You have probably seen Zerowater products on Television and other advertising and thought that it would probably be a good idea to start filtering your water so that it is better for you and your family. But it almost sounds too good to be true, how could a simple filter remove all of the dissolved solids from your water, and how long could it possibly last?
A standard Zerowater filter lasts for 3-5 months A Zerowater filter can effectively filter 40+ gallons of water that contain a low number of Total Dissolved Solids but is recommended to be used for 8 gallons of water or less when the Total Dissolved Solids number is very high.
There is no exact number of days or months that a Zerowater filter will last, but when you understand how a Zerowater filter works, you will be able to know how long a Zerowater filter can last for your particular needs.
First, a quick lesson on Total Dissolved Solids (TDS).
Total Dissolved Solids refers to the total number of non-organic impurities that are found in a given sample of water.
Although there are many impurities in water that can contribute to this number, the primary impurity that most people are concerned about in their Total dissolved Solids in water is sodium.
A Zerowater filter removes sodium and other Total Dissolved Solids in your water, and as it does this, the capacity of the filter gets used up and in time the filter will need to be replaced.
The amount of Total Dissolved Solids contained in your water will have a direct barring on how long a Zerowater filter will last for your water. The higher the number of total dissolved solids in the water, the shorter the life of a Zerowater filter.
Why you should reduce the number of TDS in your water.
We consume quite a lot of sodium in our everyday diet, so it is a good idea to limit our sodium intake wherever we can. A great way to reduce our sodium intake is by reducing it in the water that we drink.
Excessive sodium can increase your blood pressure, risk of heart disease, kidney disease, osteoporosis, and even stomach cancer. (source)
Besides the reduction in sodium in your diet, you will find that your family will drink more water and low sugar drink mixes when the water that they use to make the drink mix doesn’t affect the taste of the drink.
If your family enjoys your water more, they will drink less sugary drinks.
How long a Zerowater filter will last you!
A Zerowater filter lifespan is based on its capacity to remove dissolved solids from water.
Because the number of dissolved solids in any given water supply will vary from time to time, there is no exact number of gallons of water that can be filtered using a Zerowater filter based on the Total Dissolved Solids in the water.
But here is a breakdown to give you a good estimate of how many gallons of water you might expect to filter based on the approximate number of Total dissolved Solids in your water.
If you don’t know the number of Total Dissolved Solids in your water, you can find out by using a TDS Meter.
How long a Zerowater filter might last you based on your waters TDS.
| TDS From your home tap water | Impurities Level | Description | Approximate gallons of water per filter |
| 000-001 | Meets FDA Definitions of purified bottled water | No known areas | N/A |
| 002-050 | Low | Naturally occurring in only a few areas. May still have unhealthy impurities. | 40 Gallons or more |
| 051-200 | Average | The majority of water in the USA. | 25-40 Gallons |
| 201-300 | High | Slightly shorter filter life. | 15-25 Gallons |
| 301-400 | Very High | Significantly shorter filter life. | 8-15 Gallons |
| 401+ | Extreme | Very short filter life at 000 water T.D.S. | 8 Gallons or less |
How will I know when my Zerowater filter needs to be changed?
As per Zerowater, they recommend checking your filtered water TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) on a regular basis, and change the Zerowater filter once the Total Dissolved Solids reading reaches 6. Or some filters have a light to indicate that it is time to change your Zerowater filter.
The number on a TDS Meter is an approximate number of dissolved solids in the sample of water based on the resistance of an electrical charge going through the sample of water.
A reading of 6 parts per million Total Dissolved solids is very low and is not considered to be an unhealthy amount to consume.
Many people believe that drinking water with no dissolved solids in it is actually unhealthy!
Water likes to have some dissolved solids in it, that is why it is such a great solvent. When you consume water that has no dissolved solids in it, it may absorb minerals that are beneficial to your body.
Although drinking some water that is free of dissolved solids will generally not hurt you, regular consumption of water with some dissolved solids in it is considered to be perfectly healthy.
How much Zerowater will cost you per gallon.
The cost per gallon of filtered water from a Zerowater filter will vary depending on the Total Dissolved Solids being filtered by it.
In homes where the number of Total Dissolved Solids in the water is low, the cost per gallon will be lower. But when dealing with water with a high number of Total Dissolved Solids, the cost per gallon can be much higher.
For example, if your number of Total Dissolved Solids is on the low end, you might get 40 gallons of water from one filter.
Considering the average cost of a Zerowater filter can be about $18, that comes to about $0.45 per gallon. But I have found them for a little less online.
Is there longer-lasting water filtering alternatives?
There certainly are! A highly recommended reverse osmosis system will remove up to 98% of the Total Dissolved Solids from your water, and it will provide plenty of filtered water at the turn of a handle.
Since you can get a high-quality reverse osmosis system for just around $200 – $250 that you only have to change the filters every 6 months or so for about $50 per set. A reverse osmosis system can be a very good long-term solution to greatly reduce the Total Dissolved Solids in your water.
what reading would indicate my filter needs changing on my Zero water filter.
Hello Mary Anne and thank you for the question.
As per Zerowater, you should change the filter when the TDS reading on your TDS meter reaches 6. Pour some of your Zerowater into a clean glass, turn on the TDS meter and hold the bottom of the TDS meter in the water for about 10 seconds. If the display reads 6 or above, it is time to change the filter as per Zerowater.
If you don’t have a TDS meter, you can get a simple TDS meter HERE!
Hope this helps.
Paul
My zero water filter is over 6 months old and still going strong. I filter using a Brita (cheap) and then pour my filtered Brita water into the zero (expensive) and keep in the fridge.
When I put water into the zero straight from the tap it lasted 2 weeks max.
Double filtered water is the way forward 🙂
Great Tip Dunc!
Filtering tap water through a Brita water filter before filtering it through a Zerowater filter could be a great way to get more use of a Zerowater filter.
Thanks for the TIP!
Paul