4 ms·

Ok, I'll say it. Tap water tastes gross in every major N. American city I've lived in. I'll filter it, air it out and chill it. But out of the tap, N. American

Ok, I'll say it. Tap water tastes gross in every major N. American city I've lived in. I'll filter it, air it out and chill it. But out of the tap, N. American water tastes bad. A little town in Albania I've visited once has (much) tastier water than any city I've been here. I can't blame ppl for drinking bottled water (Evian is gross though)

around_here 8y ago
Vancouver has some of the tastiest water out there. It's also quite soft compared to other natural sources. Same with Seattle, Portland, and those areas in the NW.
logfromblammo 8y ago
Tap water tastes different in every city. While I can't fault Indianapolis for drinking bottled water, Wisconsin Dells should never buy a single bottle. The supply of the city I live in currently has a bit of a metallic tang to it, but it's fine out of the tap.
- clarry 8y ago
  Might even taste different in different parts of the city. I hate the water at my place. I'm thirsty right now, and I kinda want wanter, but I kinda don't want my tap water. I spent the weekend at my sister's place around seven kilometers from here and the water was just fine.
davidwitt415 8y ago
You must not have visited NYC or SF, both of which have excellent water. NYC's comes from upstate aquifers while SF gets from Hetch Hetchy in the Sierra.
- jonahhorowitz 8y ago
  Exactly. SF and NYC have great water. I do wonder if the parent is strictly drinking from hotel taps though. Hotels do something weird to their water.
tombrossman 8y ago
Installing an under-sink replaceable inline filter is a surprisingly easy DIY task if you want better tasting water. Parts are not expensive. Skip the thin white ones used for refrigerator/ice makers, and go the next size up. Spend a little extra on a shut-off valve with a handle and install that first, just upstream of the new filter, to make changing filters easier (every 3-6 months, depends on water quality & volume). You will still have excellent water pressure at the sink, even if you use the newer thin and flexible 'push fit' tubes and couplings. I don't really have any plumbing experience and did not have any difficulty. Visit a professional plumbing supply business, explain what you are doing, and ask them to give you every single part you need. You may be pleasantly surprised at how simple it is. I think I spent the equivalent of about $80 for everything, including an upgraded valve and clear filter housing (to make visually inspecting the filter possible). Don't forget the little bleed valve at the top of the filter container! After you turn the house water back on, it should hiss as the air escapes. When water dribbles out just hand tighten and you are done, no leaks.
- dmarlow 8y ago
  This is one of the best investments I've made. It's simple and cheap. However, I've heard that it's quite wasteful in terms of water. When you're living in a place where water isn't abundant (SoCal), you have to also be conscious of this too. Everything has a trade-off and there are people with differing opinions on nearly everything.
kawfey 8y ago
Possibly thanks to beer, St. Louis's water is also some of the best in the nation. A common myth (or is it?) is that Anheuser-Busch pressures the city maintain a high quality water system, so they can brew high quality beer. [0] The funny part is if you go 4 miles west, coldwater creek comes into play, which is famously radioactive. [1] [0] http://www.stlamerican.com/your_health_matters/health_news/st-louis-water-quality-leaving-the-dregs-behind/article_82a32dc8-1dfc-11e6-8e0e-2b7b15ee01c8.html http://www.stlamerican.com/your_health_matters/health_news/s... [1] http://www.coldwatercreekfacts.com/ http://www.coldwatercreekfacts.com/
- scrumbledober 8y ago
  I would assume that is a myth. A major brewery like any of the ones operated by AB-Inbev strips the water of any mineral impurities by reverse osmosis before adding back in the mineral profile they're looking for for that particular brew. (source: tour of AB brewery in Fairfield)
- SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago
  > Anheuser-Busch pressures the city maintain a high quality water system, so they can brew high quality beer. What are they doing with this high quality beer? Certainly not selling it to the consumer.
rootusrootus 8y ago
Portland, Oregon has fantastic water right from the tap.
scrumbledober 8y ago
I've never had water that tasted better than what comes out of my taps in SF. https://www.sfgate.com/green/article/S-F-s-tap-water-best-in-tests-chemists-say-3291449.php https://www.sfgate.com/green/article/S-F-s-tap-water-best-in...
- kalleboo 8y ago
  My memory of the last time I was in SF was the tap water reeked of Chlorine. Was it just my hotel?
JohnFen 8y ago
"But out of the tap, N. American water tastes bad." This may be true in the cities/neighborhoods that you've lived in, but in most (not all) of the cities I've lived in, the tap water has been excellent. To say that all North American tap water tastes bad is simply false.
- dovvdkc 8y ago
  I it tastes ok, there’s still the distinct possibility it’s full of Pb (Flint, MI is not an isolated case)
- wyclif 8y ago
  It's also got trace amounts of fluoride, which is good for your teeth. Ask any Canadian or English dentist about the difference between countries like the US that flouridate the tap water and countries that don't.
  - SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago
    Your stereotypes are about 40 years out of date.
    - wyclif 8y ago
      [citation needed] And yet, repeatedly in this thread I asked for scientific studies on the effects of tap water, and nobody provided them. Hmmm. Perhaps "steady on" should be your watchword.
siruncledrew 8y ago
Unless the water is very high in minerals, I haven't really noticed much distinguishable difference in taste between tap waters at various major cities/metropolitan areas. I'm definitely not a water aficionado to tell though. I can see how people may psychologically (or psychosomatically) establish a taste difference between water from the sink and water from a plastic bottle based on perceived cleanliness and hygiene. There are times where I would rather drink filtered water from the fridge over the sink (even though both come from the same water line in the house), like if there's dirty dishes in the sink. Overall, I think drinking from the fridge tastes the same if not better than bottled water (plus it's always chilled from the fridge), and costs less than bottled water overall (I let my filter go like 6mo past the replacement notification before replacing it). The only thing that sucks is replacing fridge filters, which are the ink cartridges of refrigerator companies. Drinking bottled water at home when there are cups, reusable bottles, and chilled filtered water sources seems unnecessary and excessive.

around_here 8y ago

Vancouver has some of the tastiest water out there. It's also quite soft compared to other natural sources. Same with Seattle, Portland, and those areas in the NW.

logfromblammo 8y ago

Tap water tastes different in every city. While I can't fault Indianapolis for drinking bottled water, Wisconsin Dells should never buy a single bottle. The supply of the city I live in currently has a bit of a metallic tang to it, but it's fine out of the tap.

clarry 8y ago
Might even taste different in different parts of the city. I hate the water at my place. I'm thirsty right now, and I kinda want wanter, but I kinda don't want my tap water. I spent the weekend at my sister's place around seven kilometers from here and the water was just fine.

davidwitt415 8y ago

You must not have visited NYC or SF, both of which have excellent water. NYC's comes from upstate aquifers while SF gets from Hetch Hetchy in the Sierra.

jonahhorowitz 8y ago
Exactly. SF and NYC have great water. I do wonder if the parent is strictly drinking from hotel taps though. Hotels do something weird to their water.

tombrossman 8y ago

Installing an under-sink replaceable inline filter is a surprisingly easy DIY task if you want better tasting water. Parts are not expensive. Skip the thin white ones used for refrigerator/ice makers, and go the next size up. Spend a little extra on a shut-off valve with a handle and install that first, just upstream of the new filter, to make changing filters easier (every 3-6 months, depends on water quality & volume). You will still have excellent water pressure at the sink, even if you use the newer thin and flexible 'push fit' tubes and couplings. I don't really have any plumbing experience and did not have any difficulty. Visit a professional plumbing supply business, explain what you are doing, and ask them to give you every single part you need. You may be pleasantly surprised at how simple it is. I think I spent the equivalent of about $80 for everything, including an upgraded valve and clear filter housing (to make visually inspecting the filter possible). Don't forget the little bleed valve at the top of the filter container! After you turn the house water back on, it should hiss as the air escapes. When water dribbles out just hand tighten and you are done, no leaks.

dmarlow 8y ago
This is one of the best investments I've made. It's simple and cheap. However, I've heard that it's quite wasteful in terms of water. When you're living in a place where water isn't abundant (SoCal), you have to also be conscious of this too. Everything has a trade-off and there are people with differing opinions on nearly everything.

kawfey 8y ago

Possibly thanks to beer, St. Louis's water is also some of the best in the nation. A common myth (or is it?) is that Anheuser-Busch pressures the city maintain a high quality water system, so they can brew high quality beer. [0] The funny part is if you go 4 miles west, coldwater creek comes into play, which is famously radioactive. [1] [0] http://www.stlamerican.com/your_health_matters/health_news/st-louis-water-quality-leaving-the-dregs-behind/article_82a32dc8-1dfc-11e6-8e0e-2b7b15ee01c8.html http://www.stlamerican.com/your_health_matters/health_news/s... [1] http://www.coldwatercreekfacts.com/ http://www.coldwatercreekfacts.com/

scrumbledober 8y ago
I would assume that is a myth. A major brewery like any of the ones operated by AB-Inbev strips the water of any mineral impurities by reverse osmosis before adding back in the mineral profile they're looking for for that particular brew. (source: tour of AB brewery in Fairfield)
SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago
> Anheuser-Busch pressures the city maintain a high quality water system, so they can brew high quality beer. What are they doing with this high quality beer? Certainly not selling it to the consumer.

rootusrootus 8y ago

Portland, Oregon has fantastic water right from the tap.

scrumbledober 8y ago

I've never had water that tasted better than what comes out of my taps in SF. https://www.sfgate.com/green/article/S-F-s-tap-water-best-in-tests-chemists-say-3291449.php https://www.sfgate.com/green/article/S-F-s-tap-water-best-in...

kalleboo 8y ago
My memory of the last time I was in SF was the tap water reeked of Chlorine. Was it just my hotel?

JohnFen 8y ago

"But out of the tap, N. American water tastes bad." This may be true in the cities/neighborhoods that you've lived in, but in most (not all) of the cities I've lived in, the tap water has been excellent. To say that all North American tap water tastes bad is simply false.

dovvdkc 8y ago
I it tastes ok, there’s still the distinct possibility it’s full of Pb (Flint, MI is not an isolated case)
wyclif 8y ago
It's also got trace amounts of fluoride, which is good for your teeth. Ask any Canadian or English dentist about the difference between countries like the US that flouridate the tap water and countries that don't.
- SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago
  Your stereotypes are about 40 years out of date.
  - wyclif 8y ago
    [citation needed] And yet, repeatedly in this thread I asked for scientific studies on the effects of tap water, and nobody provided them. Hmmm. Perhaps "steady on" should be your watchword.

siruncledrew 8y ago

Unless the water is very high in minerals, I haven't really noticed much distinguishable difference in taste between tap waters at various major cities/metropolitan areas. I'm definitely not a water aficionado to tell though. I can see how people may psychologically (or psychosomatically) establish a taste difference between water from the sink and water from a plastic bottle based on perceived cleanliness and hygiene. There are times where I would rather drink filtered water from the fridge over the sink (even though both come from the same water line in the house), like if there's dirty dishes in the sink. Overall, I think drinking from the fridge tastes the same if not better than bottled water (plus it's always chilled from the fridge), and costs less than bottled water overall (I let my filter go like 6mo past the replacement notification before replacing it). The only thing that sucks is replacing fridge filters, which are the ink cartridges of refrigerator companies. Drinking bottled water at home when there are cups, reusable bottles, and chilled filtered water sources seems unnecessary and excessive.