- Factoids -

Factoids About Water Filtration

Claris/Clearyl Filtration

Water filtration for coffee machines in general and Super Automatics in particular is important for the proper functioning of the equipment. We will look at the issue from different angles.

First let's talk about the Claris/Clearyl filters and their increasing cost. Claris/Clearyl filters are retailing today between $18 and $22 a cartridge. This is a very steep price, considering that these cartridges are good for only 50 liters of water or 2 months or 350 draw-offs (cups) according to their labeling. The increase in price can be attributed to new management at Jura-Capresso and the less favorable exchange rates of Swiss Franc vs. US$. However, there are alternatives and we list them for you to help you save money.

Here are the facts:

Cost per Cup / ounces:

• 50 liters = 1691 oz. (140 - 12 oz. cups; 350 - 4.8 oz. cups)
• Average cost of 1 cartridge : $22.00
• Average filtration cost per fluid oz.: 1.3 cents

• Therefore, the cost of filtration per cup amounts to:
• 8 oz. cup: 10.4 cents
• 12 oz. mug: 15.6 cents
• 16 oz. mug: 20.8 cents

Yearly Expense for Claris/Clearyl Filters:

• 3 12 oz. cups per day amounts to ~ $170.00
• 5 12 oz. cups per day amounts to ~ $285.00
• 12 12 oz. cups per day @ workplace ~ $1,872.00

The Claris/Clearyl cartridge has been designed with optimum convenience for users of Super Automatics in mind. The effectiveness of the filter cartridge is somewhat compromised by 2 key factors. The small size of the cartridge is dictated by the machine/water tank design and the filtration granulate used is primarily focused on filtering lime and small physical particles out of the tap water. Therefore, the Claris /Clearyl cartridge is not a very efficient filter, when compared to more professional filter methods. Compared to lets say the Reverse Osmosis, which is one of the best filtration systems, the Claris or Clearyl would only score about 6 points out of 10. This is also why the manufacturer recommends performing a De-scaling of the machine every so often, even with the use of Claris/Clearyl filters. This leads us to the alternatives of using the convenient but costly Claris/Clearyl filters.

Regular De-scaling

Before you decide to forgo the Claris/Clearyl water filtration, we suggest you consult a chart to determine your local water hardness. You can also call your local Water Company to find out. Check the enclosed U.S. hardness map. Once you determine your local hardness, you may consider our general recommendations.

Legend:

- GREEN: over 14 gpg - Extremely Hard

- GOLD: 10 to 14 gpg - Very Hard

- BLUE: 7 to 10 gpg - Hard

- RED: 3 to 7 gpg - Moderately Hard

- YELLOW: <3 gpg - Minimally Hard

Our General Recommendations

If your water hardness is under 7 gpg, it is good advice to go with De-scaling vs. Cartridges. Note: if you are currently using Claris/Clearyl, you first have to reprogram your machine. Depending on the model you own, you have to program the machine not to use Claris /Clearyl and instead account for water hardness. (This process is outlined in your Users Manual).

Jura machines have 4 hardness levels (1 - 4) and the - indicates Harness Level DISABLED. Following are our recommendations for what level to program on your machine.

If you choose to disable the Hardness Level, you have to make sure that you do not forget to make a note to yourself to de-scale the machine regularly. We suggest you do it a min. of every 6 months.

Pre-filtered Water

A great idea to save both money and protect your machine is to use pre-filtered water. If you happen to have a Whole House Water Filtration System, you are of course in great shape. Make sure to test the filtered water and depending on the reading, program your machine accordingly. With a properly functioning system you should expect to use either Level 1 or disable the Hardness.

Another way to use pre-filtered water is the Brita or PUR water jugs. These jugs use small filters similar to the Claris in size and effectiveness. Mind you - the cost of these filters is similar to Claris and therefore, switching to this type of filtration will not necessarily result in saving money.

A better and more cost effective way to use filtered water is to have a commercial size water filter installed in the kitchen. This will allow you to use filtered water for all your cooking needs and of course your coffee brewing too. The cost savings is considerable, as there are cartridges available for as low as $20.00 which produce up to 2,000 gallons of filtered water.

The Cost of De-scaling vs. Claris/Clearyl use

And finally, let's look at the cost of de-scaling your machine vs. using Claris/Clearyl filters. The cost saving is considerable as we are going to show in the following presentation.

We are assuming a cost of $12.00 for a pack of 9 Jura De-scaling tablets, including s/h. There are 3 tablets required for the de-scaling procedure, so there is a cost of ~ $4.00.

The following chart shows the amount of water per Jura Hardness Level and the corresponding cost for Claris/Clearyl filters vs. De-scaling.

The conclusion is simple: Filtration is certainly convenient, but De-scaling is more cost effective.

For any questions you may have in reference to water filtration, please do not hesitate to contact us at atyourservice@selectobrands.com or 1-(888) 90-COFFEE.

Selecto Coffee Company