory I think the first filter made me 30 - 35l of zero water, but I am keeping tabs ths time around.
I performed a service boiler drain at 6 weeks which drew out 1.4l. The alkalinity levels were a little on the high side in the water I tested after draining the service boiler (it had doubled), which I was a little perplexed by. I’m going to test the water again today after 2 weeks to see what the state of play is after 2 weeks
Thanks. That’s a lot of water in 2 months!
I’m thinking I use 5l a week So hoping I can leave the filter in for a few months. Looks like Zero say they don’t get bacterial growth like Brita can.
simonc That’s a lot of water in 2 months!
It seems like it, but a lot of the water is used for warming cups before shots, cleaning the group, which I do after each shot and backflusing every day etc. I also draw a cup of water for a cup of tea most days
dutchy101 Good point.. I am a bit tight with my water at the moment as its bought (although more plastic issue than cost) and I have a quooker so use that for warming cups, rinsing portafilter etc and tea. But yes I would probably run more if the water was more readily available and once have taste tested more espressos and got better dialled in I might start drinking some more long blacks, or even go back to an afternoon v60 with this water.
Yeah, when I consider that prior to buying the machine, I was using Tesco Ashbeck water which was £1.25 for 5l, a filter on the zero is probably costing me about double the price of the Ashbeck, but at the same time, I’m not using a filter in the machine as I was with the Bambino and the water I’m using will be better for the machine too.
In a couple more months, I should have my Skuma unit (provided it comes as per the delivery schedule), so the Zero was always a stop-gap which enabled me to get the machine I wanted when I wanted it. Put it this way, £12.50 wouldn’t get me 2 pints in the pub after work, so if it does me a month or so for water in my machine, which I use every day, it’s not too bad!
I’m wondering on size and looking at the 2.8 jug Vs the larger squarer one with the tap. Either they are the same size and W,L,D are round the wrong way or the dimensions of the 4.7l don’t match the picture.
They appear to be not much difference in size, with the squarer one more efficient in its footprint. I’m tempted to go with that one as it will live in a cupboard and only used for this. But concerned if it turns out to be much bigger than I expect.
Any ideas?
2.8L
Dimensions (L x W x H): 29.5 × 15 × 28 cm
4.7L
Dimensions (L x W x H): 29.6 × 27 × 14.2 cm
Not at all. There were a few reasons
dutchy101 From memory I think the first filter made me 30 - 35l of zero water, but I am keeping tabs this time around.
So I’m on my 2nd filter and the TDS reading in the zero water has gone up to 2 from 0 after filtering 30 litres of water, so my previous recollection was about right. Using the TDS reader in my tap water, it is reading north of 400 at the moment. The Britta filtered water is around 250 so presumably there could be some benefit to filtering the Brita filtered water through the zero jug in terms of getting more from the zero filter, but since I have 3 more filters left, plus approximately 9 litres of remineralised water sitting ready to go and I am expecting my Skuma unit in June, I think I’ll just crack on as I am.
Each filter is lasting me about 6 weeks for water for the Minima, so I’m going through about 5 litres a week.
dutchy101 That’s good news. I imagine my water is similar for TDS, being just outside London and I use around 5 litres, maybe a bit more if I pull hot water for occasional long blacks from the Minima rather than the quoker.
My decision now is on the traditional jug or the squarer dispensers with the tap at the bottom that can do more in one go.
I guess it comes down to the space you have available. I’m using the 2.8L jug and it doesn’t take too long to filter the water for my needs. I tend to leave the jug full in the fridge so it only takes one refill on top at the time I want to make up a 5l batch of water for my machine.
Just been looking at getting some more filters and seen that 4 filters on Ocado are currently £39.99 - that’s £15 cheaper than buying direct.
Lakeland have started selling them too. I was intrigued to find the TDS readout from the Zero gizmo for tap water was exactly what my water company said at 208, the Tesco water was 83 though I was expecting slightly under 60 based on the 2.5 x and 4 x calculation.
