Do you drink the water from your storage tank?

[BFlinn181]

Originally Posted by tedgard01

Some people don't care what they drink or eat, and think that healthy food and filtered water is too expensive. I understand that, but we each have a choice about our own healthy, or unhealthy, habits.

Thanks,
Ted

I guess I'm a believer in eating dirt and getting exposed to germs to build up your immune system. Many animals will eat scat to correct indigestion. Not saying I'd go to that extreme, but drinking water from my own sanitized plastic bottle (water tank) is no giant leap in dirtiness.

I used to do an exercise with fussy eating 7th graders in my science classes. I'd give them a partial list of "The allowable levels of contamination allowed in our food supply" by the FDA. I'd ask them if it was legal to sell the following food: "8 oz of popcorn with one kernel with rat urine, 2 insect body parts and a mouse hair" Or "four oz. of spinach with 2 leaves showing mold and 2 insect parts." It led to a much more attentive class as we discussed proper food handling and where it came from. By the way, both examples are well within acceptable limits. Happy eating!

[tedgard01]

BF, I love your reply! Thanks for a good laugh!

[bruceisla]

We drink from the tank using the kitchen faucet (filter #2) or from the shore line (filter #1 plus filter #2). Mostly use bottled water for coffee because the taste is consistent. At home we use water from the refrig door because it is filtered within the refrig .... again, it's a taste issue.

[lakewoodpaul]

What would P.T. Barnum say about bottled water and its advocates?

[mikebreeze]

Originally Posted by BFlinn181

I guess I'm a believer in eating dirt and getting exposed to germs to build up your immune system.

I agree with BFlinn. In my backpacking days I knew a guy who would never filter water from streams because he believed that he would build up an immunity to viruses, giardia, etc. He never got sick from these sources.

If I remember to bring bottled water on my trips, I use it. If I am going to boil water for cooking and/or drinking, I use the RV water.

[deSanford]

Costco's Kirkland bottled water for us and the 3 cats. deSanford

[wanderso]

The irony of bottled water is that it sits stagnant in bottles for months at a time, yet most flush their holding tanks regularly. Plastic (PETE) from bottled water can leech into what you drink even if BPA free. Typically that is only a risk if the bottled water gets very warm for extended periods. Do you really know how the water was stored before you bought it? Was it in a cool place? Sometimes I can taste the "plastic flavor" in warm bottled water. Most of the time, not. Most folks don't drink from glass bottles which don't have this issue.

All that said, I drink filtered tap water and also have had no issues with bottled water. I rarely travel out of my home state with the RV. If I did, I would have a good quality filter system or a portable one such as these (really just for consistent taste) that can also render questionable water safe. http://www.katadyn.com/.

[Craig_R]

When we began full-timing one of the first things we addressed was our water supply. My wife was big into bottled water at the time and felt that we needed bottled water to drink and cook with. Me, not so much, but carting around all that bottled water drove me nuts, so I began to research it.

One of he first things I learned was that bottled water was not necessarily cleaner water than what comes out of the tap. I also learned that hard water is not only tough on plumbing, but also tough on expensive appliances like washing machines, dish washers, coffee makers, steam irons, etc. It also doesn't lend itself well to car, truck or RV washing because it doesn't sheet off and leaves deposits on the paint and windows.

Our remedy was to put together a 3-stage 10" cartridge filter system that consists two sediment filters; a 5 micron into a 1 micron. And then a carbon filter cartridge. The water then goes through a water softener and then into the coach. We have great tasting water and the soft water also helps with cleaner laundry, is more effective with rinsing the gray and black tanks and you feel cleaner when you come out of the shower.

My wife still won't drink water from the fresh water holding tank so when we travel or if we are going to boondock for a night she fills empty plastic jugs or a pitcher with water from whatever we are hooked up to. I will drink from the holding tank and it tastes just as good as what she has bottled from the tap.

Whatever your water supply is, you can easily test it yourself with a water supply test kit that is available at Lowe's, HD, ACE Hardware or many other home supply stores. They go for $25-30 depending.

[tedgard01]

I also had a friend (actually my BIL) that was a strict vegan. He was a real outdoor type guy. He drank from streams and swam in natural lakes, etc.

The lesson was learned when by doing so he picked up a virus from the water that migrated to his brain and caused swelling that left him mentally unstable and institutionalized for several months. He was lucky that after massive treatments the were finally able to reduce these effects and he is doing fine now.

I never drink untreated water. Anyone that is ignorant enough to think that is safe also thinks it is fine to include in your diet things like dirt, dead bugs, rat hair, a little bit of rat droppings, or even a little rat pee, because the EPA says it is safe. Hey, it builds up your immune system to introduce your body to nasty bugs that it has to fight against and may even win, but could also loose the fight as well. They say that what don't kill you makes you stronger, but they forget about the alternative outcome, what kills you kills you dead.

If I drink from the tap there must be a good inline filter. As stated before, I buy the ultra purified refillable 5 gallon bottles, bit the Costco brand bottled water is also highly purified water. You just have the plastic bottles left over that may be am ecological issue.

So I do what I do. You do what you do. If I get hit by a train tomorrow then it was all for nothing.

Ted

[tedgard01]

My goal was met, 7 pages talking about water...

[tedgard01]

I think I will go have a bottle of water to celebrate!

[CJ7ole]

We tend to drink bottled water, but I really don't have concerns with the water in our tank. I use it for brushing my teeth and occasionally for washing down pills if we are out of bottled water. I suppose I ought to change out our 6 year old water filter. I always flush my hose before I hook it up and I spray the connections and hose ends with Clorox cleaner and disinfectant before hooking up. And disinfect the tank once per year.

If you are paranoid about your water, you really ought not use it for rinsing dishes unless you use 140 degree hot water. You don't just wipe pathogens off with a dish towel. Something to think about.

[RickO]

Originally Posted by lakewoodpaul

What would P.T. Barnum say about bottled water and its advocates?

Not sure what PT would say, but I'll say that there is no need to make this personal or bring implied name calling into the discussion.

Rick

[Murf2u]

The other issue that seems to have been overlooked so far is that water which is "safe" isn't by any means "pure".

Unless you have one heck of a filter system even water straight from the tap will have some impurities. Ditto your holding tank. Add to that things like the vent in your water system that draws outside air in & out as ambient temps raise & lower the water temp causing expansion & contraction. Then there's the issue of storage conditions, even 'pure' water stored for more than 14 days unsealed and above 50 deg. F. can begin to contain increasing levels of impurities. Now the tank itself. Is it stored full or empty? If its full the water needs to be changed regularly (more freq. in warm temps) or sterilized if emptied since the inside can't be dried and even a little water will support mould and other nasty stuff.

According to health authorities, domestic (well or treated municipal) water should not be stored above 50 deg. F. for longer than 14 days. Add in the fact that water is left in parts of the system for many months at temps far above that and it becomes a gamble.