iteles
commented
4 years ago @nelsonic I think this would be a great thing to test out.
My only reluctance with having this 'feed' the fridge as opposed to being a separate tap on its own is that the fridge we've selecting already has its own filtration system, which also requires changing based on number of litres that have been through it so we'd essentially be burning through these and the fridge filters simultaneously. This one is obviously better than the fridge one but the fact remains.
When I say a 'separate tap' I mean a dedicated tap, not a regular sink where this water would be used for washing up.
Would love to sit with you this weekend and pair on a design so we can see whether this can fit in the space we've now freed up alongside the fridge and next to the reduced mobility kitchenette.
nelsonic
Context
We are lucky enough to have plumbed clean and safe water. This is not something we take for granted. By some estimates as much as
30%of the World's population do not have access to safe/reliable water sources.https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/18-06-2019-1-in-3-people-globally-do-not-have-access-to-safe-drinking-water-unicef-who
If you want a glimpse of the global water shortage, watch VOX Explained "World's Water Crisis" mini documentary:
Municipal Water Chemical Content
Our local (municipal) water supplier Agere is actually pretty good. We don't have any complaint other than the taste of the water which is a function of them using
Chlorineto disinfect (treat) the water. I'm not against Water chlorination https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_chlorination as a means of preventing the spread of cholera, dysentery and typhoid. While we'd prefer it if Agere used UV treatment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet_germicidal_irradiation instead of Chlorine to treat the water, we totally understand that chlorine is much cheaper and upgrading the infrastructure is expensive. 💭Agere publishes the results of their regular testing on their website: http://agere.pt/web1/zp/tpl1/id1/paginas/ficha.asp?p_case=2&p_cod_elemento=79
The most recent available water test results are available online: http://www.agere.pt/web1/uploads/documentos//242-RELAT%C3%93RIO%20TRIMESTRAL_2%C2%BA.pdf
None of these value stand out as "abnormal". However, when I fill a glass bottle with water from the tap I can smell the chlorine. 😕
Todo
Product Research
Single stage filters like those available in Brita Jugs are better than nothing, however we definitely don't want to be refilling a jug with a single filter as it will require hours of human effort per week. It might only take "one minute" to refill the water jug in a Brita. But since it only has a 1L (top) capacity, if people drink 2-3 Litres/day and we have 20 people in the building, it's 40-60 minutes per day. And that's not even the worst part, it relies on people not using the water in the jug and "forgetting" to refill it ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons we want to avoid this wherever possible. Also a single-stage filter removes the biggest particles but not the dissolved solids so their effectiveness is limited. 😕
What we want is a plumbed system that has a multi-stage filter that results in high quality and superb tasting water.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/iSpring-RCC1UP-AK-Performance-Under-Sink-Remineralization/dp/B006X3YJKK
Notes:
This is related to but distinct from Kitchen Taps https://github.com/dwyl/home/issues/57 It's very much related to and will "feed" the fridge: #82 A few of the reviews on Amazon for the iSpring 6/7-stage filter system state that the ice in their fridge went from cloudy to clear: