[This is a paid collaborative review with Aqua Optima]
Living in a hard water area, drinking water straight from the tap can often be quite hit and miss. The inside of our kettle only serves as proof as to how much limescale our water really contains. I hate to admit, but I often buy bottled water to drink directly but in the current climate I have been sourcing an alternative to reduce our plastic waste in this household and were kindly sent an Aqua Optima lumi Chiller to test out.
I am notoriously bad at putting anything together, so I was pleasantly surprised as to how easy it was to set the unit up and felt rather smug when I had it up and running in under ten minutes. You are advised that once opened, you submerge the filter in a bowl of water to get rid of air bubble. The filter can also come with a bit of black “dust” as you get it out the packet, but this is easily wiped off.
Once your filter is good to go after 30 minutes soaking, it’s time to start going. This water filter is easy to use; you simply fill the top section with water and it slowly trickles down to the bottom tank where the filtered water stays. The machine keeps the water chilled to 12 degrees and the water button simply works with gravity. This means it can be a little slow, but it’s not a problem and you soon get used to the speed.
The water on the first use can take up to 90 minutes to cool to 12 degrees, so don’t expect instantaneous results when you first get it out the box! Subsequent uses and top ups can take around 30 minutes to chill to that temperate. The water tastes good and smooth. Living in a hard water area it is good to be able to have so much filtered water “on tap”. I think we drink more water as a family because of it, especially Charlie who is forever wanting to top it up and use it. I love the fact we can have the water instantly at a good, chilled temperature as I have rather sensitive teeth so water stored in a fridge often is too cold for me to cope with.
I love the way it looks; it is super sleek and stylish and makes a great addition to the kitchen. The Aqua Optima lumi filtered water chiller has a total capacity of 8.2 litres of water and only takes around 30 mins to chill the water to 12C; this is nearly half the time it would take for a jug in the fridge to chill to this same same temperature. If you aren’t sure when it’s ready, the blue LED cool light on the front of the machine glows when the filtered water is chilled and ready to be dispensed. The unit provides around 10 glasses of water before needing to be topped back up. To do it, it’s really simple as you just remove the lid at the top and pour the water in. The machine will do the rest as it’ll trickle down and filter your water – simple!
The machine doesn’t always need to be on so I have found that we often switch it off at night to save electricity and if I know we are going to be out all day again I will switch it off. Once switched back on, it will need time to re-chill but still will supply lovely filtered water as soon as it’s turned back on.
Aqua Optima’s offers a fast flow 5 step filtration whilst reducing impurities such as limescale, chlorine, heavy metals, pesticides and herbicides from tap water. Lumi filtered water costs up to 10x less than branded bottled water meaning you save money all whilst reducing your plastic waste. It is a great way to reduce your plastic waste by topping up your hydration bottle with chilled, great tasting water in and outside the home.
For me, the only downside of the unit is that it is quite bulky. The dimensions of the unit are as follow:
- Height: 428mm
- Depth: 346 mm
- Width: 264Â mm
Luckily, we have a lot of counter worktop space in our kitchen, so it slots in nicely but it is quite a large item so this is definitely something to bear in mind if you’re pushed for space. I think eventually when we move house and get the much desired office, it will fit perfectly in there for now it fits in the kitchen well. It also has quite a short cable lead so will need to be placed near to a plug socket to keep it running.
With the filters removing limescale and reducing impurities, it is recommended that the filter that comes with your original purchase will need changing every 30 days. If you’re anything like me and have a million other things to remember, then you can simply download the Aqua Optima app which you can download and sett a reminder to purchase a new filter when it is needed. The app also shows you which stockists you can purchase replacement filters from which include Asda, Argos and Wilko. If you do not replace the Aqua Optima water filter it will continue to reduce the impurities in tap water but at a lower level. Once the water filter is completely used up, the water will be the same quality as tap water. It is worth noting that the water filter however will never release any impurities back into the water.
It was also really handy when we had guests over for a BBQ as the water stayed chilled for the guests. I think next time (if the weather ever cheers up!) we would move it outside to enable the kids and guests to help themselves to a cool drink on a hot day. Charlie wanted to do a water test and can you spot which is the filtered and which is the tap water? The difference is quite something visually I think.
The Lumi chiller is available to buy from Amazon and Robert Dyas with an RRP of £129.99, and I am excited to be able to give one lucky Twinderelmo reader the chance to win one for themselves. All you need to do is complete the RaffleCopter below, which has no mandatory options. This giveaway open to UK residents aged 18+ only. Winners details will be passed onto the Aqua Optima PR company via email to arrange delivery to the giveaway winner and will not be used for any other purpose in line with GDPR regulations. Giveaway ends midnight on 9th July 2019
Winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter and their first name displayed on the widget on this page. No correspondence will be entered into. Please read full terms and conditions.
B xx
Boil what you need. Save water, money and energy by only boiling as many cups of water as you need
Take shorter showers. A typical shower uses five to ten gallons of water a minute. Limit your showers to the time it takes to soap up, wash down and rise off.
Don’t over fill the kettle and take water out with you in a reusable bottle 🙂
I try not to overfill the kettle, and turn the tap off when brushing my teeth.
Only put as much water in the kettle as you need
Only flush the loo after a poo but not after a wee wee.
If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.
Don’t run the tap whilst brushing your teeth. Such a waste of water.
This is a very useful prize.
I use a water butt to collect rain water for my summer plants
Because our hot water takes ages to come through the tap, I keep an empty 2l plastic bottle next to the sink so as to collect the cold water that would run down the sink and use it for putting in the kettle to make hot drinks. It saves so much water.
Boil only what you need and don’t leave taps running
my best tip is that whenever there is tea left in a cup, it always goes on my plants, I alos never have the water runnign when I brush my teeth.
To save water I use my bath water in the summer to water my flowers in my garden
Use washing up water for the garden and have a water butt to collect rain water
Not very original but only fill the kettle as much as you need. I love this water cooler, the black, sleek design would look fab in my kitchen 🙂
Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth, this can save 6 litres of water per minute!
This sounds great, although our Brita water jug is just as good and convenient (and cheaper as lower initial payouts) which we keep in the fridge. But I suppose this is a bit of a novelty to have in the house. My water saving tip is to carry around my reusable water bottle with me – often cafes and bars will fill it up for free.
Only put the amount of water in the kettle that you need
Having lots of children my husband modified the ballcock to the toilet, therefore using a lot less water every flush
Use old washing up water to water the garden & invest in a water butt
A great prize
Take a shower, rather than a bath and don’t leave the water running when you are shaving!
Shorter showers – pains me to see all that water flowing away!
only boil what you need to use
I have a water saving device in my toilet cistern. According to the blurb it saves 3 litres per flush.
turn the tap off when your brushing your teeth
Don’t leave the tap running when you clean your teeth
Wait until you have a full load before using your washing machine or your dishwasher.
We have two water butts in the garden which we use to clean the flags and water the plants during dry weather
recycle water, use it on your garden plants
Best way to save water is quick showers, really cuts down on the clear stuff
Turn the tap off when you’re brushing your teeth!
share bath water and then use bath water to water the garden – hasn’t killed off my plants yet!!
Avoid buying bottled water, instead use water bottles that you simple wash and refill! Saves water and a tonn of money!
have a quick shower rather than a full bath
Use water butts to collect water for the garden, in high summer you can use bath / wash up water on the garden, keep soap to a minimum.
I currently use a water filter jug to fill my espresso machine. You have to keep water in the jug at all times to keep the cartridge wet but I don’t want to use water that has been sitting in the jug for 2-3 days. Rather than waste the water, I use it to water my plants.
my garden plants dont do well with tap water, and i notice they thrive after a rain, so i bought water butts and use rain water for my garden now – kind of an incidental discovery, but it does save water, too. (and, handy to have the butts during hose pipe bans, too). love everyones tips in the comments, and will be trying a few x
Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth.
Share bath water
I share bath water with my hubby
Don’t over fill the kettle and tuern the tap off whilst brushing yourt teeth
only fill the kettle with enough for a couple brews as it goes faster and saves energy x
To save on water I use a pot of rain water I collect to water my plants, I only fill the kettle enough for what I need, showers more than baths and I cook with my steamer so I only use one pan of water not all 5
A water saving tip of mine is to use dish water for the plants 🌱🌷
have showers instead of baths
Invest in a collapsible bucket for the bathroom and use it to collect bath water for plants and washing outdoors such as steps, paths etc.
I try to save rainwater in containers and water butts – much more economical than using tap water
Have a water butt in the garden to collect rainwater that can then be used to water all of the plants
Water butts, flash savers, and take showers! thanks for the chance
If its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down 😂
Only put in as much water as you need in the kettle
Use s reusable water bottle instead of buying plastic disposable water
In drier weather and in the event of a drought, it’s always a good idea to conserve and re-use bath water, to water the plants. That way, the garden will get the resources it needs, nothing will go to waste, and you’ll still get a valuable bath-time soak – result!
I always turn the tap off when brushing my teeth & I recycling everything possible of recyling. I have trained the kids & even guests know better than to put something in the bin that could be recycled!
We have water butts on all our downpipes, perfect for watering plants, cleaning thecar and topping up the fishpond 🙂
I conserve as much water as possible, like having a shower instead of bath, turning the tap off when needed and water butts outside to use in the garden.
I find shower timers are great! And when I have waste water from things like boiling pasta, I leave it to cool then use it to water the plants.
Keep a water butt in your garden
Measure in a mug the amount of water you need to boil for cups of tea/ coffee that way no waste
Boil only what you need, and have shorter showers, i have been known to use my washing up water for the garden as well
Take a shower instead of a bath
Wash on shorter cycles in your washing machine x
wash fruit and veg over a container and then you can use the water for something else such as watering plants or flushing the toilet
I like to make my own compost using kitchen and garden waste plus cardbord and grass clippings!
I shower more than bath. Use the washing up water on the plants.
Got a dishwasher? Fill it up completely each time you run it and you’ll use less water than you would doing the dishes by hand
We all have quick showers and try not to use the bath very often. I dont own a dishwasher but do the dishes once a day to save water too
Don’t run water just use what you need. I also use a washing up bowl and pour the water on my flowers / vegetables when I am finished saves on using a hose
Take a shower rather than a bath & only boil enough water what you need in the kettle,
Collect water of the rain to water the plants to
I leave watering cans outside to collect rain water for my plants and used washing up water I pour on to unwanted seeds
I have a water butt outside which really helps save water when watering the garden in the summer
in this heat at the moment the boys want the pool up but filling and refilling it daily uses a lot of water so at the end of the day i put a fitted sheet from a mattress over the top to stop bugs getting in the water and it can be reused a few times
my children use the same bath water, which is then used to water plants
I always take my water bottle with me, I have one in the car, one at work and one in my bag. I use these so I can just refill my water when I am out rather than buying single use bottles
put your washing up water on your flowers
Take shorter showers, don’t take baths unless necessary, only fill the kettle up as much as is needed.
Re-use containers to reduce waste.
Don’t leave the tap running when brudhing your teeth.
Taking showers instead of baths is essential for saving water. It saves heating up a tank full of water too – using less energy.
We got rid of our kettle and replaced it with a one cup dispenser. Water is ready in a fraction of the time even when I need 3 or 4 cups, and there’s no waste
shower more ften than bath
Turn your tap off when brushing your teeth.
I only boil as much water as I need in the kettle, I’ve got a water butt for watering the garden and use my water refill bottle as much as possible
I use one of those water saving Hippo Bags in the cistern of my toilet in order to save three litres of water!
Water the plants in the garden with washing up water x
Collect rain water in buckets for plants.
I’m very concerned about saving water, energy electricity! I do try my best to use water little as possible by turning the tap off whilst brushing teeth, have showers instead of baths x
We take showers instead of baths and have a shower timer to conserve water
I always empty the condenser dryer water holder outside to water the plants/flowers as I do with the dog bowls when changing their water daily
I use a bowl in our kitchen sink to rinse off all of our dirty plates before they go in the dishwasher,so I save this bowl to water my house plants and the remainder goes in our water butt to water all of my homegrown vegetables/fruit on a daily basis too 😊
Collect the water you use to wash vegetables and use it in the garden.