Water Quality

[Jollygoodfellow]

Just been thinking about water quality,when I arrived for a months stay early this year I had a condo booked at Matcan, the first thing I wanted was a cup of coffee when I arrived, even brought my own from Aus,anyway I filled the electric jug from the tap and boiled it only to discover there was all this white stuff in the water and sides of the jug.Is the water from the taps drinkable in Cebu or any where else in the Philippines? What about the places that only have a well, do they boil the water before drinking?Tom :) safer

[twostrokes]

1. I think most everywhere in the PI the water should be boiled or run through a special filter.2. don't know about Cebu specifically.3. A lot also depends on you as an individual...I guess I had a cast iron stomach...I drank the tap water and used it for ice most everywhere I ever lived in the PI...Did not get sick any more than I have ever here in the states which could never be linked to the water. I also ate off most any street vendor or toro toro on the side of the road, again all over Luzon. Don't remember ever getting sick from it. Could I have cought some ugly bugs and lived to regret it?? you betcha.I recently heard of a new filter available, not cheap, but will make cattle pond stagnant water safe to drink. It isn't cheap, but it last for like 6000 gal. before needing a $100.00 filter change. The unit is like $400.00, but it would make perfectly safe water for a very long time to drink 6000 gals. Thinking real serious of getting one to bring over with me, or balikbayan box it. Some of the stuff they are finding in bottle water is not exactly safe, just being ignored right now because it is a big market. Another one of those FDA blind spots. Hell some of the plastic bottles they put the water in could be killing us. That is the latest thing being looked at seriously. I will correct myself, I have pulled tap water that you couldn't see through in the glass, that I didn't drink..heheheJim

[Mr Lee]

Just been thinking about water quality,when I arrived for a months stay early this year I had a condo booked at Matcan, the first thing I wanted was a cup of coffee when I arrived, even brought my own from Aus,anyway I filled the electric jug from the tap and boiled it only to discover there was all this white stuff in the water and sides of the jug.Is the water from the taps drinkable in Cebu or any where else in the Philippines? What about the places that only have a well, do they boil the water before drinking?Tom :1 (235): safer

Most of Mactan water is not potable and should be boiled and possibly run through some sort of filtering system. Even when my wife and I stayed in Days Inn near Cebu Mactan airport, they had signs at the sinks saying that the water is not potable and supplied bottled water. Now in Cebu City, I usually drink the tap water at our condo and at most food places but we still have water delivered in big bottles and drink that to be safe because I do not trust what the pipes may be made of or the fact that it is stored in a holding tank on the roof.I have also drank plenty of tap water while staying in Cagayan de Oro city, Davao, parts of Manila and Makati in the hotels and restaurants and never had a problem, but I would never dinnk any water while out in the provinces except bottled and do not allow my wife to drink it now either because I am sure her system has changed and she would no longer be immune to what might be in it. Play it safe and drink bottled water or even better drink San Mig :welcome: :)

[Jollygoodfellow]

Just been thinking about water quality,when I arrived for a months stay early this year I had a condo booked at Matcan, the first thing I wanted was a cup of coffee when I arrived, even brought my own from Aus,anyway I filled the electric jug from the tap and boiled it only to discover there was all this white stuff in the water and sides of the jug.Is the water from the taps drinkable in Cebu or any where else in the Philippines? What about the places that only have a well, do they boil the water before drinking?Tom :1 (235): safer

Most of Mactan water is not potable and should be boiled and possibly run through some sort of filtering system. Even when my wife and I stayed in Days Inn near Cebu Mactan airport, they had signs at the sinks saying that the water is not potable and supplied bottled water. Now in Cebu City, I usually drink the tap water at our condo and at most food places but we still have water delivered in big bottles and drink that to be safe because I do not trust what the pipes may be made of or the fact that it is stored in a holding tank on the roof.I have also drank plenty of tap water while staying in Cagayan de Oro city, Davao, parts of Manila and Makati in the hotels and restaurants and never had a problem, but I would never dinnk any water while out in the provinces except bottled and do not allow my wife to drink it now either because I am sure her system has changed and she would no longer be immune to what might be in it. Play it safe and drink bottled water or even better drink San Mig :welcome: :)

Anyone know what the white powder substance that I found in the jug would be? Could it be salt or something to purifier the water?Yes Lee I take your advise :559: only beer for me from now on. On second thoughts nothings really changed then for me :)

[paul]

Yes Lee I take your advise :) only beer for me from now on. On second thoughts nothings really changed then for me :welcome:

You just want an excuse to drink beer. :1 (235): Personally, I drink tap water all the time here, and I live in the City (most of the time) now. I have had no issues with the water. In fact, I have more issues with food than I ever have, concerning water.

[johnb]

Just been thinking about water quality,when I arrived for a months stay early this year I had a condo booked at Matcan, the first thing I wanted was a cup of coffee when I arrived, even brought my own from Aus,anyway I filled the electric jug from the tap and boiled it only to discover there was all this white stuff in the water and sides of the jug.Is the water from the taps drinkable in Cebu or any where else in the Philippines? What about the places that only have a well, do they boil the water before drinking?Tom :1 (235): safer

Most of Mactan water is not potable and should be boiled and possibly run through some sort of filtering system. Even when my wife and I stayed in Days Inn near Cebu Mactan airport, they had signs at the sinks saying that the water is not potable and supplied bottled water. Now in Cebu City, I usually drink the tap water at our condo and at most food places but we still have water delivered in big bottles and drink that to be safe because I do not trust what the pipes may be made of or the fact that it is stored in a holding tank on the roof.I have also drank plenty of tap water while staying in Cagayan de Oro city, Davao, parts of Manila and Makati in the hotels and restaurants and never had a problem, but I would never dinnk any water while out in the provinces except bottled and do not allow my wife to drink it now either because I am sure her system has changed and she would no longer be immune to what might be in it. Play it safe and drink bottled water or even better drink San Mig :welcome: :)

Anyone know what the white powder substance that I found in the jug would be? Could it be salt or something to purifier the water?Yes Lee I take your advise :559: only beer for me from now on. On second thoughts nothings really changed then for me :)

It sounds like good old fashioned limescale caused from hard water, There are products on the market that will help you clean it off, often its the cause of blocked pipes and particularly shower heads, I've even found it in sink waste traps. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LimescaleJohnJust added this as an edit, I also drink the tap water in Cebu. Edited November 17, 2008 by johnb

[tom_shor]

Just been thinking about water quality,when I arrived for a months stay early this year I had a condo booked at Matcan, the first thing I wanted was a cup of coffee when I arrived, even brought my own from Aus,anyway I filled the electric jug from the tap and boiled it only to discover there was all this white stuff in the water and sides of the jug.Is the water from the taps drinkable in Cebu or any where else in the Philippines? What about the places that only have a well, do they boil the water before drinking?Tom :1 (235): safer

Most of Mactan water is not potable and should be boiled and possibly run through some sort of filtering system. Even when my wife and I stayed in Days Inn near Cebu Mactan airport, they had signs at the sinks saying that the water is not potable and supplied bottled water. Now in Cebu City, I usually drink the tap water at our condo and at most food places but we still have water delivered in big bottles and drink that to be safe because I do not trust what the pipes may be made of or the fact that it is stored in a holding tank on the roof.I have also drank plenty of tap water while staying in Cagayan de Oro city, Davao, parts of Manila and Makati in the hotels and restaurants and never had a problem, but I would never dinnk any water while out in the provinces except bottled and do not allow my wife to drink it now either because I am sure her system has changed and she would no longer be immune to what might be in it. Play it safe and drink bottled water or even better drink San Mig :welcome: :)

Anyone know what the white powder substance that I found in the jug would be? Could it be salt or something to purifier the water?Yes Lee I take your advise :559: only beer for me from now on. On second thoughts nothings really changed then for me :)

Could just be minerals. I think the water in most places has a lot of minerals in it. We buy bottled water for drinking but we boil tap water for cooking and coffee or tea. I have wondered about the bottled water and weather those places are ever inspected to be sure they change the filters when they are supposed to. I would guess many of them do not.

[johnrxx99]

Try an experiment. Make tea using boiled tap water and then boiled bottled water. If you like tea the question is answered.While you probably wont kill yourself drinking tap water, the level of "hardness" and chlorine in Cebu's water is far too high to make it pleasant, boiled or not. Bottled water is cheap and we only use the tap water for washing or cleaning the floor.

[Mik]

Yeah, just go with the bottled water. We buy 5 gallon bottles for P45 including delivery. The tap water may be safe but it tastes funny. We have a well at our house and our well water tastes fine but I don't drink it because people here don't have proper septic systems. Their "septic tanks" have a dirt bottom so the waste water goes straight down - more like a seepage pit. I don't think they know what a drain field is. The water table is only 19 feet down at my place. Our well casing goes down 56 feet so that helps but I still don't feel it's safe to drink unless we had it tested regularly. The white stuff in the water may be calcium and magnesium. It's actually good for you. If it builds up in your coffee pot or makes a ring in your toilet you can dissolve it with acid. I have some left over concrete neutralizer so I have been using that.

[wallyperrier]

same for me, buy bottled water, and use the other only to wash or clean clothes