# I just want to buy a frickin' replacment filter!



## Vraille Darkfang (Feb 24, 2007)

Ok,

Rant On:

We re-did our kitchen about 6 months ago.

We got hosed (the kitchen is nice, but we got taken to the cleaners).

We decided to get a "Professional Kitchen & Bath Design" Place to do it for us.

Long story short, we paid Twice as much money for something we coud have done ourselves.  (I'll leave the details out, but it is a lond story best sumed up in 2 details).

1.  We have a Wood Butcher Block Countertop next to the stove.  Turns out next to a heat source is the worst place to put it.  Our "Professional" Kitchen Designer never said a word.

2.  They don't do Tile.  All the do 100% of the Time is Kitchens & Baths.  That's all the do 365 days a year.  Kitchens, Baths.  But they won't touch tile.

Anyway, we got a Reverse Osmosis Water Purifier from them & now we need to get some replacment filters (PS they wouldn't install THAT either).

But, we're not going to be giving the Design Place any more money, so I'm going else-where to buy these filters.

Nothing.  Not a darn thing anywhere.  I can't find a single store that sells them.

I did find the Manufacturer's Web Site Water-Right.  And they have a Find a Dealer Button.

Great Problem Solved.  Or not.

Their Find a Dealer Button takes you to a Form to fill out.  You have to include your name, address, PHONE NUMBER, E-mail Address, & wait 24 hours for them to contact you.

Vraille don't play that.  There is no good reason to make me put all my personal information to your server just so you can tell me all the suppliers in my area (at least the ones you WANT to tell me about).  I shoud be able to put in a Zip Code & it gives me all the dealers.

I did a litte more checking.

It seems Water-Right has a Proprietary Filters System you can only buy via "Authorized" Dealers.

I.E.  You know have our $400 Dollar Reverse Osmois System.  Would you like a Replacement Filter so the whole thing isn't a piece of junk?  Well then Pay us what we want or....  Oh, that's right....  You're our (Bleep) now.

If were not getting ready to look for another house, I'd eat it & put in a new system where you don't have to feel like you are trying to track down a Drug Dealer to get replacement parts.

Rant off.

The Request:

Does anyone have a Water-Right Eclipse WRO-35 Drinking System?

Where do you go to get replacment filters?

PS.  If you are shopping for a Reverse Osmosis System, don't buy anything from Water-Right


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## Harmon (Feb 24, 2007)

Hay VD, check here-

http://www.freshwatersystems.com/s-342-water-right-wro-35.aspx

I Googled the following- Water Right Eclipse WRO 35 Drinking System replacement filter

Hope that helps, sorry for your issues man, that sucks.


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## Vraille Darkfang (Feb 24, 2007)

Harmon said:
			
		

> Hay VD, check here-
> 
> http://www.freshwatersystems.com/s-342-water-right-wro-35.aspx
> 
> ...




I found that one.

Turns out it is a Mircoline (Brand Name) Conversion Kit.

You buy the kit, do some serious modifications to your System, then you can buy Microline Filters for your System (but only Microline Filters).

That also voids your warranty.

As I said,

We were hosed.

There are All Sorts of Reverse Osomosis Systems at Sears, Home Depot, Lowe's and other Mass Chains we COULD have bought (Instead of relying on our so called expert 'designer' and the system he "Uses at my own house").

All-in-all we are happy with our kitchen.  We just overpayed.  We went to a Kitchen Designer.  What he really was was just your average Salesman, but with a much higher commission.

We even shopped around before making our decision.  But, they are the "Only Dedicated Kithen & Design Place" In Columbia MO (Hint:  Don't go there).

In fact the only thing we got through them we couldn't have got for 50% less on our own was the Solid Surface Countertops.

Oh, yeah the ENTIRE design we were going with.  The one ye old "I'm a Designer, see it's on my card"  got completly trashed by the General Contractor they brought in.

The HANDYMAN realized how the kitchen in our 1930's house was intially set up (stove & Fridge got switched at some point) and recommended all the massive changes that improved the Layout of our kitchen 500%.

Yet, the Trained designer we were paying a lot of money too had no clue.


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## Harmon (Feb 26, 2007)

One last suggestion- eBay.

Go down buy a better water system, take out the old and sell it on eBay.  If anyone asks why you are replacing it- dance around the answer (don't lie).

It sucks to put out that much money, the designer is a (Grandma's rules apply here many times over), and not be able to keep it until you can at least get your money back out of it.

Best of luck, and hope it all works out.


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## Mycanid (Feb 26, 2007)

Poor Vraille ... more frustrations in just trying to do daily things, eh? Sigh.


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## werk (Feb 26, 2007)

I have a friend in Texas that had a new home built and got up-sold all the bells and whistles including a proprietary reverse osmosis water filtration system...lets call that PROWFS.  Not only could he not afford new filters or whatever alien technology they are using in that thing, but the extra cost on his mortgage was why he needed to sell his home after he divorced his wife.  

It sounded like he paid MUCH more than you did for his PROWFS, but my advice is sell the house and move before it's too late!


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## Treebore (Feb 26, 2007)

When it comes down to it Brita and other such filter systems does the job just fine as far as your body is concerned. Having your water filtered as well as a reverse osmosis system does is total overkill. Of no importance to your health whatsoever. Just marketing baloney.

No one should allow themselves to be talked into buying these super expensive filter systems. Your body doesn't care. Really. In fact, some of the trace minerals and such may be needed by your body, so removing it may actually be bad.

Not sure though. The last time I read credible studies it appeared that trace minerals (including metals in this) were mostly just passed through the bodies system. Apparently the molecular shape that is in water often cannot be absorbed by our body. It has to be obtained via plants, and in a few cases, from animals. Those molecualr formations our body can absorb.

Yeah, you got burned. I learned long ago to take those "How to" classes offered at Home Depot and Lowes. It has saved me thousands of dollars over the years because I could do it myself. Fortunately I also know how to solder and wire a house because I used to do that kind of stuff on Navy ships.

Most house work is easy. Like I reshingled my roof last year. Saved myself $2,000 in labor costs and about $400.00 in product mark up. Took me two days, with the help of my 3 kids, to lay down new roofing paper and shingles, including tearing up the old stuff. Fortunately there was no water damage making any wood to need replacing.

 Plus I found out the flashing was done very wrong. Plus they shingled the flat section fo my roof with normal shingles. Very bad, very unprofessional. No wonder why it was leaking. So I bought the proper material for flat roofing and tarred the heck out of it. (not too much, that can cause its own set of problems).

This year it has been brought to my attention that the other house on my property was shingled the same way in the flat area. Fortunately when it started pouring water it was the area over the porch, not into the house.

Yeah, professional pride in their work is a rare find. Learn to do it yourself. That way you know exactly how well, or badly, it was done.

On a kitchen remodel the only thing I have pro's do is re hang/install cabinets. Thats it. I install the doors and hardware, I put on the counter, install the sink, etc... Hanging/installing them is the only area where skill and experience are worth the money.

The only other bit of advice I can give for doing it yourself:

Ever hear "Measure twice, cut once"? I would change that to "Measure three times and pray you only end up having to cut once."


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## Treebore (Feb 26, 2007)

werk said:
			
		

> I have a friend in Texas that had a new home built and got up-sold all the bells and whistles including a proprietary reverse osmosis water filtration system...lets call that PROWFS.  Not only could he not afford new filters or whatever alien technology they are using in that thing, but the extra cost on his mortgage was why he needed to sell his home after he divorced his wife.
> 
> It sounded like he paid MUCH more than you did for his PROWFS, but my advice is sell the house and move before it's too late!




Getting bells and whistles on cars and homes only does one thing, increase your chances of having to pay a professional a ton of extra money to fix all that stuff when it breaks down.

You want bells and whistles? Only buy ones your capable of installing yourself. Otherwise your begging to increase your income to debt ratio in the wrong direction a year or three down the road.

I don't know about everyone else, but I like keeping as much money as I can in my pocket. So K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple stupid) rules as much of my life as possible. Simple costs a lot less. Fewer headaches. A lot less stress over all. Bells and whistles cause more aches and pains than it is worth. Except cruise control, but that is because I do a LOT of long highway driving. If I still lived in a city with a fair amount of stop and go, I wouldn't pay for it either. Tends to break down after about 3 years and costs about $700.00 to fix.

I figure it has prevented enough speeding tickets (and increased insurance rates) and leg cramps by that time that I find it worth it.


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## Pbartender (Feb 26, 2007)

Treebore said:
			
		

> When it comes down to it Brita and other such filter systems does the job just fine as far as your body is concerned. Having your water filtered as well as a reverse osmosis system does is total overkill. Of no importance to your health whatsoever. Just marketing baloney.




Here's an interesting anecdote...

A fellow I work with recently had a PROWFS salesman come to his home for a free chemical test of his tap water.  Turned out the city well water coming out of his tap actually had far fewer contaminants in it than the "filtered" bottled water his wife insisted on buying from the grocery store.

Needless to say, he didn't bother buying a PROWFS.



			
				Treebore said:
			
		

> Ever hear "Measure twice, cut once"? I would change that to "Measure three times and pray you only end up having to cut once."




Add to that the barber's mantra: "Better too long, than too short...  You can always cut off a little more."


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## Treebore (Feb 26, 2007)

Pbartender said:
			
		

> Here's an interesting anecdote...
> 
> A fellow I work with recently had a PROWFS salesman come to his home for a free chemical test of his tap water.  Turned out the city well water coming out of his tap actually had far fewer contaminants in it than the "filtered" bottled water his wife insisted on buying from the grocery store.
> 
> ...





Yeah, most people don't realize their "bottled water" comes from the city of New York, Kansas City, Tucson, and a couple of other cities I can't remember right now.

Now I can understand people in California buying bottled water, their tap water is friggin scary, and I am sure there are other locations like that, but no one is buying "spring water".

I'm glad I have a 250 foot well. The cleanest and best tasting water you could ask for, straight from my faucets. Despite having Mexico 30 miles to the south of me.


I had actually never heard that Barber line, but it certainly makes sense.


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## Vraille Darkfang (Feb 26, 2007)

Treebore said:
			
		

> When it comes down to it Brita and other such filter systems does the job just fine as far as your body is concerned. Having your water filtered as well as a reverse osmosis system does is total overkill. Of no importance to your health whatsoever. Just marketing baloney.
> 
> No one should allow themselves to be talked into buying these super expensive filter systems. Your body doesn't care. Really. In fact, some of the trace minerals and such may be needed by your body, so removing it may actually be bad.




I is not the Trace Minerals we are worried about.

It is the yearly Water Quality Report we get from the City (actually a small town where the Missouri River is the Main Source of Potable water.

Specifically it it is all the 8-15 Syllables Chemicals on that list.

More specifically it is the "The Allowed limit is 2 Parts per Million, we had 4,000 PPM, please be assured we are taking steps to correct this....."

Here is what it boils down too.

In order to make sure the Bugs in the water don't kill/sicken us, the City dumps way more Chemicals that what it is supposed too.  They have an old system & can't afford to upgrade.  In fact, the Governement has given them 6 more years to make improvements.

Our water is got some serious issues.  We got the Reverse Osmosis System as Overkill.  If we had it to do again, we'd go to a Big Chain & see what they had (Availability of Parts).

If we weren't going to be seriously shopping for a new house this spring, I'd rip that one out & put in a new one.

But, in the end...

It is a minor annoyance, things could be a lot worse.


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## Treebore (Feb 26, 2007)

Vraille Darkfang said:
			
		

> I is not the Trace Minerals we are worried about.
> 
> It is the yearly Water Quality Report we get from the City (actually a small town where the Missouri River is the Main Source of Potable water.
> 
> ...




Did you try out Brita (or comparable) filters? They were very effective on the California water, and it has very similiar sounding issues, for different reasons. Brita has filters that also removes chemicals, not just particulates, and with some shopping around, especially on line, you can find pretty low prices, or at least I could when we lived there 3 years ago. 

Granted it doesn't help your current situation, but there are effective, and much cheaper, ways to deal with it in your future home.


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