Safe drinking water?

[Nostrodamus]

Do you always drink bottled water or would you drink it directly from your water tanks?
Which countries would you drink tap water in or fill up used bottles and which countries would you not? Have you had problems after drinking local water?
Do you try to sterilize your water in any way and what products would you add?

 

[sarabande]

General Ecology make what is reckoned to be the best boaty water filter

http://www.generalecologyeurope.com/sgll4.html


But you could go to Jepsons, Plumb Centre, etc, and set up a spiral wound polypropylene filter, followed by a charcoal filter , followed by .... All on standard plumbing fitting, so they don't cost to a bomb to install; and the replacement cartridges are relatively cheap, too.

 

[affinite]

Tank for me

We have cruised in Greece, Croatia, Montenegro for the past 7 years and have always drunk water from our water tank. Once or twice we've had a fill which tasted a bit iffy and we've dumped it and filled up again elsewhere but in general water is potable in most areas - even in the islands.

I agree with Sir Rod that plastic bottles are a menance in the med as there arent the facilities to recycle them. When I see people pushing shopping trolleys creaking under the weight of multipacks of bottled water past the marina water tap to their boat it seems a crime to me.

Anyway rant over. We fill the tank with fresh water at the begining of the season and then add sterilsing chemicals (cant remember what its called though) When cruising if we have any doubts about the quality of water we are putting in I pop in a spoon of the steriliser otherwise we dont sterilise again until next season.

We also have have a General Ecology in-line water filter located in the fridge feeding a dedicated water tap at the sink. That way we get chilled fresh water on tap. The water is genuinely pleasant to drink.

Steve (AffiniteII)

 

[david36]

General Ecology make what is reckoned to be the best boaty water filter

http://www.generalecologyeurope.com/sgll4.html


Another vote for a General Ecology filter. My wife says it is this best thing we have ever bought for the boat and who am I to disagree!

Fair winds

 

[Conachair]

Cruising, tap water from the tanks or usually rain water when there is any.

 

[blueglass]

We have cruised in Greece, Croatia, Montenegro for the past 7 years and have always drunk water from our water tank. Once or twice we've had a fill which tasted a bit iffy and we've dumped it and filled up again elsewhere but in general water is potable in most areas - even in the islands.


we also have have a General Ecology in-line water filter located in the fridge feeding a dedicated water tap at the sink. That way we get chilled fresh water on tap. The water is genuinely pleasant to drink.

Steve (AffiniteII)

another firm vote for general ecology filter - the perfect solution - should be a standard fit on evry boat IMHO. I love the idea of the filter mounted in the fridge - presumably you just drilled through the fridge casing to run pipe through. We always keep a bottle in the frdge constantly topped up from the ecology tap but not quite the same as chilled water on tap.
One thing I don't understand about your post though - why on earth do you still drink from your tanks when you have the filter sytem installed?

 

[SAMYL]

[One thing I don't understand about your post though - why on earth do you still drink from your tanks when you have the filter sytem installed?[/QUOTE]

Where else is it going to come from.....?

 

[blueglass]

[One thing I don't understand about your post though - why on earth do you still drink from your tanks when you have the filter sytem installed?

Where else is it going to come from.....? [/QUOTE]

affinite seemed to be saying he recommended the water as good to drink straight from the tanks. If so then why bother fitting a filter system.

 

[vyv_cox]

We have always drunk local water. The only place where this has been pretty well undrinkable has been in the Balearics, where the mineral content made its taste very unpleasant. A friend experienced some heart problems here, supposedly due to drinking such highly salted water.

In Greece the hosepipe water is sometimes poor, especially on the smaller islands, but if you wander around you will always find a tap where the locals fill their drinking water containers. Alternatively there are often tankers that supply drinking water, not too expensively. We fill our 15 litre containers with this good drinking water whenever we come across it.

Up to now we have had only a simple charcoal filter that is not very effective. Having installed a General Ecology filter in the van and found it very effective we have now bought one for the boat.

 

[affinite]

Where else is it going to come from.....?

affinite seemed to be saying he recommended the water as good to drink straight from the tanks. If so then why bother fitting a filter system.[/QUOTE]

We used to drink water straight from tank but now drink from tank Via the filter. I simply ran pipes in/out of the fridge to the filter unit which is mounted in the fridge. I think that most water IS safe to drink straight from the tank but tastes better from the filter so that swhat we do.

 

[maxi77]

Since moving onboard last July we have used what ever water has been available. Most of the time we use our own hose as some look decidedly dodgy. As well as the standard UK style tap connectors in some places you need a hozelock type male connector to connect, no tap just a hozelock type female. In France in general you need your own hose.

 

[blueglass]

There is I believe also an issue with the actual plastic that water hoses are made from and apparantly the majority are not made from food grade quality plastic.
In any case I don't trust boat tank water for drinking anywhere, including the UK. Even if the vast majority of what goes into it is perfectly potable water it only takes one contamination of something a bit dodgy which then multplies in the tank and pipes where it can often lie for long periods. At high med temperatures it doesn't take long to reach dangerous levels. You can of course put chemicals in the tank, which kill the bugs but render the water IMHO totally undrinkable anyway.
When you can circumvent ALL this with a simple general ecology filter at very little cost I don't see any reason to trust to luck.
I know there will be many who will say they have been drinking it all their lives and never had a problem, but that's on a par with a 30 a day smoker saying look at me I smoke 30 a day and I haven't got cancer(yet) therefore fags are good for you.

 

[Appleyard]

We never drink from the boat tank,even though it has been sterilised,as there is always a bit of a taste.
When we arrive in the spring I buy a pack of 12 bottles of water,and refill them when necessary wherever there is a good source of drinking water,alternatively I buy a couple of big plastic flagons of water and do the same. At the end of the season the empties can be recycled...there are places where this is possible.. not many though.
I agree that the number of discarded plastic containers is a disaster.

 

[charles_reed]

Charcoal fliter, changed annually, only drink bottled water to obtain the bottle to refill with tank-water to put in fridge. Filter is on galley tap.

Most of the water I drink has been boiled, in the form of tea.

 

[blueglass]

Most of the water I drink has been boiled, in the form of tea.

As in times past, most of mine has been fermented with hops and barley, in the form of a small beer.

 

[jordanbasset]

General Ecology make what is reckoned to be the best boaty water filter

http://www.generalecologyeurope.com/sgll4.html


Another vote for a General Ecology filter. My wife says it is this best thing we have ever bought for the boat and who am I to disagree!

Fair winds

Another vote for General Ecology, have just changed our water filter after 14 months of use, new filter cost £60, excellent value for money. Less than a penny a litre

 

[TQA]

Drink from the tanks, no problems so far. I do filter captured rain water before it goes into the tanks though.

 

[Nostrodamus]

Ok, i seem to be a convert.
Does anyone know the cheapest place to get a General Ecology filter and which model would you suggest?

 

[jordanbasset]

Ok, i seem to be a convert.
Does anyone know the cheapest place to get a General Ecology filter and which model would you suggest?

Ours is the Seagull IV X-1F, average capacity is 1000 gallons. Bought it from the London Boat show a couple of years ago so do not know which would be best source now. Initial outlay was around £150 to £200, sorry cannot be more precise. That inlcudes the separate fawcet and all fittings. Replacement filter from ebay, under £60. Hope this helps

 

[Oliveoyl]

Another convert

Ok, i seem to be a convert.
Does anyone know the cheapest place to get a General Ecology filter and which model would you suggest?

We always use bottled water, and eldest son even insists on making coffee with bottled - I find this rather extreme, but have to agree that the coffee is much, much better.

At home, would never consider binning a plastic bottle, and have been known to walk miles in Greece attempting to find recycling bins, so that's the GE filter on my shopping list!