64 replies to this topic

[Miggiesmallz- TEXMEX]

My fish swim in it, I make coffee with it, I cook with it, I bathe with it, when brushing my teeth I rinse my mouth with it. I’ve been here three years, so why can’t I bring myself to put ice cubes in a cup and walk over to the sink,fill it up and gulp it down. I just can't. Every "tourist" book I've ever read about Mexico insists on NOT DRINKING THE WATER. My neighbors drink their water, so what's the big deal???? Have I been brain washed??? :?:

[galvezis]

I've been coming to TJ ever since I was 3 years old ) to visit the grandparents) and have been told since then to NOT EVER drink the water coming out of the sink. Well, I live in TJ now and have followed that simple rule. Too much to risk. Who knows where it's been or where it's coming from...sure I brush my teeth with it, I shower with it and I wash my car with it but I would NEVER drink it! But then again, I wouldn't drink San Diego's tap either...LOL!

[Tj Jack]

The problem isn't that the water is not drinkable at all.

The problem is you never know 'WHEN' it is not drinkable.

Most of the time it is chlorinated and not a problem but when it rains or there are sewage problems there can be contamination.

I don't even use it to brush my teeth.

We make coffee with bottled water too (it tastes a lot better, even in San Diego. You should try it.)

We cook with bottled water and clean our fruits and vegetables with bottled water too.

I mean it is only $2 per bottle (5 gallons Ciel, delivered to the house by Coke) so why take the risk?

And that is what it is because there is no meter on the tap to tell you when it is safe and when it is not.

Of course we do use it to shower/bathe in and we also use the tap water to fill our pool and jacuzzi, wash the dogs and fill our squirt guns/water ballons, water our plants and our dogs drink it.

But we never let the tap water get in our mouths, never ever!

[otayBill]

I never drink it.

Don't brush my teeth with it. Put iodine drops in it when cooking pasta and washing vegetables.

Fill up a a three gallon jug for 5 pesos at the store down the street. Bought the iodine drops (water purification drops) from Calimax.

[BajaGringo]

Do what I do - Install a three filter in line system under your sink:

.45 micron particle filter followed by 2 activated carbon filters

Works great and is as good as any of the bottled water you buy or refill.

[Tj Jack]

Do what I do - Install a three filter in line system under your sink:

.45 micron particle filter followed by 2 activated carbon filters

Works great and is as good as any of the bottled water you buy or refill.

It probably is better as long as the filters are functioning correctly but how do you test the water to confirm the quality?

[abercrombie]

no lo haga!! hay mucho contaminantes no necesariamente bacterias. quesas medicinas y productos quimicos.

[BajaGringo]

I owned a testing laboratory for 15 years certified by the state of California DOHS and EPA for drinking water analysis of organics, inorganics and bacteria. I still maintain a minority ownership in the business and have dropped off dozens of samples. They all exceed US EPA drinking water specs for water quality. I change out my filters every other month and have operated like this for years in the US, Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia and Malaysia without a single upset stomach, dead goldfish or bad cup of coffee.

The worst water quality I ever observed from a metropolitan water system is in the city of Long Beach, CA and areas of Los Angeles where you will find trace levels of inorganics like arsenic, selenium, barium and strontium in addition to organics like benzene, toluene and xylene and some complex VOC's all at levels that barely meet the Clean Water Act standards.

Just use common sense and quit believing everything the guys selling $1500 RO water filtration systems tell you. Getting sick from tap water does not always indicate "bad water". A change in the electrolyte balance of the water from what your body was used to may cause upset stomachs and vomiting. Neither tap water nor your bottled water is bacteria free on either side of the border. An aerobic plate count of San Diego water would make your hair stand on end if you didn't understand what you were looking at.

But what do I know...

[Chiquito]

When I was in Playas there were definitely bad water days. But I would credit this more to the condominiums common cistern than the supply.

I have read that biological problems in Mexican water are much more common in southern areas that have high rainfall and pretty uncommon in the northern areas (like Tijuana).

The biggest water problem in Tijuana is that very soon they will run out.

[zunigan]

Never! Use only bottled water. Showers, well have to use it. Same thing here, always been told do not drink the water. When I was in my husbands state at Christmas I used only bottled water that I got myself. Never ate anything I thought might have water in it. They used water out of this pila thing, and if you would have looked inside --oh my gosh. Bugs, leaves and other things I have no idea what they were. I never got sick but I was oh so careful.

[Chiquito]

"They used water out of this pila thing"

Same at my wife's parents. Pila is an open air cistern, or concrete tank for water. (Pila is also a common term for battery, like AA etc.).

[Miggiesmallz- TEXMEX]

I like my building's pila. If and when the neighborhood's water is shut off for a period of time, I can always go outside, lift the top and fill up a bucket with water from it. But I won't drink it. :?

[Miggiesmallz- TEXMEX]

Do what I do - Install a three filter in line system under your sink:

.45 micron particle filter followed by 2 activated carbon filters

Works great and is as good as any of the bottled water you buy or refill.

This sounds pretty complicated. How much would it cost and how hard is it to install? Are they canister type apparatuses? Right now, all I have is a brita water filter from wal-mart.

[BajaGringo]

If you know what you are doing and where to buy you can put together a complete system with a years worth of replacement filters for less than $150 at prices when I last installed mine. Let me see if I can put together some links where you can get this stuff and I'll post them...

[Chiquito]

BajaGringo, since you seem to have knowledge of this, do you know what the size (microns or whatever) of the average reverse osmosis filter?

The neighborhood water purification places just put tap water thru reverse osmosis (which is a fancy name for forcing thru a filter) and exposure to an intense ultraviolet light (not sure what that does).

[George Costanza]

I'm in Otay and have drank tap water here around 3 or 4 times. I'm no water expert but coming from New England I can tell you that the tap water over there versus California is night and day.
I remember my first trip to California it was 1981 and I was at the airport and was a young lad. I drank from the water bubbler and spit the water right back out and complained that the water was bad or contaminated.
One of the employees laughed and said the water here in California is heavy on the additives thus it taste like poopy.

I remember when many moons ago camping in New Hampshire and Vermont and going to certain areas where you can get water right from the ground, not sure if it was a natural springs or what but just remember the locals and campers lining up with bottles and filling them up.

Well with that being said I drank water from a Tijuana tap on a bet and it tastes a little different than Cali water and it reminds me of swallowing pool water. It tastes heavily chlorinated. I'm still alive and no Montys revenge. We use it for cooking and bathing and even in the toilet

Bajagringo I keep learning new things from you, is there anything your not an expert in ?

[BajaGringo]

Expert? I have just lived longer than most of you is all and paid attention along the way...

RO is typically a .45 micron filter membrane. The UV light acts as an oxidizer much in the same way chlorine or bromine does. I actually prefer using direct ozone generators in lieu of UV. The advantage is that you get the effect of chlorine with no residual. Activated carbon will filter out organics and remove the chlorine residual taste in the water. If you are really paranoid a UV/ozone source in line after the carbon filter will give you peace of mind.

As our host noted, much has to do with taste based on the amount of chlorine, flouride and eloctrolytes. Try drinking the water up in the Santa Maria/San Luis Obispo area. The water takes a lot of getting used to if you want to be able to drink it without holding your nose. However there is absolutely nothing in the water that will harm you. Perception plays a big role in water quality.

[tijuanalunchbunch]

jejejeje - perception IS reality!


jim

[BajaGringo]

jejejeje - perception IS reality!

Not when you are seeing an oasis on a desert highway in 115 degree heat...

[otayBill]

Consumer's Report rated New York City water better than most bottled water.