# Stupid me, I've been drinking unfiltered tap water for 2 years. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 24, 2015, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856 "2015-03-24T14:04:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/21 "2015-03-24T20:06:36Z")
My house has a lead pipe from the street to the inside hookup, so I filter drinking water, but not cooking water. The advice was that the only real danger was overnight after it had been sitting in there for a while. So he told me to shower to clean it out before making coffee, and that an automatic ice maker unfiltered would not be a great idea. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/22 "2015-03-24T21:06:34Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > I don’t drink tap water, but it’s because of the taste. > > I will use it my coffee though. Same here. I can’t stand water in any form. I am struggling with finding a drink that doesn’t have citric acid or calories. Diet soda is acidy and so are the water additives that would make it palatable (Crystal Light, etc.). For now I am sticking with diet soda. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/23 "2015-03-24T21:33:05Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Bottled water is often glorified tap water (up to 25 %!). It causes a huge mess in landfills with all of those bottles. It costs a lot of money. > > It is just like diamonds. The companies have sold us a false bill, saying that bottled water is better for us, just like blood diamonds are worth their exorbitant prices. You know how to tell artificial diamonds from the ones mined? The artificial ones have no flaws! While bottled water is vastly overpriced and overhyped (especially supposedly oxygen and electrolyte “enhanced” water), and anyone who has been to an untended beach in the South Pacific Ocean or South China Sea can attest to the massive litter problem of plastic drink containers, there is good reason to view tap water with some degree of scruitiny. Several studies have found significant amounts of contaminants in municipal drinking water supplies and cities with poorly maintained water treatment facilities, and failing infrastructure or contaminants in privately owned water distribution systems may contribute contaminants or harbor harmful organisms themselves. Filtering water for drinking and cooking is a prudent step in many areas (especially areas with high sulphur, perchlorates, food and industrial processing runoff, or where incidential or deliberate intrusion of contaminants into groundwater sources; however not all filters are equally effective or operate as advertised, requiring some amount of research by the user. > [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](#): > > Although our tap water is drinkable, I catch rainwater and drink that - much nicer and purer. “Mandrake, have you ever seen a Commie drink a glass of water?” Stranger ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/24 "2015-03-24T22:54:13Z")
I’ve drank tap water for 50 years, I think it was Consumer Reports that found water filters they tested had mold and bacteria in them. That ended any interest I had in buying one. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/25 "2015-03-24T23:03:09Z")
A couple cites. [http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2012/04/02/6-surprising-health-hazards-lurking-in-your-home](http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2012/04/02/6-surprising-health-hazards-lurking-in-your-home) [http://www.distillationstation.com/articles/challenges-with-activated-carbon-filters/](http://www.distillationstation.com/articles/challenges-with-activated-carbon-filters/) > [@](#): > > 1. Contaminated water-pitcher filters. Many savvy consumers have replaced bottled water with more-economical water filters. However, if you use any type of pitcher with removable filters, make sure you’re changing out that filter on a regular basis. If the water has started to flow out much slower than usual, you’re well past the change-out date. You should plan on changing out your water pitcher filter about every three months–even more frequently if you go through gallons of water every day. Stock up on filters so you and your household aren’t drinking contaminated water. > [@](#): > > It is not a matter of how easy a filter can be changed, but rather when to change it. > > Most contaminants in water are measured in Part Per Million (PPM) and as these chemicals pass through the filter they are attracted and absorbed by the carbon. As a result, they begin to accumulate in larger quantities than what might be safe levels according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) \*\*Not knowing at what point the filter is full or holding all the chemicals it can, larger quantities of chemical than are found can easily be forced loose by the pressure of the water passing by. Changing the allowed PPM of certain chemicals to high concentrated levels released into your glass. > \*\* > Clogging and Channeling > > Carbon filters will clog in many places, forcing the water to go around the clog. This process continues until an unobstructed path through the filter is found. This process is called channeling. \*\*Channeling provides an unrestricted flow for the water and pollutants to pass through the filter, totally negating the carbons ability to retain the pollutants. \*\*Unless there was a dramatic change in the filters flow, you would not know there was a serious problem, nor when to change the filter. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/26 "2015-03-25T06:16:50Z")
\Water? Never touch the stuff. Fish fuck in it.\ ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/27 "2015-03-25T06:25:26Z")
I’ve had people be shocked that I will take a empty water bottle and full it at the tap, they warn me no no no don’t drink that poison! I roll my eyes. EDIT:At home we don’t have water service, we have three large tanks and a neighbor loans us a hose twice a week to fill them. This goes into the household plumbing fed by gravity. The tanks are full of algae and moss and stuff that looks like seaweed, my wife refuses to drink it unless it is boiled. I drink it without, never had an issue. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/28 "2015-03-25T06:30:08Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I was assured by more than one residential apartment management person that the unfiltered tap water was perfectly safe to drink…but there’s got to always be lead, copper, other metals, anyway, no? Especially in the South/Southwest? > > I’m going to get myself a Brita system/filter, but I haven’t turned into a walking lead/copper/manganese filter have I? No, probably not, but this Brita plan might turn you into a money sieve. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/29 "2015-03-25T10:04:36Z")
Tap water drinker. No plans to change. I’ve read about the filters before and they’re gross, I wouldn’t be vigilant enough about changing them. Especially at work I will skip the Brita pitchers in the fridges, no thanks, who’s in charge of changing those filters? Where are the replacements? No one knows. Yuck. Straight from the tap, thanks. People who complain about chlorine taste, all they have to do is fill a pitcher and let it sit overnight. Chlorine dissipates and the taste will be gone. No filter needed. Of course if your home water tastes bad or is unsuitable well water that can’t benefit from a whole house filter, buy what you need. Usually folks in that situation go cheaper routes with 5-gallon service or gallon jugs of distilled, much cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/30 "2015-03-25T13:07:08Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > People who complain about chlorine taste, all they have to do is fill a pitcher and let it sit overnight. Chlorine dissipates and the taste will be gone. No filter needed. Lots of municipalities use [chloramine](http://www.mountpleasantwaterworks.com/chloramine.cfm), which is much less volatile and can remain in the water for several weeks (unless you use a filter to remove it). ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/31 "2015-03-25T19:43:08Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Of course if your home water tastes bad or is unsuitable well water that can’t benefit from a whole house filter, buy what you need. Usually folks in that situation go cheaper routes with 5-gallon service or gallon jugs of distilled, much cheaper. A lot of modern refrigerators have built-in filters with some kind of flow or backpressure sensor to indicate when to change the filter (it’s not just a simple timer). We use that for a lot of our drinking water; my wife complains about the taste of our water, although I honestly don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/32 "2015-03-25T20:20:32Z")
I use a Brita pitcher for water for bread – I’ve had a sourdough starter going for a couple of years, and I try not to give him chlorine. ---
**Author:** ![HeXen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@HeXen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeXen)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/33 "2015-03-25T21:23:17Z")
I have never once drank filtered water that I was aware of or can at least recall. I don’t drink Soda’s…etc so I mostly drink tap water. 38yrs old and still healthy. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/34 "2015-03-25T21:45:58Z")
> [@](#): > > Contaminated water-pitcher filters. Many savvy consumers have replaced bottled water with more-economical water filters. However, if you use any type of pitcher with removable filters, make sure you’re changing out that filter on a regular basis. If the water has started to flow out much slower than usual, you’re well past the change-out date. You should plan on changing out your water pitcher filter about every three months–even more frequently if you go through gallons of water every day. Stock up on filters so you and your household aren’t drinking contaminated water. This is why the filter in my Brita gets changed every 6-8 weeks. We have well water, which is tested at least yearly (when they were doing construction in the area it was more frequently). It’s fine from a health standpoint, but it’s got a ton of minerals in it, it doesn’t pour so much as “thunk” and the minerals aren’t wonderful tasting or good for some types of cooking, so we filter it for drinking and cooking. We really need to swap the filter every two months, minimum. But too many people don’t bother, which is how you get into problems. Read The F’ing Manual, people! > [@grude](#): > > EDIT:At home we don’t have water service, we have three large tanks and a neighbor loans us a hose twice a week to fill them. This goes into the household plumbing fed by gravity. The tanks are full of algae and moss and stuff that looks like seaweed, my wife refuses to drink it unless it is boiled. I drink it without, never had an issue. The fact your water tanks have algae, moss, and “seaweed” is actually a sign of it being healthy. Toxic water can be perfectly clear and pretty because nothing can grow in it. We get that effect in our toilet bowl sometimes we we don’t clean it quite as often as we should, or go away for a week. It’s because there’s all sorts of healthy stuff in the water for things to eat, like the aforementioned minerals. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/35 "2015-03-25T22:34:33Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Of course if your home water tastes bad or is unsuitable well water that can’t benefit from a whole house filter, buy what you need. Usually folks in that situation go cheaper routes with 5-gallon service or gallon jugs of distilled, much cheaper. At work they have switched from five-gallon jugs to a plumbed filtered thingie. Same water cooler base, no jugs. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/36 "2015-03-26T18:32:04Z")
> [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](#): > > Although our tap water is drinkable, I catch rainwater and drink that - much nicer and purer. I’ve just had a friend staying for a few weeks and she’s been filling the water jugs. I thought she wasn’t washing out the jars very well, turns out on the last day she comments that she’s been filling them from the tap. ☹ How do you catch said rainwater? Do not drink ‘rainbarrel’ water caught from a roof - there is bird shit and windblown crap on your roof and in the gutters … [URL=“[http://boards.straightdope.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/](http://boards.straightdope.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/)”] ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/37 "2015-03-26T20:03:38Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > We get that effect in our toilet bowl sometimes we we don’t clean it quite as often as we should, or go away for a week. It’s because there’s all sorts of healthy stuff in the water for things to eat, like the aforementioned minerals. And lots of “fertilizer”. But yeah, I don’t think the presence of algae or aquatic plants is a sign of dirty or toxic water, nor do I believe that they’re anything but a benign presence in the tank. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/38 "2015-03-26T20:57:19Z")
Hell, I worry that because I drink a lot of bottled water I’m not getting the benefit of the fluoridation. I make an EFFORT to drink more tap water. So basically, I’m the opposite of a fluoridation conspiracy theorist. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/39 "2015-03-26T21:50:57Z")
Save yourself! Buy bottled water! … which is usually just tap water, from a different tap. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856/40 "2015-03-26T22:53:32Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > There’s nothing wrong with unfiltered tap water, unless you live in a third-world country or there’s a water boil advisory due to work on the system or something. > > I drink unfiltered ground water from my well. There are always trace amounts of minerals and metals and some of them are actually good for you. > > Lead isn’t good for you. But the amount of lead in treated municipal systems would be completely insignificant. A Brita type filter will make your water taste better, so why not? And altho there may not be lead in a treated municipal system- some old building may have more. Change your filter and keep the pitcher in the fridge. That way you also have a supply of cold drinking water. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-me-ive-been-drinking-unfiltered-tap-water-for-2-years/715856.md?page=3)