How Long Does Zerowater Filter Last and Why the Water Tastes Lemony?

The water filter pitcher is one of the most popular filtration options on the market for its accessibility and convenience. Many consumers purchase the water filter pitcher to reduce unpleasant flavors and odors, and wish to improve the water quality.

Among all kinds of pitchers with different designs and filtration performances, the ZeroWater filter pitchers stand out for their ability to reduce the TDS (total dissolved solids) to zero.

Yet, behind the successful marketing concept, the product receives numerous complaints about its taste and replacement cost. Before making the purchase, let’s take a thorough look at the ZeroWater pitcher. We’ll ask how long does the ZeroWater filter last, and why does the water taste lemony?

Based on many reviews and product comparison reports, the water filtered by ZeroWater tastes better than that of Brita and PUR water filter pitchers. However, consumers complain that after about two weeks, the water developed a very unpleasant taste. Some people described it as a sour and lemony disgusting taste, some people described it as fishy.

The reason for the sour chemical taste is not because of some flaws of the product quality, but the urgency to replace the filter. Why? How long does a ZeroWater filter last? The following section will explain the filtration process behind and answer the question for you.

ZeroWater uses ion exchange to reduce the TDS in water to zero. The ions carrying positive charges are called cations, while ions carrying negative charges are called anions. The two types of ions in water are always equal in the number of charges.

Typical cations may include calcium ion, sodium ion, potassium ion, magnesium ion, and typical anions may include sulfate ion, chloride ion, carbonate ion, and so on. The ZeroWater filter contains an ion exchange layer that replaces the cations with hydrogen ion, and replaces the anions with hydroxyl ion, which forms pure water H2O eventually.

The filter will work perfectly to deliver you pure water until it runs out either H+ or OH-. If the OH- is fully consumed first, then the anions remain in the water after filtering, and the cations are still replaced by the hydrogen ion (acid ion), finally resulting in acids, such as sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and carbonic acid. That's why the water tastes sour or acidic at the end.

You can solve the unpleasant taste problem simply by changing the filter. Then the next problem shows up: the frequency of filter replacement. Like we have discussed above, once the H+ or OH- inside a filter runs out, then it’s time to replace. So how long does a ZeroWater filter last? Not very long. We’ll go into more depth below.

Based on the true product reviews, if the source water TDS is around 100, the ZeroWater filter can filter about 15-18 gallons of water before it turns sour. If the source water has high TDS as 700, each ZeroWater cartridge could not filter more than 5 gallons of water.

So, how long does a ZeroWater filter last? The numbers are far below than the advertised filter service life. A filter will last, on average less than two weeks.

Therefore, it could become excessively pricey having to change the filter three times a month. Luckily, ZeroWater filter replacement by Waterdrop provides clean and refreshing water for you and your family, and most importantly, the price is much lower than the original brand.

Waterdrop’s replacement for ZeroWater perfectly fits the original without water leakage, offering an extended service life of up to 1 month. ZeroWater filter replacement from Waterdrop uses Sri Lankan activated carbon. It helps reduce chlorine, unpleasant taste and odor. The inbuilt multi-effect filtration technology can efficiently reduce TDS. You can always rest assured of healthy and great-tasting water.

Naturally, there are alternative water filtration options available, such as under sink water filters. Opting for these products can not only provide a superior clean water experience but also prove to be a more cost-effective solution over time.

Before we jump into the filtration option section, let’s learn some information about the TDS.

TDS stands for total dissolved solids, it refers to the total concentration of dissolved solids in water including both inorganic and organic matters. Some of the common components are calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium cations and carbonate, hydrogen carbonate, chloride, sulfate, and nitrate anions.

There is no scientific evidence that suggests that high TDS will bring out adverse health effects. Many countries do have drinking water standards in regards to TDS, but only for aesthetic reasons with no health criteria. The US recommended maximum level is 500 mg/L as well as the Canadian guideline. To learn more about the recommended TDS level here.

TDS Level in parts per million(ppm)	Palatability Quotient
Less than 300	Excellent
Between 300 and 600	Good
Between 600 and 900	Fair
Between 900 and 1200	Poor
Greater than 1200	Unacceptable

The common ways to reduce the TDS in water are distillation and reverse osmosis

Distillation offers clean water through boiling and producing water vapor. When water vapor rises and reaches to a cool surface, it will condense back to the liquid form. The dissolved salts and other particles will remain in the boiling solution.

You can get zero TDS water from distillation without the concern to replace any filters, however, the downsides are the energy cost and the slow output.

The benefits of Reverse Osmosis filtration is obvious by comparison. The system uses a semi-permeable membrane which the unclean water is “pressured through.”

The membrane contains pores of 0.0001 microns that are only big enough to allow the passage of water molecules while blocking other foreign components like pyrogens, bacteria, organics, and dissolved solids. The normal output of a RO system is around 200-600 gallons per day and you can access clean and safe water by just turning on the faucet.

Therefore, from the efficiency, sustainability and cost perspectives, we recommend using a reverse osmosis system to reduce the TDS in water. Many people are concerned about the amount of waste water that the RO system generated during the filtration process.

Below are several types of reverse osmosis systems from Waterdrop that we have picked for you. All these systems have a low pure to ratio.

As the star product of Waterdrop, the G3 reverse osmosis is taking the market by storm with its revolutionary tankless design. The system looks nothing like a traditional RO system. It is very thin and sleek. The tankless design saves much under sink space and brings more room for storage.

Waterdrop G3 tankless RO system is certified against NSF/ANSI 58 for TDS reduction and NSF/ANSI 372 certified for lead-free material

In terms of filtration performance, the 7-stage deep filtration of G3 system can effectively reduces chlorine, taste and odor, sand, rust, solids, and other impurities in water.

The system is designed for easy DIY installation and the filter replacement only takes 3 seconds. If you’re looking for an efficient and certain way to get clean, safe and healthy drinking water, Waterdrop G3 would be the ideal option.

The Waterdrop G2-P600 is another great reverse osmosis system with its fast output of 600 GPD (gallons per day) and a low drain ratio of 2:1. The high efficiency brings 2 cups of pure water with only one cup of waste water.

Compared with the G3 model, the system takes fewer under sink space and faster water output, but it does not carry all the fancy features that G3 contains. For example, real-time TDS reading.

If you want a tankless design RO system that generates a small amount of waste water, the G2-P600 would be a very cost-effective choice.

As the Waterdrop first-to-market instant hot reverse osmosis water filter, K6 received wide attention once came into the market.

The K6 RO system adopts a 5-in-1 integrated filter, including a carbon block, a carbon fiber, an RO membrane, and two layers of PP cotton, guaranteeing effective reduction of multiple harmful substances in tap water, such as PFAS, fluoride, salts, heavy metals, nitrate, chloride, chromium, TDS, and others.

With the Waterdrop K6 RO instant hot water filter system, you can do a step-less temperature change between 40-95℃, providing ideal choice for making tea, baby formula or coffee, or cooking.

The system also features 600 GPD high flow rate, 2:1 pure to drain ratio, dry-burning prevention, smart touch display faucet, and other excellent features that help you explore more possibilities of household water.