Water filters

[Spudwynk]

We've been drinking bottled water since we got our boat. This weekend we are going to Milton our cold water tank after reading other posts here. The boat has an old jabsco filter fitted which I was going to replace but then seeing it only helps with taste not cleanliness of water, I wonder If there is a better filter we could get. Would dearly like to move us onto drinking our running water without having to boil it. Thanks

[mrsmelly]

We always drank straight from the tank for well over 30 years fulltime. Neither of us are dead. However the missus kept one of those jugs you put a filter in so sometimes used that if she was feeling fussy. ( Britta ) I did fit an all singing and dancing expensive seagul system on my new build but in reality it wasnt needed.

[rusty69]

14 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

We always drank straight from the tank for well over 30 years fulltime. Neither of us are dead. However the missus kept one of those jugs you put a filter in so sometimes used that if she was feeling fussy. ( Britta ) I did fit an all singing and dancing expensive seagul system on my new build but in reality it wasnt needed.

Same here smelly. We Miltoned our tank when we first got the boat, and have been happy to use the water directly from it for drinking ever since with no filter, or even a strainer before the pump input. 

 

Plastic tank, if that makes any difference. 

[Tony Brooks]

What Mrsmelly said.

 

Unless you change the filters very regularly the microbial contamination emanating from bugs breeding in the filter system is likely to be worse than water straight from the tap - Thames Water Survey into domestic water. Also, if you have ever taken one of the ceramic water filter system apart the slime on the ceramic filter (if it has not split) plus other debris is likely to put you off drinking filter water for life.

 

The water from the public supply will be chlorinated and will stay chlorinated for a fair while in your tank, as long as you keep the hose ends clean and flush it through before use.

 

No filter for me and mine when we had the boat. I reckon that you are many times more likely to pick up a bug from pub meals than from your water tank.

[Tonka]

4 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

What Mrsmelly said.

 

Unless you change the filters very regularly the microbial contamination emanating from bugs breeding in the filter system is likely to be worse than water straight from the tap - Thames Water Survey into domestic water. Also, if you have ever taken one of the ceramic water filter system apart the slime on the ceramic filter (if it has not split) plus other debris is likely to put you off drinking filter water for life.

 

The water from the public supply will be chlorinated and will stay chlorinated for a fair while in your tank, as long as you keep the hose ends clean and flush it through before use.

 

No filter for me and mine when we had the boat. I reckon that you are many times more likely to pick up a bug from pub meals than from your water tank.

I would say pub ice is just as bad

[mrsmelly]

7 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Same here smelly. We Miltoned our tank when we first got the boat, and have been happy to use the water directly from it for drinking ever since with no filter, or even a strainer before the pump input. 

 

Plastic tank, if that makes any difference. 

Of our 8 boats we had an old fibreglass tank, a couple with integral built ins, one plastic and the rest were stainless steel. All were used precisely the same. I fell for the con from seagull years ago and fitted their VERY expensive ceramic sytem when I fitted a new shell. Never again lol.

[mrsmelly]

1 minute ago, Tonka said:

I would say pub ice is just as bad

Spot on!!. When I trained couples in the licensed trade I had to drill that in. The first thing EHO checked behind the bar was an ice sample. I have taken over several pubs with ice machines in an indescribable state 

Slightly off topic, but with regards food and problems, most peeps think the biggest problems come from poorly stored/prepared/cooked meats. Reality is that rice is the BIG problem if you are not very careful. Rice soon becomes dodgy and gives you delhi belly.

[Momac]

I have used  a s sterilising solution when I first bought the boat as it had been little used for a long while.  It takes a few flushes to clear the chlorine odour.

But since then I just give the tank and pipework a flush with mains  water  in the spring.

 

For drinking water we use  a couple of 5 litre supermarket water bottles which we re-use by filling them with tap water.  The bottles  last well if treated with reasonable care .  It's rare for us to  to be far from a water point so we don't  need to drink water that has been more than a couple of days in the bottle. I would say if you live aboard then drinking tank water is fine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tony Brooks]

It is on a holiday boat as well, even after it has been left for many weeks.

[Harpur Hill]

2 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

Spot on!!. When I trained couples in the licensed trade I had to drill that in. The first thing EHO checked behind the bar was an ice sample. I have taken over several pubs with ice machines in an indescribable state 

Slightly off topic, but with regards food and problems, most peeps think the biggest problems come from poorly stored/prepared/cooked meats. Reality is that rice is the BIG problem if you are not very careful. Rice soon becomes dodgy and gives you delhi belly.

 

Yes, reheated rice can be dangerous.

https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/can-reheating-rice-cause-food-poisoning/

How does reheated rice cause food poisoning?

Uncooked rice can contain spores of Bacillus cereus, bacteria that can cause food poisoning. The spores can survive when rice is cooked.

If rice is left standing at room temperature, the spores can grow into bacteria. These bacteria will multiply and may produce toxins (poisons) that cause vomiting or diarrhoea.

The longer cooked rice is left at room temperature, the more likely it is that the bacteria or toxins could make the rice unsafe to eat.

Symptoms of food poisoning

If you eat rice that contains Bacillus cereus bacteria, you may be sick and experience vomiting or diarrhoea about 1 to 5 hours afterwards. Symptoms are relatively mild and usually last about 24 hours.

Tips on serving rice safely

• Ideally, serve rice as soon as it has been cooked.
• If that is not possible, cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within 1 hour).
• Keep rice in the fridge for no more than 1 day until reheating.
• When you reheat rice, always check that it's steaming hot all the way through.
• Do not reheat rice more than once.

Read answers to more questions about healthy eating.

 

Eat well!

HH

 

[IanD]

4 minutes ago, Harpur Hill said:

 

Yes, reheated rice can be dangerous.

https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/can-reheating-rice-cause-food-poisoning/

How does reheated rice cause food poisoning?

Uncooked rice can contain spores of Bacillus cereus, bacteria that can cause food poisoning. The spores can survive when rice is cooked.

If rice is left standing at room temperature, the spores can grow into bacteria. These bacteria will multiply and may produce toxins (poisons) that cause vomiting or diarrhoea.

The longer cooked rice is left at room temperature, the more likely it is that the bacteria or toxins could make the rice unsafe to eat.

Symptoms of food poisoning

If you eat rice that contains Bacillus cereus bacteria, you may be sick and experience vomiting or diarrhoea about 1 to 5 hours afterwards. Symptoms are relatively mild and usually last about 24 hours.

Tips on serving rice safely

• Ideally, serve rice as soon as it has been cooked.
• If that is not possible, cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within 1 hour).
• Keep rice in the fridge for no more than 1 day until reheating.
• When you reheat rice, always check that it's steaming hot all the way through.
• Do not reheat rice more than once.

Read answers to more questions about healthy eating.

 

Eat well!

HH

 

 

I had food poisoning from rice on a trip to China -- got back to the hotel in Shenzhen late, only place open was restaurant in hotel, rice had probably been cooked for lunch. Let's just say that the room and bed needed a deep clean... 😞

[ditchcrawler]

3 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

We always drank straight from the tank for well over 30 years fulltime. Neither of us are dead. However the missus kept one of those jugs you put a filter in so sometimes used that if she was feeling fussy. ( Britta ) I did fit an all singing and dancing expensive seagul system on my new build but in reality it wasnt needed.

Stainless tank and only 28 years hobby boating

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, MartynG said:

I have used  a s sterilising solution when I first bought the boat as it had been little used for a long while.  It takes a few flushes to clear the chlorine odour.

But since then I just give the tank and pipework a flush with mains  water  in the spring.

 

For drinking water we use  a couple of 5 litre supermarket water bottles which we re-use by filling them with tap water.  The bottles  last well if treated with reasonable care .  It's rare for us to  to be far from a water point so we don't  need to drink water that has been more than a couple of days in the bottle. I would say if you live aboard then drinking tank water is fine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We use to test our water regularly when I worked Offshore, it was delivered by boat and the boat filled from a hydrant on the quay, On the platform it was stored in steel tanks holding about 40 tons. Sometimes we would get a raised colony count and we added Chlorine to the storage tanks. This was in the form of standard thin bleach, about a pint and a quarter to 40 tons of water. If the count was high, then we would Flush with a stronger solution and then refill the tanks, not popular as the tea would taste rank for days afterwards  even after loads of flushing

 

[Momac]

52 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

 If the count was high, then we would Flush with a stronger solution and then refill the tanks, not popular as the tea would taste rank for days afterwards  even after loads of flushing

 

I think I put half a litre of sterilising solution in my 250 litre tank then filled with water and ran water from  the taps to fill the pipes . But I had no intention of consuming that treated water  and needed to completely empty and refill with fresh water and repeat flush with fresh water. I always thought the pipework a greater risk than the tank in terms of harbouring bacteria. Maybe that goes back to flushing beer pipes  which I did  few times many years ago.

 

Our first boat had been standing before  we bought it and  we did have slight upset stomachs after our first overnight on the boat. So it is possible  for bacteria to develop if the water is not used fairly promptly.  Like most things on a boat regular use is the best  way to keep things working as they should.

 

[Nightwatch]

8 hours ago, Tonka said:

I would say pub ice is just as bad

True. Pub ice. Not fresh, it’s frozen stuff.

[Alan de Enfield]

8 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

True. Pub ice. Not fresh, it’s frozen stuff.

 

I have tended to find, over the years, that much of the ice is the frozen variety. Half way up the Volcano Mount Teidie, we stopped at the cafe for a drink my Ice-cube had a fly frozen in it, the Cafe Staff didn't seem to understand why I was not happy.

 

Providing ice in a pub is a good way of increasing profits, as a 'glass of Coke that has ice in it contains far less Coke than one without ice - ice is cheaper than Coke* 

 

*Other soft drinks are available.

[rusty69]

19 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

I have tended to find, over the years, that much of the ice is the frozen variety. Half way up the Volcano Mount Teidie, we stopped at the cafe for a drink my Ice-cube had a fly frozen in it, the Cafe Staff didn't seem to understand why I was not happy.

 

Providing ice in a pub is a good way of increasing profits, as a 'glass of Coke that has ice in it contains far less Coke than one without ice - ice is cheaper than Coke* 

 

*Other soft drinks are available.

That is very true Alan,  the unfrozen ice tends to be water🥶

 

I'm not surprised you were pissed there was a fly in your ice. I would have expected, being in Tenerife , at least a canary or even a small budgie. 

Edited August 20, 2022 by rusty69

[ditchcrawler]

On 20/08/2022 at 13:49, Tony Brooks said:

 Unless you change the filters very regularly the microbial contamination emanating from bugs breeding in the filter system is likely to be worse than water straight from the tap - Thames Water Survey into domestic water.  

This is correct, we removed them offshore for that reason. We sampled our regularly, I think it was every 3 months. This was water loaded in bulk in Lowestoft to ships tanks and the transferred to the platform tanks by pump and hose.