Awful drinking water

TomYaz · #21 10/12/10, 01:28 PM

My well water was decent, but a bit hard. I got a kinnetico watersoftner, but before the water gets to the softener, all the water from the well goes into a big whole house charcoal filter. Its about the shape and size of a large O2 tank you would see in a acytelene rigs, except filled with charcoal. Good for three-four years. Water is delicious!

texican · #22 10/12/10, 01:32 PM

I'd ask some of the neighbors, if it's always so tasty.

Local town gets their water from a lake, and at least once a year, the lake 'turns over' and tastes like fish droppings. All the local eating establishments soon have to work around the undrinkable fountain drinks, teas, and coffees.

Patt · #23 10/12/10, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texican

I'd ask some of the neighbors, if it's always so tasty.

Local town gets their water from a lake, and at least once a year, the lake 'turns over' and tastes like fish droppings. All the local eating establishments soon have to work around the undrinkable fountain drinks, teas, and coffees.

Good point! Ours does that too. We can tell when the water is brown. Everybody has to boil water for a week or so.

Windy in Kansas · #24 10/12/10, 01:49 PM

Post #16, the city gets its water from wells as per the city water dept. web site.

foaly · #25 10/12/10, 02:15 PM

Just spoke with one of the neighbors who said his water seems fine.

Guess I should call the city water dept and get started on solving this problem. Don't want to keep buying water at the store. Not very homesteading-like!

lemonthyme7 · #26 10/12/10, 06:58 PM

Our water smells and tastes terrible. We had been buying water to drink for 4 years and finally broke down and bought a Berkey countertop water filer system. It will pay for itself in less then a year. I'm sure a person could buy the filters and construct their own. It filters about 2 1/2 gallons at a time. It takes awhile for it to drip through. I just fill it up at night and by morning it is down. It filters for just about everything you can think of.

TedH71 · #27 10/12/10, 07:13 PM

Wichita water is fine but apparently my wife disagrees. She prefers to put the water in the refrigerator where it becomes magically better. Could try doing that?

mosepijo · #28 10/12/10, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chewie

this is interesting. our water is fair, as far as public water goes.

i'd like to hear more about the distillers--why or if they are better than faucet mounted filters? what brands? hope this isnt' a hyjack, but i would love to know about how to better my water too!

I have used a countertop "Aqua Clean" for over 30 years. Whether on Well or city, we just got used to distilled water. Now its hard to drink any water if its not distilled. I bought my last distiller in a yard sale for $8.00. You can also find them on Ebay.

foaly · #29 10/12/10, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TedH71

Wichita water is fine but apparently my wife disagrees. She prefers to put the water in the refrigerator where it becomes magically better. Could try doing that?

Ted--

Tried it but it just produces cold, bitter, putrid, drinking water.

Beeman · #30 10/12/10, 08:39 PM

Go and taste the neighbors water. People that have lived there for a while just become accustomed to the taste. If it does taste better you might have something wrong with your plumbing. What is the house plumbed with? Is there a faucet in the line coming into the house where you could taste the water?

PhilJohnson · #31 10/12/10, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

You can buy countertop distillers that make a gallon at a time. I have had one for years. Cost ends up being about 32 cents per gallon - less in winter when the heat goes towards heating the house. Make your own carbon post-filter out of aquarium carbon and a coffee filter.

I use it for drinking water because it is key to keeping from generating kidney stones. Before someone responds, NO, DRINKING DISTILLED WATER IS NOT DANGEROUS. I get so tired of hearing that old myth. Look in the bottom of my distiller pot sometime and tell me is is safer to drink that caked lime, silt, and goop. If you are concerned about it leaching minerals, you can stick a piece of coral in the receive pot and drink liquified coral (and go back to getting kidney stones) or take a multimineral from time to time and be really healthy.

Now watch, someone will read the original post, skip reading all the responses once they see the word "distilled" and go on about the dangers. Andrew Weil agrees with me.

My biggest issue with distilled water is that it just doesn't seem to quench my thirst like well water.

Harry Chickpea · #32 10/12/10, 09:07 PM

PhilJohnson, ya got that right. When I lived in Vermont, I'd make treks to Smuggler's Notch to get the spring water from the Big Spring. Loved that water. Of course now it is considered unfit to drink and has signs around it. Distilled water can run right through ya, but then that seems to be part of how it works against kidney stones.

mosepijo · #33 10/12/10, 10:01 PM

We have drank nothing but distilled for over 35 years (both making our own and buying)and have never had any problems (healthwise) and it is the only thing that quenches our thirst. (We don't drink coffee, pop or alcohol)

I guess its what you get used to.

used2bcool13 · #34 10/13/10, 09:40 AM

I have a countertop distiller and have noticed the buildup inside the distiller of deposits of stuff I would otherwise be drinking.

I would like to buy a berkley (sp?), but I understand if you have well water or heavily mineralized water it doesn't work well, don't mean to hijack, but thats what I heard, I would prefer to have a nonelectric solution also.

I have used brita pitchers will good success and good tasting water, but those little filters do add up.

If you are buying water a brita filter is about 10-13 dollars for up to 3 months - this depends on the amount of "stuff" in your water. You will know by taste if you have to change it sooner.

Do you have galvanized pipes in your house? Those are magnets for buildup. If you did I would change those to pvc when it is possible. DH did this in our last house and the water pressure from the well was fantastic again, boy did those pipes weigh a ton!

A whole house charcoal filter might be the ticket, but I don't know how much those cost.

Good luck.

ronbre · #35 10/13/10, 09:42 AM

there are salt free filtration systems..google no salt types on line..one is www.easywater.com

never use salt..it pollutes the ground water and soon we won't have any fresh water left..it is very very bad for the water systems

mosepijo · #36 10/13/10, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by used2bcool13

I have a countertop distiller and have noticed the buildup inside the distiller of deposits of stuff I would otherwise be drinking.

I would like to buy a berkley (sp?), but I understand if you have well water or heavily mineralized water it doesn't work well, don't mean to hijack, but thats what I heard, I would prefer to have a nonelectric solution also.

I have used brita pitchers will good success and good tasting water, but those little filters do add up.

If you are buying water a brita filter is about 10-13 dollars for up to 3 months - this depends on the amount of "stuff" in your water. You will know by taste if you have to change it sooner.

Do you have galvanized pipes in your house? Those are magnets for buildup. If you did I would change those to pvc when it is possible. DH did this in our last house and the water pressure from the well was fantastic again, boy did those pipes weigh a ton!

A whole house charcoal filter might be the ticket, but I don't know how much those cost.

Good luck.

We just bought a Berkley 3 months ago with the charcoal filters. We are on city water so it is definitely better than that. I bought it because my distiller heats up the kitchen. But my husband stopped drinking water this summer because it just did not taste like the distilled water we have been accustomed to. I personally think the taste is ok. Not my favorite, but ok.

I do like the idea you do not have to have electricity to run it and it supposedly can even work with stagnant water if need to. I don't know who is going to be the guinea pig on that one.

lemonthyme7 · #37 10/13/10, 10:44 AM

We are on well water and use a Berkey. So far no problems. We scrub the filters every so often (as instructed) with a green scratchy pad and that keeps them dripping like they should. I like the fact that if we had a SHTF situation that we could still use this filter as there is no electric to it and it filters for just about everything. We have a year round creek so if needed we could filter that and still have good clean drinking water.

TedH71 · #38 10/13/10, 06:10 PM

Maybe you have gas leaking into your well water? Try using a lighter away from the faucet and outside and see if it starts flickering.....

Jan Doling · #39 10/14/10, 01:32 PM

" see you live in florida - they are redoing a few treatment plants in this area right now, this should eliminate most of the bad taste in your water! hang on a few more months!"

Don't see how that will help me...we have our own well...in a swamp...cypress tress, lots of tannin....yes, I bought swamp land in Florida! (and I love the land, just not the water on the land).