I put this under “Tools” because I can think of few things more important to baking than fresh clean water. IMO, Reverse Osmosis is the MacDaddy of filtered water. Putting one in is easy but not if you don’t own the place you are living.
This is how I installed an RO system in my rented home. No countertop drilling or cabinet modification/drilling is required using my Moveable Tap/faucet/spigot installation method.
When I moved into my rental home in Meridian, ID I first noticed the nice cold water coming from the faucets. Then I noticed that the water was very hard so I tested the water quality.
I had purchased a water TDS meter (Wikipedia Total Dissolved Solids) on Amazon back in Sept of 2021. So I tested the drinking water in Meridian. [[Hofun TDS meter on Amazon]]
I not only didn’t like the taste but I didn’t think it would be good for my espresso machine either. I found the the Total Dissolved Solids (measured in ppm Parts Per Million) in the water coming from the kitchen refrigerator filtered water dispenser was 190 ppm. Drinking water generally has a TDS below 500 ppm. Higher TDS Fresh Water is drinkable but taste may be objectionable. The Hofun scale of TDS values listed said 200 ppm was Safe, but marginally acceptable.
As such I went shopping for a Reverse Osmosis filtration system that would be apartment friendly. I settled on the baseline system from APEC “ROES 50”, sold on amazon for $199. Countertop drilling required (not apartment friendly) However if you install the tap in a 6qt container with ½” fender washers you will end up with an RO faucet that can go under the counter and be place on top as needed. My one caution is the on/off valve on the spigot works well but turns easily. Care must be taken not to bump the valve on or you will have a flood in your cabinet. If the box is on the counter the spigot will be pointed towards the sink and you will not have a leak, but the door will be ajar from the feed tube.
I measured the TDS of the RO Water. It started at 15ppm but has been as low as 4ppm. There will be some visible carbon dust for the first day. I couldn’t taste it, but it was visible and left some residue at the bottom of the glass. I did not call the manufacturer.
