Sunbeam BRITA Water Filter & Chiller

Try this one everyone and update! – So I bought a Sunbeam BRITA Water Filter & Chiller from the Green Shed (in Mitchell ACT), so it had been sitting around for sometime before I bought it. It was completely dried out with no water coming out of anywhere. I got it home and filled it with water, it spurted out from the base of the machine, a lot of WATER fluff, kind of like minerals… Read more

and sludge. So I kept cleaning it out and refilling it for about 2 weeks. That was a lot of water and 1 set of filters later. However, it is now fine and doesn't miss a beat. I am going to run a demineraliser through it in the New Year 18. Cheers and Happy Xmas everyone. So the update is - I have now had the second hand Sunbeam BRITA Water Filter & Chiller for nearly 2 months now and found that it does make noise after a while so I have been in the habit of turning it off at the wall before I go to bed at night and by doing this when I turn it on again first thing next morning, it has returned to running quietly once again so it really doesn't work well with getting overheated. I suggest if it does get noisy then turn it off at night and it will reset it self and cool down overnight.

Filters water 100% - Perfect gravity filter operation for 5+ years – Ok, I'm an industrial designer and when I wanted a water filter with Brita tech I went for the Sunbeam because this item's industrial design is very good. It's the engineering that sucks to almost insanity! The actual water filtering process is excellent and the twin water bowls have large surface areas that allows the chlorine in the water to… Read more

evaporate off easily.

I thought the 'chiller' option (SCAM) was a pure gimmick meaning that there is no refrigeration so it can only maintain the water temperature to room temperature which is what it would be anyway! A completely pointless exercise in spending your electricity money to achieve nothing... DOH!

So this is what I did. I pulled the entire unit apart and removed all the electricals and the lower 'chiller' tank and pipes. I stripped it right out until I only had the blue upper tanks, the tap, the bottom internal structural tank housing and the lower white half, that's it. I then got a plastic pipe and connected the exit pipe of the bottom blue tank and fed it directly to the tap. The I refitted the parts I mentioned I had left over (tanks, internal plastic mold and bottom white case) and put them back together again.

Hence no more electrics and a direct feed pipe to the tap == PERFECT!

This is the product Sunbeam should have made, a simple gravity fed water filter with no chill tank or electrics and would have been a fraction of the retail cost. This unit would work flawlessly for decades because there are not mechanics to fail. But then all those mechanics of the ones that fail don't actually do anything anyway so why do people complain? Surely a dead unit actually runs more reliably than a working unit especially since the is no advantage to have one that actually work anyway.

Great design, engineering achieves nothing except to wastes your money and the concept was dishonest yet the main function works perfectly beyond the death of the electronics and mechanicals... HUH?

Great product once you strip out the GUFF!

Is good for cooling water, but "Sunbeam quality" shows – Unlike many other reviewers here, we haven't had the total failure of the unit in the time we have owned it, and we've owned it I'd say for at least 3 years. It puts out cool water every time and in terms of a water chiller, it has been quite a trooper. On that basis alone, I'd recommend it. Family members who had the same unit have offloaded… Read more

theirs as after a time (usually just out of the warranty period) as they failed to produce chilled water or just failed totally. A theme that is repeated amongst these reviews.

I have noticed that Sunbeam appliances have a nicely finished, eye catching exterior, but the quality of the internal components is the stereotypical Chinese rubbish that will leave you stranded when the warranty runs out. This water cooler is no exception.

One recurring issue we have had with ours, something another reviewer has noted, is an awful screeching/grinding noise it can suddenly start making at random times leaving you with no option but to turn it off. We found that sometimes shaking or hitting the base of the unit can get it to stop, but not always.

Being well out of warranty I wasn't going to bother dealing with Sunbeam over it, so I dismantled the unit and found that the cooling fan, which is a rather poor quality unit, has excess runout (also referred to as end-float) which means the fan can move sideways when it is in operation. It is not supposed to do this.

When the fan moves sideways (actually the rotor moves backwards) in operation, the fan blades strike the heatsink fins, causing that God-awful noise. I have superglued a small, smooth-finished washer to the centre of the back of the fan so if it does move backwards again, the blades shouldn't be able to hit the heatsink. We will see how my backyard fix goes, but so far, so good.

Overall we've had good service from ours, as noted previously, apart from the screeching which left us without a functioning cooler. But if Sunbeam used better quality components inside, it would probably be a great unit that wouldn't attract anywhere near the venom it has here (nor have as many warranty claims).

Great unit. How to fix slow water dispersion – If your water is trickling or slow to come out or not at all, here is what to do. As I brought mine 2nd hand, I got it home and NO water dispersed so I made a solution equal parts of white vinegar and water. You only need about a cup of each. Let it sit 24 hrs. Every now and then I would blow down the water inlet through a straw to cause the… Read more

solution to move about. I did this about 6 times over 24hrs and Voila, now the water comes out perfectly. The unit gets a build up (I'm guessing calcium maybe) and it needs cleaning every now and again. A bit like how you don't leave water in irons, steaming units etc cause of mineral build up causing blockages. Warning the vinegar smell might make you crave fish and chips. Namaste

Good, but would be insanely great with two minor engineering changes – In this filter/chiller unit, there is a thermoelectric chilling module under the water tank. The cold side pf the module that extracts heat from the water is on contact with the tank. Heat is re-directed to the hot side of the module and dissipated by a multi-finned heat exchanger that is cooled by ambient air blown over it by a small electric… Read more ·  1

fan. It worked like a charm for 4 years. Over time, the very thin and delicate metal fins of the heat exchanger get packed with dust, so the chiller loses effectiveness, and the fan operation gradually becomes noisy.

I fixed this by opening the unit (at own risk), and cleaning the heat exchanger by blowing the dust out with compressed air. While at it, I also gave a squirt of teflon-based lubricant to the main fan bearing, which is a simple metal sleeve. Since then - bliss, cold filtered water on demand – and the unit is about 9 years old!

Sunbeam, you could make this appliance work for ever, and outsell all others combined, by making two simple engineering modifications: (1) accessible/cleanable air filter on he fan, so that the air blowing over the heat exchanger is dust-free, and (2) PTFE (teflon) sleeve bearing in the fan instead of a metal one.

Good product – I've been using this product for 4 years now and have not experience any issue. On the 2nd year the Brita Memo to remind you to replace the filter went flat. I called Sunbeam how to replace it and they sent me a replacement kit free of charge. Hoping that Sunbeam BRITA will continue this kind of model so I can upgrade mine.  Show details ·  1

i love my sunbeam water filter – I have had mine for over ten years ,I cant remember year or date , I am still very happy with it I use it with the chiller turned on or even with out power through the winter ,when I go camping I take it you don't need power ,its great thankyou sunbeam always my brand I chose  Show details

Dispenser lever ok but water comes out is so slow – I had mine since Dec 2016 (bought it from a friend) I'm getting chilled water ok but when water is disppensed, it comes out in a lesser intensity & always takes me a long time to fill up my water bottle (maybe 10 minutes). I wonder what the problem is and would love to hear any suggestions to help me put on this problem.  Show details

How to clean inside pipes? – Breta WF6000 water purifier has been around for four years. It is often the case that I have a black water mist when I replace the filter with a new one. Maybe there is a problem with the pipe. Is there any way around this? I do not feel like it's clean even though I can not see the black water mist.  Show details

Good while it lasted – Like many other reviewers of this product, ours became quite noisy in operation (sounded like a faulty bearing) and eventually just suddenly stopped working. Unlike other reviews though we did get more than 18 months out of ours. In fact we got close to five years. We turned ours off at night-time so it would have run for around 16 hours a day.… Read more

That's 29-30,000 hours of operation in total. All things considered I guess that it's not unreasonable to expect much more from a device which, from memory, was around the $100 dollar mark.

Chiller stopped working – We absolutely loved this machine, filtered beautifully, water was always cool and refreshing, with no adverse taste, but same problem as few other reviews which I have now found while looking for another one! Had it around 18months - 2 years and now has just stopped chilling one day. :(  Show details

Waste of Money – I bought two of these, one lasted just under two years the fan got really noisy and then stopped working. And then I bought one two months ago from a friend, brand new never opened, in less than two months it started leaking from the front spout, overnight, all over my wooden floor, found the next day.  Show details

Just a filter now – This was our third model of the Sunbeam water filter and chiller.... like other reviews, our latest one got noisy and then just stopped after about 2 years, no longer under warranty. No longer stocked at Myer or DJs, so a jug in the fridge might be the way forward now?  Show details

Good while it lasted – So my Sunbeam BRITA Water Filter and Chiller has now downgraded itself to just a water filter (not great for Queensland). It worked well for around 18 months and I loved it but suddenly it just stopped chilling for no apparent reason. After reading the reviews I saw that it appeared to be a common problem. I spoke with Sunbeam who told me the… Read more

model had been discontinued for this reason and that I could continue to use the machine as a water filter (obviously). I think that they should last longer than this, and obviously this product is no longer covered by warranty or the Australian Consumer Law. Sadly there appears to be no alternative on the market, in this price range, so I now have a water filter instead. :(

Dispense lever is free and does not dispense water any more – i have got this item for about 5 years, it has worked perfectly, however the little white bit that is being pushed to dispense water. i have opened it but cant think what is wrong with it, does this have a spring attached to this white bit because i couldn't find any spring when i opened it. if i could have diagram so that i can try to repair it. i hope i could explain what the issue is.....

Still going strong! – I have no idea what model ours is but we had it for 4 years without a hitch. Gave it to my father when he moved into a retirement home in 2012 and its even managed to outlive him!! It has been with my daughter since May 2015 who absolutely loves her water chilled.  Show reply

Dont bother buy this – Bought the dispenser twice and both of them died within 2 years. First one died in 2 years and bought another one same thing happened. I will not using this brand again wasted my money and didnt last long! So dissapointed with this product. And i will not recommend this for other people. Please buy somthing else for longterm user.

Love it – Can't believe the reviews We have had ours for 3 years and it hasn't missed a beat I'm sure sometimes that our world is full of whingers A lot of people seem to be wanting something for nothing We live in a caravan and use it whenever we have 240volt power avaliable Would like to know power requirement  Show reply

Short lifespan – We are on our third sunbeam brita water filter & chiller. They all seem to break down around 12-18 months. The fan becomes noisy or doesn't work altogether and the water no longer chills. There is no troubleshooting guide. Such a shame the quality has not improved over the years as the product is good otherwise.

all three units only lasted under 12 months – I had three of these units and all stopped chilling under 12 months we turned unit off for 4 months in the winter time as well . Sunbeam have stopped making the water chiller there was lots of problems with them sunbeam has a good name for making excellent products until they made the water chiller . I will look around for another brand but I wonder if they will be just as bad. when they worked they did a excellent job chilling water

Stopped Chilling after 18 months – Very disappointed in the product. After only 18 months it has stopped chilling and I would have expected it to have worked a lot longer than it has. Seems they have a built in self destruct which activates once the warranty expires. I would not recommend sunbeam as a trustworthy product.

Stopped chilling after 18months – Would not recommend this model/product. Was great to start with, instant chilled filtered water. Quiet and sat nicely on the bench top and easy to top up. The Unit stopped chilling after 18 months- warranty was only for 12 months. Won't be buying another one, $99 and only lasted 1.5hrs.

Haven't had any issues in 4 years. love it – fantastic and so convenient, I just keep a glass next to it and every time I pass I have a drink, made my drinking more water goals really achievable. Clean, cool water instantly. Great design and easy to clean. I have had this for at least 4 years and got it as a present. There is no noise and it has a pretty blue light. I love everything about… Read more

it. It is great for the kids too, they just help themsleves and when guests come round they just get a glass and have what they want. I love it.

stopped chilling at 15 months – Got this for Christmas 2013. Plugged it in Jan 20th 2014 when we got home. It has been a little noisy for the last 3 months, water not really cold. Kept up with filter changes. It appears this is a common problem its stopped chilling. Back to jugs in the fridge if you want cold water. Would I buy a replacement. .NO!

Jugs of Goodness – I have never been a fan of water, until I Purchased a Brita Water Filter Jug and now, I'm 'converted' and my Puppy and I drink it by the Jug full.

where do you get one??? – Need to replace old one - no models in any of the stores around Perth - no staff to ask either

third time lucky – glad i wasn't the only one that had faulty units. the first two units broke down around the 12 month period. i've now had the third unit for 3 years. motor seems to be quieter too. all were replaced under the store's warranty policy.

Perfect filtered water at all times – 5 stars. We have this for over 3 years now. Most people here have negative say about the chiller function but for us it didn't even bothered us because we use the water for coffee, tea and cooking so the chilled water is not that neessary but more of having fresh clean and filtered water at all times! It saved us lots of money buying bottled water!

Chiller no good but filtering okay – We have had the machine for about four years and like some other reviews the chiller function stopped working after about 12 months. The filter function is still working so we use it for that. Have it two stars only for the fact that the filter still works!

Rubbish – I gave Mum (80th birthday gift) and purchased one for ourselves. Both stopped chilling in about 3 years. No satisfaction from store, and now after reading this page I know why. It is very sad when a company can sell a product that is so faulty. Will not consider another sunbeam/brita appliance.

Ok, but underpowered – My unit is about three years old now and still working perfectly, so it seems I'm one of the lucky ones. Yes, they make nice cold filtered water, but any more than two or three (small to average) glasses in quick succession, and the water is no longer cool. It takes it hours to cool it down again. Difficult for me to recommend, but if you're only… Read more

having a couple of glasses an hour, might be worth considering.

I reckon many of them fail because the air intake area at the back (where the fan is) gets clogged up by dust. I moved mine a while ago and noticed it was all clogged. A good clean and maybe that's why mine's been reliable.

Buy 2 or 3 at a time – Excellent machine for about 12 months. Time to stop working then. I have had 3 machines up to now and I am convinced sunbeam are conning us as they all break down with the same complaint ( stop chilling) at about 12 months. Am trying to find a better brand that does the same job.

Extreamly happy! – We have had our water filter for 3 years now. I read the reviews on here but decided for the money to give it ago anyway. I am so extremely happy with it. It is still running 100% and we have very hard calcium rich bore water. The light on the front still works and we go through at least 1 full fill of water each day. I will definitely buy the same one when it does eventually die.

3 rd unit! Seems to last only 18 months! Very disappointed – Disappointing as when it worked it was wonderful, perfectly chilled water on tap anytime.... But......but then it stopped cooling............Same thing happened to all three units I have had. First two units were covered by warranty and gladly replaced, but now Sunbeam must realise what a bomb they are selling so it's not covered anymore ;((

Good for about a year then you can throw it out!!!! – I have now had 3 of these units myself and purchased 1 for my son but always the same problem. They last about a year then stops cooling even though I have replaced the filter religiously every six months. The one I have now has just stopped pumping the water. Disappointing as the unit is a great idea when it works but I object to paying this… Read more

money and having to replace it every year including the cost of the filters which are approx. $30. Sorry Sunbeam will not be purchasing anymore.

Only lasts about a year if you are lucky and stops cooling or pumping.