hi there
is there any way i can filter my tap water so that it doesn't clog up my kettle so quickly? CAn one buy water filters in the shops? Any particular brand names???
THanks
Ant

"Britta".....?

I assume the problem is that the water is hard and this is lime scale (Kalk).

I'm not sure a filter will make a blind bit of difference. There are 3 alternatives:

1) A water softener. This requires salt and back washing etc. and the permission of the owners if you are not. The water will then taste awful and soap will be virtually impossible to get of your skin.

2) A semi hockus-pockus electronic system, which changes the scale particals' electric charge for about 12 hours and theoretically means they can't hang on to anything (like your kettle) until their charge reverts. Works a bit. But not enough to warrant the CHF1500 Price tag.

3) A full hockus-pockus magnet system. The cheapest - but doesn't work at all.

"Brita". Here's their Swiss website

Brita water filters, available in all Migros, Coop, Fust, etc.

They work.

Yeah, it seems to help quite a bit when I remember to change the filters.

I forgot to mention. If you want to filter water for cold drinks, Brita do slimline models designed to fit in the fridge door.

thank you, most helpful!

The other option would be to boil the water before putting it into the kettle, this should get rid of the calc

Brita is the best choice.

I love Brita and really do not like to drink any water that hasn't been filtered. Most people I know use them. Most people I know use them wrong defeating the purpose. My brother worked for Brita and taught me the correct way. Of course it's in the directions enclosed, but who reads those???


So IF you care. Don't complain if you don't. The prper way:
You should first submerge the filter in warm, not hot, water for 15 minutes. Then place it in the pitcher. When you fill the pitcher, use warm, not hot or cold water. And the water level should never go down past the bottom of the filter. If it does and the filter has time to dry out. It ruins the filter.

The only directions for brita filters I've seen so far are three pictures with one telling me to throw the first two flushes out. Thanks for the tip on the warm water.

The new pitcher I've got keeps a bit of water always on the bottom of the filter.

I would get the new Maxtra cartridges. The claim is they filter more calcium. Also, see this, as the instructions have changed for these new Maxtras.

http://www.brita.net/maxtra/handling.html?L=0 and watch the video; they say you need to use cold water.

[quote=muze7;152270]I would get the new Maxtra cartridges. The claim is they filter more calcium. Also, see this, as the instructions have changed for these new Maxtras.
I also use this one and prefer it to the classic one I had before.

Do you have any links to the first 2?

I've been quoted 4-5k installed for option (1) by our plumber, this seems really expensive to me, we paid about £400 for a top notch unit in UK (fitted ourselves mind)

sort of defeats the object, doesn't it?

I arrived a few months ago and spent the first few weeks watching my friends fill a Brita water jug with water and then pour the water from the jug into the kettle .....so I bought the fust kettle that has the brita filter built in ..........seemed obvious to me .....