but then you are always worried about the water quality. i have heard from a variety of sources that the water fountain companies simply use STRAIGHT tap water, unboiled.
go to b&q and look at the water purifiers, the ones with ceramic filters as usually the best. not cheap but the attach straight to your normal water supply. i think amway taiwan also do them but they arent cheap
[quote=āAWOLā]but then you are always worried about the water quality. I have heard from a variety of sources that the water fountain companies simply use STRAIGHT tap water, unboiled.
go to b&q and look at the water purifiers, the ones with ceramic filters as usually the best. not cheap but the attach straight to your normal water supply. I think amway taiwan also do them but they arent cheap[/quote]
I thought there is a list of govt tested ok bottled water brands? I saw on this websiteā¦
anyway how much does the filters cost? Since we will be here only another 1.5yr to go, we presume bottled water should be a more viable optionā¦
Wookiee, how long did ur first 75 bottles last?
If you get the RO Water Purification devices you never have heft giant water bottles up into the water coolers or worry about running out and waiting for delivery. RO Purification systems average about NT$6,000. Then once installed you have to change one of the filters every couple of months. Other than that it is open the tap and drink.
exactly and you dont have to worry how honest the government testing system is
Lasted about eight months, I think. There are two of us and we drink a lot of water and do use it for cooking as well.
As for the standards and honesty of the govt. tests. We opt for the water with the highest quality rating and hope for the best.
Actually, I have never thought about water purification systems. Will look into that. But here in Taoyuan County with water shortage after every typhoon, it is good to have an alternate supply. Plus with the hot, cool and cold options on the fountain, we donāt have to heat or chill our drinking water, or boil water for tea, etcā¦ Good luck with your quest. Hope whatever you choose works for you.
Thereās some debate about negative health effects of drinking de-ionized water.
finishing.com/156/65.shtml
I have a couple of those upright water heater/coolers and the water is legit. It was tested to confirm its purity. Getting chlorine tablets for the pool as an alternative water source in case all hell breaks loose.
Spoke to some Taiwanese colleagues & apparently they have been drinking the water from tap after boiling it (without RO filtration) & told us Taipei water supply is actually quite safe to drink this way. I did hear that other parts of Taiwan suffers from worse water āqualityā but what exactly is the problem with drinking the water this way? I mean are there any harmful side effects in the long run that we know of or is it simply a better-safe-than-sorry kinda thing judging from how most people here donāt believe in the things the government saysā¦
You can drink the water after just boiling it, but the point of RO devices is so that you donāt have to biol it and cool it down etc. Just open the RO tap and drink or run a line to your American refrigerator for making ice or proving chilled water.
My brother-in-law has a shop in Taipei County that carries all manner of water dispensers. Reverse Osmosis (RO), chilling and heating dispensers, filters, etc. He doesnāt speak English but my wife has graciously volunteered to field any questions or price quotes. Her brother has many machines in stock and also some good used ones. If you want one for your home, just PM me and Iāll get you the information.
My understanding is that tap water is OK - it is the water tank on the top of your aprtment building that is the problem. When was it last cleaned? Is there a dead cat in it? Ask you building management when was the last tank clean/check/inspection. Iāve gone for the bottled water option: nice to know that in an emergency we have some spare.
if you reside in Taipei City, you can officially request for water testing from the Department of Health, Taipei City Government. They will take water samples at your request and test them in their fancy government laboratory.
lab technicians have ZERO vested interests in any potable water supply companies, thereforeā¦you can trust the resultsā¦you could even ask for them to test several samples, maybe one with urine or fecal matter in it, and one from your buildingās water tank and one from your bottled water supply.
theoretically speaking, the ādirtyā sample will come up as a red flag and they will ask you about the sample source. Dept of Health will then investigate the source - fining unscrupulous water suppliers or tracing the water source(rusty/dirty building top reservoir, contaminated water lines, etc).
there is a fee involved, probably a few hundred dollars, but its a small price to pay for peace of mind.
Choose an RO water purification system carefully if you go down that route and try to understand exactly what you are purchasing. The most basic ones include just filters and not a reverse-osmosis element.
I think units with a reverse osmosis element start over NT$10K, but as Hobart mentioned they connect directly to your water supply, and you donāt need to lug bottles around.
A whole lot of waste water produced thouā¦ so potentially not too environmentally friendly.
Hey Connel: There are two types of RO devices the Japanese ones that are smaller and the traditional ones. The Japanese ones start at NT$10K as you say, but the ones I am talking about coast less and go about purifying the water in a different way with no waste water.
Choose an RO water purification system carefully if you go down that route and try to understand exactly what you are purchasing. The most basic ones include just filters and not a reverse-osmosis element.
I think units with a reverse osmosis element start over NT$10K, but as Hobart mentioned they connect directly to your water supply, and you donāt need to lug bottles around.
A whole lot of waste water produced thouā¦ so potentially not too environmentally friendly.[/quote]
Nimen hao! 
Hi everyone. Iāll be living in Taiwan for about a year, starting in July. I was wondering, how do you not drink the water for a year?
Can you drink it once, get sick, and then ajust, or just avoid it the whole time? I see very tasty looking smoothie fruit drinks, and I hope Iāll be able to drink themā¦
[/u]
Are you planning on living in Kaohsiung?
[quote=āGaijinianā]Nimen hao!
Hi everyone. Iāll be living in Taiwan for about a year, starting in July. I was wondering, how do you not drink the water for a year?
Can you drink it once, get sick, and then ajust, or just avoid it the whole time? I see very tasty looking smoothie fruit drinks, and I hope Iāll be able to drink themā¦
[/u][/quote]
Sometimes I drink the water straight from the hose, tap, or sometimes I use a cup.
Water is usually pretty good for you. I guess you could not drink any for a year and see how you feel. 
Chris, unfortunately I do not know where in Taiwan I will go, as I donāt get to choses. 
Satellite TV (and everyone else)-- I meant, I read somewhere that Americans bu4 hui4 he1 shui3 in Taiwan withoutā¦ problemsā¦ But, yeah, water is pretty essentialā¦
Satellite TV is not like the rest of mere mortals. He can leap rooftops at a single bound 
Water here is utter shite. Plan on spending money buying it. Or invest in a good water filter. Other way, drinking it from the tap is akin to drinking swimming pool water.
Wow; lightning fast repliesā¦ 
Namahottie, your reply pretty much sums things up, heh.
It should be a very interesting year.