Potable Water - Is It OK To Drink?
 

Despite the placards that say not to drink it apparently that is all some companies provide for flight crews and passengers. Bottled water has been removed to save money. Are there any references or documents that would argue against drinking the potable supply?

'Potable' means drinkable.

The real question is whether the water they put in the potable system meets the definition or not. We sterilise ours and do the regular hyperchlorination as per the Maintenance Schedule, but personally, I would rather not drink it... I've seen the insode of the tank...

But it is of course the same water that is used to make your coffee/tea!

Black goo. Mmm tasty and good for you too. :p

Potable water should only be used as water for coffee or tea, not as cold drinking water.
(In other words, only used when heated)

Chris. (Ramp-agent & Potable water-car driver)

Chris I understand what you say but surely the water machines on 747's are supplied from the potable water anyway. There is no other water put onto the aircraft. As it is sterillised I assume that it may well be better quality than some countries tap water.

To Drink or not??????????????
 

Potable water starts its life as the normal tap water in most countries, but, it is a question of how long it sits in a water truck before being dispensed to an aircraft. Then how often are the water tanks drained and refilled, daily??? I doubt it very much.
Like Blacksheep, I have seen inside, and had to clean out a/c water tanks during 'C' & 'D'checks. Even with regular hyperchlorination there is still a layer of gunge to be removed.
Also, remember, the water is not boiled in the coffee makers, (hence the often rubbish tea), so you will not be 100% safe from that source. If you want to go down that route, hope for a 'hot cup' on board. Better still, take your own bottle of water, where still allowed.

I had seen a flight attend on a NWA flight use "potable water" to mix with an orange juice consentrate to serve to the passengers. I asked him if he actually new that the potable water isn't actually potable and he said the pax wont know the difference.

Ever since then, I will never take a cold drink on a flight unless I see it poured from the original container.

ick

...and in some countires, that's exactly what will be uploaded. Their own tap water. Don't drink it.
Yum yum. Marmite :ok:

Note:Water boilers on aircraft in flight don't reach 100 degrees.

Stay away from potable water.

My insides over the past few weeks are testament to that!

Now....where's the toilet? :\

What about the water supplied from the water coolers, which on our 744 fleet are installed in various toilets throughout the aicraft? They are supplied straight from the potable water system.

I too was an abstainer from aircraft potable water for I had seen the inside of the water tanks on a heavy maint visit but then I witnessed whats inside the pipes in the few countries I have lived where I drank the tap water...
The same old sludge or green growth.

Where i work the tanks have a chlorination treatment more than regularly almost adnausium.
With the water that is uploaded is usually filtered and/or chlorinated, I am starting to think the water from a fountain on board is better than what flows from a tap in say SYD,LHR, LAX or SIN....These cities may not be great examples of good drinking water but I wouldn't hesitate to drink the tap water...

80 Degrees C is whats required to kill almost all water born disease and the water boilers certainly are above that.

as mentioned, don't even think about drink the so called potable water on an aircraft

In third world countries also ensure you break the seal on your water bottle (or you see the persons break the seal) Thrust me, I have seen the "recycling" that goes on.

Worse case of food posioning I ever got (and I travel a lot) was Business class lounge in New Delhi. I believe it must have been free orange juice they must have added local water to. One week of local vegetarian food, only drink beer from cans etc etc no delhi belly and then India gets me just as I leave :( been back a few times since and no probs.

I will bear that in mind the next time I think of visiting Waterbourn.

touché

Ok i didnt have my word checker on when i wrote that.

To complain about getting crook guts in india is almost a tautology...

There may be some semi-useless filteration internal to the lav, but otherwise it is exactly the same water used in the toilet flush and sink functions.

I design potable water systems and would never drink out of one ever.
You may not get sick, but you might. It is like spinning the prize wheel.

Tod

bugger that if the antisphon valve fails at the rinse valve your drinking contaminated water from the toilet bowl,never drink potable water,ever !!

What system are you reffering to though? Potable water and toilet tank rinse supply having absolutely nothing in common, surely, or am I missing your point?! Toilet anti-siphon valve at toilet tank pervents unlikely event back siphonage of toilet charge water out of tank to stop chances of 'blue-ice' if toilet charge cap fails. Potable water system has nothing to do with toilet tank system. :eek:

If the lavitories are vaccum type with remote storage tanks, then yes the initial "squirt" of water before the waste is sucked away is potable water. As sys4 noted, it is an antisiphon valve in the system at the crapper that prevents cross contamination. Stick to beer and whisky if you feel you must rehydrate.

MMMMMM BEER

:ok:

I maintain a corporate jet and only fill the 20 gallon tanks when i know where the water in the truck came from. Yet each 6 months the water filters need replacing as they start to show signs of the black goo. We never use the water for drinking just washing hands dishes and the squirt that goes around the vac loo.

My advice is dont go near potable water even on a reputable airline because last week the water may have been filled up in somewhere you wouldnt even go let alone drink the water.

Vacuum toilets have brought an end to the "Blue Ice" problem.

Nowadays if the dump valve leaks, we get yellow ice with brown lumps in it... :yuk:

In fact we did. Just last week in Dubai... :hmm:

As an ex-pat kid in India, I drank tap water at school. Throughout my career worldwide, I have - no doubt - imbibed untreated water.
I never drink aircraft "potable" (French, you know) water for reasons stated by others.
Funnily enough, Blacksheep, I used to drink filtered, unboiled water at my place on Simpang 432. I suspect the water at the RBA canteen was similar. Who is to say Sehat was the water it purported to be?

Passes through a secondary water filter (Like those evian filters you can buy)
I second that notion!

Oh, i wouldnt touch potable water with a barge pole...

Alot of the impact water has on your body is directly relate to what you body is aclimated to. Once your body is accustomed to drinking out of a certain ditch, it is far less likely to be bothered by it. For the same reason, some people drink airplane water every day and they do just fine. That said, there are some bad things out there in the water that no amount of aclimatization will overcome.

Hadn't thought of that, sorry! In that case - Pimms O'clock! :ok: