[EA]

It was only 2mm. Felt like a boulder.

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

I'm curious. Being relatively new here can someone tell me if the water quality varies by area? We're in Summerlin Sun City and it really doesn't seem that bad, and it didn't before the water softener and RO system was put in.

Not really. In the summer the water purveyor pumps local well water to augment the flow from the Colorado. Other wise you get the same stuff that goes to AZ and southern CA. And it is reasonably nice water. LV occasionally gets nailed for trace elements...but that is mainly because they test for them which others don't.

Don't get hooked by Scoop...he is off in the different world. Quite removed from reality.

We pump from a well. 10,000 year old water. Very hard...as that is what happens if you spend 10,000 years among a set of rocks. But no after 20 years neither of us has kidney stones.

[EA]

You're compulsive, huh?


The water here is atrocious. When I pull the dishes out of the brand new dishwasher, I have to wipe off the layer of calcium and whatever else is in the water. It's disgusting. If you cook with the water, the pot gets stained. When I cook with distilled water, no stain.

You could not pay me enough money to drink the tap water here.

[ScoopLV]

At least I have a background in water chemistry. (I'm on my third career, remember.)

But if the chemistry of essentially drinking dissolved antacid tablets doesn't sway you, how about listening to some clinical research urologists?

Effects of water hardness on urinary risk factors for kidney stones in patients with idiopathic nephrolithiasis. - PubMed - NCBI

Drinking Las Vegas tap water is preferable to not drinking water. But drinking better quality water is ALWAYS preferable to drinking heavy-metal laced, calcium-rich water with trace amounts of pharmaceuticals.

Every claim I've made is easily googled. And I have zero financial stake in enticing people to move to the Las Vegas valley. Compare that to the people who crow, "Sure, the water is great! I've been drinking it my whole life and I ain't dead yet!"

Originally Posted by EA

If you cook with the water, the pot gets stained. When I cook with distilled water, no stain.

You don't have to go as far as to cook with distilled water. But there is a problem with cooking with our water. When vegetables are boiled in water containing large amounts of bicarbonates, they cook quicker -- but the bicarbonates leech out certain vitamins.

Just one more reason to avoid our tap water. Anecdotal evidence points to diminished brain activity, as well. But that is merely anecdotal.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine...wdM/story.html

[Tek_Freek]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

Just one more reason to avoid our tap water. Anecdotal evidence points to diminished brain activity, as well. But that is merely anecdotal.

I've found that aging does the same. Not anecdotal. Haven't figured out how to avoid it except for the obvious.

[EA]

I drink distilled water, so I always have many gallons on hand. I don't cook often so there's no point in having other water around.

[ScoopLV]

Distilled water has no benefit over quality RO water from one of those kiosks, or similar. Getting some minerals delivered in your water is good for you. Just so long as it doesn't resemble running a bunch of oyster shells though a blender with water and then drinking the resulting solution.

[Tek_Freek]

I've used RO and distilled in my CPAP. Distilled leaves less crud in the tank. We use the RO for drinking.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

I've used RO and distilled in my CPAP. Distilled leaves less crud in the tank. We use the RO for drinking.

Big difference there, though. I use distilled in my steam cleaner. Same reason. But there's no need to cook with distilled or drink the stuff. Seeing as 100% water wants to leech any ions it can get its electro-chemical hooks into, there's no real point to drinking the stuff. Two seconds after imbibing, it isn't distilled water anymore. It's water that has picked up some ions from whatever it touched first -- such as gums, saliva and tooth enamel.

[EA]

Well, I don't have several grand for a RO system, and out of all the water I can buy, distilled is the best tasting to me.
Back when I lived in PA, we had a natural spring on our property. I used to drink that and it was great. The "spring" and "drinking" water they sell at the store tastes like nasty tap water.