What kind of water filters do you use at your home or rentals where there is a problem. What do you recommend?

Local Water Dept. just sent letter saying that there is lead in their piping from their mains to the curb and they will schedule a time to replace their line sometime in 2023. I let my tenants know what was going on so they could make adjustments to their water use. So one alreadby buys bottle water as I do. Another has water delivery in bottles. Another building is already fixed since the lead pipes in the street broke last year. My home has plastic pipe installed last year when there was a main problem in the neighborhood.

But, the one with the opera singer and the new tenant grad student athlete have no solution. Opera singer has a second home nearby and my unit is a man cave and he has his office there. So he has a Brita filter but would like an under counter unit to help keep lead from his dishes. He makes a living with his physical self so I am good with that. New tenant athlete signed the lease before I got the news about the lead pipes to the curb. I have copper out to the curb. So she has a Brita filter also but I would put an under the counter filter in there too. Water filter people are sending a salesman on Thursday. Now, shouldn't the water company be liable here and provide water? These filters are $975 a piece installed and $185 a year to replace filters by them. Its a reverse osmosis system. Water company is also adding propylene glycol to stop the lead corrosion.

I have never had to deal with this issue but a quick internet search says this:

"The CDC suggests two ways to remove lead from drinking water: Reverse Osmosis or Distillation. Reverse osmosis is a simple and economical way to protect your household drinking water by filtering out contaminants like lead. Reverse Osmosis can remove 99.1% of lead in water."

There is an under the sink filter set up that might be enough for your tenant. Says the filter removes lead.

allfilters.com/undersinkfilters/waterfilters/culligan-us-ez-4

there are some whole house systems here:

says it reduces lead, yearly filter replacement is recommended

allfilters.com/wholehousewaterfilters

RO systems work well…I used to do water testing as a home inspector.

As far as tenant withholding rent, I thought that was illegal in most states. If they withhold, I’d get them to state why IN WRITING and if it’s because of this then I’d evict.

There are "Water Filters" and "Water Purifiers". Both are different.

Some systems, like "Reverse Osmosis" are NOT maintenance free. Besides changing the filters, you'll need to replace the "tank" under the sink every year which can be costly.

For drinking you'll want to have a Purifier deliver water from a spout that your family can have easy access for clean safe water to drink or brush your teeth.

For showering, washing hands, etc, you can just have a filter.

Before I'll recommend what type of system you'll need, you first have to TEST you water. You can by a 16-in-1 Water Test Kit, or take a sample and sent it to a Lab.

Disclose whatever the city sent you and tell them to make a decision in so many days whether they are staying or not. My kids don't drink the water in their houses. You just figure it out. Was it tested before as safe? Did you say it was?

As for not paying the rent, it needs to be in escrow if they are withholding it. Start the eviction.

People are paying me rent so their issues are mine. I have researched the issue and looked at under the sink units. I don't want to buy a do it yourself as it could have problems and then I have no one to turn to so I prefer a company like Culligan who advertises in New Jersey.

So I called the water department Public Relations this morning to ask if they have any services for their problem and the agent said no and all I needed was a filter called NSF lead rated and that's it. Said any plumber could install one under the sink. I got a price for a whole house filter from my plumber which was $975 and $600 installation. Culligan charges $975 for one RO system under the sink plus $185 per year maintenance.

The water department guy said that the amount of lead in our water can barely be measured by a test kit they supply for free. I think I will buy a test kit from elsewhere because that's like the fox guarding the hen house.

Called the Culligan water supplier salesman and left a message that I just want something for lead. Whether there is detectable lead or not I still need to filter this water because the lead issue is on the table due to a letter I received this week from water department who asked that I share it with tenants. I am required to post the yearly chart of water contents in each rental and I do that. The recent letter says that their connection to my lines has lead in it. Today's expert at the Water Works says they are adding a chemical called Zinc orthophosphate that binds the lead to the pipe so that it does not leach into the water. Last week I was told they use a food additive called propylene glycol. So that's where I am with this. Their pipes are due to be replaced sometime in 2023.

The tenant who has not paid rent yet is new and this water issue letter was sent one day before she signed the lease and arrived two days after she signed the lease. So it recommends tenants to use Brita filters and they have them and do use them. Upstairs tenant would like to wash his dishes in water without lead so of course I am proceeding with search for a reasonable filter. Thanks for all the info.

So if the electric company has a problem and fries their electronics are you responsible? What if the TV station or Cell towers put radio waves in the house, you going to build a Faraday cage? I could go on and on with the risks around you.

If the electric company fries their stuff they are paying for their electric. I am not.

If the water service broke and water was shooting out of the yard, I would be responsible for fixing it. I had this happen years ago in one of the four units. Water was brown. I searched for an answer. Plumbers came. I put in a filter. Tenant with held rent. Plumbers replaced broken pipe. Tenant paid rent to court after I filed for eviction. Problem was fixed, court gave me the rent. I don't want this to happen again.

My municipality adds calcium to the water. This coats the pipes. Old pipes have a thick layer of calcium which blocks lead absorption. When connections to any part of a system that has lead in it are DISTURBED, that is when ingestion of lead is likely .

If one is concerned about lead in water from pipes, one of the first, most effective remedies is to run the water for several minutes first thing in AM, and perhaps again when returning home after extended periods away, such as at work.

My municipality has ( Finally! ) begun getting serious about replacing lead mains and laterals. I will need to replace the connections from the street to the meter in the basement once the city replaces the mains. My city has a financing plan in place for homeowners whom don't have other credit lines available for the replacement. When the city replaces the mains, and my plumber replaces the laterals, those connections will be disrupted both times, thus, bits and pieces can migrate through pipes. Removing the aerators on all faucets and running the lines for at least three minutes, I BELIEVE, IF MEMORY SERVES, is recommendation.

Again, if memory serves, lead was banned in water supply lines in 1950. Some municipalities began replacement immediately. Some municipalities allowed stockpiles of leaded supply lines to be used up. I remember reading an article way back in the 1980s that one city in Ohio had completed their replacement of all lead supply lines, as well as all separation of storm and sewage drains. Something my city also needs to get accomplished, lest we keep dumping raw sewage into Lake Michigan after heavy rains. And possibly many other communities too.

Do I drink water from the tap at my rentals without a filter? Yep. If lines haven't been used for a bit, run water for three minutes first.....

New tenant paid yesterday so it was not the water holding up the rent check, thank goodness. It was the fact that she forgot what the rent was and when. I supplied her with another copy of the lease and the check arrived. Interesting about using calcium to hold the lead onto the pipes. I got two different remedies from two different departments of the same water works. One was propylene glycol and the other was zinc orthophosphate.