Written by: Lisa Pearson
Depending on where you live, your tap water might be unsafe to drink or just does not taste good due to mineral deposits. Buying bottled water can be expensive and there is also the concern of water bottle caps not being fully recyclable thus making this option not very economical or earth-friendly. Whatever the case, the Cuisinart WCH-1500 CleanWater Water Filtration system can filter your tap water as well as dispense room temperature, hot and cold water on demand.
The Cuisinart CleanWater is a stylish and modern-looking countertop water filtration system. It has two spigots that dispense the water as well as 3 buttons to dispense the desired temperature of water-room temperature, hot and cold. The hot water button has an extra slide-up switch that must be pressed down in order to dispense hot water as a safety precaution. The system has an energy saver button in the back which can be used to turn off the hot water heater and reduce energy usage over 50%.
The water filtration system has a capacity of 1-1.5-gallons with its upper water tank holding about a 1/2 gallon of unfiltered water and the lower tank holding about a 3/4 gallon of filtered water. The internal cold water tank holds about a 1/4 gallon. The upper water tank has a flip-top lid which makes it easy to refill the system with water. The system also comes with a GF-80 filter which reduces contaminants commonly found in water and lasts about 3 months. Other notable features of the system are a 12-week filter timer, and a removable plastic drainage plug located at the bottom of the unit. The measurements of the water filtration system are approximately 11x 10.5x 17.5 inches and it carries a three-year limited warranty.
A few things that I wanted to mention is that when you initially refill the system with water, the filtration process can be somewhat loud and annoying. Although it is not extremely loud, it sounds similar to a refrigerator fan motor, and can be somewhat annoying if you have the unit placed too close to you. Also, when you have the energy saver feature on, you will only have access to lukewarm water until the unit heats back up again when it is back on the normal setting.
The Cuisinart CleanWater unit costs around $230 and is on the rather expensive side, there are other low-cost alternatives such as a Brita water pitcher or faucet filtration systems which cost between $15-$30 however, neither of these options will cool or heat your water on demand or remove the same amount of contaminants that the Cuisinart unit does.
All in all, the Cuisinart CleanWater water filtration system makes making tea, instant coffee, or cold water or other cold drinks easy and readily available. You will no longer have to wait for the kettle on the stove to heat up or have ice cubes on hand to enjoy your favorite drinks. The CleanWater system makes your plain tap water taste great by removing contaminants and reduces waste from water bottles which will pay for the unit itself in no time.