How do you get your drinking water?

[Rossymeister]

Does anybody here use a reverse osmosis system for their drinking water? Any recommendations?

What kind of water do you use for drinking? Good ole tap water?

Ive had a RO system for about 7 years now. Went to order filters earlier this month, and found out they aren't selling them anymore. Im currently looking for another system and wanted to get some input.

Thanks!

 

[chillinn]

I prefer my water from a thousand foot well and at least 10,000 years old, but deep wells are expensive and around here it might be salty due to the impact that formed the Chesapeake Bay. All the wells around here are shallow ground water wells infused with minerals. My well has lots of iron and poor taste, so I haul in bottled spring (treated tap) water, which tastes ok, but I hate the idea of the plastic it comes in. I should probably get a Brita and drink the well water.

A Brita pitcher costs $20-$40 and comes with a filter and usually a replacement filter. Reverse osmosis is a super neat idea, but a couple to few hundred dollars for the equipment plus installation.

An activated carbon filter removes 10-15% of all contaminants or total dissolved solids and and can absorb a range of toxins, drugs, viruses, bacteria, fungus, and chemicals found in water. Activated charcoal replacement filters cost anywhere from $20-$30 (in 3 to 5 packs, but also available in bulk) and should be replaced every 6 months to a year.

Reverse osmosis removes 95-97% of total dissolved solids, and has a very high effectiveness in removing bacteria (Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli) and a very high effectiveness in removing viruses (Enteric, Hepatitis A, Norovirus, Rotavirus). RO replacement filters come in pairs for around $50 and should be replaced every year.

I have never tasted reverse osmosis, but it removes so much I wonder if it is bland compared to activated charcoal. Distilled water doesn't taste as good to me as spring water.

I think all in all, activated charcoal is good, reverse osmosis is best. I could probably save up for a reverse osmosis system, but I'm only leasing the sink.

 

[Olumin]

Mineral water in Glass bottles. I try to avoid plastic wherever I can.

In Germany you can drink tap water safely, but the plumping is made of plastic (or lead if they're old) & I think they mix something into the water to keep bacteria out. Chlorine? Dunno. I don't bother with filters, too complicated for me. Im not going to make a science out of drinking water.

 

[ironhorse]

I made it this long right from the tap, no filter. If I am outside, the garden hose still works.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Previous house had a reverse osmosis. A lot of people are not aware that RO has to use extra water as part of the process that ends up going down the drain. Some models are very wasteful.

There is a store in Albuquerque that takes good care of their RO unit and we purchase drinking water there with our own containers. I prefer the pure taste of that water but drink a lot of well water cold from the tap when at home. It is kind of hard but not as bad as many neighbors, so we're lucky. Distilled water is pretty flat tasting, but at work the store bought always tastes good regardless of its temperature.

Under rare circumstances, the thin, clear plastic throw away water bottles are just so convenient and many taste decent.

 

[idleprocess]

Normally direct from the tap, accepting that summer algal blooms make reservoir water a tad unpleasant. Considering a carbon filter system for at least the summer months to deal with the unpleasant taste.

 

[Remembertheslap]

Roof water. No filters, except a cheesecloth for large solids. No issues after 12 years. Clean environment though...

 

[bykfixer]

From the words in red.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Roof water. No filters, except a cheesecloth for large solids. No issues after 12 years. Clean environment though...

What area are you located? What kind of roof do you have and how do you catch and store? Very interesting.

 

[knucklegary]

Watering gardens is okay, but I'd be worried drinking rainwater runoff from asphalt shingles.

I have seen in Islands homes, with metal roofs, setup poly catchment barrels under downspouts.
Still, I feel a filtration system prior to drinking would be safest

 

[Remembertheslap]

What area are you located? What kind of roof do you have and how do you catch and store? Very interesting.

Ireland, on the Atlantic coast. The rain here is pretty clean, comes in off the Atlantic. Roof is modern box corrugated metal, coated with something (Acrylic? Vinyl? Paint?) Rain runs straight off into PVC eve chutes which are encrusted with algae, then into potable water tanks which are also filled with life forms of some sort. 2 tanks, one in constant use since mid 90's the other from early 2000's, at different properties. I power washed them both a decade ago and they were algae encrusted inside.

First 28 years since birth the family water source was a sporadic stream from rain runoff. Some feral goats around but no major livestock upstream.

We had the water tested for biologics at one time and the test came back clean.

I have read warning about drinking untreated roof water, bird droppings, airborne particulates etc, so was leery about it when I moved and set up the new system, but I figured runoff from a metal sheet can't be any different to runoff from the ground. Been drinking it for about 13 years now, and not noticed any changes, gastrointestinal or otherwise.

If we get a run of really hot dry weather I disconnect the chutes and when the rain comes, let it wash off the roof for a day before reconnecting to the tanks... I haven't tested the roof water. But I have an old neighbor who's been doing this for 50 years or more - tiled roof - and it never affected him.

My guess would be heavy depends on location. Downwind of Norilsk, probably not a great idea.

 

[bridgman]

My fridge has a built in filter/icemaker but the icemaker broke years ago and the water chiller is leaking, so I "graduated" to a Brita pitcher.

Tap water is safe to drink and tastes OK but the filtered tastes a bit better and it handles the occasional time when the tap water comes out brown... if nothing else it gives me a chance to realize what is going on and toss the brown water before I drink it

The water is pretty good in general other than high iron content.

 

[orbital]

+

Well -> Culligan iron filter -> grinder pump I share w/ neighbor -> sewer pipe -> waste treatment about 2mi. away.

Have Britta filter in my pitcher for drinking water, but that was mostly for filtering my coffee water... I no longer brew coffee.

 

[raggie33]

Out of my faucet unfiltered I'd bet fast food is way more unsafe then drinking city water

 

[turbodog]

Roof water. No filters, except a cheesecloth for large solids. No issues after 12 years. Clean environment though...

Bird pee/poo help or hurt the flavor?

 

[JimIslander]

Tap water filtered by fridge, fed by Cooper and Edisto rivers. Mom's house has an added under sink filter.

 

[Remembertheslap]

Bird pee/poo help or hurt the flavor?

I actually don't know (shrugs). I'm so used to the peepee at this stage I'd only notice it by it's absence I suppose. As for the poopoo, I'm cognizant of the possibility. I do check the roof (one side of the pitch) from a higher part of the property from time to time, but almost never see evidence of birds on it. I'm sure there have been a few presents over the years, but don't see them.

If my house was right next to a seaside pier with a colony of gulls nearby, it would be a different matter, I suppose.

 

[fredx]

I have one under my sink that was & is provided by , installed & maintained by the state on a yearly basis free of charge. Wish I could help you out with a recommendation.

 

[turbodog]

Faucet-lover here. I have faith the USDA is doing its job inspecting/certifying water systems. So, provided I don't have any lead piping, I'm good.

 

[fredx]

Faucet-lover here. I have faith the USDA is doing its job inspecting/certifying water systems. So, provided I don't have any lead piping, I'm good.

I have faith in our great federal government also