Fridge Water Dispenser AND a Filtered Water tap??

13 years ago

Hello all. Its decision time on this issue so I could really use some help thinking this through. Our new fridge (Miele) will have water and ice dispenser. So my question is, does it make any sense to ALSO have a dedicated filtered cold water tap at my bar/coffee station sink? The water would be mostly used for my high end espresso machine, as it can't be plumbed in but I dont want the scale build up in the boiler. On the one hand I'm thinking it might be overkill to have an RO or other filter system installed under the bar sink because I have the water in the fridge, but OTOH, I can't really fill the coffee machine from the fridge and keeping a big jug of RO around and having to refill the machine constantly and make trips to the water store strikes me as a PITA. Any suggestions or observations would be deeply appreciated. Thx.

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davidro1

13 years ago

it makes sense to think about this now and not later.
it makes sense to protect your coffee machine.

Your filtered water can feed a supply that then itself branches to the fridge AND to the bar tap / coffee tap. Where the water supply branches to go to the fridge is where you can put a filter behind the scenes, or anywhere else near the fridge, near the sink, or in an unused space around there, even on the far side of the fridge. The additional elbows do not reduce flow by anything significant. It's the filter that will reduce the flow, but this is not a concern for the two lines you are discussing.

some people have a filter on all the cold tap in all the faucets, including those faucets that mix with hot water. In that case, they want a higher flow (not a reduced flow) so it's either a cheap filter that doesn't remove much, or it's a 2-tank system. That is what i have seen or heard.

anything i write out is given as background information, not a recommendation to take any action.

You could have two filters in line: one cheap, one expensive. The cheap one intercepts the bulk stuff; the expensive one does the higher quality job it is supposed to. Cheap might mean a GE bought at HD for 2 or 3 of your cute $20 bills. Expensive might mean the kind of filter that costs many times more than that, and which you can only get from a high end kitchen showroom, and only if you ask.

You could put an RO rnear the bar / coffee spot, instead of running RO water through supply lines. (less chance of leaching minerals out of the pipes on the way to the spout). If anyone local tells you that RO is not needed with your water, they may have a very strong point. RO may be overkill, but a high end filter may be good. This is another subject. I don't know what Toronto water is like, speaking minerally; I have heard that it's taken from somewhere deep in Lake Ontario and therefore always really cold even in summer. I suppose that Some of the people who work in high end coffee machine sales or kitchen fixture sales will be able to guide you about minerals.

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Comments (6)

rococogurl
13 years ago
We put in a cartridge filter system at the sink. We have one from EWS that's great and they can be ordered direct. I got the one with UV but my brother got the double. These do a great job and take up very little space. I use this for all drinking water (don't want/need one on the fridge), coffee, tea and cooking water.

Here is a link that might be useful: Filter
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Instead of using the small, overpriced filter that comes with the fridge, install a large, multi-cartridge filter system. See link for the company I have dealt with for years. Beside using larger filters, all the ones they sell are standard-sized units, meaning lots of available choices. An under sink unit (which can feed both a fridge and a faucet with a simple 'T' connection) with 2 or three filters should do the trick. Just figure out which cartridges you need, then buy a system that will hold that number of cartridges. If in doubt, give them a call for assistance. Here is a link that might be useful: Water filter systems
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acauley, you've now spent some time thinking this through (BTW, I used to have poor well water - a lot of iron so I understand why you have a filter!), and it seems like you've come up with the best solution. I don't consider a dedicated tap as 'bling' if this is something you use daily and need (such as yourself) and I would definitely want hot and cold at the prep (I too thought only cold at the prep until I gave it thought). I see no problems with putting them at 10 and 2. I think I'd rather have the faucet at 12 to go directly in the drain with the tap offset in a square sink, but then again, this might restrict the swivel of some faucet necks, particularly in a round sink. So 10 and 2 are probably best in your solution. Also, have you considered putting in a disposal at your prep? Even if you compost, they are pretty indispensable for veggie prep. Below are 2 photos to give examples of what yours might look like: Showing faucet and I assume a tap at about 10 and 2... I think this looks rather nice Showing faucet at 12 with sprayer (like a tap kinda!) offset - if that's a swivel faucet neck looks like it'd bump into a tall tap dispenser which would create a problem I wish you luck in your reno!
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I have a Brita pitcher on the counter for the water we use for coffee. The farm's water is amazing and comes right from the aquifer that Ice Mountain pumps water from for bottling. We fill gallon bottles and bring it to the house for coffee and drinking but sometimes we run out. The water at the house is from a more shallow well and although it tests perfectly safe to drink, it has a lot of minerals and that affects both taste and things like the water lines for the washing machine and the ice maker. As a result we have a whole house filter, plus the refrigerator has a filter of its own. I almost never buy bottled water, unless I'm driving somewhere and have forgotten my stainless steel water bottle. I have one that will hold ice all day, even at the beach, and I use ice cubes from my ice maker and my first choice is the well water from the farm, second choice is from the Brita. For spaghetti or boiling potatoes, etc., I use the water from the tap. For things like a pot of tea or coffee, I'll use the water from the farm or from the Brita, which ever I have. For drinking, though, I want the water from the farm. Annie
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pricklypearcactus
13 years ago
I have a RO filter under my kitchen sink. It feeds into a tap at the sink and also runs a line under the kitchen to the fridge for cold water. I love having both. We use the fridge for filling glasses and water bottles. We use the tap for filling larger containers, including the coffee maker. The filtered water is healthier and delicious and I am happy that I can use it for everything: drinking, cooking, making coffee, etc. If possible, I would highly recommend a RO filter and plumbing both a tap and the fridge off of it.
jcasola5
Original Author
13 years ago
Thx for the informative responses. I am coming around to the conclusion that I should do something now, before the reno is complete. My hesitiation is that I would rather not put an additional hole in my marble and clutter up the small bar sink with another faucet- particularly since this will likely be low use. So my preference would be to install something undercounter that will remove the bulk of the bad stuff (mostly lead and rust), but that can work on the main bar faucet. Not that concerned if there is a slight reduction in flow so long as its still decent. I currently use bottled RO for my coffee machine, but I was thinking (hoping) that the EWS cartridge type recommended by Rococogirl would work well enough. BTW, I am assuming that type can work on the main faucet and doesn't require a dedicated drinking faucet. I hope I'm right about that.
davidro1
13 years ago
i think the bestest of the best are going to reduce flow because the filter is very "tight scrubbing" on the water.

ask what flow it gives at the output, whatever you buy.
get a bar faucet made for that flow. or less than that.
otherwise it's an ugly dribble instead of a gentle stream.

Here is a link that might be useful: Filtered water thread, now playing
jcasola5
Original Author
13 years ago
Thx davidro1. I have been following that thread as well and will continue to do so.

Fridge Water Dispenser AND a Filtered Water tap??

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