Drinking Water

[Blue Crab]

My thoughts exactly!

[RedHerring]

Originally Posted by carstenb

Most western countries have water that , if supplied from the community, is drinkable, without treatment (might taste bad however).

2nd and 3rd world countries do not.

In my experience, just about any place that has a reasonably functional local government has safe water running from the tap. Doesn't have to be "first world". If the locals consider it safe, so can you, although you may have a bit of a stomach problem initially, as your immune system adjusts to it.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by RedHerring

In my experience, just about any place that has a reasonably functional local government has safe water running from the tap. Doesn't have to be "first world". If the locals consider it safe, so can you, although you may have a bit of a stomach problem initially, as your immune system adjusts to it.

funny how mexico has a reasonably functional government yet the water still carries e choli and parasites... i would not drink mexico tap water unoess double filtered and boiled.

of course one could await cholera and yellow fever, but that is a farther distant problem involving water--china has a relatively functional government and cholera and yellow fever.... so much for that theory....

just had to treat a friend for gut parasites--not fun-- take your own chances and have a great day doing just that......i will be safe and carry spare water in 5 gallon jugs just for drinking.

[mrohr]

Originally Posted by Dreamsailoring

We plan on doing some sail on the great lakes. How do you get fresh water for showers and washing on the lakes? I don't plan on drinking the water but if I have to I guess I will. Any way gan I just buy a inline filter and pump water through them then add cholrine tabs to my tank? Run it though a RO? Any Ideas? I want to be able to stay out as long as I can stand just to do it.

You plan to sail on one of the greatest bodies of fresh water on planet earth ? You want to know how to get fresh water for showers ? For washing ?
Do you own a bucket?

[WaterFixer]

Dockhead,
No mistake here. The minimum recommended dose by the WHO is 16k. The purpose of UV is not to destroy the bacteria but to neutralize/render unable to reproduce. We are rated at 30k, more than enough to deal with the toughest of bugs.

[zeehag]

waterfixer---how many amps does your unit use per hour to function....

[Blue Crab]

Wouldn't it be easier to kill dem bugs rather than "just" making them unable to reproduce?

Hey! .... would this thing work on overly reproductive people?

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

Wouldn't it be easier to kill dem bugs rather than "just" making them unable to reproduce?

Bactericides are generally unfortunately more toxic to us as well!

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by WaterFixer

Dockhead,
No mistake here. The minimum recommended dose by the WHO is 16k. The purpose of UV is not to destroy the bacteria but to neutralize/render unable to reproduce. We are rated at 30k, more than enough to deal with the toughest of bugs.

Interfering with reproduction is a great way to go. If the water comes on to your boat clean, and anything that sneaks in can't reproduce, then ... they aren't there, are they?

Wish I'd had such a system on my boat when that idiot connected my scuppers to my water tank!

[CarlF]

Stuff does grow very easily in tanks that aren't being used a lot. Starts to stink. I empty my water tanks once a week and refill.

If the water is fairly drinkable already, it takes very little chlorine to get to municipal standards. If my math is right, 1.5 teaspoons of standard 5% household bleach per hundred gallons of water is 1 ppm chlorine. Municipal water is .5 ppm or less. Pools are 1 ppm to 3 ppm. This won't sterilize a dirty tank but should keep the water and the tank from turning foul for reasonable periods. Most people can't taste or smell these levels of chlorine. If you want to drink it (rather than use for washing), I'd also run it through a good filter.

Carl

[MarkSF]

The British invented tea as a solution to the fact that water is never sterile. So I use the water from the tanks, for everything except drinking cold - for that I have a stainless steel hiking bottle.

Also what I try to do is use the water from the tanks as MUCH as possible. Washing the decks, flushing the toilet, use it as much as possible to keep it moving and fresh. I empty the bow tank about every 2 weeks.

[WaterFixer]

zeehag, The Model 1000 4pgm system has a 25w lamp and draws 2.1 amps. The Model 500 2gpm system has a 10w lamp and draws less than 1 amp.