Water

[CPT4Wheel]

Should I be concerned with giving my future Mac tap water? My water is the worst tasting stuff and the only way we will drink it is from the fridge which has a filter. I used to have saltwater fish and had to use an RO/DI water purifier (in my old house) or everything would die and that was well water. I'm sure this tap water has chlorine and God knows what else in it.

What do you all use?

 

[SilverSage]

I give my birds whatever I'm drinking as far as water goes. If the tap is good enough for me it's good enough for them, but if I need it filtered (or if I already know it's killing fish) they need it filtered too.


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[SailBoat]

Truly great advise from my good friend above!

With the seemingly worsening problems with centrally provided water and their distribution systems, it is worth considering an at point of use water filtering unit.

There are far worst things that 'could' come from these water sources than Chorine. It is more important to know how much Chorine is being added than the simple fact that it is. The Volume of Chorine commonly increases in Summer months and decreases in cooler months to kill off the various micro bugs and bacterium in the water's source.

The vast amount of Chorine 'off-gases' fairly quickly within a couple of hours of filling a container. To quickly off-gass Chorine pour it in to pie plate.

Consider a point of use filter that not only filters out the bigger stuff (commonly what you taste or smell), but the tiny stuff that will cause illnesses!

 

[SilverSage]

It also pays to know where your water is coming from. I lived a lot of my life on well water from the Dakota Reservoir which is filtered through hundreds of miles of sand and is like the purest stuff out there. No chemicals added. I've also lived in a swamp where the water tastes like blood or sulfur when it comes from the faucet. The birds got the well water, but not the swamp water.


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[Scott]

A very interesting subject! Some folks refuse to drink tap water and prefer bottled products, but I've heard anecdotal studies that pour cold water on these habits! While some sources are well or spring, many are simply "purified" in plants and bottled in plastic. There are concerns with chemical leaching, particularly when heated in warehouses, transit, etc.

I used drink tap water and provide same for my birds, but my house plumbing has proven problematic. Very thin copper pipes coupled with local water chemistry caused a series of pinhole leaks, leading to tremendous damage on two occasions. Given the choice of a total repipe - expensive and very messy - I opted to reline existing pipes with a polymer substance that seals and protects. Yes, I did much research and properly applied is highly effective. The problem is it may or not be BPA-free. So now, I bulk-purchase water from a "water store" that is highly filtered and stored in BPA-free 5-gallon drums. One drum is in each bird location for easy distribution into their bowls. For family use, I purchased a free-standing heater/cooler unit that dispenses on demand.

I once asked my avian vet about the best source of water, and his answer was amusing. Essentially, most any good source is better than the "s**t water they drink in the wild!"

 

[CPT4Wheel]

A very interesting subject! Some folks refuse to drink tap water and prefer bottled products, but I've heard anecdotal studies that pour cold water on these habits! While some sources are well or spring, many are simply "purified" in plants and bottled in plastic. There are concerns with chemical leaching, particularly when heated in warehouses, transit, etc.

I used drink tap water and provide same for my birds, but my house plumbing has proven problematic. Very thin copper pipes coupled with local water chemistry caused a series of pinhole leaks, leading to tremendous damage on two occasions. Given the choice of a total repipe - expensive and very messy - I opted to reline existing pipes with a polymer substance that seals and protects. Yes, I did much research and properly applied is highly effective. The problem is it may or not be BPA-free. So now, I bulk-purchase water from a "water store" that is highly filtered and stored in BPA-free 5-gallon drums. One drum is in each bird location for easy distribution into their bowls. For family use, I purchased a free-standing heater/cooler unit that dispenses on demand.

I once asked my avian vet about the best source of water, and his answer was amusing. Essentially, most any good source is better than the "s**t water they drink in the wild!"

I was thinking about getting a 5-gallon water cooler as this would both give us good drinking water and give the bird great water as well.