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

Meldrew

Not at all. There were a few reasons

  1. It came up as a kickstarter a few months ago and I got it for a steal compared to the full price of the Osmio (provided it still materialises of course)
  1. At the time I had won a few quid on sone very profitable football bets and I was buying this as a pre-cursor to moving on the Sage Bambino that I had at the time and getting a Minima that needed RO water.
  2. I liked the unique concept of the remineralised water that the unit offers having the option to be able to choose different mineral compositions whilst still being able to take pure RO water as and when required
19 days later

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.

    3 months later

    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.

    • MWJB replied to this.

      ZeroWater have 20% off all jugs & dispensers at the moment. They’re also doing an offer for a 6-cup jug & 3 filters for £35. Considering if you buy 3-filters on their own from them it will cost you £43. That’s quite an offer.

      Zero Jug Offer

      SurreyAlan 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.

      The x2.5 and x4 calculation only gives you total hardness, if there’s other stuff in the water (usually is) then that will be in addition to calcium & magnesium ions. Water companies rarely give TDS as ppm, or mg/l dry residue, more often they give conductivity, which can be based on a couple of different scales & you need to know which one the meter uses.

      14 days later

      Question for zero water filter users: I’m thinking of buying one of those giving the cost of electricity going up and distilling becoming rather expensive. My usage is low, approx. 2 litres a week. My water is hard so I’m trying to maximise the effectiveness and life of the filter.

      If I were to draw the whole jug of water every week, would you keep the jug empty in between or keep it always full? If always full, would I then be using water that’s always at least a week old and sitting in the jug?

        MediumRoastSteam I’d keep it empty - in fact, I’d unscrew the filter, shake it as dry as possible and pack it in cling film and store it in the fridge, if you plan to use it only once a week.

        It takes about 15 minutes to filter 2 litres of water, so it’s no problem to have it ‘empty’ (BTW, the water will then sit for ‘up to a week’ in your coffee machine, but that is clearly not a problem either, since you seem to be doing that with distilled water today).

        Life of the filter is - I understand - totally dependent on water hardness; each filter contains ion-stripping resins for 18,000 mg/CaCO3 equivalent. This may sound a lot, but with water in “our” areas in the South-East we are looking at 40-60 litres/filter.

          CoyoteOldMan - thank you. I was aiming for 30L as life expectancy, so that’s within the acceptable parameters.

          If I do what you suggest… is the filter like a Britta one where you have to soak and “prime it” before you use it or can you just filter it through straight away?

            MediumRoastSteam is the filter like a Britta one where you have to soak and “prime it” before you use it or can you just filter it through straight away?

            No priming necessary. When we went away for 3 weeks last month I wrapped the filter in cling film and put it in the fridge - no smells or filtering issues on return, and I had a litre of water to put in the machine in less than 10 minutes.

            LMSC Would one drink straight out of the zero jug?

            As far as I know, one can - it’s de-ionised just like it would be out of a distiller or a good RO filter. I drank a couple of glasses without any after-effects, but I find that (just like melted snow or distilled water for ironing) it doesn’t relieve my thirst or taste nice: it feels ‘hollow’.

              CoyoteOldMan - this is so true. I tried once to make a V60 with distilled water with 100mg sodium bicarbonate per Litre. It tasted exactly like that: hollow, flat.

              Interestingly, as espresso, it tastes fine. Go figure.

              In contrast, I asked this very question to Zerowater and they advised the filters work better and last longer when kept in water. I tend to fill the jug and leave it in a fridge until I need it.

              I live in a very hard water area (typically plus 400 tds on the reader) and I’ve always got between 30 - 35 litres from each filter.

              I add 64mg of sodium bicarbonate per litre to the water to bring up the alkalinity and tend to make up 2 × 5 litre batches in a go, stored in old Ashbeck bottles

              I use 250 to 500ml per day (with the occasional 2 litre fill of my Bianca) and just replace what I use, so it’s always got about 250ml it. No idea if that’s OK but haven’t noticed any issues.

              Regret buying the really big one (20 cup) because having a jug I could pour from directly would make life much easier. Quite happy with zero water in general though, my usage is too low to warrant a RO system really…

              CoyoteOldMan BTW, the water will then sit for ‘up to a week’ in your coffee machine, but that is clearly not a problem either, since you seem to be doing that with distilled water today).

              I sometimes wonder about this - part of me thinks that because I distil the water, it not only removes all the minerals, but it also kills everything organic in the process - unlike with the ZeroWater filters. In fact, I distil fortnightly and store the water in 2× 2 litre glass bottles. I have no problems with smell in the water or anything like that. I’ve been doing this for over two years, and I’m still here! 👍

                MediumRoastSteam Fair point - however, other than in the water tank, everything else in a coffee machine also gets heated to near-boiling point (or well over it) before ending in our cups…

                Anecdotally, after 4 months of Zerowater use, the only smell I have perceived is when the filter runs out, then it starts smelling (not strongly, but clearly perceivable - acrid, sharp; not sure if it is by design or just chemical chance). The water tank in both machines is clean and has no smell whatsoever - so far, I rinse them every 2 weeks or so, largely when I remember!

                I (like you) think distillation is safer, from a microbiological point of view. However, it seems to me that the risk of a room-temperature filter (be it ion-stripping, RO or anything else) is easily manageable. Eating the ‘decorative’ lettuce leaf from a restaurant has a much higher chance of something going wrong (don’t ask me how I know…)