If You Don't Drink the Water?

[thompsonisland]

Yeah, bottled water is suboptimal. I buy Poland Spring if I have to, but I prefer not to. Filling glass or steel jars from a spring would be ideal, but challenging on a boat! Sufficient filtration seems to be the answer. Run your own hose if you can, determine what you wish to filter, and set up filtration to deal with it. Berkeys do fluoride; I don't know what else does. Chlorine can be removed by filters, or by letting the water off-gas before consuming. I don't know, but I suspect that boiling, uncovered (in cooking) probably releases the chlorine. Bacterial elements are usually easily managed; chemicals are tricky but it's a question of one's personal limits. Having had cytarabine and daunarubicin administered intra-vascularly, I have a particularly low threshhold for certain classes of toxins.

[sesmith]

I appreciate the OP's concern for water quality, but it's all relative, I suppose. I live in a fairly rural area and my home water supply for the last 30 years comes from a spring fed well that is 8' deep. Other than a water softener, we do nothing to treat it and do no filtration.

The cistern that catches the water used to be much shallower and less secure (we've since replaced it with the current system which is deeper and surrounded by a large gravel bed). By less secure, I mean that critters could occasionally get into it and not get out. You guessed where this is going. The couple of times this happened, I was clued into the problem when taking a shower. Something just didn't smell right...kind of dead if you know what I mean. Sure enough, a check of the well would locate the "problem". The only really gross thing is that you knew you had been drinking the water for a week or so before the problem presented itself. It also had a way of running the coliform count way up.

So this is an example of filtering out the big chunks. Like I said, it's all relative. I have never been one to worry about the small stuff, and our water system has served us well all these years (at least since I replaced the well cistern). Being a ground water source, I am concerned with what happens in the nearby farm fields. The couple of tests for nitrates I've done over the years showed no problems and more recently the farms have switched to organic practices.

On the boat, I prefer good beer in brown bottles, and usually carry bottled drinking water or fresh bottled water from home. We do use the tank water for coffee and cooking.

[Bash]

The OP really ought to watch this 7-minute film: Story of Bottled Water « The Story of Stuff Project It's about how the bottled water industry has spent billions trying to get you to fear tap water.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

And if you don't what happens in a couple of days? Do the cats win the battle or do you?

My cats every once in a while try to convince me that THEY are in charge. Doesn't work out for them.

Your cats are so smart they've got you thinking you're winning or in charge but the truth is the cats always win.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by thompsonisland

... For now, I buy bottled water for the bost, or, if it's a short trip, bring well water from home in glass and steel....

I am involved in water testing. One dependable fact is that most positive hits for plasticizers come from the cap liner, not the bottle, so if you're concerned, check the liner materials on your glass and steel bottles. If we see a a hit for bis-2 ethylhexyphthalate or the like we always check the sample history first. Vinyl hose is also a significant source. 99.8% of the time (not an exaggeration), it's not in the water to start with, it's in the clean bottle or sampling hose the lab tech used.

Polyethylene is not plasticized and is very safe in this regard.

--------------

Of course, we could look at the well water in question as well. Do you have a full analysis, or just the typical health dept scan?

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by thompsonisland

My boat has Monel tanks and plastic lines. Fresh water comes on board via the marina garden hose.

I am not comfortable drinking water from most municipal supplies, or that has been through a hose. So, I need a plan. For now, I buy bottled water for the bost, or, if it's a short trip, bring well water from home in glass and steel.

There are counter top RO systems, but I don't know if they remove plasticizers and the water must be remineralized (I can get mineral additives or add a little sea salt or bone stock, maybe, and in few circumstances could maybe add sea water).

There are desalinatinators but they are expensive and I worry about seawater quality many places (Would use one in the Arctic, sure).

There are bottles but that's still plastic and waste, plus if it isn't a spring then it is RO(see above).

What do you do?

I don't worry about water that's come from a hose once it's run, or municipal water, but I don't ever drink from my water tank. The fact is that you *cannot* 100% sterilize that tank. Putting a little chlorine in the water helps but any microbiologist will tell you that some microbes will survive. The chlorine will dissipate and if you leave it long enough, the water WILL stagnate, proof that it was not a sterile environment.

The microbes that grow in water do not thrive in air, so wash your dishes and let them air dry.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

I just use the water in the tank and have been for 8 years now. Really mankind up to the last 100 years or so has been drinking out of rivers and streams and have been for quite a long time. Many parts of the world they still do it that way.

From an engineering perspective, I don't use filter media on the drinking water either as the media itself offers a perfect media for bacteria growth. Something they don't tell you in those brita commercials..

In many parts of the world, 1/4 of the children die before the age of five, often from dysentery acquired from the water they drink. It is not actually safe to drink from most mountain streams any more.

CDC - Camping, Hiking, Travel Home - Drinking Water - Healthy Water

[thompsonisland]

To clarify, I'm not advocating bottled water. No need to educate me on the baddies there. The only reason to have it on my boat is because I lack storage capacity beyond a certain point, and bottled spring water from a known source is preferable to me than unknown origin via garden hose.

Full analysis, independent.

[perchance]

If you are filling from a hose check to see if a back flow preventer is installed where the hose connects. It is supposed to prevent contamination of the water source from bacterial infiltration.

[DumnMad]

I've heard a little bacteria keeps your immune system exercised and with too much protection you might die of the flu. Also animal fat is far more dangerous to health than tap water. Stress is supposed to reduce your ability to self heal so don't be too picky just go sailing.

[thompsonisland]

No way, man, animal fat is the staff of life around here!

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by thompsonisland

No way, man, animal fat is the staff of life around here!

Especially over some glowing hickory wood.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by thompsonisland

No way, man, animal fat is the staff of life around here!

Now I'm craving some seared pork belly

[Matt sachs]

Originally Posted by DumnMad

I've heard a little bacteria keeps your immune system exercised and with too much protection you might die of the flu. Also animal fat is far more dangerous to health than tap water. Stress is supposed to reduce your ability to self heal so don't be too picky just go sailing.

[thompsonisland]

I need an onboard smoker! I love me some smoked fish. (And yes, I'm only too aware of the toxins in much edible sea life