Filters and consumables
The one part of the kitchen system that wears out
Everything else under the counter is built to be left alone. The anti-scale cartridge is not: it is doing the work that keeps scale out of the boiling tank, and it has a service life. Plan for it at design stage and it is a two-minute job. Plan for it afterwards and it can mean pulling a machine out of the cabinet.
Why it is there
Scale is what
kills these systems
Boiling water at 98 °C drives dissolved hardness out of solution. Over a hard-water kitchen's normal week that lands inside the tank, on the element and eventually at the tap. The cartridge takes that load instead.
Protects the boiling machine
A scaled element works harder for the same 98 °C and fails sooner. The cartridge is the cheapest part in the cabinet and it stands in front of the most expensive one.
Keeps the water drinkable
Chilled filtered water is the reason most kitchens specify the system. Spent media shows up in the glass before it shows up anywhere else.
Keeps the warranty clean
Tap warranty runs three years and machine warranty two. Damage caused by running a system past its filter interval is not a manufacturing fault, so keep a note of change dates.
The cartridge
Dimensions and service life
- Model
- 51008 anti-scale cartridge
- Overall size
- 105 × Ø66.5 × 295.4 mm
- Removable bowl section
- 230 mm
- Service interval
- Every 3 to 6 months, or 2000 litres
- Clearance to change it
- 230 mm of free space below the head
- Fits
- The under-counter boiling and chilled kitchen system
Figures are taken from the factory drawing for the cartridge and verified twice. Millimetres, subject to engineering revision.
Design rule
Leave 230 mm of clear space below the filter head. The bowl unscrews downwards, and 230 mm is how far it has to travel to clear the cartridge. Without that gap, every change turns into taking the whole assembly off the cabinet wall first.
- Mount it high on a cabinet side panel, not down on the cabinet floor.
- The two machines and the filter side by side need about 833 mm with service clearance, so the cartridge often lives in the neighbouring cabinet bay.
- Keep a shallow tray or a cloth under it — the bowl holds water when it comes off.
Knowing when
How to tell the cartridge is due
There is no electronic counter on this system telling you what to buy. Four honest signs, in the order they are worth trusting.
- 01
The calendar says so
This is the one that matters. Change it every 3 to 6 months, or at 2000 litres, whichever comes first. In a hard-water area and a busy kitchen, work to the short end of that range.
- 02
The boiling flow has slowed
A cartridge that is loading up restricts flow before it does anything else. If filling a mug takes noticeably longer than it did in the first month, it is due.
- 03
The water tastes or looks different
Cloudiness that does not settle, or a flat, chalky taste in the chilled water, usually means the media is spent.
- 04
You can see scale at the spout
White crust building at the aerator is scale getting past the filter stage. Change the cartridge, then clean the aerator.
A simple habit that works: write the date on the bowl in marker when it goes in, and set a calendar reminder for four months later. Every kitchen we have seen keep on top of this does one of those two things.
Ordering
How to get a new cartridge
If your kitchen was fitted by a partner
Go to them first. Authorised installation partners hold cartridges, know which system is in your kitchen, and can change it on a service visit if you would rather not do it yourself. If you do not know who covers your area, ask us for an introduction.
If you are a trade or distribution customer
Cartridges are ordered from the factory alongside taps and machines. Tell us the tap and machine models you are supporting and the market you ship into. Commercial terms are confirmed in writing per model and per order.
Either route starts at the same address: [email protected]. We reply by email, Monday to Friday. No retail pricing is published on this site.