Clean safe water is essential for health. And in England, we are fortunate as our tap water is very safe, compared to other countries. But many people like to filter it to remove impurities, and make it taste better. This is why millions of kitchens have plastic jugs to filter water. But they are quite expensive, the filters are wrapped in plastic, and they don’t fit through the letterbox, if you don’t live near a bit supermarket (to buy or recycle the filters).
Phox Compatible is a refillable cartridge that fits all jugs, kettles and coffee machines that use Brita Maxtra & Matra+ cartridges. If you’re not in the market to buy one of their own jugs, this is the next best thing. It slots into your current jug and is built to last years. Just replace the filter granules every 45 days.
Sold in 3 versions (for hard/very hard water or an Alkaline pack with increased magnesium) it won’t remove chlorine (you need reverse osmosis for that). The jug takes just a few minutes to fill, then lasts 200 litres. You can put most parts in the dishwasher (not the jug base or rubber gaskets). If you go on holiday, immerse in water, remove and place in a jug of fresh water, to stop the granules drying out.
How Much Water Should We Drink?
We need water to keep cool, remove waste, and help our joints, brains and eyes (fresh water is also found in raw product like watermelons and bananas). The average person needs around 1.2 litres of water a day (more for athletes, hot weather, some medical conditions and after vomiting/diarrhoea).
So how much is 1.2 litres? Around 6 x 200ml glasses. So drink 2 glasses when you wake up, another 2 before lunch and dinner, and in a couple of weeks you’ll be hydrated. The caveat is that your body loses water with tea, coffee, cola and alcohol. So add an extra glass, for each one of those you drink. It’s easier to reduce caffeine and alcohol, so you are not guzzling water all day to compensate.
What Kind of Water Should Pets Drink?
Spring and filtered water are fine, you may find health and fur improves. But vets say that (unless medically given) to avoid distilled water (removes minerals and electrolytes). Never give fizzy water to pets, as it could cause bloat. Don’t let pets drink from puddles. It may taste nice to them, but could contain remnants of bacteria, oil or antifreeze.
How Our Tap Water Works
Our tap water is some of the safest on earth, with a quality rating of 99.96%, regularly inspected to ensure it’s free from contaminants like E.coli. Unless you live in northwest England, you likely have hard water (which makes it cloudy, due to a combination of chalk and limestone) and although it doesn’t taste as nice, it does no harm.
Most water boards add chlorine (to kill bacteria) and fluoride (Ireland has fluoridated tap water for decades with no good effects on dental health, but it’s added around 10% of England, though new schemes are rare). For old pipes, ask your water board to visit, to check there is no (harmful) lead in your tap water.
The other main issue in hard water areas is limescale, which is when heated water builds up a combination of calcium and magnesium carbonate. Again not harmful to drink, but it’s nice to remove it, especially if you prefer to drink hot water or herb teas. To descale a kettle, fill it three-quarters with equal parts of tap water and distilled white vinegar (sold in supermarkets). Boil and cool, then drain and rinse several times, until all flakes have gone. Then boil (full) and empty again, to remove vinegar taste. Adding a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda can help shift stubborn limescale.
Tap Water Ideas for Offices and Councils
Councils can install water hydration stations so that people can easily fill their water bottles for free. These are very advanced to filter out impurities and keep water at the correct temperature.
Belu offers water filters for pubs, restaurants and hotels, and also offers sparkling water in (minimum 40% recycled) glass bottles of various sizes. Again, profits are diverted to help clean safe water charity projects worldwide.
If you run an office or hotel, Frank Water Coolers help people stay hydrated and reduce plastic waste. These mains-fed coolers use profits to help bring fresh clean safe water to children in India.
Refill lists thousands of places nationwide that offer free refills for tap water, and also lists where to find free drinking water fountains. These are popular abroad (in California, there is even a Fountain of Woof that spurts fresh water from a concrete dog’s mouth for visiting pooches!)
Filtering Impure Water for Developing Countries
Lifestraw is a personal water filter that needs no electricity, and purifies unsafe water. Some people say this should not be used to ‘make people drink dirty water’, but it’s quick and affordable to save lives, while people wait for others to build wells.
