When the filter is working and the reading is zero I experience no taste, just pure water, which was weird to start with. The only time it tastes is when the filter needs changing and this is identified in the article. I like that it does that so I don’t have to worry about continuing to use a filter that isn’t working for me. I have tried a few filters and zerowater is what I’m sticking with. Never had a problem and once you realise what the taste is then changing the filter solves it

The article answers this and is an indication that your filter needs changing. If you do the tds reading I’ll guarantee it’s above 0 when you get that taste.
The article suggested it lasts for months! Not sure how little water he uses but I use it for my dogs, cooking, etc and need to change it about every 3 weeks as my tap water is particularly bad.
I’ve never experienced the moldy taste it talks of. Maybe it is the same as the taste I’m talking about and changing the filter fixes that!
I’ve had mine for 3 years and won’t use anything else.

No. They don’t recycle the filters. They are dirty plastic mixed with carbon. If you have written evidence from a waste company recycling them, it should be pisyed. Fact remains that most household plastic waste is not recycled.

Hi Ken,
You’re absolutely right that your Zero Water filter takes out the good minerals as well. The only thing this impacts is taste. We get insignificant amounts of minerals from water. Most of our mineral needs are met through our diet. Meat is one of the more dense sources of minerals but they’re plentiful in almost any diet one could follow: fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, fish, etc.

Thanks for your comment.

Shashank
Mr Water Geek

Hi Alex,
Allow me to explain the bitter taste. Tap or bottled water that we normally drink has minerals in it that gives it a pleasant/inoffensive taste. The pH of this water is generally above 7 and is considered alkaline. Water that is filtered of absolutely all contaminants and minerals through very good filters like the ZeroWater pitcher’s, taste bitter because the pH of that water goes below 7 (acidic). It’s still perfectly safe to drink – your stomach maintains a very acidic environment of around 2 pH – but acidic water does not taste pleasant. You can test this by buying distilled water from your local grocery store and tasting it. Distilled water will taste similar. Basically the bitter taste is an indicator that the ZeroWater filter is working well for you.

The moldy smells that Luke mentioned in the earlier reply is likely due to contaminants in the unfiltered water tank that just sat and multiplied enough to be noticed. Sometimes that can be due to hands not being clean during swapping filters or contaminants from the last filter not being cleaned during the filter swap. Mold/bacteria grow pretty fast and it doesn’t take more than a drop of water from the unfiltered tank to the filtered tank to contaminate your filtered water. I recommend cleaning your pitcher thoroughly with soap every time you replace your filter. This is more easily noticed with ZeroWater’s filters because those filters perform better than most.

Thanks for asking your question.

Shashank
Mr Water Geek

Hi Alex,

I experienced strange moldy smells within a few weeks of replacing my Zero filter cartridge and this seems to be a common experience of most people.

Please circle back and let me know if you find out what was causing the bitter taste and how you get on with a different brand (if you eventually find a better alternative).

Stay hydrated,
Luke

Hi Matt

That is so interesting.

I replaced my Zero with a basic WaterDrop jug and it worked perfectly without having to regularly wash and maintain it. No weird mouldy smells despite several years of use.
I eventually replaced that with AquaTru, which treats more serious things like lead.

Thanks for sharing your perspective.
Stay hydrated,
Luke

It is not pure water…..pure water has good things in it like the ocean….it is water without bad chemicals and it needs to be boiled to be drinkable as it does not take out microbes….so one should put back trace minerals in some form….Himalayan salt is a good form

The customer service here in the US is awful….it is Oct 2023….simply awful….

That is because you are getting pure water, with Zero. With the Pur system on the faucet, after filtration the water is passed over a mineral stone…kind of like what happens in a river when the water passes over rocks in the bed. So you get a more normal tasting, cleaned & mineralized water from the Pur.

It could be charcoal from the activated carbon filter. If it’s that, then that’s normal.