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[spare time toys]

About this time every year the water down here gets to taste real crapy (IMG:style_emoticons/default/barf.gif) Its some kind of crap that grows in it when the lakes get warm. They dont get the bad taste out when it goes through the treatment plant. I was thinking of one of the inline carbon filters for on the refrig ice maker water line that way my ice wouldnt stink and I could drink the water from the tap in the door. Has anyone used this type filter?

[Brando]

At my mom and dad's house they have an active carbon filter setup and de-ionizer. Since you get your water from a lake, I would reccommend an ultraviolet setup for killing biologicals, before the filter.

[spare time toys]

Im not sure where Murphy gets its water from. On the news they always have a deal on about this and blame the lakes. I think the city Probably buys it from Plano or Richardson since we dont have a treatment plant localy.

[So.Cal.914]

Just got back from Fla. and the water there tastes like (IMG:style_emoticons/default/stromberg.gif) . My sister in

law has all of the above. Still tastes like.....Well you know. But it's safe.

It's well water.

[sww914]

I got a reverse osmosis system at Costco a year ago for about $200.00.
I love it and it's saved me tons of money on bottled water. Our tap water tastes like crap, and the water that comes out of the RO system tastes as goos as any Evian or Crystal whatever water that you buy at the store. It will produce something like 24 gallons a day, so we use it to boil pasta, make coffee, everything.
I live in a town of 15,000 with no sewer, so they mix the water from the good wells outside of town with the septic well water until it just barely meets the legal requirements. The RO system fits under the sink, there's a manifold of 4 filters, and a 2-3 gallon cylinder to hold the filtered water, and It's one of the best things I've ever bought.
They're all over ebay for $100 or $150, check it out.

[porschecb]

I use a whole house soft water and filter system. Way spendy $3,000.00 but worth it when I consider my dishes, laundry, showers, ice, drinking water and the fact I have a bib on it so when I wash the cars there are no water spots. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/givemebeer.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

[pfierb]

At my mom and dad's house they have an active carbon filter setup and de-ionizer. Since you get your water from a lake, I would reccommend an ultraviolet setup for killing biologicals, before the filter.

I have a well and an ultraviolet purifier and a filter and a water softener and my water still tastes like dreck but it sure is pure,we drink bottled water.

[Brando]

At my mom and dad's house they have an active carbon filter setup and de-ionizer. Since you get your water from a lake, I would reccommend an ultraviolet setup for killing biologicals, before the filter.

I should have added, they also have the reverse osmosis system as sww914 has, but much much smaller just for the sink and fridge water. Water tastes pure. I can't afford anything like that so I just use one of the small Brita pitchers.

Riverside county water is high in sodium-flouride (supposed to be good for your teeth). Rumor has it high amounts of sodium-flouride over a lifetime can hurt your teeth and bones instead of helping...

[jimtab]

The only real downside to R/O systems is they waste a lot of water. The membrane gets backflushed periodically and the water from that is sent down the drain, but they do the best job...especially the 5 component ones (4 filters and the r/o.)

[Toast]

Municipal Drinking Water Treatment = They take the "chunks" out. Water hits a primary filter to remove large particles. If surface water, they are removing organic debri (leaves, dead animals, etc). Water is then treated with Ferric Chloride or Aluminum Sulfate followed by an Anionic Polymer or equivilent to gather the particles missed by the filters. These flocculated particles settle to the bottom of a clarifier and are pumped off. The residual water is then sent to a sand filter to capture the remaining particles. From there is it chlorinated before being sent into the pipeline to your house. The above process does not have any effect on the dissolved solids in your water...(hardness, chlorides, or other minerals).

Suspended solids (organic material) give water color, odor and can be removed.

Dissolved solids (Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Chlorides, Sulfated, etc) give water taste and cannot be removed with out Softening, Reverse Osmosis, Demineralization, etc.

Dissloved gasses (bad smell) are removed with activated charcoal filters or areation.

Now the effect on your body:

Reverse Osmosis ... Very close to distilled water....no mineral content. Human body needs minerals. Use can lead to an electrolytic imbalance in the human body. Distilled water is given to heart patients in a hospital as a known quantity so that the electrolytic levels in the body can be rigidly controlled/

Softened water ... Great for washing, cleaning, etc, but not really great for drinking. Hardness in water (Calcium, Magnesium) is removed in exchange for Sodium (1 Calcium = 2 Sodium). High levels of Sodium (salt = sodium chloride) are not really good for the human body...upset electrolytic balance.

Demineralization - see reverse osmosis above.

Bottled water .... raw water is sent through Filters, Reverse Osmosis, Demineralization, etc. Minerals are then added back to provide taste as pure water is odorless, colorless and tasteless.

Just a few thoughts from 30+ years in water treatment.

Edit: This was posted by Slits as Toast forgot to logout.

[spare time toys]

OK Slits quick question to see if I understand this. I want water and ice that doesnt stink or tast bad. Say I get one of those 5 stage reverse osmosis setups. What about the mineral thing dont I also get those from the food I eat?

[SLITS]

Didn't mean to alarm anyone... The 5 stage should work very well for you.

Since you say your supply is surface water, my assumption would be that the dissolved gasses from organic material breakdown would be the main culprit in "bad tasting" water. It probably smells bad too!. An activated carbon (charcoal) filter should go a long way in removal of those contaminents.

During the summer, the heat from the sun acts as a catalyst to speed up the degradation of materials in lakes. Also, they would be subject to algal blooms of many kinds, possibly slime forming bacteria, and so forth that would add to the taste / smell of the water. Besides that, fish have offspring in the water. (W.C Fields Forever).

If it has a salty taste (high alkaline water), the only way to remove it is via the RO or demineralizer. Household units will not be as effective as industrial units and will not produce the "pure" water as described, but will produce a product that is generally satisfactory.

Then again, you could call your local water company and see what they say about their process. As I remember, you can ask them for an analysis of their product as they have to report it to various agencies.

The treatise on RO, distilled water, softened water is what I was taught. It is not an immediate effect on the body, but has possiblilities over extended periods of time.

Hope this helps.