The Battle of Tap vs. Bottled Water: My Experience

[Mattius_]

Well I would have to say that when bottled water first srpang up in my area about 4 years ago I was very suspicious of this product. I really didn't understand the logic in buying 20 ounces of water for a dollar while I could get it for practically free on tap. Soon enough, my health conscious mother and sister bought a large water dispenser and put it right next to the kitchen sink.(The battle was on) At first, I refused to use the purified water as a sign of protest, but eventually I started drinking. Today, I am officially a full-time purified water consumer for trivial reasons such as 'taste' and 'clarity'. I still refuse to pay a dollar for water, but I do agree with the consensus when I drink purified. What are your thoughts?

 

[Laser Eyes]

I drink Evian every day. It feels pure and healthy. Try it, you won't drink any other kind of water after you do.

 

[Kerrie]

i have heard that bottled water isn't required to have the same health standards as tap water...anyone else heard this?

 

[Zero]

Originally posted by Kerrie
i have heard that bottled water isn't required to have the same health standards as tap water...anyone else heard this?

Yep, I've heard it too...if you have a decent filter, it is just the same.

 

[quartodeciman]

A third alternative is to install a dispenser and order springwater jugs. You still pay, of course, but maybe it is less expensive.

 

[Zantra]

I think it depends on the area you're in too. When I was in Michigan, no one dreamed of bottled water for use as anything but a refresher if you're working out or something. Of course being surrounded by a virtually unlimited supply of natrually uncontaminated lake water may have something to do with that.

But since coming to california I've found that NOONE drinks the tap water. Everyone says it's contaminated and unsafe, and recommends I drink bottled water only. *shrug*

 

[Monique]

Originally posted by Zantra
I think it depends on the area you're in too. When I was in Michigan, no one dreamed of bottled water for use as anything but a refresher if you're working out or something. Of course being surrounded by a virtually unlimited supply of natrually uncontaminated lake water may have something to do with that.

*Really* Uncontaminated lake water huh? I've heard other stories. I only drink filtered water and have a very good reason for it.. the water coming out of the tap here in Michigan is yellow and contains so much chloride that I could actually smell it.. my nose has been desensitized to it so I don't smell it anymore. But yellow water is not for me.

 

[Zantra]

Originally posted by Monique
*Really* Uncontaminated lake water huh? I've heard other stories. I only drink filtered water and have a very good reason for it.. the water coming out of the tap here in Michigan is yellow and contains so much chloride that I could actually smell it.. my nose has been desensitized to it so I don't smell it anymore. But yellow water is not for me.

Hmm...Well I never had an issue with yellow water myself. I guess it depends where in michigan you are. I remember reading something about certain communities puttting too much chlorine in their water, but then there are much worse things in the water out here than chlorine. I drank tap water in michigan for many years, and I have absolutely no health issues. There are always people who prefer bottled water to tap, but there's a lot larger percentage here in california than in michigan.

 

[iansmith]

i drink tap. I put the water in the freezer and i get rid of the test. I think the tap water is not more polluted. The process of make drinkable water is quite efficient.

With bottled water, you have to be careful because some bottled water is just tap water and not from a source. You have to read the labeled to make sure what you drink.

the bottled water also does not have the same hygene standard than tap water. I have seen the bacterial and coliform count of bottled water and there much more bacteria and a bit more coliform in bottled water than in tap. The solution is to be ozonated water, it kills microorganism more efficiently than chlorine.

For those that are filter tap water fan, you water has a higher bacterial and coliform count than unfiltered tap water as the filter ages. Bacteria actually grow in the filter part.

Monique, the yellow color of your water is probably due the water pipes.

 

[Andy]

Tis the same problem in England, the government has decided that it has to put lots and lots of different chemicals in the water just to purify it, although now it has lost its taste completely.

 

[russ_watters]

Originally posted by Zero
Yep, I've heard it too...if you have a decent filter, it is just the same.

Most likely better, though it depends on where you live. Bottled water is essentially filtered tap water. I love my Brita, but I'll never ever buy bottled water.

Also people are less wary of "natural" things than they should be (ebola is natural). Water from a mountain stream sounds like it should be great, but don't forget, the bears piss in it.

 

[Zero]

Originally posted by russ_watters
Most likely better, though it depends on where you live. Bottled water is essentially filtered tap water. I love my Brita, but I'll never ever buy bottled water.

Also people are less wary of "natural" things than they should be (ebola is natural). Water from a mountain stream sounds like it should be great, but don't forget, the bears piss in it.

Good points. I live in the country, I drink fresh filtered well water...but if I lived in another area, I would be afraid to.

 

[Mr. Robin Parsons]

Originally posted by russ_watters
Most likely better, though it depends on where you live. Bottled water is essentially filtered tap water. I love my Brita, but I'll never ever buy bottled water.
Also people are less wary of "natural" things than they should be (ebola is natural). Water from a mountain stream sounds like it should be great, but don't forget, the bears piss in it.

Humm, I know where the spring is for on of the bottled water retailers, because I used to live right near there, and had water coming from an artisian well on that property.

That water had NO contaminents what-so-ever but the expansion tank that provided the pressurization of the well water had a rusting problem so that did get into the water and raise the Fe count.

As for where the bears "relieve themseleves" way less of a problem the then Mountain Bighorn that slipped and fell into that same stream, and is now decomposing, just twenty feet around the corner from that "Beautiful and Picturesque, right outa the television commercial, scene" where you are drinking the water from, thinking "something so beautiful couldn't possible hurt me".

Also when you use a filter, you remove the chlorine, hence recontamination of the water becomes a problem, in it's storage.

EDIT PS I drink mostly tapwater, and mostly after it has been boiled and passed over some coffee grounds, then had either cream/creamer/milk/or whitener, plus sugar, added! Yes, cycling does make you want to drink water, (LOTS!) and I have drank it from taps all over parts of Canada, and the U.S., too!

 

[Integral]

Originally posted by russ_watters
Most likely better, though it depends on where you live. Bottled water is essentially filtered tap water. I love my Brita, but I'll never ever buy bottled water.

Also people are less wary of "natural" things than they should be (ebola is natural). Water from a mountain stream sounds like it should be great, but don't forget, the bears piss in it.

As a teenager I spend a lot of time hiking and camping in the Oregon wilderness areas, we pretty much plunged our heads into any flowing pool and drank the pure sweet cold stream water. Now 40yrs later I understand that due to people bringing dogs into the wilderness most streams are infected with a nasty little ameobea, (senior moment! someone help with the name) which will make you wish you were dead for weeks after that drink of pure sweet cold stream water.

The local water is the key here, I just moved from a beautiful town with a beautiful college and good clean concerned industry but the local water supply was awful, at times in the summer the tap water was near undrinkable (a switch in source). The grungy blue color town of about the same size and 15miles away that I moved to has a wonderful supply of execellent water which is a pleasure to drink straight from the tap. Though our fridge does have a filter in the chilled water line, so we drink mainly filter water, it is not necessary.

 

[quartodeciman]

"Water?? Ah yes! I drank a glass of water once. It was the worst day of my life." :)

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Originally posted by Integral
As a teenager I spend a lot of time hiking and camping in the Oregon wilderness areas, we pretty much plunged our heads into any flowing pool and drank the pure sweet cold stream water. Now 40yrs later I understand that due to people bringing dogs into the wilderness most streams are infected with a nasty little ameobea, (senior moment! someone help with the name) which will make you wish you were dead for weeks after that drink of pure sweet cold stream water.

The local water is the key here, I just moved from a beautiful town with a beautiful college and good clean concerned industry but the local water supply was awful, at times in the summer the tap water was near undrinkable (a switch in source). The grungy blue color town of about the same size and 15miles away that I moved to has a wonderful supply of execellent water which is a pleasure to drink straight from the tap. Though our fridge does have a filter in the chilled water line, so we drink mainly filter water, it is not necessary.

gi·ar·di·a ( P ) Pronunciation Key (j-ärd-, jär-)
n.
Any of various flagellated, usually nonpathogenic protozoa of the genus Giardia that may be parasitic in the intestines of vertebrates including humans and most domestic animals.

I live out here towards Sodaville. We have soda, iron, iron bacteria, and of course many many hundreds of sq. miles of pastures - ie. many sq. miles of cow poop. I just replaced $10,000 worth of 30 year old filters! Also, in practice, you can't beat chlorination for safe drinking. In my system, if well balanced, no chlorine is left once the water gets into the house.

Does anyone remember the guy who sold New York Water in bottles - the water drank by millions? This came right from the tap. There is also a guy in Eugene that sells "magic water". I don't think that the FDA has guidelines for the allowable levels of magic in water. So I don't see how this could be regulated.

One more note. There are important minerals that can be remove from drinking water during osmosis and other purification processes. I have read reports that indicate potential problems for people who drink only [certain] bottled waters. The extreme example of this is deionized water which can be dangerous or even [I’m told] lethal to drink.

 

[BoulderHead]

I agree with that part about removing useful minerals, Ivan.

Mostly I avoid the bottled waters because they seem overpriced. If those little bottles were all you ever drank from, how much would it cost you over a ten year period to adequately hydrate yourself? (My guess is it would be pretty darn high indeed).
I consider them more for emergency use, like when you are in a strange location and know little about the condition of the local drinking water, or possibly you have a headache and need some water to wash down a pill.
I know that the location where I live has above ground drinking water safe enough to consume. Prior to sinking a well (hey, it’s no fun to have to bring your water home in buckets every day, after all) I drank for years from it, along with many local villagers. Also, rain water, captured in cisterns midway through a downpour (to clean the zinc roof of bird droppings and dirt, plus give a chance for airborne pollutants to be washed out of the atmosphere a tad) is another source of water I have ingested massive quantities of. Now, I know this must be safe because I am still alive and as you can you plainly tell there is nothing at all wrong with me…

… Ahech ahech ahech, ARrrrgHHH, slurp slurp.

No, a bear couldn’t poop in this water (it would be some other animal instead ), but I acknowledge that if you can filter your water through the soil (a well) you stand less risk of harming yourself. Also, I understand that most of the members here at PF probably live in industrialized urban centers where pollutants may have entered the local water supply, and for this reason I would like to just add that what I have described as working for myself is not necessarily what I would recommend to others. What I’d consider prudent in your area is not something I'm able to comment on at this time.

The BH bottom line, you ask?

Bottled water = too costly, good for short term use.
Filtered water = less expensive, good for long term use.

Good old economics in action.

 

[Monique]

Originally posted by Zantra
Hmm...Well I never had an issue with yellow water myself. I guess it depends where in michigan you are. I remember reading something about certain communities puttting too much chlorine in their water, but then there are much worse things in the water out here than chlorine. I drank tap water in michigan for many years, and I have absolutely no health issues. There are always people who prefer bottled water to tap, but there's a lot larger percentage here in california than in michigan.

You don't know what conditions I used to live in.. yellow/brownish water coming out of the kitchen tap, blue/green water in the bathtub, lead painted walls, no airconditioning, a mysterious black dust coating the apartment, giant roaches (2 inch) in the basement.. and that for a happy $703 a month for a one-bedroom apartment on a Universtity campus.. life only gets better after that huh?

 

[BoulderHead]

Originally posted by Monique
You don't know what conditions I used to live in.. yellow/brownish water coming out of the kitchen tap, blue/green water in the bathtub, lead painted walls, no airconditioning, a mysterious black dust coating the apartment, giant roaches (2 inch) in the basement.. and that for a happy $703 a month for a one-bedroom apartment on a Universtity campus.. life only gets better after that huh?

That’s certainly a lot of money to pay and only receive the 2-inch roaches. For that price I would have preferred the nearly 4” Blaberus giganteus;

http://www.angelfire.com/oh2/Roaches/

 

[Zantra]

Originally posted by Monique
You don't know what conditions I used to live in.. yellow/brownish water coming out of the kitchen tap, blue/green water in the bathtub, lead painted walls, no airconditioning, a mysterious black dust coating the apartment, giant roaches (2 inch) in the basement.. and that for a happy $703 a month for a one-bedroom apartment on a Universtity campus.. life only gets better after that huh?

Well it can't get much worse. I don't know where you're going to school, but I'd look for a new place if I were your

 

[Mr. Robin Parsons]

Originally posted by Ivan Seeking
One more note. There are important minerals[/color] that can be remove from drinking water during osmosis and other purification processes. I have read reports that indicate potential problems for people who drink only [certain] bottled waters. The extreme example of this is deionized water which can be dangerous or even [I’m told] lethal to drink.

Demineralised water[/color] has been studied and has shown an increase in the probability/poosiblity of heart attack, add real (unpurified) "Sea Salt" to it and, apparently, it goes away, but proportion is important.

I have never heard of de-ionized water being capable of killing anyone, would like a reference to it, if possible.

If you would like to test you own water for bacterialogical content, a rough idea of the content can be determined by the "Theory of the Brown Ring" which is a simple process wherein you take some of the water you would like to test, slowly boil it off till there is nothing left. (CAUTION WATCH OUT YOU DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BOIL A DRY POT)[/color]

What you look for, thereafter, is the "brown ring", that will form, from the organics, usually on the sides of the pot.

The "white-ish sandy stuff" left after/with the "brown stuff" is the dissolved mineral content.

 

[Integral]

I have never heard of de-ionized water being capable of killing anyone, would like a reference to it, if possible.

I have also heard this same thing, that drinking DI can be fatal. Since the "tool" I work on uses 100's of gallons of DI each week I am in a position where such infromation is critical for my and my coworkers safety. I will do a bit of research, there has to be an MSDS for it somewhere.

Edit:
Google to the rescue http://www.hannainst.com/downloads/msds/DI%20water.pdf is a link to a MSDS for DI, it does not list any hazards. Looks like the stories of DI sucking all the ions out of you system thus shutting it down are more Urban Legend then fact.

I did find one source that said that it was not recommened for human consumption.

I also found a lot of references to home DI systems but I think there is some variation in the meaning of DI water. The DI we use is VERY deionized not just sort of filtered. True DI can be used for direct cooling of high power electonics components. DI is an high quality electrical insulator so the ultimate CPU cooler would be to simply immerse your motherboard into a flowing bath of DI, it would run fine and could be maintained at the bath temp easilly.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Originally posted by Integral
I have also heard this same thing, that drinking DI can be fatal. Since the "tool" I work on uses 100's of gallons of DI each week I am in a position where such infromation is critical for my and my coworkers safety. I will do a bit of research, there has to be an MSDS for it somewhere.

I only know this through my work at places like HP, Wacker Siltronics, Mitsubishi, and other semiconductor manufacturers. This is what they [engineers] have told me.

 

[Integral]

Ivan,
I work at HP so have heard the same stories, the MSDS I found does not indicate any hazards. I will still refrain from drinking it, that damn veil would make it hard, anyway!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Originally posted by Integral
Edit:
Google to the rescue http://www.hannainst.com/downloads/msds/DI%20water.pdf is a link to a MSDS for DI, it does not list any hazards. Looks like the stories of DI sucking all the ions out of you system thus shutting it down are more Urban Legend then fact.

I did find one source that said that it was not recommened for human consumption.

I also found a lot of references to home DI systems but I think there is some variation in the meaning of DI water. The DI we use is VERY deionized not just sort of filtered. True DI can be used for direct cooling of high power electonics components. DI is an high quality electrical insulator so the ultimate CPU cooler would be to simply immerse your motherboard into a flowing bath of DI, it would run fine and could be maintained at the bath temp easilly.

Integral, I think we may be talking about a question of magnitude. I know for a fact that one guy died from eating too many Rolaids – like 20 to 40 per day! I know this because my wife had immediate knowledge of this through her job at the hospital. It was a Ph imbalance that created the conditions for a coronary attack - the electrolytic chemistry in muscle I think was the root cause of his death. My understanding is not that DI kills like a poison, rather that with sustained use you can actually die from this. I suspect that the urban legend part of this is a matter of quantity.


Edit: Consider how corrosive it is...

 

[Integral]

Ivan,
I totally agree with you. The stories I have heard would go along with your PH imbalace story. I do not equate demineralized and DeIonized.

 

[Mr. Robin Parsons]

In the last half of 1999 I rode a bicycle through the upper part of the US, between Ontario and Manitoba.

I had crossed into the US from Sault Ste. Marie, in Ontario, into Michigan, through Munising, Marquette, Ironwood, into Wisconsin, through Hurley, Ashland, by abandoned rail line to Superior, into Minnesota, Duluth, Grand Rapids, Bemidji, to HWY 59, then up through Thief River Falls, etc. and out to Manitoba.

In all of that traveling, by bicycle, in the heat of August, I drank whatever water I could find, from washrooms, stores, people's hoses, bars, Service Stations washrooms galore, everywhere I could find it cause I needed the water, lots of water.

Never found even the slightest kind of affectation from that, no problems with any sort of 'Biological' effects, water worked well wherever I had had chance to take it from, even though I had run across one or two places that people told me that I would be better off not drinking the water, I had never had any problem with it.

Same thing when I bicycled in Canada, way to 'pricey' to bike that much, need that much water, and to pay for it? OYE! NOT!