Water Quality

[twostrokes]

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.

For coffee pots you can also just run vinegar, (about a tablespoon per pot of water),through your coffee pot and it works good to clean it out also. We do ours once a week just to keep it from building up.jim

[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 :rolleyes: 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 :lol: :cheers:

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 :D

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.

I dont think its scale, this floats on the water and covers the jug which was spotless on the inside. Is really looks like talcum powder?

[brock]

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 :rolleyes: 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 :lol: :cheers:

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 :D

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.

I dont think its scale, this floats on the water and covers the jug which was spotless on the inside. Is really looks like talcum powder?

Yes, we get a white scum on boiled tap water when making coffee, so always use bottled water for drinking, tap water just for washing, and i never have ice in my drink when i,m out in the bars.Brock.

[johnrxx99]

A good tip for the shower head when that gets blocked with white stuff - assuming you heat the water. Just stick it in vinegar for an hour or two and all gone.

[KeithAngel]

I drink the tap water here in the house in gadaloup the clorine levels go up and down but its like that in the place i live in the uk toIf you want to get rid of the taste leave it in an open bottle all night and the clorine evaporates off as a gas.

[BobNChe]

I've been through all the above issues regarding the water here. We use bottled water for drinking, but for cooking, especially rice rice and more rice, or pasta it was taking allot of bottled water. I bought a water filter, one cartridge with two stages, to use on the tap for cooking.After a few months you would not believe what the filter looked like. It was nothing short of horrible. It also weighed at least one pound more then the replacement filter. Yes it was drained.The incidence of kidney stones is high in the Phils because of the high ammounts of minerals and other sediments in the water here.I was already dead set against drinking the water here, but after seeing the filter and the weight it had gained, there is no way in hell I would drink it!!!

[brock]

I've been through all the above issues regarding the water here. We use bottled water for drinking, but for cooking, especially rice rice and more rice, or pasta it was taking allot of bottled water. I bought a water filter, one cartridge with two stages, to use on the tap for cooking.After a few months you would not believe what the filter looked like. It was nothing short of horrible. It also weighed at least one pound more then the replacement filter. Yes it was drained.The incidence of kidney stones is high in the Phils because of the high ammounts of minerals and other sediments in the water here.I was already dead set against drinking the water here, but after seeing the filter and the weight it had gained, there is no way in hell I would drink it!!!

I agree, if my filipino family wont drink it.... I sure wont

[Tatoosh]

I've been through all the above issues regarding the water here. We use bottled water for drinking, but for cooking, especially rice rice and more rice, or pasta it was taking allot of bottled water. I bought a water filter, one cartridge with two stages, to use on the tap for cooking.After a few months you would not believe what the filter looked like. It was nothing short of horrible. It also weighed at least one pound more then the replacement filter. Yes it was drained.The incidence of kidney stones is high in the Phils because of the high ammounts of minerals and other sediments in the water here.I was already dead set against drinking the water here, but after seeing the filter and the weight it had gained, there is no way in hell I would drink it!!!

I agree, if my filipino family wont drink it.... I sure wont

I use bottled water for most cooking, but not all. If I am boiling something, like spaghetti or lasagna noodles, I will use the tap water. But we buy our tap water, then run it through a 5 micron filter for sediment. After a month or so it gets to looking pretty bad. So generally I won't drink the water but I will occasionally break that rule. Mostly bottled water is the way to go. I get ice for my coke and just take my chances at the restaurants usually.

[squidly]

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

I would be interested in buying one of those filters. Do you have info on where they can be purchased ?

[tom_shor]

Try a hardware store. That would be the first place I would look. I might get one also.