We supply and install only genuine parts, and this includes filters and CO₂ cylinders.

If you bought the latest Ferrari, would you fuel it with standard unleaded? Of course not. A Ferrari is about the experience, passion and performance. You don’t get that by saving 20c a litre on fuel. Now of course, any enthusiast will notice the performance gap if their Ferrari has low octane fuel in it. It will still look like a Ferrari, but it will not perform like it could.

So what about your trusty water filter at work? Sure, you can choose non-genuine replacement filters for it. You’ll likely save a few dollars. The tap will still look the same after all! When the non-genuine filter is new, the water will likely still look the same, it could even taste the same, but that’s just not the point.

Aside from wanting instant chilled/boiling water, the main reason why people use water filters is they want CLEAN water. Anything you drink can end up in your bloodstream. Whilst the chance of pollution such as agricultural/ industrial chemicals might be slim where you are, even well managed water supplies have fluoride, chlorine, rust, sediment and a remote risk of bacteria. If you are responsible for water filter choice, people are trusting you with their health.

The performance of non-genuine replacement water filters are not likely to be as good. Some people (typically private consumers) choose to take the risk, and such parts are legally available.

Regardless of the claims of what factory non-genuine filters are made in, how can we realistically check their quality? Even if we flew to their factories and demanded to immediately inspect their facility, and they agreed to let us in at no notice, who is to say that they will be producing our type of parts that day? Do we have the engineering or scientific skills to inspect their factory? Even if we did, and we pre-arranged a factory tour, perhaps they could rig the situation for the purposes of our visit.

Who can tell the difference? Our team of water filter service technicians are some of the most experienced and respected specialist plumbers in the industry. We literally have decades of experience in our team. We know what looks right, both in terms of the physical part, and in terms of the water flow and clarity (turbidity). We install and maintain thousands of systems annually. When you have left it too long between filter changes, we can definitely tell. The water is often visually different and/or tastes different. It may even smell different!

It is virtually impossible to tell whether the real nasties are being filtered out without scientific testing of the water, particularly in towns with better quality water. Take Melbourne for example, which enjoys some of the best tap drinking water of any major city on earth. But even Melbourne Water explain on their website that “the colour, taste and smell of your water can change throughout the year. This is very normal and usually depends on the following factors:

• source of water — your water can come from a number of reservoirs, each with natural differences in colour and mineral content
• demand — people tend to use more water in summer, which causes it to travel faster through the pipes
• temperature — temperature changes its taste (cooler water generally tastes better), and depends on the time of year.”