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Valencia Weather and water supply

Discussion in 'Surrounding Areas' started by charlyB, May 21, 2021.

  1. charlyB

    charlyB DI Senior Member

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    We have had a lot of rain over the last few days which i think is unusual for this time of year, i personally like the rain as it keeps things nice and cool so we don't need A/C.
    The downside though is that it has an effect on our water supply, yesterday what came out of the tap was like watery sand or just water with sand in it which meant i had to unclog the shower head about every 30 sec, i quickly gave up on that and just finished my shower without the head on, not the same but still got the job done.
    Since we came here i have always brushed my teeth using the tap water but i never swallow any of it, after seeing what comes out of the tap maybe i should be a bit wary of doing this.
    I know a lot of the local people drink this water, i have seen building workers drinking from the end of the hose they use for mixing cement.
    Has any members of the forum heard of anybody catching any diseases / illness from drinking this water ?
     
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  2. Notmyrealname

    Notmyrealname DI Forum Luminary Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer

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    There was a major outbreak of diarrhoea in Sibulan a year or two ago and this was put down to a contaminated water supply.

    The water supply cannot be trusted in terms of health. Locals may drink it but they will have greater immunity to local microbes - they probably had many fevers and alimentary canal infections when growing up. I had similar issues when I first came here but they decreased rapidly after a few months.

    As for tooth brushing - I use tap water but always rinse my mouth afterwards with either hydrogen peroxide or salt (NOT mixed) diluted with bottled water. I think swallowing a small amount of tap water would not be dangerous as the stomach produces hydrochloric acid but it would be unwise to consume large amounts. This includes not using tap water to make ice cubes (how do they make purchased ones?) and to be aware that eating salads probably involves ingesting tap water used in washing the components.
     
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  3. Jens K

    Jens K DI Senior Member

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    I think using tap water in small doses (as in, brushing your teeth and using it for washing salad) actually is a good way to teach your stomach to handle the common local bacteria. I wouldn’t go so far to drink the tap water though - treated water is cheap enough ( though that also sometimes tastes a bit “off”).
     
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  4. Notmyrealname

    Notmyrealname DI Forum Luminary Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer

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    It could be - OR it could be fatal. Low risk, but you don't know which microbes are there and whether they give you a mild upset or a fatal one. I ate a sausage in a UK pub that looked fine (I would have noticed it it was obviously undercooked) and 2 days later was violently D&V - I kept having a UTI for months and eventually saw my GP (not good to leave it that long, but I'm a man!). He sent my urine off for analysis in the afternoon and phoned me at 7 am the next day to come urgently to get antibiotics as it was a very dangerous type of E.coli - there was only one antibiotic it was not resistant to.

    He told me I now had a risk of sudden kidney failure (but it was a long time ago and I'm still going) - I can't prove it was the sausage but I have a strong instinct that it was.

    That same type of E.coli or other dangerous pathogens could be present in the water you drink in the Philippines and I think ice cubes and washed salad have the potential to contain too high a count. Yes, many could drink it and be fine - but it's a risk and one I think not worth taking.

    Kids brought up on drinking mains water have an initial protection from their mother's immune system (via the placenta and breast milk) - we expats don't. And, as many of us are elderly, we have a far greater risk that a mild infection could have serious consequences.
     
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    charlyB

    charlyB DI Senior Member

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    We had one delivery of purified water some time ago and the taste of the cleaning sterilising fluid whatever they use was still in the water as if they had not rinsed out the bottles enough before filling.
    We told the in charge and it's never happened again.
    The upside though is that we know they use sterilising fluid. :thumbsup:
     
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  6. Notmyrealname

    Notmyrealname DI Forum Luminary Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer

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    I make my own purified water - as well as buying it. The home-made one (using sodium troclosene tablets) is used primarily for boiling (making hot drinks, sometimes for cooking) and rinsing salad after tap-washing. I use the half-size blue containers and it takes about a minute. Reduces the need to keep buying in purified water and my store of tablets will come in useful if there is a major incident (IMO everyone should have something similar at home). It is also cheaper than bought water but the cost is so low that it is not that relevant. I don't use it as my main drinking water.
     
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  7. Crystalhead

    Crystalhead ADMIN Admin ★ Forum Moderator ★ ★ Global Mod ★ ★ Moderator ★ ★★ Forum Sponsor ★★ ★ No Ads ★ Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer Veteran Army

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    Maybe it's just me but I wish to put it out there. I take a mouth full of Listerine mouth wash, and add toothpaste on a brush and brush just using those 2 for about 4 minutes. I than just spit it all out than re-rinse with another mouth full of Listerine. I have always avoided City water, even when washing dish's. The final rinse is purified water.

    In 1981 I was in Turkey (not for pleasure) and drank water from a tap. I was so sick I hallucinated and a Camel was talking to me for half a day. Think he wanted a Hump or 2.
     
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  8. Notmyrealname

    Notmyrealname DI Forum Luminary Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer

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    Tom Jones confirms that he had sex with hundreds of women a year - and swore by using Listerine.

    He dipped his d*** in it! (well, it's not unusual). Not sure if it was before the act or after (he should do both).

    I was also in Turkey in 1981! Amazing coincidence.

    I also drank the tap water and hallucinated - I thought I was a camel and I spoke to a good-looking guy for half a day. I never got the hump he promised!
     
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  9. AussieBob

    AussieBob DI Junior Member

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    You didn't say where you live but I'll bet it is Valencia
     
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    charlyB

    charlyB DI Senior Member

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    There's a clue in the title of the original post....
     
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