Mineral water vs RO tap water

ravdeb

Mineral water vs RO tap water

ravdeb

We are having a debate here.

A guy came to our house trying to sell us a reverse osmosis water treatment system for our tap water.

He told us natural mineral water was unhealthy. We buy it by the bottles.

He then used an electrode device to show us all the bad stuff in our water and dark sludge fell to the bottom of the glass.

I have since researched this and learned that this device is unethical to use as a sales pitch for an RO water treatment system.

I've also read in my research that it's healthier to drink natural mineral water than RO water on a daily basis.

I realize there are lots of bottled waters out there (especially in the States..I live in Israel, though) that are not natural mineral water and are in fact RO water.

Any thoughts on this????

Jen44

I actually live in the states, but I drink very little bottled water.  I have filters on my faucets and I drink from them.  I think we depend too much on bottled water and we don't really know that it doesn't come from someone else's faucet.  I don't know if you ever saw the movie Return to me with With Mimmie Driver and David Duchovny, anyway she plays a waiters that pours out the bottled water and refills it with tap water.  The customer just raves about how good it is and that bottled water is so much better than tap.  I just had to laugh out loud.  Anyway I guess my thoughts on the whole thing is that we make too much of the whole thing.  I think we just need to filter our water and drink what we have and stop making the bottled water companies richer at our expense.  However that is just my opinion

Keep laughing,

Jenny

ravdeb

I've read that the water companies are angry that water treatment system companies are making it out like the water coming into your house isn't safe, when in fact, they have regulations and water tests, etc.

So, if putting a filter on your tap water is the way to go, then what type of filter and is it necessary to have reverse osmosis.

And..could mineral water be healthier than water in which minerals (most of the minerals) have been removed?

And then there is the cost of bottled water over tap water and remembering to change the filters on your tap water (since forgetting to do this is more harmful than drinking water without a filter).

HELP! The water system guy keeps calling and we can't make a decision!!!!

snowyday

I use a brita and love the water I get. No lugging bottles around. My sister always drinks from the soft plastic bottles and it drives me nuts yesterday a large cdn. water company recalled all of there plastic water bottles because of health concerns. The reason I switched was in London in the older homes there are lead problems in the tap water and a notice was sent out to everyone in our area with the lead problems.  Then one day I thought about the white electric pitcher I boil my water in and the many times I had washed it out because it was black inside. Well with the brita it hasn't gone black since I started pouring only brita water in it. Makes me wonder just how much lead I was putting into my body. My cats get only brita water as well.  My dad was from Dresdin and he only drank mineral water in glass bottles now I know why. Europeans are so much farther ahead with these health issues.  Also my sister Ruby keeps telling me to check out the Australian web sites on cancer treatment she told me they to the chemo and rads and then a total body cleanse to get the chemicals out. I have to read about it but I think it's a really good idea.  Maybe it will get the leftover taxols out of me and stop them from further damage to my legs.  She also mentioned the incidence of heart attack after treatment in Austrailia is really low for bc survivors. Has anyone heard about this?  Thanks and good wishes to all. Pearl

lvtwoqlt

I also use the Brita or Pur filters. They both fit in my Brita pitcher and work identical. I can't stand the chlorine smell that I get with the tap water. My husband is a long haul trucker and we buy the bottled water for him because he does not have access to tap and it is easier for him to just open a bottle out of his cooler.

Sheila

ravdeb

Okay. We decided to keep buying the bottled natural mineral water because it's convenient for us since we all take bottles with us as we leave the house.

We had a filter on our tap and stopped buying new filters and don't use that water anymore. I mean..the filter had it's own faucet. We use the regular faucet for cooking, boiling water, etc. I'm wondering..we should probably keep using filtered water for that.

Rosemary44

I use the 2 system filtration, pur on the faucet, and then I fill the brita with pur filtered water.  It takes both to get good tasting water where I live.   Problem is, if there is any minerals in the water, they probably are being filtered out.   I cook with the filtered water, it makes things taste a lot better.  Probably mind over matter.

AlaskaDeb

We got a reverse osmosis system for our drinking water.  We did it mostly for the taste, we have a high level of magnesium in our well water, which is not unhealthy, but makes the water have a funky taste.  We also have a higher than normal level of naturally occurring arsenic in the water.  That is NOT good for you.  In fact, the school I work in is using bottled water as they level of arsenic was too high there.  There are putting in a HUGE (read very expensive) RO system for the whole building.

From what the sales guy told us anyone on a city water system does not need a RO system unless they find the taste of the chlorinated water offensive.  There are no health benefits.  He also said that the natural mineral water is healthy, but the plastic bottles were not (I don't buy the plastic bottle theory, but that's just me).

Deb C

Anonymous

I drink right out of the tap and refill our plastic bottles!  LOL

Blundin2005

Hi ravdeb,

Here is a web site that you might find of interest....

www.mgwater.com

and specific to arab countries...... 

www.mgwater.com/arabhwa.shtml

There is a place within this site that list water worldwide....thus this one specific to arab countries.  

Hope you find it helpful.

ravdeb

Hi,

I don't live in an Arab country but will check out the other link you gave. Thanks.

edited to say that I just checked out the mg link and it only proves that I was right and the guy trying to sell me the RO system had no idea what he was talking about.

Blundin2005

Hi Ravdeb,

I think that there will be many snake oil salesmen hanging around the water cooler as we find our need for water outstripping the supply of clean water.  I agree with you.

About the Arab country....I don't live in one either but I live close to them...relatively speaking.  I was curious to know how they managed this issue and found some good information in there as well.  It's only human to create boundaries....the earth knows only those created by physics.  Either site can help provide us with very good information about water in general.  

Best wishes to all...as always. 

sccruiser

We drink right out of the tap. Ours is well water, privately owned by 4 homes, including ours. Every time a home is sold and a new family buys it, they have the water tested and it is always okay. No funky taste. We feel very lucky. We are on the side of a mountain about 800 feet up and our well is 300 feet down in granite. We do get a lot of mineral deposits and I have to use vinegar on the nozzles of our faucets a couple times a year.



grace

twinkly

We have filters from aquasana on our taps that work great.....we decided RO wasn't environmentally friendly enough to install, as it wastes 3 to 4 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of water to drink.

ravdeb

Now THAT is a reason NOT to get the RO water. I live in a country that has very little water. Why would they promote something that would "waste" water. Interesting...

Blundin..I live close to Arab countries too. You are right..it is interesting.