How do you get your drinking water?

[Poppy]

I was trained to open the refrigerator door, get what you want, and CLOSE THE DOOR! So despite the fact that our fridge has a filtered cold water spout, I rarely use it. I'd have to hold the door open all the while, waiting for my glass to fill up.

We also have a Brita filtered pitcher, that sits in the door shelf, of the fridge. It gets used more during the summer months, it is currently sitting on a shelf in the closet.

For years we used a WaterPik faucet filter. When the knob snapped off, I wrote to the company, and asked for a replacement knob; it would be easy to swap out. They sent me a whole new package instead. Great customer service!

I drink my coffee and iced tea made with water straight from the faucet, no filtering.

I also have faith in the Government monitoring our water supply. I have even more faith in my body's ability to filter out the bad stuff, and that which it can't, my body's immune system being able to deal with incorrigibles.

They say, when you go to Mexico, don't drink the water. Yet, Mexicans do, and they don't experience Montezuma's revenge. I read a couple of Cody Lundin's books. He's the barefoot guy in the TV series "Dual Survival". He collects rain water off of his grass thatched roof. Once a bird fell into and drowned in his water drum. He didn't remove the bird, and continued to drink the water. He figured it would help his immune system to condition itself to a variety of bacteria.

 

[PhotonMaster3]

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

Ha yeah me too. Glad I'm not the only one

 

[knucklegary]

Poppy you need to visit Mexico, and stay long enough to get dysentery.
Yup, gimme a American garden hose any day.

 

[Poppy]

Poppy you need to visit Mexico, and stay long enough to get dysentery.
Yup, gimme a American garden hose any day.

Yeah @knucklegary thankyou, but no thankyou.

When out in the wild, Cody wouldn't drink water unless he pasteurized it first. Pasteurization occurs at 170 degrees F.

I remember laughing when during a commercial (I don't recall what they were selling) but there were two guys at the beach, drinking cocktails, chuckling saying... "Hey they say - don't drink the water!" Then one replies, "I wonder what they make the ice cubes out of?"

 

[bykfixer]

I have faith in our great federal government also

I used to work for the government. I know what's in the water.
I'll say this about it:
-The water being introduced into the system is pretty good. What reaches your home could be a different thing entirely.
Lots of variables.
- Often old lead joint cast iron pipes have a build up of barnicles that actually do a pretty good job of filtering. Circulation is key. If the water keeps going due to demand it's best. If any doubt about lead pipes inside the home just flush a toilet in the morning before using it for coffee etc.
- Those asbestos cement water lines were pretty safe but were eliminated because of maintenance issues as the stuff is pretty fragile versus metal and plastic. No studies ever showed the asbestos was harmful to drink. It's when the dust got in the lungs where the issues happened.
- PVC pipe is fairly safe provided there is circulation. If the chemicals in municipal water sets against the PVC for extended periods chemical reactions can occur that can cause cancer in Cailfornia.
- It's the unknown stuff like when the line breaks and mud enters the line while repair crews fix it, or when a fire hydrant or cut off valve is turned on or off debris like barnicles and sludge can break free and enter the drinking water.
- Typically the older lines have a lining of buildup that acts like a filter where new lines don't.

Overall municiple water in most places in the US is safe to drink. Some places with lines built in the 1930's to the 1950's not so much due to lead.

 

[The Hawk]

We had a R.O. system in our previous house. We sold that house and left the system there. Wife did not like the way her hair felt after shampooing it. I get my drinking water out of the faucet. I drink about 3/4 gallon per day. I know that's a lot but a couple friends have had kidney stones and their Dr. said it is from not drinking enough water. From what I have heard I don't want kidney stones.

 

[bridgman]

He collects rain water off of his grass thatched roof. Once a bird fell into and drowned in his water drum. He didn't remove the bird, and continued to drink the water. He figured it would help his immune system to condition itself to a variety of bacteria.

One of the common questions you see on forums for swimming pool maintenance is "how much chlorine does it take to eliminate a dead bird in the pool ?". The context usually suggests an unspoken follow-on - "or should I just scoop it out ?".

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

We had a R.O. system in our previous house. We sold that house and left the system there. Wife did not like the way her hair felt after shampooing it. I get my drinking water out of the faucet. I drink about 3/4 gallon per day. I know that's a lot but a couple friends have had kidney stones and their Dr. said it is from not drinking enough water.

From what I have heard I don't want kidney stones.

Would that be blood-curdling screams?

 

[bykfixer]

In the ER one night this Australlian nurse said she'd rather give birth to triplets than pass another stone. I was in there after one knicked me on the way out and the blood clot had my plumbing blocked. Yikes.

In many cases they come from excess uric acid. So yes, staying flushed definitely helps with that.

 

[knucklegary]

In the ER one night this Australlian nurse said she'd rather give birth to triplets than pass another stone. I was in there after one knicked me on the way out and the blood clot had my plumbing blocked. Yikes.

In many cases they come from excess uric acid. So yes, staying flushed definitely helps with that.

Did you doc tell you to cut out certain foods?
I knew there was another good reason to throw out the chard. Besides chewing like a goat to get it down, swiss chard is on the list of foods to avoid, along with sweet potatoes. Bummer!

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Not sure about sweet potatoes but I vastly reduce kale ingestion. I believe it is the oxalic acid in those foods, but also recognize kidney stones are caused by other circumstances as well.

 

[The Hawk]

Yeah, I would rather not have blood curdling screams induced by kidney stones. Whew!

 

[bykfixer]

Did you doc tell you to cut out certain foods?
I knew there was another good reason to throw out the chard. Besides chewing like a goat to get it down, swiss chard is on the list of foods to avoid, along with sweet potatoes. Bummer!

They said milk was the reason for mine so I avoided that for years. But truth be told it was probably from not enough water/fluids. I drank soda or coffee back then so the diuretic thing from cafiene probably contributed.

 

[DaveTheDude]

OK, back to the topic of drinking water. I've used a Berkey Filter for about four years now. It's called a filter, but it's actually rated as a purifier in accordance with USA testing protocols. The purified water the device produces tastes superb; if you taste a glass of filtered and unfiltered water from the same original source side by side, the difference will astound you. It's not suitable for whole house applications, rather it's for drinking and cooking. Really long filter life, in my case measured in years.

 

[fredx]

the chemicals in municipal water sets against the PVC for extended periods chemical reactions can occur that can cause cancer in Cailfornia.

Whew
Glad I live in Fl & not CA.

 

[turbodog]

We had a R.O. system in our previous house. We sold that house and left the system there. Wife did not like the way her hair felt after shampooing it. I get my drinking water out of the faucet. I drink about 3/4 gallon per day. I know that's a lot but a couple friends have had kidney stones and their Dr. said it is from not drinking enough water. From what I have heard I don't want kidney stones.

My brother lost a kidney from one. Didn't know that was even possible.

 

[bykfixer]

Whew
Glad I live in Fl & not CA.

My fishing pole had a label that states it may cause cancer in California. 😱

So I suppose no matter your water source there it may cause cancer.

 

[fredx]

My fishing pole had a label that states it may cause cancer in California. 😱

Do not accompany that pole to california for any reason!!

 

[TPA]

I'm on the road for my job most of the time. My fav. is usually getting ice from the hotel ice machine and letting it melt. All of the hotels I've stayed in have some sort of filter before the ice machine, and the way commercial ice machines form ice tends to cause the impurities to get flushed down the drain.

At my temporary condo, I'm the first customer straight from the water plant so I have a carbon filter and that's it.

 

[Poppy]

I'm on the road for my job most of the time. My fav. is usually getting ice from the hotel ice machine and letting it melt. All of the hotels I've stayed in have some sort of filter before the ice machine, and the way commercial ice machines form ice tends to cause the impurities to get flushed down the drain.

At my temporary condo, I'm the first customer straight from the water plant so I have a carbon filter and that's it.

Nice tip, provided that they swap out the filter periodically.