Watermaker Myths

[Kenomac]

We continue to meet full time liveaboard cruisers who do not drink the water made via their perfectly good watermakers. They continue to lug huge amounts of bottled water aboard for drinking and only use the watermaker water for washing and flushing toilets. I don't get it.... they have an expensive, magical device onboard which produces an extremely good product in copious amounts, yet they refuse to drink the water?

We run our Spectra watermaker product water through a BRITA charcoal filter to eliminate any tank taste, even though the water consistently tests at less than 250ppm, otherwise, we've never had any issues with drinking water quality; but the others refuse to drink their own water and look at us like we're nuts for drinking ours.

Is this a common myth? Watermaker produced water is not suitable for drinking?

I even had one knucklehead onboard two summers ago, who refused to drink the water because he said "the fishes crap and pee in the ocean... I'm not drinking that stuff." Needless to say, he won't be invited back.

[colemj]

People do the same on land with high quality municipal water supplies. Nobody I know drinks tap water anymore - only a few do after running it through things like a Brita or even more complicated RO devices.

Somehow and somewhen, everybody in the world got convinced that bottled water is the only healthy option. A status symbol, actually.

Good marketing by Coca-Cola and the likes.

Mark

[Kenomac]

Run through an inexpensive charcoal filter to eliminate the chlorine taste, our municipal water here in Whoville tastes great! Yet I see nearly everyone, including those on food stamps, buying shopping carts filled with bottled water. I even know of a couple of fools who only give their dogs and cats bottled water to drink. I'm sure as soon as they leave the house, their animals head right to the toilet for the "good stuff."

What a waste...

[Udacha]

People defiantly have different opinions about water. I’m sure there is nothing wrong or unhealthy about water from a watermaker. My uncle was head engineer for a large water company in AZ and would refuse to drink bottled water, he would fill up bottles at home for trips. He said that bottled water companies have far less restrictions than city water companies.

Food for thought

Mike

[Kenomac]

Mike,

I've heard and read the same thing. Our watermaker product water gets tested by yours truly several times per week before it get diverted into the water tank.

Who knows what's in the bottled water?

[Tellie]

I run across a few people that will not drink RO water no matter what and will only drink bottled water. There's just no convincing a convinced person, but it's their responsibility to take care of themselves the best they see fit. But in my non scientific research, I have commissioned and repaired thousands of watermakers in open ocean, marinas, back bays, canals and high growth docks. With pretty much all of them I've been the first to drink a glass of the water made. I'm still here and I've never gotten sick from it. I'd be more concerned with drinking water directly from the tank that hasn't been filtered first. If possible, I sometimes use a plumbers scope to show people what's really going on in their well maintained tanks.

Halden Marine Services | Marine Watermakers, Solar Panels, Wind Generators

[CarlF]

I don't allow bottled water on board. Guests are fine once I explain the following:

- The watermaker membrane removes much smaller contaminants than the high volume filters used by the large beverage companies. The NRDC tested 1000 US water bottles and found 25% were municipal tap water - perfectly legal

NRDC: Bottled Water

- Bottled water has a high carbon footprint. The plastic in the bottle and the diesel to ship is the emissions of the bottle being 1/4 full of oil. Hardly a "status" symbol. The energy to run the desalinator is a tiny fraction of this.

- The water maker water (plus a high quality filter on the drinking water tap) simply tastes better.

I have lead some tubing to a two quart stainless waterfilter housing (without filter) in the fridge with a tap on the bulkhead. Cold water is always available.

[a64pilot]

I think it may be because you are in Europe, I know when I lived in Germany, none of the Germans would drink tap water. Made me worry about it, so I stopped drinking it when I was there too.
But I believe there water also was not flouridated either, now if I had children on the boat, I'd get flouride tablets as I believe in them. But heck water from an RO unit is about as pure as it can get, so pure it's my understanding that it isn't good for metal plumbing?

[Udacha]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Mike,

I've heard and read the same thing. Our watermaker product water gets tested by yours truly several times per week before it get diverted into the water tank.

Who knows what's in the bottled water?

Plus bottled water costs more than gas or diesel

[Simonsays]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I think it may be because you are in Europe, I know when I lived in Germany, none of the Germans would drink tap water.

i'm drinking tap water for as long as i can remember, never bothered to haul bottles.
i've never been to a place in Germany were the water was not top drinking quality.
I do have friends who always drink bottled water and i gave up on telling them how good their tap water is. i just drink it

Edit: fun fact, everyone here has some sort of coffee machine and they all run on tap water.

[Cheechako]

I've never heard that myth. For myself, I prefer watermaker water for drinking. There isn't a lot of tap water I like or will drink, but some places I like it.

[Cap Erict3]

Although my mountain well water tasted great and was the source for several bottling companies, my lady insisted on buying bottled water.

I just hung my head and fed the horses.

[Udacha]

Originally Posted by Cap Erict3

Although my mountain well water tasted great and was the source for several bottling companies, my lady insisted on buying bottled water.

I just hung my head and fed the horses.

I'm on a well myself and often get comments on how good the water tastes

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

I even had one knucklehead onboard two summers ago, who refused to drink the water because he said "the fishes crap and pee in the ocean... I'm not drinking that stuff." Needless to say, he won't be invited back.

When I pointed out to the numbskull that his city's water supply back home came from a reservoir which also had mammals, fish and birds crapping and peeing in the water, he said "that's different, the city has experts testing the water for safety." I showed him how I tested the watermaker product water for purity using the ppm tester, his reply.... "You're no expert."

I think the de-evolution of humans is definitely taking place... getting much more dense.

[cards26]

I see some first world 'privilege' here, people may not be as trusting elsewhere, and you really can't blame them.

I've seen what I call a work ethic in the midwest of the U.S., and Germany, and this does not exist everywhere in the world. Once you are outside of North America and Europe, you really have to be careful.

It costs me a bundle to import French and Italian bottled water, but it makes me feel better.

Tellie is probably right, the watermaker water is very good, but it's the trust in govt officials and manufacturers that many in this world just don't have.

Colombian town sues after drinking feces-ridden water for 20 years - UPI.com