Drinking water in Malta

Thanks. Maybe a stupid question, but the filter... is it the devices at the top of a jug? Or something you put directly on the tap?

The best filters are the reverse osmosis installations that go underneath the kitchen sink but these aren't feasible unless you intend to stay in the same property for a couple of years. The alternative is to get the plastic jugs.

we filtered all the tap water as we could taste the minerals in the water - it has very high mineral content..cant taste it in coffee but in tea definitely can

Toon wrote:

we filtered all the tap water as we could taste the minerals in the water - it has very high mineral content..cant taste it in coffee but in tea definitely can

Oh you can easily taste it in coffee!

We use a water ioniser that moves water into the alchaline spectrum, which is benficial to health.

You could fit a simple single cartridge with it's own tap, we have one here in UK. No need to keep filling a jug, filters are about £9 and last for 6 months. These claim to reduce bad taste,  nitrates and other such undesirables.
My only problem with Malta water was the chlorine, I can drink it but we don't have it here.

Ray

Water in Malta is well purified. You just need to make sure you use it from the direct mains (kitchen in most cases). The only problem is chlorine and high density of minerals.
Chlorine does its job to kill most bacteria so you don't have to boil the water before drinking. You can however boil it to reduce density of minerals if you need to.

The best way actually is to buy a water jug with an active carbon filter. It is cheap (about 15 euros) and will last for about one month or 150 liters. Carbon will take care of chlorine, heavy metals like lead, sediment, hydrogen sulfide and unpleasant smell and taste.

This is much wiser solution than buying bottled water as it is much cheaper and you don't have to carry load every couple days. Even better is to fill half of a plastic bottle with filtered water, put it into a freezer and when going to the beach top it up, so you'll have purified ice cold water to use

4 X 12L bottles of water delivered to your house for use by one of those dispensers you see in offices is around €12 iirc. Cheaper still if you buy the big ones

It's a bargain and that water tested much better, doesn't stink of chlorine and is always cold.

Worth it

So you have 25 euros for 100 liters.

In Malta an average cost of tap water is 2 euros for 1000 liters + 5 euros max. for a replaceable filter which last for 150 liters. Overall we have: 0.2 + 3.3 euros for 100 liters.

It is more than 7 times cheaper to use filter. The only downside is that you have to spend some time to "produce" purified water.

During a 'Friends of Marsascala' meeting I went to last year, we had a guest speaker from the Environmental Health Department.  He said that traces of lead been found in the water supply here so it is NOT fit to drink at all.  He advised us all not to touch it.

I used to use it only for cooking but after his advice, I wouldn't even do that now.