"Tastes like Pool Water!"

[Kitsune]

Does anyone have any decent experience with water filters for drinking? Do you subscribe to a bottled water service and are happy with it? Maybe one you have one of those "in-line" water filters for the whole house?

I've heard the argument before. "Drinking bottled water is paying extra money for something you can get out of the tap for cheap." I believed this, until I moved to Florida.

And let me tell you something: Florida tap water is vile.

This has a lot to do with living near the ocean and over-development of the area. The aquifer has a very light salt content to it, so the taste is a little... strange. Mineral content is also a little on the high side, with the coffee maker having to be decalcified frequently even with the use of a Pur water filter on the tap. With so many people moving in and the aquifers being drained, the water develops a really funky taste, complete with smell. This means heavy treatment at the plant, and on the weekends the facility is unmanned, meaning they drop in plenty of extra chlorine on Friday night. Plus they've started bubbling ammonia gas to assist in the killing of bacteria. Bleh!

The result: when you fill a bathtub, the water clearly has a blue tint. Baby blue. And it smells like a city pool. Do I really want to drink the stuff? I already have a filter on the kitchen tap, but I'm considering getting bottles. Is it worth it?