Tips for First Time BOROUX Users

Filling up a BOROUX Legacy Water Filtration System

Helpful Tips for New BOROUX Users

If you've made the switch from tap or bottled water, there can be a slight learning curve to the gravity-fed water filtration system. We compiled helpful hints from our own experience and from our thousands of conversations with customers just like you. Once you get into the rhythm of using a BOROUX, you'll love the simplicity and ease.

Pro Tips for Set Up and Installation

The most important thing to get right when setting up your system is the placement of the washers and wingnuts. This is the most common mistake and leads to the most issues. The washer should be on the stem of the BOROUX Foundation Filter and inside the upper chamber. The wingnut should be threaded onto the stem of the filter on the bottom outside of the upper chamber. Some people mistakenly put the washer on the outside of the upper chamber. In order to create a good seal, which prevents unfiltered water from entering the lower chamber, the washer needs to be on the inside. Another common preventable problem is stripping the threads on the wingnut and stem. It needs to be snug and tight, but there's no need to use tools or really crank on the wingnut. Just a sturdy hand-tightening will do.

Related: How-To Guides

Get a Good Prime Every Time

Priming is a critical step in the setup process. Priming means to fully saturate the filter media with water. In layman's terms--get the whole filter wet. The filters are made of densely packed activated carbon. Water needs to be flushed through to properly open the micropores. Without a complete prime, the filtration speed of the filters will be abysmally slow.

The best and easiest way to get a good prime every time is to use the Automatic Filter Primer (sometimes we call them priming pumps). We currently offer a free Priming Pump with the purchase of a system because it's been so helpful. We launched the product in mid-2025 and it has been a favorite because it makes the priming process so much faster and easier. Highly recommend making sure it's in your cart when you check out!

How to tell if you have proper prime?

If you're unsure if you primed your filters correctly, there's a quick way to tell if the filters are saturated or not. Fill up the lower chamber (or any other large container) with water, then place the filter in the water stem-side up. The filters should sink. It won't be like a rock sinking, there will still be a little bobbing. If the filters aren't primed, they will float, and when you try to push them down, they'll immediate pop back up.

Don't Make this Rookie Mistake When Filling Up Your System

Filling and refilling the system is possibly the most difficult thing for new users to get used to. BOROUX systems are gravity systems, meaning it relies on gravity to pull the water down and through the filters. It's not like a tap where you just turn the handle and water is there on demand. It takes time and cannot be rushed.

Because of the nature of a gravity system, the upper chamber can only be filled when the lower chamber is empty. If the lower chamber is full of water, and then water is added to the upper chamber, the water will flow down and spill out between the two chambers. There's nowhere for the filtered water to go but out. Take the guesswork out of knowing how much water is in the lower chamber with a Water Level Spigot.

The average filtration rate is about one gallon per hour. From our experience and quizzing customers, most get into the rhythm and routine of filling a system at night to have plenty of filtered water for the morning. Some high-usage customers fill it up again in the morning to have water for the evening.

If you find a little puddle of water near your BOROUX, the other culprit might be overfilling or a loose spigot. If the spigot is not installed securely, it can leak water.

Related: My BOROUX is Leaking!

The Type of Water You Use to Fill Your System Matters

We do not recommend using softened water to fill up your BOROUX. Softened water can prematurely clog the filters due to the salts produced from the softening process. This will shorten the lifespan of your filter and make it filter very slowly.

You're Ready to Take Your First Sip

And then you notice there's a weird taste. Oh no! This really only happens to a handful of customers, but enough to make it worthwhile to give you a heads-up on how to fix it. The most common complaint is an earthy or metallic taste when the Proactive Fluoride Filters are used. This is just an indication that the filters aren't primed all the way. After extensive testing, we found that using hot water (100ºF, which is about as hot as your hands can handle) to prime the filters fixes the off-taste every time.

Another easy way to prevent a weird first taste is to let one full batch of water run all the way through. It may take your taste buds some time to adjust to the new water

Filtering Fast or Slow

Do you feel like your filters are going too fast, or too slow, or not at all? Filtering speed is not an indicator of filter effectiveness. If your filters are filtering very slowly or not at all, you most likely need to scrub your filters, or you may have a system issue.

One of the most common remedies to slow flow is a good cleaning. The pores in your filters may have become blocked. Try scrubbing the filters with an abrasive sponge and water, reprime, and get it back to running at peak performance.

If you're using BOROUX Filters in a non-BOROUX system, there are a few things to check. We're happy to report that our filters are compatible with a wide range of other brands' systems. Sometimes we get customers calling in saying, "My filters aren't working, there's no water coming through." The cause for this is that they're using a non-BOROUX system and experiencing an airlock.

What is an airlock? An air bubble prevents liquid from passing through. The upper and lower chambers can fit so tightly together that it creates a vacuum seal. It's not an issue with the filters, it's an issue with the chambers.

We specifically incorporated a vent in the design of our upper chamber to prevent this problem.

Maintenance and Care Tips

Do not allow wet BOROUX Foundation or Proactive to freeze.
Do not place BOROUX filters or chambers in the dishwasher.
Do not place BOROUX filters in a microwave oven.
Do not boil BOROUX filters.
Do not clean BOROUX Foundation or Proactive Filters with detergents or soaps.
Do not store BOROUX filters until completely dry.
Do not allow BOROUX filters to sit in the direct sun for extended periods of time.
Do not over-tighten BOROUX wingnuts with tools, hand tighten only.
Do not place the BOROUX system near a heat source.

Is Your BOROUX Not Working Properly?

Fear not. We're here to help. You can always contact our Customer Service for any issues that might arise. We have a robust troubleshooting process and can typically get issues resolved quickly. If for some reason you're still not satisfied, we have generous 101-day trial period and warranty policies to satisfy your needs. Switching to something new always requires a little learning curve, with these tips we hope it makes the learning curve smoother.

What Tips and Tricks Would You Share?