T&T: Drinking water

[Ken Bloomfield]

Richard wrote:
"The above contains a common misunderstanding that chlorination is a 
lasting treatment. The effect of chlorination is dissipated within 
days...even hours."

Richard,
I think that you will find that this may not necessarily be applicable.  
However, let me first say that as usual we are way off what I was trying 
to get at, namely:  Be careful where and how you filter your drinking 
water or you may add problems rather than solve them, such as eating up 
your tanks with deionized water to save a little nearly non-existent 
chlorine embrittlement problem.  I just addressed my way of getting rid 
of chlorine, hose, and other taste from water AFTER the tank, and all of 
a sudden we are debating the life-span of chlorine.  Good grief.

The following clip is from the Centers for Disease Control government 
website:
"Public water systems generally are disinfected with chlorine. Bottled 
water is commonly disinfected by ozone treatment. Ozone is a 
high-strength oxygen that quickly reverts to normal oxygen. It is a 
strong oxidant, like chlorine, but does not add taste like chlorine 
does. The length of time chlorine and ozone remain active in water 
depends on many factors [especially the form of chlorine --Ken], 
including temperature. Chlorine usually provides residual disinfection 
throughout the public-water distribution system. Ozone provides a 
residual disinfection for a limited time."

For some reasons having to do with a phenomena called "pinhole leaks" in 
our neighborhood, I have done some research on chlorine and more 
specifically chloramines.  The latter are now commonly used for their 
ability to last in the water system.  I don't want to load the site up 
with cut-and-past stuff, but if you want more, go to 
*http://tinyurl.com/cewxnx *which is the EPA site to read about them.  
They certainly can and will arrive at your dockside water spigot.  My 
whole point is that in the process of getting them out using a filter 
like Chuck has on his website, you can cause more damage than you save, 
and -- potentially reduce the protection of your water.  I don't debate 
that water tanks will remain safe/bug-free if they started that way and 
no new bugs were added, but that is pretty difficult to achieve.  If 
that were not the case, there would never have been the effort to have 
longer lasting chlorine in the municipal water systems.

OK -- I last on this from me.  Need to get on to easy topics like 
religion and politics. (;-)

Cheers,
Ken Bloomfield
Tellico Lady, 50' Marine Trader
Maryville, TN