# Water Filter



## sandykt

I took delivery of my Cherub today and included is a BestCup M water filter. It came along with an adaptor which I guess is also used?

Apparently the filters need to be changed every 2/3 months and eliminates the need for descaling and/or using filtered water.

Does anyone have any recommendations as to where to buy replacement BestCup M water filters?


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## shrink

Fracino sell them directly


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## sandykt

£19.80 plus VAT and delivery - every 2 or 3 months! Guess I will have to cut down my lipstick....


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## shrink

I should think in your part of the world if the water was softer you could change it a bit less often.

I don't get any scale from my water run without a filter, so doubt ill change mine often. So the price isn't so ad

However the fracino diagrams for the internals of the Piccino on which this new tank is based, suggested they were a standard Britta part. So you may find them cheaper elsewhere

Also.. If its just one that attaches to a water inlet hose and is loose in the tank, there's probably tons of alternatives.


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## espressotechno

Have a look inside your kettle: You'll get a good indcation of how hard / soft your water supply is.

If you have to use a "Brita Jug" to fill your kettle, you'll need that filter (it'll be an ion-exchange type) for your Cherub.


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## shrink

Our last kettle was ten years old and had no scale on it. Just a little rust on the element


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## sandykt

This question is really aimed at those members who have (like me) just taken delivery of their new Cherubs. A water filter is included with an adaptor, i have attached the adaptor to the end of the water filter then what? Does the water filter stand upside down alone in the water tank or is it attached to the water pipe in some way? If it is meant to be attached i have absolutely no idea how it attaches itself because there is nowhere for it attach to!

Any help gratefully received.

Thanks


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## beedj

Hi Sandy,

1. Attach the adaptor to the filter (the plastic end of adaptor, not the end with seal)

2. Remove plastic water tank from machine (not strictly necessary but makes it easier)

3. you'll see a little valve/outlet at bottom of water tank - the other end of filter adaptor (ie the end with seal) pushes onto this. You have to hold the filter and push it quite firmly - which is whay I found it easier to remove tank first - ie so I had tank firmly stood on worktop and I knew I wasn't pushing against machine

Hope this helps?


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## beedj

ps. clearly the instructions have not kept up with the latest enhancements to the machine!


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## sandykt

That is fantastic, thank you so much! The "instructions" are not clear at all.


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## shrink

im glad for this too, it'll help me out

still not sure how this filter will work, given that surely only the water passing over the top of it would be filtered? how does it filter the last few ml of water in the tank?

im under the impression there are various products that can fit this tank though, they were using britta before, now these new filters. They just need different adapters. So you should be able to find various products that fit the bill


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## beedj

From what I can see, given the way the filter attaches to the valve at bottom of tank (with a seal), only water that has passed through the filter can enter the machine. This does mean that once water level has dropped below the point at which the filter intakes water (probably a few cm rather than mm - but can't remember for certain without looking), no more water can enter the machine. So it will never draw the last few cm from the tank


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## Masterofnothing

Hi All, I've just bought a new Cherub - having owned a Bezzera for about 15 years prior - and am wondering about the water filter situation. We only used bottled water in the Bezzera and had no limescale build up and so have decided to do the same with the Cherub. So do we actually need to use the water filter? BTW it came fitted with a Bestcup M filter already, so it is in use so far.


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## sandykt

I ordered a Brita water filter when I ordered my Cherub but I have sent it back choosing to just use the filter supplied with the Cherub. Provided I change the filter every 2 months or so, I think it will be OK.


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## shrink

Even 2 months seems generous. I plan to swap mine every 6 months, but then my water tested towards the green end of the scale


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## Shakey

Don't know if this helps but this is mine.


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## MrDecaf

shrink said:


> Even 2 months seems generous. I plan to swap mine every 6 months, but then my water tested towards the green end of the scale


The recommendation on a max of 3 months duration I think is to do with bacterial build-up in the filter, not just scale build up. As much as we like to think our tap water is 'clean' its not pure. Try using a brita jug filter for six months and see what the water tastes like - The saving grace in our case is that its being boiled. When I lived in hard water Hertfordshire our water filters were noticeably degraded after a couple of weeks so I can see how the cherub filter might not last but it'd be difficult to tell unlike with drinking water where the taste is more obvious.

The price of the filters is ridiculous and spending 80+ quid a year on them is nonsense. If you're a low volume user (Ie, you're not pumping 50 shots a day) you're probably better off ditching the internal filter and using filter jug filling (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001T9N52G There y'go, a jug and 12 filters for half the price...). That way you're getting more use of the water filtration for general drinking and you can remove and wash the Cherubs water tank more frequently without creating problems of filter fit or leaving the tank empty and the filter damp (More bacteria).

I've got a similar issue with propitiatory filter in a Samsung fridge so I'm looking for a large single filter to feed the fridge, convert the fridge filter into a pass through (Cut open, clean out and superglue back together) then fill my Cherub from the fridge water - Killing to water filtering birds with one stone... um... filter...


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## gman147

I use an Aqua Optima which I got 2 years supply of filters with from Amazon. I dont bother with the Fracino filter.


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