Ronaldo47 Posted July 22, 2021 Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 (edited) I've been drinking the water from the water tanks on boats for the 50-odd years I have been hiring them for boating holidays, and have never had any ill-effects. I remember reading somewhere that the aeration that the water in a mountain stream gets by tumbling over rocks is sufficient to kill off pathogens in a remarkably short time. So the rotting sheep upstream was probably far enough away not to have been a problem. The mains water at my late brother-in-law's house in Normandy was very hard, no doubt due to having come from the chalk of the region. He had a water softener supplying all the taps except a very small tap in the cellar that was originally upstream of the water meter until his water company replaced the lead pipe supply mains, whereupon it was moved to downstream of the meter. He always used to fill his kettle from the cellar tap and use bottled water for drinking. Softened water is generally very high in sodium: the usual zeolite-based softening process replaces (hard) calcium carbonate by (soft) sodium carbonate that is not healthy to drink in large quantities, especially for children or anyone who needs to keep to a low-sodium diet. I did consider getting a water softener many years ago, and the advice from (reputable) suppliers was that drinking water taps should not be supplied with softened water for that reason. Not that all types of bottled water are good for you anyway. An acquaintance who was a bit of a health fanatic used drink only Evian. Evian is so high in minerals that it gave him serious gall stones, and he was advised to stop drinking it for the sake of his health! When I was working in London I sometimes used to treat myself to a bottle of Welsh mineral water whose label proclaimed it was so pure it contained hardly any minerals. I used to buy it because it tasted so good. That was in the 1980's and I don't remember the name. Edited July 22, 2021 by Ronaldo47 typos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob-M Posted July 22, 2021 Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 3 hours ago, nb Innisfree said: One hot summer day when I was a nipper I was in the Peak District and asked my dad if I could drink from a stream, "aye owd lad tha can" he replied. Seeing my dad was the fount of all knowledge I drank deeply, later I wandered upstream a couple of hundred yards and just round a bend I came across a dead sheep in the stream, gently rotting away. That was the first clue that my dad was flawed 🤔 ETA: I'm 74 and still alive btw. Did similar many years ago in the Brecon Beacons, filled water bottles from the stream and as we continued uphill found a dead sheep in the stream. Fortunately we had put purification tablets in the water bottles so carried on drinking it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Brummie Posted July 22, 2021 Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 Bottled water costs more than the fuel you put in your boat. You realise that Evian is Naive backwards. I read somewhere that in the Brexit deal we gave special for continental bottled water because the mineral content exceeds our own standards. Maybe we should revoke that to facilitate the easing of the ridiculous bureaucracy being applied to N.Ireland shipments. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cuthound Posted July 23, 2021 Report Share Posted July 23, 2021 (edited) On 22/07/2021 at 09:37, doratheexplorer said: A lot of the West Midlands get's its water from the mountains of mid-Wales and is surprisingly soft. Indeed, when we moved from Surrey to the West Midlands I was surprised how soft it was, despite the local water company classifying it as "hard". Looking at the figures, it seems it is at the lowest end of the hard classification. Edited July 23, 2021 by cuthound Spillung Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narrowboater1 Posted July 23, 2021 Report Share Posted July 23, 2021 23 hours ago, ditchcrawler said: I think when we hired we probably drank the water from the tank, Today I wouldn't consider it after seen a hose dragged from boat to boat on changeover day, the end going along the ground, through the grass and pulled from boat to boat through the canal its self. On our boat we drink straight from the tank because we take care what goes into it. I remember seeing a few times hire boats using the pump out water hose to fill there clean water tank! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momac Posted July 23, 2021 Report Share Posted July 23, 2021 21 hours ago, Ex Brummie said: Bottled water costs more than the fuel you put in your boat. Not quite 5 litres about £1 Plus the bottle may be refilled from the water point for free 2 hours ago, Narrowboater1 said: I remember seeing a few times hire boats using the pump out water hose to fill there clean water tank! That's a good point . Best to use your own hose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machpoint005 Posted July 23, 2021 Report Share Posted July 23, 2021 3 minutes ago, MartynG said: Not quite 5 litres about £1 Plus the bottle may be refilled from the water point for free That's a good point . Best to use your own hose. He's probably right if you buy the small bottles (330ml?)from a local shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momac Posted July 23, 2021 Report Share Posted July 23, 2021 40 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said: He's probably right if you buy the small bottles (330ml?)from a local shop. I'm sure . But you can refill those bottles also . I dare say diesel in 330mm bottles would be expensive also. We have one small water bottle in use recently - its been handy to keep in the boat fridge in the recent hot weather . I am going to refill it just now. We have just had two weeks on the boat and never far from a tap. There is no real need to drink from the boat tank from my perspective although I guess not everyone has such easy access to water . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted July 23, 2021 Report Share Posted July 23, 2021 (edited) On 22/07/2021 at 15:05, nb Innisfree said: One hot summer day when I was a nipper I was in the Peak District and asked my dad if I could drink from a stream, "aye owd lad tha can" he replied. Seeing my dad was the fount of all knowledge I drank deeply, later I wandered upstream a couple of hundred yards and just round a bend I came across a dead sheep in the stream, gently rotting away. That was the first clue that my dad was flawed 🤔 ETA: I'm 74 and still alive btw. My experience was exactly the same apart from the location. As I recall it was Exmoor. I've also made it to 74. On the boat I use refilled 5 l bottles for tea, coffee etc. I do buy 330 / 500 cc bottles to put in the fridge and for a sip when popping pills or in the middle of the night. Got caught out the other day when I had to pay £3 for 6 small bottles of 'designer ' water. Mind you, the bottles look very smart in the fridge Edited July 23, 2021 by Slim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Lewis Posted July 23, 2021 Report Share Posted July 23, 2021 (edited) Only drink water if it has been boiled or brewed 😀 1 hour ago, Slim said: My experience was exactly the same apart from the location. As I recall it was Exmoor. I've also made it to 74. On the boat I use refilled 5 l bottles for tea, coffee etc. I do buy 330 / 500 cc bottles to put in the fridge and for a sip when popping pills or in the middle of the night. Got caught out the other day when I had to pay £3 for 6 small bottles of 'designer ' water. Mind you, the bottles look very smart in the fridge Needed a bottle to keep water in when working outside yesterday, popped into Tesco’s who were selling two litre bottles of Staffordshire spring water for 20p! Edited July 23, 2021 by Tim Lewis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athy Posted July 24, 2021 Report Share Posted July 24, 2021 (edited) On 22/07/2021 at 19:33, Ex Brummie said: You realise that Evian is Naive backwards. That's clever. Edited July 24, 2021 by Athy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Brummie Posted July 24, 2021 Report Share Posted July 24, 2021 21 hours ago, cuthound said: Indeed, when we moved from Surrey to the West Midlands I was surprised how soft it was, despite the local water company classifying it as "hard". Looking at the figures, it seems it is at the lowest end of the hard classification. In days gone by, you could use Birmingham to top up batteries. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted July 24, 2021 Report Share Posted July 24, 2021 I drink water through quite an expensive General Ecology Nature Pure filter via a dedicated drinking water tap and change the filters annually. I know I could drink straight from the tank. I'm not worried about bugs, etc, but the filtered water just tastes so much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Lewis Posted July 24, 2021 Report Share Posted July 24, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, Ex Brummie said: In days gone by, you could use Birmingham to top up batteries. When I was very young we lived in a rented house in Birmingham for a short while whilst parents were looking for a permanent house. We eventually moved to Stourbridge where us kids couldn't understand why we couldn't create a bath full of foam from a bar of soap like we could in Edgbaston 😞 Edited July 24, 2021 by Tim Lewis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puma Posted July 24, 2021 Report Share Posted July 24, 2021 Birmingham water should be really clean as it’s been filtered through lots of kidneys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewalton Posted July 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2021 Thanks for all the replies to my question. I shall check with the hire company as to whether we can drink the water from the tank o.k. Shall take some bottled water as well and fill these up when empty from the water points along the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markblox Posted August 7, 2021 Report Share Posted August 7, 2021 On 24/07/2021 at 11:02, blackrose said: I drink water through quite an expensive General Ecology Nature Pure filter via a dedicated drinking water tap and change the filters annually. I know I could drink straight from the tank. I'm not worried about bugs, etc, but the filtered water just tastes so much better. I have basically the same thing, think it's called purest, came with the boat and the filters cost about £120 each and last a year but filter down to 0.5 micron and the water tastes fantastic. Even removes viruses. Still careful what goes in the tank though and use a blue hose which is food safe and doesn't leach chemicals into the tank which other hoses can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan de Enfield Posted August 7, 2021 Report Share Posted August 7, 2021 3 minutes ago, Markblox said: I have basically the same thing, think it's called purest, came with the boat and the filters cost about £120 each and last a year but filter down to 0.5 micron and the water tastes fantastic. Even removes viruses. I think you are working under a missaprehension - your 0.5 micron filter will not 'remove viruses' it will not even remove ecoli, about the only things it will remove is mud, rust, giardia and cryptosporidium, a few larger bacteria. A 0.2 micron removes bacteria, cryptosporidium, cysts, Escherichia coli (E. coli), giardia, iron, legionella, manganese, norovirus, parasites, polio, pseudomonas, rotavirus, sediment, ultrafine particulates, some viruses, and other biological hazards. Bacteria average around 0.3 microns in size. Most portable water filters have a 0.1 micron filter size and are capable of blocking most bacteria, however, viruses are often small enough to pass through even a 0.1 micron filter, although the Coronavirus Covid-19 at 0.1-0.12 microns will be removed by a 0.1 micron filter If you want to drink clean water then get a 0.1 micron filter and an inline activated charcoal filter which will remove heavy metals and petrochemicals and give the water a better taste. My filter is "0.1 micron absolute". Many filter 'average' 0.1 micron but 'absolute' means all of the hollow membranes ARE 0.1 micron (no bigger holes for the bugs to get thru) If you want to get rid of ALL viruses then you need a RO (Reverse Osmosis) system which filters down to 0.0001 microns (0.1 nanomicrons) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markblox Posted August 7, 2021 Report Share Posted August 7, 2021 44 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said: I think you are working under a missaprehension - your 0.5 micron filter will not 'remove viruses' it will not even remove ecoli, about the only things it will remove is mud, rust, giardia and cryptosporidium, a few larger bacteria. A 0.2 micron removes bacteria, cryptosporidium, cysts, Escherichia coli (E. coli), giardia, iron, legionella, manganese, norovirus, parasites, polio, pseudomonas, rotavirus, sediment, ultrafine particulates, some viruses, and other biological hazards. Bacteria average around 0.3 microns in size. Most portable water filters have a 0.1 micron filter size and are capable of blocking most bacteria, however, viruses are often small enough to pass through even a 0.1 micron filter, although the Coronavirus Covid-19 at 0.1-0.12 microns will be removed by a 0.1 micron filter If you want to drink clean water then get a 0.1 micron filter and an inline activated charcoal filter which will remove heavy metals and petrochemicals and give the water a better taste. My filter is "0.1 micron absolute". Many filter 'average' 0.1 micron but 'absolute' means all of the hollow membranes ARE 0.1 micron (no bigger holes for the bugs to get thru) If you want to get rid of ALL viruses then you need a RO (Reverse Osmosis) system which filters down to 0.0001 microns (0.1 nanomicrons) Yes, I think your right. all from memory. This is the spec: Contaminants Reduced: Sediment, dirt, rust, lead, mercury, chloramine, chlorine, taste, odor, turbidity, cysts and VOCs Micron Rating (Nominal): 0.5 micron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puma Posted August 8, 2021 Report Share Posted August 8, 2021 I do a lot of outdoorsy things and drink from questionable water sources. I use a gravity filter on a bag to remove lumps and then pump it through a katadyn pump with a ceramic and charcoal filter, that filters down to 0.1 micron and the company states that that it will not filter single virus’s out only clumps of virus, so I boil it. But I would be drinking from sources similar to the actual cut, that you wouldn’t put in your water tank. I agree with the previous comment that reverse osmosis is the best solution on a NB or vehicle if you want to be sure that the water is clean, but it can be pricey. Alternatively use a cheaper filter and a charcoal filter (to remove flavour), boil it and make tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan de Enfield Posted August 8, 2021 Report Share Posted August 8, 2021 (edited) 3 hours ago, Puma said: ............... and the company states that that it will not filter single virus’s out only clumps of virus, Viruses do vary greatly in size, the C19 virus is (apparently) 1 micron to 1.2 micron so is captured by a 0.1 micron filter, but other viruses are much smaller. The other problem is that some viruses are 'sausage' shaped and whilst they will not pass a 0.1 micron filter if they 'hit it sideways', if they hit it end on they can pass thru. Yes - If in doubt always boil the water. 10 hours ago, Markblox said: Yes, I think your right. all from memory. This is the spec: Contaminants Reduced: Sediment, dirt, rust, lead, mercury, chloramine, chlorine, taste, odor, turbidity, cysts and VOCs Micron Rating (Nominal): 0.5 micron If it is removing taste, odour and VOCs I presume it has an activated charcoal element incorporated A rating of 0.5 nominal is fine for what you are (presumably) using it for, to clean the water from a boat tank, but if there is any risk of bacteria etc then the 'nominal' means that there are parts of the filter that are above 0.5 and parts that are below 0.5 giving an average of 0.5. It would not be suitable for filtering any water from potentially contaminated sources such as streams. Nominal rating The nominal rating refers to a filter capable of cutting off a nominated minimum percentage by weight of solid particles of a specific contaminant (usually again glass beads) greater than a stated micron size, normally expressed in micrometers (mm). I.e. 90% of 10 micron. Your nominal filter will remove 90% of particles down to 0,5 micron but will allow 10% bigger than 0.5 micron thru the filter. Absolute rating The absolute rating, of cut-off point, of a filter refers to the diameter of the largest spherical glass particle, normally expressed in micrometers (mm), which will pass through the filter under laboratory conditions. It represents the pore opening size of the filter medium. Filter media with an exact and consistent pore size or opening thus, theoretically at least, have an exact absolute rating. The water you are putting into your tank is presumably potable water, and, as such will only devlop slime, rust, sediment etc whilst in your tank and a 0.5 micron filter is fine for that. Edit to add Water industry guidance on Nominal and Absolute Edited August 8, 2021 by Alan de Enfield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markblox Posted August 8, 2021 Report Share Posted August 8, 2021 Yes I got that wrong regarding viruses but I believe it protects against some bacteria. Neat solution though and I'm glad it was fitted. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchcrawler Posted August 8, 2021 Report Share Posted August 8, 2021 19 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said: I think you are working under a missaprehension - your 0.5 micron filter will not 'remove viruses' it will not even remove ecoli, about the only things it will remove is mud, rust, giardia and cryptosporidium, a few larger bacteria. A 0.2 micron removes bacteria, cryptosporidium, cysts, Escherichia coli (E. coli), giardia, iron, legionella, manganese, norovirus, parasites, polio, pseudomonas, rotavirus, sediment, ultrafine particulates, some viruses, and other biological hazards. Bacteria average around 0.3 microns in size. Most portable water filters have a 0.1 micron filter size and are capable of blocking most bacteria, however, viruses are often small enough to pass through even a 0.1 micron filter, although the Coronavirus Covid-19 at 0.1-0.12 microns will be removed by a 0.1 micron filter If you want to drink clean water then get a 0.1 micron filter and an inline activated charcoal filter which will remove heavy metals and petrochemicals and give the water a better taste. My filter is "0.1 micron absolute". Many filter 'average' 0.1 micron but 'absolute' means all of the hollow membranes ARE 0.1 micron (no bigger holes for the bugs to get thru) If you want to get rid of ALL viruses then you need a RO (Reverse Osmosis) system which filters down to 0.0001 microns (0.1 nanomicrons) And if you don't change your filters at the correct interval then they can become a breading ground for bugs. I have read but don't know if its true that you should add minerals to RO water if that is all you drink for your own health Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan de Enfield Posted August 8, 2021 Report Share Posted August 8, 2021 4 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said: And if you don't change your filters at the correct interval then they can become a breading ground for bugs. I have read but don't know if its true that you should add minerals to RO water if that is all you drink for your own health Indeed , my filter has a recommended life of 100,000 gallons (its American) but if it starts to slow down it has a backflush facility to unclog it. Yes long term usage of RO produced water does require a mineral 'top-up' as you are drinking water, and nothing but water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchcrawler Posted August 8, 2021 Report Share Posted August 8, 2021 6 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said: Indeed , my filter has a recommended life of 100,000 gallons (its American) but if it starts to slow down it has a backflush facility to unclog it. Yes long term usage of RO produced water does require a mineral 'top-up' as you are drinking water, and nothing but water. RO water it the shower is wonderful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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