Another newbie question - water filter - yes or no?

The agent asked if we want a water filter installed in the sink. At home we use a Britta water filter for cooking boiling water for tea and for the coffee machine.

What do you suggest?

Yes, yes and YES.

I think some of the other guys here can give you a very detailed response as to why, but all I know is, I filter my water (from the tap) through a Brita filter and boil it.

I do not believe Taipei tap water is safe to drink.

oh!

We do not drink tap water at all, only bottled water (having a hard time finding good European style mineral water, but that is another topic).

Taiwan/Taipei water is not safe if first filtered through a Britta and then used for the coffee machine, boiled for tea, or used to cook?

What about ice, there is an ice maker in the fridge and the agent said it “probably has a filter.”

:question:

No problem to change some customs (i.e. drink more tea and less Pellegrino), but it is good to know what is and is not possible.

Most people believe that Taipei tap water isn’t safe to drink. My suspicion is that the water that arrives in the building is perfectly fine to drink, but most buildings then have holding tanks, and those tanks can be suspect.

We used to get big bottles of water delivered, but a few years ago had some kind of filtration system installed under our sink. I’m not sure if a Britta filter would really be good enough.

I’m perfectly happy drinking boiled tap water and have never had any problems, but my wife prefers to use purified for boiling as well. I think many, perhaps most, families in Taiwan just boil tap water and don’t treat it otherwise.

I certainly don’t worry about brushing my teeth or showering with Taipei tap water.

I don’t either, but all it takes is one drop. This leads me to conclude after years of brushing my teeth with tap water that it is in fact safe from bugs. Chemicals, who knows?

I think it’s all personal preference.

I would personally feel weird if I drank Brita filtered water and would be at ease if I drank Brita filtered water that has been boiled. However, I only use Brita filtered water to (manually) make my ice. That’s just me though.

I think you can buy sparking water by the boxes at Costco.

I don’t like tap water in general. But Taiwan’s tap water is safe to drink. At least in taipei. But it doesn’t hurt to get a filter.

I know taipei had a department that maintains and test the water. However the issue may not be the water but your building could have bad pipes that containment the water.

It makes sense that it varies based on the building.

One would think that a newer building has good pipes?

With what seems like the budget you guys have, I wouldn’t worry too much about this.

If you want to keep your mind at ease, a 800-1000NT electric water boiler from Carrefour will keep you going for your short stay.

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sounds right, and thanks again for the helpful tips :grinning:

Actually it all depends on the water tanks (often on the roof) depending if they get maintenance, cleaning etc etc… I remember sometimes local communities or governments advise to disable the power on those tanks for example when a typhoon is coming) the same counts for water companies storage depot because the wind will make the sand on the bottom to mix with the water. This sometimes causes muddy water coming from the pipes…

I use a brita filter but don’t boil it. Locals think the water in Taipei is unfit for drinking but they don’t know why. I’ve been to the government website and they say it is safe not just on their end but also for the home user. Apparently only 1 in a hundred homes had trouble with their water. This is a legitimate test so I know I can trust it. Plus I’ve been drinking the water for years with no adverse effects. Myth busted imho.

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Because they still live in the 60’s and don’t trust the government!

@Pinoco - that source sounds legit - thank you for sharing and looking into it yourself.

I use brita tap filter and boil the water afterwards.

Houseowner suggested to only boil water but I asked a neighbour he said they also use a tap filter. So just to feel safe I installed tap filter.

Personally I had no problems when I just boiled water.

We live in an apartment community.

If you go to B&Q you can get a simple 3M setup which won’t cost an arm and a leg. They come and install it for you.

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i think there are quite a few studies that show bottled water in general to be less safe than tap water. think about it, a bottle is a container of stagnant water, and its contents are generally subject to loose standards compared to tap water. as for taiwan, i think most people just boil the tap water. you can get the kettles that keep it near 100 all the time.

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From another thread, or forum from what I gathered the water is “safe” to drink in Taipei and other large cities, the thing is metal. How old are they in your building, and how well was the soldering done.

Where I live, there is so much Cl that you can smell it out of the tap, and can taste it. Letting it sit overnight takes care of that. Or, filtering it.

I have a 5 filter system with a UV and a tank. Overkill to me, but my wife will not drink any water -including bottled water- unless it has been boiled.

Maybe the water, when it left the treatment plant, was safe to drink. But connecting pipes are, like the sewage, from the Japanese era and prone to leakage and worse, chemical rundown. Then, there are the conditions of the pipes in your home and building. Not to scare you, but newer buildings might be shoddy construction and who knows how they connected the pipes. As said, the community tank and its conditions, including cleaning and other maintenance aspects, Is also key.

I live in a 40 plus year old rental, our water tank is a roach habitat and the pipes tremble when the hot water is connected. I have a filter for the shower.

@Liam_Og I agree, but I think it’s more of a cultural thing: stateside it is tap water for the mostpart, in Europe it is mineral water exclusively!

@Icon & @JB_IN_TW - those are also valid points.

Good, practical advice @tempogain - thank you!

There seem to be too many variables to predict the situation in advance. We do not have a place picked out yet, so no need to put the filter before the flat! :laughing: