Yes, but Jeff, there’s another thing to consider and that’s the pipes. If the pipes are old or contaminated with lead, then what does that do to the quality of water? 
Awe, yes the pipes, thanks Maoman, I had thought about that, but forgot to write it. Of course, if the pipes are full of lead, which many of them are, well then yes the quality of water is also more contaminated. Thus again the need for a very good filtration system, may I suggest an R/O system, but that may put you back about $30,000NT.
I wonder how many of you only drink the bottled water for daily use. Any local people you know suffered sickness from intestinal parasites, cholera, and hepatitis since they drink the boiled water? Come on!! This is Taiwan. The government cares for the citizen’s precious lives and I never heard of friends around me buy the bottled water for daily use, except the moment when a big natural disaster happening. Though I heard of that old pipes news, I knew it comes from the overload pressure on the pipes right after re-supply the water (caused by the typhoon, or earthquake) and resulted in problems. This should be blamed, but these pipes were replaced after the government got a lesson. Clean your water tower regularly and the water should be of good quality.
You would get less helpful minerals by using the R/O filtration system, right??
“The government cares for the citizen’s precious lives. . .”
i am too cheapskate to buy bottled water. so i boil them couple of times a day…quite sick of it…
is it advisable to bring a personal water filter, or should i not bother and get one when i arrive?
Even the filtered water is no good due to all the industrial contaminants. You will want to buy only imported distilled water.
Die, hydrogen.
Hey there Monoxide,
Virtually everyone drinks bottled water in Taiwan, which you can buy everywhere. I think the main consideration is not so much the presence of pathogens in the water, but rather pollutants. Boiling up pasta with Tap water, or washing off fruits or veggies, never seemed to be a problem, but as for making a pot of tea from boiled tap water, probably not such a good idea.
So, in answer to your question, if you have a good porta-filter bring it in case you go camping, or travelling in the region, but otherwise plan on drinking bottled.
Local bottled water runs around NT$22, while an imported 1.5L bottle will run around NT$35-42.
Really? I was just joking. AFAIK it’s safe to drink the tap water after boiling it (it does have bugs in it which will give you the runs if you drink it straight from the tap). Then again, more people here seem to have obvious birth defects than back in the U.S.
Really? I was just joking. AFAIK it’s safe to drink the tap water after boiling it (it does have bugs in it which will give you the runs if you drink it straight from the tap). Then again, more people here seem to have obvious birth defects than back in the U.S.[/quote]
I’ve been drinking boiled water here for ten-plus years, and I have no birth defects. 
We have installed an Everpure filter and then my wife boils the water still. No problems… so far.
Sorry MaPo, I didn’t even notice your reply. I was responding directly to the question.
I think you’re right that drinking boiled tap water probably won’t kill you. But most everyone I knew in Taiwan who dranl boiled tap water, filtered it too (using the heavy duty kinds that you attach to the faucet). I still say that for drinking bottled water is the only way to go.
Monoxide, I think you are going to be in for a period of adjustment to the local water born bugs, so I recommend stocking up on a couple of boxes of immodium to bring along with you. Also, your system will need to get used to eating street food, and the food at cheap cafeterias, too.
And just as a general note, since you have obviously reached the stage where you are planning your packing, don’t sweat it too much in terms of bringing heaps of supplies from home. Taiwan has shopping malls, supermarkets with lots of western foodstuffs, Costco, etc.
There are lots of well stocked pharmacies with many of the familiar products from back home. Throw a big bottle of advil in the bag though, and maybe a bit thing of tums, to help you recover from all the fun you’ll be having out on the town at night.
If you are a big person (more than a size 36 waist), or if you a girl, bigger than - what, a size 12, maybe, you’ll find that getting clothes that fit might be a problem. So you might want to stock up on your wardrobe.
You also might want to invest in about 3-4 months of traveller’s insurance, as there usually is a lag time before your National Health Insurance kicks in, after your work permit has been processed. I’ve bought short and long term ploicies thorugh this website insuremytrip.com/ before.
And finally, if you have set travel dates, and you are serious about staying at a hostel at the outset, maybe you can persuade one of these nice fourmosans who actually live in Taipei to ring up Lin Tai Tai at the Formosa hostel (02- 2562-2035) and ask her to reserve a bed for you.
threads with the same topic:
forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?t=5079
forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?t=5942
[What kind of water do you drink?
jeez, I’m becoming Juba 
I think I need some Forumosa time off :s
I drink straight from the tap. But then again, I don’t really give a toss.
However, I’ve had no problems so far. i gain about a pound of weight every week though due to the heavy metals.
Heavy metals and toxins accumulate in your system and do not show immediate effects.
Sewerage or contamination of other sorts will show an immediate affect.
Supposed thing you are meant to do with old lead piping, before you use the water you should let it run for a couple of minutes. To be honest I have no idea how this de leads the water as the piping could be miles long
Another thing to do maybe to get a sample of the tap water and get it tested
The pipes in the street are (or should be) steel. At least in the U.S., lead was only used in the connections (a lead bloom from the steel pipe to the house’s copper pipes; lead solder between segments of copper pipe). It doesn’t take long to run that water out of the pipes, and besides, as long as the water pH isn’t way out of balance, the lead would oxidize shortly after installation and stop contaminating the water.
My in-laws and translator get water for drinking from a dispenser down the road, and then boil that. I never been too sure why they don’t just boil the tap water,but maybe it gets around any mineral/polution contamination problems.
I get my drinking water from China Petroleum’s gas stations, where they have thsoe huge filter thingies. I don’t boil it, but drink it straight as it is.
Seems ok to me.
A few months ago, I went to the local water supply place (the “zi4 lai2 shui3 gong1 si1”, where you pay your water bills) and I asked them if they purified the water, and what contaminants it had. They gave me a handout that says that the water goes through a very rigorous filtration and purification system before it leaves the plant, and it is okay to directly drink the water when it first leaves the plant. However, it said that they couldn’t guarantee the quality of the water when it reaches your house because dirt and other contaminants could get into the pipes through leaks, and also because the water usually passes through a large tank on the roof of the house, which usually contains a lot of algae unless it is cleaned regularly.
By the way, most modern underground plumbing in Taiwan uses gray plastic pipes (usually 25 mm in diameter), not steel pipes, so you don’t have to worry about lead contamination because only steel pipes use lead solder. However, the old pipes in Taiwan are steel and could have lead solder. I don’t know what year they switched from steel pipes to plastic pipes.
I went with the water/70 bottle machine deal…Cost 4,000NT including the water machine, and then 70NT per bottle afterwards. The machine comes complete with hot/warm/cold water and disco lights…