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I'm Wirecutter's water-quality expert. I don't filter my water

nytimes.com

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Re: I'm Wirecutter's water-quality expert. I don't filter my water

#51

Post by madaxe_again »

mig39 wrote: post #3
madaxe_again wrote: post #2

People are really funny about water. Recently had family visit us in Portugal, and they refused to drink the tap water anywhere - despite it being an EU country and complying with relevant standards, rigorously. Then again, they also refused to drink our water at home, which I know is nothing but H2O, as we live off grid and it all goes through numerous filters before hitting the RO. Then again, where they live (and…

In Portugal, I tend to fill a big jug with tap water (which I know is safe, I watched them put in the treatment plant!), but then leave it in the fridge. After a bit of time, the chlorine just evaporates. So it's nice and cool.

The chlorine in the water is still there, but yes, the free chlorine (which is what you smell/taste) dissipates fairly quickly once it isn’t contained.

Re: I'm Wirecutter's water-quality expert. I don't filter my water

#52

Post by BugsJustFindMe »

timr wrote: post #41
BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #11

Money quote: > readings of PFAS that exceed EPA limits have been found in just 8% of small public water systems (those that serve fewer than 10,000 people) and 15% of large ones 15%! Anyone who trusts their municipal water supply because of *handwave* regulations and reports needs to read that again. Even if my water were 100% pristine as the author's apparently is, which they only know for their own homes because th…

I'm failing to see your point. If you think it helps -- whether because of taste or personal trust issues or something else -- then great, filter your water. You do you. The article is clearly for someone who is otherwise on the fence and doesn't have those issues.

> I'm failing to see your point

That's weird because I'm pretty sure that my point is explicitly spelled out. But just in case, here it is again:

If your trust is based in municipal numbers or statements, you should be aware that municipal numbers and statements are not trustworthy because there's a lot of widespread decaying infrastructure (and coverup!) between where they test, what they make public, and where your water comes out of your faucet.

And if your trust is based on "Rah, rah, America!", you should know that 15% (!!) of water systems serving over 10k people have PFAS levels measured above what the EPA says is safe. (And if you don't think that 15% is a lot, holy smokes, that's nuts.)

So if you aren't testing your tap constantly then you have no idea what your water is like, no matter what the city says their water is like.

And if you are testing your taps constantly, it's less hassle and gives a better result to just filter your water instead.

The author says "I don't filter because I constantly test my taps and they're good each time." That's not the same at all as saying that filtering isn't a generally good idea, especially for anyone who isn't constantly testing their taps. The author ALSO says "a fuckton of you have more PFAS in your water than the EPA says is safe, just not me, lol". The author also chooses to ignore that their good water today may become bad tomorrow.

Re: I'm Wirecutter's water-quality expert. I don't filter my water

#53

Post by thrill »

Crye wrote: post #7
vsskanth wrote: post #4

It's mostly for taste at this point, rather than safety. For a long time I used to drink right from the tap, now use a filter pitcher simply because it tastes better.

does it taste better because of temperature, aeration?

Far less of everything that is bigger than a water molecule.

Re: I'm Wirecutter's water-quality expert. I don't filter my water

#54

Post by sitzkrieg »

dbcooper wrote: post #40

>Why you should trust me Absolutely zero mention of qualifications. If you do not have a chemistry/chemical engineering degree, or something closely related then why would anyone want to bother with your verbose writing?

ah yes, degrees. i only absorb information from qualified individuals with degrees.

Re: I'm Wirecutter's water-quality expert. I don't filter my water

#56

Post by EA-3167 »

BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #50
donnachangstein wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and maintaining a dedicated three stage filter spout next to my kitchen faucet costs me approximately nothing Calling bullshit on this one. I have one, it's positively wonderful, but the filters are expensive and per the manufacturer's recommendation you're supposed to change them all simultaneously. So when one times out, they all time out. This runs approximately $150 a year minimum depending on usage.

> This runs approximately $150 a year $150 per YEAR at american prices is approximately nothing. That's a measly 41 cents a day. People spend far far more than that on far far more frivolous things without thinking twice.

People spend an order of magnitude (and much more) on coffee every day, never mind smokers or drinkers who spend crazy amounts just to hurt themselves.

Not that I don't love and respect Wirecutter (I don't), but I'm on team "I like how my water tastes when it's filtered."

Re: I'm Wirecutter's water-quality expert. I don't filter my water

#57

Post by [deleted] »

Barrin92 wrote: post #42
porphyra wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if safe, municipal water where I live (San Jose, California) contains a ton of chlorine and is super hard, making it unpleasant to drink. In contrast, bottled water consistently tastes fine.

sorry if this is a stupid question because we don't have chlorinated water in Germany, but do people brew green tea or good coffee with tap water? Doesn't it taste god awful? One of the things which I remember from my holidays in Spain as a kid, which is one of the few countries which adds it here, is that the water tasted like pool water.

[deleted]

Re: I'm Wirecutter's water-quality expert. I don't filter my water

#58

Post by [deleted] »

doug-moen wrote: post #26

The quality of your water varies with the district you live in. My municipal water provider puts chloramine in the water to kill bacteria. Occasionally we get high levels of chloramine, which is disgusting (smell and taste), but the water filter removes it. Occasionally they flush the pipes, which turns the water red, which is mentally disturbing, but the water filter removes the rust. So while it's important to me t…

[deleted]

Re: I'm Wirecutter's water-quality expert. I don't filter my water

#59

Post by justincormack »

Barrin92 wrote: post #42
porphyra wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if safe, municipal water where I live (San Jose, California) contains a ton of chlorine and is super hard, making it unpleasant to drink. In contrast, bottled water consistently tastes fine.

sorry if this is a stupid question because we don't have chlorinated water in Germany, but do people brew green tea or good coffee with tap water? Doesn't it taste god awful? One of the things which I remember from my holidays in Spain as a kid, which is one of the few countries which adds it here, is that the water tasted like pool water.

Water is chlorinated in Germany [1]. There may be less as ozone may be used as primary disinfectant.

[1] https://www.lenntech.com/processes/disinfection/regulation-e...

Re: I'm Wirecutter's water-quality expert. I don't filter my water

#60

Post by b112 »

unyttigfjelltol wrote: post #33
darth_avocado wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One side effect of RO is vitamin B12 deficiency. And there is some debate around whether that is true or not, but anecdotally, I had developed a severe B12 deficiency to the point that one day out of the blue, I couldn’t move one of my legs. I freaked out and went to the ER, and it turns out, 1 B12 shot later, I went back to normal within minutes. The doctor hypothesized that I had developed a severe B12 deficiency b…

Similar risks regarding removal of sulfate from public water supply, or via filtration.[1] Who knew! Some of us were relying on actual nutrients from the water all along. Pristine water was, and is, a challenge for this cohort. [1] https://biomedres.us/fulltexts/BJSTR.MS.ID.006372.php

Interesting.

I'm on a well, but with super hard water. So I have a water cooler, which I empty into a Brita pitcher, but just for drinking.

Just for the flavour.

I cook with my hard water though. Lots of stews and soups too, make bread, etc. So I suspect I get sufficiently mineralised as a result.

For context, I was boiling a large pot of water and got distracted by a call. Most of the water boiled away, well over a gallon. I was left with a solid white disk of calcium at the bottom. Also, when I broke it to get it out, it was super sharp, almost cut myself.

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