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#126285 - 03/04/08 07:47 PM Re: Water purification...at work? [Re: aardvark]
teacher Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 12/14/05
Posts: 988
Carry water from home ( filtered there) or use a filter bottle?



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#126286 - 03/04/08 07:54 PM Re: Water purification...at work? [Re: ]
Joseph13 Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 11/17/07
Posts: 88
Hacksaw,

One some of, if not all, the stand alone water coolers (that hook into the buildings water supply) there is a storage bladder that can also go bad. As the bladder starts to breakdown the smells can get quite nasty. Eventually the bladder rots through and you get no water.

The two main types of "office coolers" are Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) or simple carbon filter units. The R.O. units only filter down to about 10 microns, so the R.O. system is chemically pure but not biologically pure (see ETS: Gear & Equipment, Basic Wilderness and Survival Equipment under the filters heading for more info).

On the unit there should be a contact phone number for the company that services the product. I would try calling them and ask what the TDS (total disolved solids) reading is from their last inspection, along with the date of inspection. Also, ask what the tap water in the area (or unfiltered water's TDS reading typicaly is.) If they say they don't take a TDS reading the unit is only a activated carbon filter for smell and taste.

As both of the above mentioned units age, they will go bad and need to be replaced. Some companys will swap out the old unit and rebuild it with new parts, so you get a rebuilt replacement.

Just some of the useless info I felt like sharing.

Joe

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#126288 - 03/04/08 10:22 PM Re: Water purification...at work? [Re: Joseph13]
Hacksaw
Unregistered


I found an identical cooler on another floor. I cleaned my bottle out using a purification tablet followed by a good rinse with soap and water. We'll see in the morning if it's funky.

I just realized that maybe my bottle is now funky and will always smell...hmmmm...

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#126364 - 03/05/08 07:37 PM Re: Water purification...at work? [Re: ]
Hacksaw
Unregistered


No funk...it's the cooler around the corner which is the cause. I think I'll phone the company and let them know.

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#126501 - 03/06/08 05:21 PM Re: Water purification...at work? [Re: ]
teacher Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 12/14/05
Posts: 988
also, use generic denture cleaning tabs once in a while to keep your personal water bottle funk-free.

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#126515 - 03/06/08 06:56 PM Re: Water purification...at work? [Re: teacher]
bigmothertrucker Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 02/21/08
Posts: 79
Loc: Alberta
Quote:
generic denture cleaning tabs once in a while to keep your personal water bottle funk-free.


does this really work? If so this is an awsome tip. I can never get a brush to fit good inside my waterbottle so I may try this.

I wonder if it will work inside a camlebac bladder?

_________________________
"Knowledge without experience is just information" - Mark Twain

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#126727 - 03/08/08 01:12 PM Re: Water purification...at work? [Re: ]
AyersTG Offline
Veteran

Registered: 12/10/01
Posts: 1272
Loc: Upper Mississippi River Valley...
Eh, I think you're a little paranoid about the bathroom tap, but perhaps you know something I don't.

Split this into 2 situations: 1) Every day 2) Emergencies.

For every day, just get a Pur pitcher and the municipal water from the tap once a day - first thing when you arrive at the office. <shrug> you could use a Brita, but IMHO the Pur is better. Don't leave the filtered water standing out at ambient over a weekend - the municipal treatment chemicals are stripped out by the filter, so there is no residual microbiotic inhibition.

Since neither the Pur nor the Brita can claim to reduce bacteria or virus, if you are concerned about those there are a couple of things that that you could do (call these stage 0 and stage 2, with the pitcher stage 1):

Stage 0: Stash a bottle of plain bleach and a small non-metallic cup at work. Before filling the pitcher, a) run the tap for 10 seconds and turn it off; b) pour some raw bleach into the cup and hold the cup on the faucet so the bleach covers the spigot to a depth of about an inch (depends on faucet style) and hold it there as long as you don't feel like an idiot - 10 to 60 seconds; c) dump the bleach, run the tap a second or two, and fill the filter. This addresses any occult gross cross contamination by hands, mouths, and dish rags.

Stage 1 - water drips thru your Pur pitcher filter.

Stage 2 - add treatment chemical to the filtered water and let sit 15 minutes. Hardly matters what you use at this point, so pick something economical - cheapest would be (you guessed it) a measured amount of the bleach from stage 0.

Personally, I would skip stage 0 and 2 and just use the Pur pitcher; YMMV.

- - - -

Situation 2 - Emergencies. You probably already have this covered... perhaps you might add an Ex Stream or Ex Stream XR to your desk drawer.

HTH give you some useful ideas for your circumstances.

Tom

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#292306 - 05/17/19 05:16 PM Re: Water purification...at work? [Re: Anonymous]
teacher Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 12/14/05
Posts: 988
Have your tried a filter bottle?

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#292434 - 06/09/19 11:50 AM Re: Water purification...at work? [Re: Anonymous]
WesleyH Offline
Member

Registered: 05/26/16
Posts: 101
Loc: Unknown
As someone noted, the most likely cause of the problem is the filter needs replacing. Sadly, most commercial sites such as offices, put filtration systems in break rooms, but then promptly forget them. The filters are never changed out.
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WesleyH

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