fezzer

Ok this is one thing that's caught me out a few times here. I've just been stopped from filling the kettle up with water from the tap as i should apparently be using water from the cooler. When pressed as to why the tap water was unsafe even after boiling, I was given a strange look and just told "dangerous minerals"! Is it just my office being random?

Blue Cat

I have always used tap water for the kettle

glynster

Everyone seems to have a different opinion on this, so for what its worth heres mine.

When I lived in Mudrif the villa was old and the water tank on the roof was filthy so god knows what state the pipes etc are in, so I only used bottled water.

Now in JV as the pipes are new I use the tap water for tea and coffee etc, I still get the 5 gallon water bottles for drinking water.

I am still concerned about drinking sea water though and the process it takes to purify it, lots of chemicals are used and all the shit is pumped back into the sea, not good

Blue Cat

if I was in an old villa I think I would do the same

Millhouse

This explains everything. Thank you.

Millhouse

I don't get it. What difference does boiling the water make? why will you drink the stuff from the tap when hot but not cold?

ok,ok - 'bugs'. This isn't the problem - it's the salt, aluminium, copper and other chemicals in the piped water that's the issue. That doesn't go by boiling it.

We drunk the tap water for about a month, then one day they decided to "clean the tanks" - this was down by a highly skilled and conscientious worker paid 700Dh / month and with unknown chemicals. We got brown water for a day when it restarted as the shit was flushed out. Nice. No thanks.

Kim67

I used tap water in my kettle and bottled to drink cold. There is just as much crap that gets into your water leaving the recycled plastic bottles in the sun to break down so you really are caught between a rock and a hard place.

Norm_uk

Most bottled water comes from municipal supplies...even the mineral water Masafi comes from tap water pumped through natural rock as there's simply not enough natural water in Masafi to keep up with demand.

Tap water in the UAE is generally very good. Human beings didn't evolve drinking mineral water. We need clean water, not pure water (which can actually be harmful).

N.

Kim67

Yep, and you can't get fluoride tablets in the UAE either to make up for the lack of it in bottled water so everyone gets problems with their teeth and those dentists on Jumeirah Beach Road get to drive their Maserati's.

Tockalosh

Lmao
the minerals are a little more "dangerous" to your kettle than to you. Processed water generally has less of the materials that deposit out after boiling (good old fashioned scale in the UK) so you will get less build up in the kettle which keeps its performance up and stops you looking at all that horrible flakey shit in the bottom.

After seeing so many shitty water tanks in the UAE and Bahrain, I wouldnt dream of drinking it out of choice, though of course every time we take a shower we take some. I also know the guy who wrote Dubais procedures on how to treat water systems and have them on file and there is no chance of some chance Indian tank cleaner being able to follow them. Much worse for those in tower blocks than in villas

I know people who do drink the tap stuff with no boiling and no problem at all including my wife. Guess it depends how tough your stomach is

Hello.Kitty

we use bottled water in the kettle and to drink simply because it's a habit that's stuck since out JBR days when the tap-water would randomly flow rust-coloured. We've had far fewer tummy upsets since.

Saying that, I have heard that boiling and re-boiling the same water in the kettle can condense whatever minerals (logical) to "dangerous levels" (sceptical)

Tockalosh

Reboiling the same water does reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water which allegedly makes cups of tea taste crap

A good descale is recommended but more for improving efficiency and removing those big ugly flakes on the heating element and metal base

lionheart

Who honestly believes that bottled water over here is pure?

Millhouse

well it's not brown like the stuff that comes out of my taps from time to time which is a bonus!

Hello.Kitty

yes... "purer than tap-water here" is my main criteria... even if it's just properly filtered.

I don't think I've ever bought a bottle of mineral water in the UK to drink at home, but then again, my tap water's never had visible bits in it... or looked like urine.