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Bottled water


artsnob

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Stick with buying only garafons that you know have been bottled by the majors (ie. PepsiCo or Coca-Cola).  These are brands such as Santorini, Ciel, etc.  Don't buy from local "mom & pop" bottlers because you have no idea where they get the water and what refining processes they use or even if they have any safety & ongoing testing quality control.

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I think that is too much of a broad generalization, Ez. Every so often, people get sick from something, some water, some restaurant, some street vendor. Not only Mexico. And I think the huge corps like Pepsi are more dangerous, because to save money they do unscrupulous things all the time. Local bottling companies rely on word-of-mouth, and like a computer guy who does not plant viruses during his visits because he needs to maintain a good reputation, I would imagine water bottlers had that same principal.

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Buy your self an ozone generator that you plug in and drop the air stone in the garrafon and give it 15-20 minutes. Ozone is many times as active as chlorine and quickly kill bacteria and virus cells. Ozone is used in many municipal water treatment facilities and is quite effective.

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Instead of buying bottled water and thus putting more plastic into our already polluted world, why not have either an under-the-sink filtration system installed or a whole-house filtration system.  The latter means you are also filtering the water you shower with.  I have a whole-house system as it was here when I bought the house.  It costs 800 pesos for a carbon and sediment filter every six months, and 900 pesos once a year for the UV bulb.  Don't know what the filter costs for the under-the-sink system.

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I have to agree with Ezzie. I don't live Lakeside, but my experience is that I was using the local company for years. My stomach was never quite "right", but I just put it down to living in Mexico and eating out every so often. Then I got a clear glass water container that I empty the garafon into. Their water developed a green deposit in the bottom of the water dispenser within 3 days. I switched to Ciel and all is well again.

Also, I can't believe how many people just turn those garafons upside down into their porta-garafon without wiping the outside of the jug down with a bleach solution. Do you have any idea how many grubby hands have touched that bottle before it arrives at your door? Not to mention them driving around in open trucks so they get covered in powdered dog poo dust.

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4 hours ago, Arroyos said:

Instead of buying bottled water and thus putting more plastic into our already polluted world, why not have either an under-the-sink filtration system installed or a whole-house filtration system.  The latter means you are also filtering the water you shower with.  I have a whole-house system as it was here when I bought the house.  It costs 800 pesos for a carbon and sediment filter every six months, and 900 pesos once a year for the UV bulb.  Don't know what the filter costs for the under-the-sink system.

I agree about doing all we can to reduce plastic, but the garafon bottles just get changed out for a new one, they don't get thrown away until they are old and cracked. Your old filters and UV bulbs are garbage, too.

I priced out the under sink filters- the least expensive was thousands of pesos, plus it wouldn't fit under my sink anyway.  I go through a garafon a week @ 26 pesos. Do the math.

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I've been drinking water from Jocotepec for over 20 years - long before the various brands available now. One day this year I asked my doctor about the best supplier  - the answer:  How did I feel, was I ever ill with tummy problems or whatever?  If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

 

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Joco water still delivers in glass garafons, for those who want, and who are against plastic leeching into their water, or whatever the latest problem is. And I continue to use the plastic, because those are recycled, not thrown away. As for filtratation systems, it depends on whether or not i's feasible. Where I am in Riberas it would require a pressure system, and a sand pre-screen installation, and my electric bill would soar (I've had them before).

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They are BOTH re-usable and recyclable.

ComputerGuy, I have an under sink water purification system... filter, charcoal filter and UV light... and the same small igoto pump that you have from the tinaco. Works just fine and made no difference to my electrical bill. On my line going up to the tank, I have a small filter as well which needs to be changed every couple of months. That's it and it works very well and the system doesn't cost the earth. What really makes it worth the money, it that I no longer have to lift the garafons since I can't any more.  I have dropped more than a  few dangerously close to my toes... and, since I value my toes and feet, I consider it to be well worth the money.

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Is anyone else concerned about high mineral contents in local purified water? I have had one kidney stone out, soon, the next one - never had problems before. My neighbour's dog has suffered bladder stones for the longest time, I hear lots of local pets are this way. I wonder if there is too much calcium in the water, does the alkaline water make any difference? I do know, however, the the worst tasting water I remember was when our boy scout patrol took a break beside a high altitude, glacier fed stream, water melted from many hundreds of years ago. The water tasted "flat" or "dry", it did not have time to pick up minerals from the rocks, etc. Best water was recently in Canada, fed by an artesian well/lake  600 feet below the surface. Mt Shasta, in Northern California also has "sweet" water.

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5 hours ago, Ferret said:

They are BOTH re-usable and recyclable.

ComputerGuy, I have an under sink water purification system... filter, charcoal filter and UV light... and the same small igoto pump that you have from the tinaco. Works just fine and made no difference to my electrical bill. On my line going up to the tank, I have a small filter as well which needs to be changed every couple of months. That's it and it works very well and the system doesn't cost the earth. What really makes it worth the money, it that I no longer have to lift the garafons since I can't any more.  I have dropped more than a  few dangerously close to my toes... and, since I value my toes and feet, I consider it to be well worth the money.

One big difference. The garafons are multiple re-usage.

After they are no good to hold water, you can put your pesos coins in it.

If it holds water, put some fish in.

A planter.

Rock garden.

What else?

Is it just a guessing game to know when you need to change the filters?

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At first, depending on where you are located, I checked the three filters every month. I can get to three months on the main line filter feeding the tinaco and to six months on the actual filtration unit for potable water. 

IF I changed the main line filter every month, I might be able to scrub it and soak it in bleach to re-use it. But that black crud grosses me out. I would love to know what that black crud is... looks like black jelly and is slimy.

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40 minutes ago, Ferret said:

At first, depending on where you are located, I checked the three filters every month. I can get to three months on the main line filter feeding the tinaco and to six months on the actual filtration unit for potable water. 

IF I changed the main line filter every month, I might be able to scrub it and soak it in bleach to re-use it. But that black crud grosses me out. I would love to know what that black crud is... looks like black jelly and is slimy.

If it gets that bad, how do you know if it is working?

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One way to tell:  When your water pressure seems to be diminished, it is probably time to change your filters. That always worked for me. If you mark your calendar, you will get the proper interval figured out after a couple of filter changes.  It isn't rocket science, nor is the timing critical.

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21 hours ago, Ferret said:

 I no longer have to lift the garafons since I can't any more.  I have dropped more than a  few dangerously close to my toes... and, since I value my toes and feet

That is the miracle of a tip. HaHaHaHa

Funny the water person always comes around when I am cooking breakfast.

They have their own Tupperware container. HaHaHaHa

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Whether you hate coke and pepsi or not they do know how to create pure water and are very  experience in doing so.  This is a fact.  I purify water in my house including a water softener.  Be aware the better charcoal/carbon filters are more expensive than the cheap ones.   Big gocha in filtering your  own water is being responsible for the light staying on and don't drink the water during a power fail. Also even if the light is still on it loses it effectiveness after a year so replace it yearly.  Good reasons for using jugged water if you are not willing to monitor system.  If you don't like the taste of reverse osmosis water you can take a cup out and add a cup of any good mineral water sparkling or not and it will taste much more familiar.  Lots of folks like the taste of reverse osmosis water I don't.  I still keep a big jug of water for power failures and drink out of it and refill it from my system. You do have to clean the big bottle I use chlorine bleach and set bottle in sun.  Living in most parts of US spoils us for water and Mexico requires us to monitor our water.  I have done lab test before and after filters and my pre filter water always fails the test FYI. I live in upper Ajijic.

 

Good Luck

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In the rainy season, I have a 4" pipe that drains the water pouring down off the roof onto my upstairs terrace. I wait until it's been raining hard for an hour, so anything dirty up there has been pounded and washed off, then set my garafons under the pipe, where they fill in about 3 minutes. I'm always sorry when the rainy season ends and I have to go back to buying water. That rain water tastes really good, has never made me sick, and stays sparkling clear in my clear glass water dispenser.

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