What's Inside A New ZeroWater Filter? Should A ZeroWater Filter Be Wet Right Out Of The Package?

See what is inside a new, unused ZeroWater filter as I disassemble a filter. I show the filter medium used inside a ZeroWater filter. I was surprised to see some of the filter medium mixed together given that the ZeroWater filter is supposed to work in 5 stages. Anyone with a background in chemistry/science have any thoughts on this? Will the ZeroWater filter still do its job properly and filter out all the bad elements from tap water they way it is supposed to?
Find it here:
ZeroWater Official Replacement Filter- amzn.to/3ZWy7MX

[@I-Go-Viral]

I taste the charcoal after a few uses...

[@efficientway]

With the ZeroWater filter, see if that taste is gone after the first 3 to 4 pitchers of water have run through. I know from the charcoal used in fish pump filters, when you first get them and rinse them under water (required) you'll see all the loose, powdery, black stuff come out in the water. I'm not aware of fake Zero Water filters being sold, but it would not surprise me. So make sure you're buying from a reputable source. I was recently told about some obscure items you'd never think would be "faked", but are.

[@I-Go-Viral]

@@efficientway nope keeps getting worse

[@efficientway]

@@I-Go-Viral Yea, that's definitely not right. And I assume you tasted a bit of the water directly from the tap and no taste there? Where did you purchase the filters from? If you have the box I would contact ZeroWater customer service as that should definitely not be the case. The box will have the lot number on it to track the water filters.