You don't need ceramic for that. Ceramic, in theory, removes bacteria, but as a sediment filter it is hardly any good. Your carbon can catch it all. So if you want to stay on the cheap side, just use the Panasonic carbon + boiling. You can refer to the guide below, NOT saying consider our products, just use it to evaluate any setup

https://frescatec.com/pou-how-to/

As for storing water, best is to use glass jar, this is what I do for my cold press coffee.

Why not consider the simple PP filters for sediments?

PP > Panasonic > Boiling > Glass container

But if u want the convenience of skipping all these, why not consider getting tankless instant hot/cold water purifiers?

Aside from Doulton, there is also Remington. Got China brands too if u r brave :-).

I think servicemen hate ceramic because is breakable during transport. On the other hand, ceramic is arguably the most eco-friendly / cost effective. Just scrub the sediment & then re-use - for years!


PP as the 1st stage. Act. carbon as 2nd. Ceramic as 3rd. As the carbon will initially release particles, the ceramic can catch them.

Ceramic gets clogged, when it gets clogged, you can't clean it by easily scrubbing, it will go deep inside the pores and all sorts of stuff will be growing inside. Some do sand paper, but then it gets clogged once again. It is up to you of course, but I would do PP then carbon then boil. Honestly, it is questionable whether ceramic does more harm or good. Quality UF membrane with much larger surface area, or so called nano ceramic is better, but not necessary if you want to keep the cost low and boil. Just my 2 cents

What's the best water filter and how much does it cost

Should be more specific

What's the usage of the water filter?

Whole house? Drinking? That would help other sifus determine what's probably suitable for you

i dont understand, after so much filtering why do you still want to boil ?

as i understand it ceramic already can filter bacteria.

if you boil water containing heavy metals, it will only make it worst.

ok i found on fresca website :

Avoid ceramic filters. Some may not agree with us, but ceramic filters are evil. Claims that ceramic filters can stop bacteria are doubtful, however there is no doubt that bacteria enjoy growing inside ceramic layer. Think about ceramic filter as glorified (and way overpriced) melt blown sediment filter. There are more troubles than benefits.

i think saying ceramic filters EVIL is an exaggerated marketing ploy.

This post has been edited by Azran1979: Feb 16 2025, 12:33 AM

Whole house

As long as the micron size is small enuf, they can filter bacteria/viruses, regardless of the filter material

I think with ceramic filters, even if some comes with so called antibacterial surface, as u scrub to clean it, over time the coating comes off and at the same time u clog the pores further, making it actually putting bacteria in ur water

Landed? Get an outdoor filter for whole house, then a tabletop filter for direct-to-drink water

Yes landed bungalow house, outdoor filter will do

If space and piping arrangements allows, you can consider getting a sediment / smaller filter, followed by general 5micron filter for your whole house.

Sediment > 3M AP902; for generally occasional backwashing + longer lasting duration between cartridge replacement

3M POE > 3M AP902; for budget abit, only replace 3M POE cartridges every 9 - 12 months if water from council dirty, 12 - 18 months if water from council ok. While your AP902 can replace every 18 - 24 months.

3M AP902 > 3M AP902; if budget constraints isn't a concern, but water supply from council is very bad - 1st AP902 replace every 12 months, 2nd AP902 every 24 months.

I am not expert in subscription based water filters or water filter brands, so other sifus may able to give further recommendations. Also take note of water pressure and existing water pumps installed, if any.

Just sharing my setup and those people around me that I have recommended them to. Planning to do lab testing for before and after water quality testing to see if its worthwhile sometime in future.

Included some links for your easy reference.

Shopee - Sand / Sediment filters
*Not necessarily this particular brand, just easiest that I can find in shopee.

3M AP902

3M POE

This post has been edited by sadukarzz: Feb 16 2025, 12:45 PM

U did not install the filters under aseptic condition; i.e. u neither handle the filters with sterile gloves nor sterilize the housing / tubes each time u change filters. As a result, the filters and housing / pipes are contaminated from day one. Moreover, the area around the kitchen sink is not sterile.

I am not a seller, just a satisfied user of ceramic for over 20+ years. It's perfect for cheapskate me, however YMMV.


I don't understand why. Care to explain?

BTW, if heavy metal is a concern, then consider RO. IMHO, it is a real concern, think Batang Kali motor workshop (2019), Sg KimKim factory (2019), Teluk Bahang (2019), Sg. Langat (2021), Rawang (2024), Kelantan chromium (2024), etc.

Agreed in the aseptic portion, your pipes are not sterile to begin with even when pre- during- post- installation was done. Therefore boiling is still recommended, though boiling itself is not necessary to be achieved (100'c) just need over 80'c, but water boil easier to observe than 80'c.

Meanwhile, for heavy metal, I think 0.5 micron water filters does a pretty good job in removing them. But still has some residual or trace amount due to its efficiency, or from existing piping systems. But with 0.1 or 0.5 micron water filters, it would be safe enough for general consumption or drinking purposes.

edit: Also did not understand the "boiling makes heavy metal worst" - unless he meant No/Poor water filter + double boiling or more which makes the concentration higher then it makes sense. But with proper filtration, I don't see boiling water makes "heavy metal" worst if its only trace amount present.

This post has been edited by sadukarzz: Feb 16 2025, 01:53 PM

Noted

Guys, though it is a bit off topic, but it applies to water filters too. Shopee/Lazada are raising commissions again on March 6th. Sellers will definitely have to raise prices. Nowadays, if you want your water filter 10-20% cheaper - get in touch with the seller and see if you can deal direct. It could be quite a substantial saving on say 1000RM purchase.

Boiling water contaminated with heavy metals is not recommended because it does not remove the metals; instead, it can make the problem worse. Heavy metals like lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium do not evaporate or break down at boiling temperatures. Instead, boiling can increase their concentration by evaporating water, leaving a higher proportion of heavy metals behind.

To remove heavy metals from water, filtration methods like activated carbon filters, reverse osmosis, or distillation are more effective.

Not every carbon filter is able to remove lead for instance. There is also chromium and arsenic that is sometimes present in the pipes and not easy to remove. RO could be the best solution, but most people say they don't like the taste and if the RO is not tankless, the tank could be worse than all the pipes together, especially in a warm climate

Where did I claim that boiling will remove heavy metal? Indeed, boiling does increase the concentration in theory, but the question is how significant is the increase in normal boiling?

Please show me proof that activated carbon filters can remove heavy metal.

Not significant at all.

Average activated carbon in fact can reduce, but not remove heavy metals. However, there are modified versions for lead, arsenic, chromium, these can usually remove some specific metal.