FAQ

In South Australia, our drinking water comes from a variety of sources.  It is a combination of seawater, ground water and surface water; however, the majority comes from the Murray River.  This water is stored in reservoirs around the state and then processed in water treatment plants to make it safe for consumption.  For example, the Happy Valley Reservoir and Treatment Plant supplies water to majority of the Southern Adelaide Metropolitan area (SA Water 2007). In South Australia, a variety of methods are used for water treatment, but all metropolitan and most rural plants use chlorination and chloramination to disinfect the water (SA Water 08-09).

The truth is, we can't test every drop, so we do not always know! Depending on the weather, the time of year and how far away you live from the water treatment plants, the contents and amounts of different undissolved particles and chemicals in your water can change from day to day.  Even the plumbing and age of your house can have an effect on what is in your water.

In South Australia, our drinking water is susceptible to contamination from iron, manganese, coliforms, cryptosporidium, giardia, nitrates and pesticides (SA Water 08-09; Australian Guidelines 2004).

We also know that the process of chlorination creates byproducts called trihalomethanes. These are also present in our water.

The government does its best to supply us with good quality drinking water, and considering what they have to start with, they really do a great job.  The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, a document prepared by the Australian Government, has shown that our water does contain Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 carcinogens (Australian Guidelines 2004).

• Class 1 carcinogens are substances that are known to cause cancer in humans. Some of which have been found in domestic water supplies!

• Class 2 carcinogens are substances that they suspect cause cancer, but are not sure about yet.

• Class 3 carcinogens are substances which we do not know much about. Small amounts of exposure to these over a long period of time may have a variety of unknown side effects to our bodies (Australian Guidelines 2004, IARC Monographs 1-100).

The International Agency of Research on Cancer recognises the need for disinfection of drinking water through chlorination, but at the same time, it raises some serious concerns about the consequences of chlorination byproducts, like trihalomethanes, which have been shown to pose a risk to health when present in water supplies!  
(WHO 2005; IARC Monographs 52).  

Trihalomethanes are byproducts of chlorination and they occur when the chlorine, added to water, reacts with organic matter present in the water, such as rust and dirt.  Trihalomethane is a classification for a group of chemicals including chloroform (previously used as an anaesthetic) and bromoform (previously used as a sedative and flame retardant).  A great deal of research has been performed into the potential risk of ingestion of trihalomethanes and many studies have concerning reports.  Ingestion of trihalomethanes in drinking water by humans has been linked to colon cancer (Kuo 2011, King 2000), rectal cancer (Kuo 2010, Bove 2007a, Gottleib 1982), pancreatic cancer (Chiu 2010), bladder cancer (Villanueva 2009; Bove 2007b, Villanueva 2006, Villaneuva 2004).  

So why take the risk?  DONT BE THE FILTER, GET A FILTER!

At Puratap, we are on the mark when we say that it is not safe to drink rain water.  Why?  Well, you might think its better than drinking tap water, but water stored in tanks contains heavy metals such as lead  - at unacceptably high levels (Magyar 2008)!  Lead absorbed into the body can make its way to your kidneys, liver and bone marrow. Poison then builds up and can severely affect the central nervous system, often persisting inside bone marrow for up to 30 years (Rabinowitz 1990)!

Additionally, pathogenic organisms can also be introduced into the water through faecal contamination of small animal and bird droppings. The amount of bacteria they carry can cause diarrhea and vomiting.

The Puratap unit is designed to remove chemicals and undissolved particles from water which has been sterilised in the water treatment plants.  As we cannot be sure exactly what organisms may be in rainwater, we cannot guarantee it is safe to drink.  At Puratap we are not interested in selling you a unit that will not be 100% effective in purifying your water. That is why we will not sell you a unit to use with rainwater. 

A Puratap unit will not remove fluoride from tap water.  Puratap units filter water by adsorption of chemicals to the activated carbon. Fluoride is a mineral so is not attracted to the carbon in the filters in the same way that a chemical will be.  This is not just our filters; no carbon filter will be able to remove fluoride (Konno 2008), so do not believe a company who says that their filter will.

Because we want our customers to have the strongest possible product, Puratap has invested millions of dollars in research and development to create plumbing components that are well above the industry standard in terms of quality.  As a matter of fact, Puratap is the only company in Australia to have Australia Standards approval to fit our purifiers without a pressure limiting valve and that is because the unit is far stronger than competitors' units.  At Puratap, we are so confident in the durability of our design and components, we offer a superior product and warranty for a great price. So why spend your money on lesser quality?

A Puratap unit is made from an engineering grade plastic called polyacetal, which is  much stronger and more reliable than other units. Most of our competitors’ units are made from softer plastic called polypropylene, which gets weaker as it ages.  Every time you turn on the tap from one of these units, the plastic stretches a little, meaning that eventually, the filters will not fit snugly into the unit. Once that happens, water can bypass the filter through the gaps, and the result is unfiltered water. You might as well not have a filter!

Puratap tubing is also much thicker, and along with our Jaco fitting, can withstand a much higher operating pressure. Furthermore, the Puratap ball valve fitting is resistant to corrosion and it has an upgraded connector – this makes for superior strength and reliability.

The choice is yours: buy a competitor's filter and you will need to get a new unit every 3-5 years... or for the same price, get a Puratap  with a 10 year guarantee! The truth is, there is really no competition.

A Puratap unit has been scientifically proven to remove 99.9% of the chemical from your water.  Testing from the Australian Water Quality Centre has certified that a Puratap unit can remove chlorine, chloroform, herbicides, pesticides and trihalomethanes, amongst other things.  Our pre-sediment filter will also remove dust, algae, rust and other undissolved particles.

When you buy a brand new Puratap unit you can rest easy. You already know you are getting the highest quality unit with the best parts and to back this up, it comes with a great warranty.  The Puratap unit (sumps and head) come with a 10 year warranty.  The remaining parts (tubing, ball valve, tap, jacos) have a 3 year warranty.  This warranty is dependent on proper use and maintenance of the unit.  By booking your annual filter change with Puratap we can fix any problems before they arise and that is how you maintain the warranty on the unit!

We have three taps to choose from when installing your new Puratap. When our plumber comes to install your Puratap, he will help you choose the best place to put it so that you can take advantage of the handy three hundred and sixty degree rotation.

The first is our very popular standard tap.  It comes with a black flick lever.  If you need to fill your pot or kettle, simply swing the arm and pull the lever up. This way it can fill while you are doing other things in your kitchen.

Puratap also has two deluxe taps to choose from, both with a stylish design and an arthritis-friendly, easy to use handle. The Mark II tap mirrors a flick mixer with a swivel knob, and the Imperial tap has a high goose neck, making it easy to get drink bottles and kettles under the spout. Like the Mark II, it also has a swivel knob.

The Puratap installer always carries all three, so you can decide which one you prefer on the day.

Puratap have recently designed high quality tubing with thick walls which are highly resistant to breakage.  If you have had your unit installed since 2009 you will already have this tubing.  In our older units you will have our previous tubing. Although this is still a high quality product, to increase the safety of the unit we recommend upgrading to our newer tubing for peace of mind and a new three year warranty!

Partially! Puratap is a green company and takes pride in producing the highest quality ‘green’ product with filters that can be recycled.  It is our way of helping save the environment while saving our customers money! Both of our filters have proudly been designed to be earth-friendly, unlike other filters where the carbon is not helpful because its locked in the plastic polypropylene housing.

The Puratap pre-sediment filter catches dirt, rust and other other undissolved particles in your water.  It is made of tightly packed spun polypropylene, which means it cannot be washed out like a normal pool or house filter. But this polypropylene can be recycled to make other plastic items!

The Puratap activated carbon filter is the one that gets rid of the chemicals in your water. Carbon is a naturally occurring substance in the earth, so it is actually beneficial if the carbon block filter can be crushed and put back into landfill. This way it will continue to absorb chemicals, household pesticides and insecticides, which will stop them leeching into ground water.

Puratap end caps also get reused for a purer environment. Industry standard end caps are left on the filter and go straight into landfill. But here at Puratap, our end caps are made from very high quality plastic so we take the time to remove them and reuse them on brand new filters.

Even though Puratap parts are the best on the market, like our superior brass ball valve and zinc/chloride-resistant plastic connector, there are some things that we just cannot control. Some natural occurences can cause greening or corroding of the ball valve; for example, where water is slightly alkaline, or heavily charged with iron, or where a home is not perfectly earthed. All of those factors can contribute to corrosion to parts of the plumbing system. This can occur in new homes, just as easily as older ones.

So what can Puratap do to help? Well, appreciating that you have the best system on the market with the highest quality, most expensive brass ball valve in place, Puratap will send a qualified plumber at no charge, all you pay is the cost price for the ball valve. It is a service we offer to our valued customers who are having trouble with plumbing corrosion.

If you spot greening of your ball valve, the problem is quite urgent, so call us straight away.  While we are there, we will do a thorough check under your kitchen sink, to make sure everything is in order and working the way it should be.

Puratap is a proudly South Australian company!  The unit was designed and is manufactured right here in Adelaide. We manufacture and sell the unit so there is no 'middleman' to push up the price.

We generally recommend one of our stylish taps that are a separate feature on your sink.  We have designed them to look great and suit most kitchens so that you can have it as an addition to your decor, not an eyesore as some taps may be. 

However, we aim to please and we want happy customers! So we have recently introduced a new mixer tap. It is in its infancy stage but it has been very popular so we are selling out. Call us today on 133 502 and we can discuss your tap options!

We are serious when we say that we want all South Australians to have clean, filtered drinking water. There is no job too hard to get a Puratap installed, but there are some houses that are harder than your average installation. Don't worry, you can still have a Puratap, we simply need to send a different plumber to do the job! We have a crew of specially trained plumbers that can arrange installation with difficult or out-of-the-ordinary plumbing. So make sure you explain this to our consultants when you call, and we will know to send out a plumber who is well equipped to perform your job.

This is a question that we get asked a lot!  We do not want you to lose your precious cupboard space so we have made the unit as small as possible.  Here is a list of dimensions that you may be wondering about:

Puratap unit:  30cm (height) x 25cm (width) x 12cm (depth)
Standard tap:  22 cm (height) x 15cm (reach) x 2cm (width at base) x 1cm (width at spout)
Mark II tap:  22 cm (height) x 15cm (reach) x 4cm (width at base) x 1cm (width at spout)
Imperial tap:  30 cm (height) x 12 cm (reach) x 4xm (width at base) x 1cm (width at spout)
Mixer tap:  17 cm (height) x 30 cm (reach) x 5 cm (width)
Hole in the sink: 13mm diameter

In most cases we can install one for you tomorrow! The installation will usually less than half an hour, often only 15 minutes, and you can be drinking great filtered water that day!  Call one of our consultants on 133 502 and they will let you know how soon we can get a plumber out to your house.

Of course! We do installations in some areas outside of the immediate metropolitan area, for example Murray Bridge, Victor Harbor and Gumeracha. If you live further still, we can post a unit out to you for your local plumber to install. We can then make sure that you are always drinking clean filtered water by posting you a new set of filters for your annual filter change, when they are due to be replaced. 

The recommended retail price for a Puratap is $349 but at any given time, we have several great specials running so do not hesitate to call us for the best price!

Are you an existing Puratap customer? We will reward your loyalty with an extra special price!  Call us today on 133 502 and we can give you a quote on installation for your home.

Definitely! Peace of mind with good quality drinking water is a great present for a loved one. We can either arrange for a gift voucher to be sent to that person, or, if you have access to their house we can arrange an install with you for a surprise! Call our consultants on 133 502 to discuss your options.

If you are renting a property, you can still have a Puratap!  You own your Puratap and you can take it with you wherever you go!  You have the option of talking to your landlord first to see if fitting a Puratap is something he or she is interested in. Landlords often love this because you are improving their property and adding value to it.  Even if you take your Puratap to your new place, you are leaving the highest quality plumbing products behind under the kitchen sink. If they are worried about the hole left in the sink, Puratap caps the sink so that no damage is done. Then, its Puratap ready for the next tenant to move in… fitting the Puratap with no plumber required.

Yes, generally speaking we can install in these harder stone benchtops.  The plumber will need to have specific masonry drill bits to install the tap through these stones though, so please make sure you discuss this with our consultant when booking your installation. Then we can make sure the plumber is properly equipped when he comes to your home.

After your filter change, you may notice some 'black stuff' coming from the Puratap, along with some spluttering and a lot of air bubbles. Do not worry, this is normal!

First, lets talk about the 'black stuff' – this is just a bit of residual carbon.  A remnant of the manufacturing process is that inside our granulated carbon filter, there will usually be a fine layer of carbon dust. You do not need to worry about this, it is not harmful.  But if you run your tap for a minute, this dust should clear. 

The milky appearance the water can have after the carbon has cleared is not harmful either.  Millions of tiny air bubbles fill the tiny gaps that trap the chemicals. When water is first introduced into the filter, it forces these tiny air bubbles out. This is an important process as the water needs to touch the carbon to be effectively filtered, so all this air must be removed. Running the tap for approximately 3 minutes should clear these bubbles. 

Yes! Our licensed plumbers are more than happy to come and install a unit for you on a Saturday.  Call 133 502 and our consultants can advise you the next Saturday we are in your area. 

What about filter changes? We understand how busy our customers are! We are more than happy to arrange your filter change on a Saturday with one of our plumbers, for a small call out fee. Unfortunately for this we are unable to charge the loyalty price that we can on a weekday when we do everyone in your street on the same day.  

The filters in your Puratap need changing every 12 months or 2000L of water, whichever comes first! Our filters have been put through vigorous scientific testing to find the optimal and safest time to change them.  After 12 months or 2000L of water, larger chemicals such as trihalomethanes and herbicides are able to bypass the carbon in the filter, meaning that it is no longer filtering effectively.  Therefore 12 months is the maximum time to leave the filters in your unit.

After 12 months, the food grade glue that holds the filters together will start to lose its bonding ability. Do not believe companies that tell you that our glue breaks down in the water and contaminates it.  This is a lie that we take very seriously. We use a food grade glue so we do not put chemicals back into your filtered water! It simply starts to become less 'sticky' meaning that with the pressure of the water the end caps can come loose.  Water will take the path of least resistance, which will be to shoot through these holes and straight into your cup, without being filtered!

Yes, although it does depend on what water supply the boat or caravan will be using.  If you will be using mains water connections for the water supply, we can happily install a Puratap!

We hear this a lot! A year goes by before we even realise! At Puratap our consultants call with enough notice to make sure that you can have your filters changed within 12 months of your last filter change or installation date.  This is the maximum time that the filters can work effectively and ensures you always have fresh clean drinking water and remain on our Puratap loyalty program!  They will always offer you the next time that we will have a serviceman in your area which may be the next day or within the week for your convenience.  But not to worry!  If this day is no good, we can find another time for you, we have dates up to 8 weeks ahead available at any time.

Yes, of course! You are always welcome to call us. We have a team of trained consultants ready to take your call and answer all your questions. We endeavour to call all our customers when their filters are due to be changed but sometimes we have trouble catching you by phone.  If you think your filters need changing, please do not hesitate to give us a call!

To keep the prices for filter changes as low as possible we have streamlined the filter change process.  To this end, the serviceman needs to take the unit out to his van, where he has a specially designed set up to change the filters as efficiently as possible.  If you want to see what is happening please ask the serviceman to watch him changing them in his van!  He will be more than happy to let you watch and you will be amazed at what they can do in 5 minutes. 

Often, the filters wont appear 'dirty'.  The carbon filter is black- so you will not see anything there. The sediment filter is white and sometimes, if your pipes are particularly old and rusty, or if you have had a lot of construction or road works in your area, there may be visible dirt or rust on the sediment filter.  Generally though, the smaller organic compounds are not visible and chlorine in the water acts a bleach and removes any colour from the filters.    

Yes, you are welcome to come into our office and buy the filters yourself... But why would you, when you can have one of our trained servicemen come out and do it for you for the same price! For our Loyal Customer Program members, we offer the labour and service for FREE and only charge the price of the filter. That means, you pay the same whether you buy it from our office or have one of our servicemen comes to you.

What about buying filters from the local hardware store?  The honest truth here is that they simply will not work in our unit. We have designed our double 'o' ring seal screw-in endcaps for our filters for a reason: it works better! We want to ensure that you have the best quality drinking water and the best quality filters! So what about the filters from the hardware store? Why will they not work?  The design of our unit is to eliminate any possibility of water being able to squeeze past the filters without running through them. If you put a set of open ended filters designed for lesser quality units into our unit this is exactly what will be happening! Basically, this renders the Puratap useless.

Why get your hands dirty?  We are the experts at filter changes and we have a great price.  It makes sense to let us do it for you!

At Puratap, we believe in giving you the best product at the best price.  The price of the filter change for the Puratap has only risen $4 over the past 10 years, that's only about 5%.  We all wish that the inflation rate on our milk and petrol remained that low!

We have a Puratap Loyal Customer Program, which means that our loyal customers can have their filters at cost price and we don't charge a service fee!  All you have to do is make a time for us to visit you for your filter change. We can do this for two reasons: the first is that by servicing all the Puratap units in your street on the same day, we keep the running costs of our servicemen down and therefore do not have to charge a call out fee. The second, is that by changing your filters annually, we can predict how many filters we need for the year and buy the components in bulk; we get a greater discount from our supplier and we pass it down to you!

So, as long as we can find a time that suits you and the unit is serviced within 12 months of your last filter change or installation date, you get the wholesale price for the filters and the entire service is FREE.  It is our way of acknowledging and thanking your loyalty. 

All of our servicemen and plumbers collect payment on the day for installations or filter changes.  They will accept cash, cheque, Visa, Mastercard or money order. Our filter change servicemen also carry EFTPOS machines so you can pay on the day with your debit card. 

In the case of 'milk bottle' filter changes (where you take the unit out and leave it outside for us and therefore do not have to be home), you will not see the serviceman at all! Therefore, we require either a cheque or money order (made out to Puratap) in a safe place near the unit or payment by credit card on the phone when making the booking. Unfortunately, we cannot accept cash payment for a milk bottle due to the risks associated with leaving money outside unattended.

Please do not hesitate to call us on 133 502!