Drinking water
#1
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9
Drinking water
Is the water safe to drink, or do you have a filter at home and purchase bottled water on the go?
#2
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Joined: Mar 2012
Location: Living in Melaka, Malaysia
Posts: 472
Re: Drinking water
In Melaka (not sure about the rest of Malaysia but probably the same) there are loads of machines where you take your own bottle and fill it up. It is filtered water but my wife advised me to still boil it anway as she's not sure how often the filters are cleaned! We have 6 x 5.5L bottles and one of around 9 or 10L. We fill these up every couple of weeks. Around 42 or 43 litres costs about RM6. You can also get filter machines to connect to mains water. Some fridges out here also have filters for connecting mains water to.
I use tap water for boiling vegetables, cooking pasta etc. If making sauces, and for baking though, I use the boiled filtered water. If I am in during the day then I'll fill the kettle with the filtered water, boil it and fill up a flask. That way I can have coffee whenever I want it. Useful for using in sauces later in the day if not finished by then!
#3
Re: Drinking water
We buy bottles of drinking water. Like Bluenose, I'll boil up veggies, pasta etc in tap water though.
#4
Re: Drinking water
It is very common for households in Malaysia to have at least one water filter system installed in the kitchen.
http://www.phhp.com.my/en/products/c...tration-system
http://www.phhp.com.my/en/products/c...tration-system
#6
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Joined: Nov 2008
Location: SW Florida
Posts: 33
Re: Drinking water
I believe that many of these purely filtration systems might not be completely adequate for purifying water. This phhp filter seems to contain some "snake oil" elements. If you want to be sure of your drinking water a reverse osmosis system is the best alternative.
#7
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9
Re: Drinking water
Thanks for the replies. A reverse-osmosis home filter sounds good, but I wish there was a more environmentally-friendly alternative for on the go (is there a recycling system in KL?). Have any long-timers tried to get used to the water? How long is the adjust period (nausea, vomiting)?
#8
Forum Regular
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 48
Re: Drinking water
I brushed my teeth with tap water when I was there. I always finished by rinsing my mouth, and toothbrush (not at the same time), with bottled water though. That was for one week only during last November. I've yet to see some side effects. My stomach has been through its fair share of upsets from dodgy food in various potentially dodgy countries, so maybe it's a bit tougher than it used to be? Drinking I always use proper water.
#10
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Joined: Mar 2012
Location: Living in Melaka, Malaysia
Posts: 472
Re: Drinking water
Thanks for the replies. A reverse-osmosis home filter sounds good, but I wish there was a more environmentally-friendly alternative for on the go (is there a recycling system in KL?). Have any long-timers tried to get used to the water? How long is the adjust period (nausea, vomiting)?
MInd you, I also remember being told to run the shower as hot as you can for a couple of minutes before showering in foreign climes. Couldn't do that when we moved here as we only have a cold water supply (so cold showers only)! Fixed that now as we have finally decided we're going to be renting a bit longer than we originally thought, so we had an electric shower installed! Ahhh, the luxury!
Last edited by Bluenose1; Jan 7th 2014 at 11:53 pm. Reason: added information
#11
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 9
Re: Drinking water
Thanks for your reply. Sorry, I don't follow the terminology...what's an electric shower? I didn't know there was more than 1 type of shower. I suppose you had a hot water heater installed due to the cold shower, but I don't understand what's an electric shower.
#12
Re: Drinking water
Okay, now I am confuse. Haha..
So you guys dont brush teeth using tap water? How about back home?
I dont know of any Malaysian that uses boiled water or bottled water to brush teeth. Most are from the tap.
But of course we do install our own water filtering system from the meter before it comes into our homes. We also install a finer water filter at the kitchen, for use to cook foods and drinks.
Due to this, the water pressure that comes in might be low and we may have to install a pump type of hot water shower for bathing.
So you guys dont brush teeth using tap water? How about back home?
I dont know of any Malaysian that uses boiled water or bottled water to brush teeth. Most are from the tap.
But of course we do install our own water filtering system from the meter before it comes into our homes. We also install a finer water filter at the kitchen, for use to cook foods and drinks.
Due to this, the water pressure that comes in might be low and we may have to install a pump type of hot water shower for bathing.
#13
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Joined: Mar 2012
Location: Living in Melaka, Malaysia
Posts: 472
Re: Drinking water
My term electric shower is as opposed to actually having a separate boiler and a hot and cold tap (or mixer tap) from which to attach a shower head. We do not have a boiler - as I said, we only have cold water (and single taps at each sink/wall outlet) throughout the house. Typical of a large number of houses in kampungs throughout Malaysia.
Hope that explains it!
Last edited by Bluenose1; Jan 8th 2014 at 3:12 am.
#14
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2012
Location: Sydney
Posts: 195
Re: Drinking water
We always use tap water for brushing teeth, even with our daughter. It's rinse and spit so shouldn't be a problem. I've always done the same in other SEA countries and not had ill effects attributable to this. Drinking we use bottled water bought in bulk. Also use the bottled water for cooking and even for tea/coffee. Having a water filter/purification system on the tap supply would solve all these issues but we're renting and haven't suggested this to our landlord. How much do they cost to install and then run as I believe you need to regularly replace the filter cartridges?
#15
Re: Drinking water
I use tap water for cleaning teeth....all OK so far. Mind you, we have a good Dentist over the road.
Those "electric" showers, aren't they a bit weak and feeble?
Those "electric" showers, aren't they a bit weak and feeble?