We used white distilled vinegar to clean the bubblers (drinking fountains) in military bases in Germany.



>Hi Terry,
>
>>Hi Agnes
>>
>>...
>>>>>
>>>>>water quality (meaning it's hardness and taste) is very bound to where you are. Even within the same city it may change all the scale.
>>>>
>>>>"Scale" is also the word for the white lime deposit in the kettle: lime-scale. Little inadvertant pun!
>>>>
>>>>>It's allways right for drinking and always used to flush the toilet. The standard of pollution ist commonly much better than that of the bottled water. (If the pollution is to high, bottled water is called minerals). I lived a while in Mönchengladbach. The water ther was so hard that I need to buy bottled water for the tea! Not for the kettle, just to make drinkable tea! The water from the tap flocculates with the tea.
>>>>
>>>>Now you're teaching ME English! "flocculates" - I had to look that up. Do you mean "forms a scum"?
>>>
>>>Close to. scum or flake. Something in the tea will react with the calcium carbonate and forms flocks that are not soluble in water but swim on the surface. (It does not precipitate)
>>
>>Aye - flakes. We get that. And they rattle around in the kettle and, no matter how many times you swish the kettle and rinse it out they're STILL there hiding around the heating element (which they also form around)
>
>Cook vinegar essence from time to time. (all salts of vinegear and Calcium are soluble at any rate). The common anti-lime agents are citric acid. The odour is better, but vinegar works better. ::).
>
>>
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>The habit of not drinking water is very old. In ancient time the towns where neat and designed to be autarchic. So anything must be within the citywalls.
>>>>>The people start to create cesspools close to there houses, and for lazyness, the well was close by. For protection of the environment (odour) it was permitted to empty the cesspols only at strong frost. So sometimes the cesspols flood the wells. (If not the walls where to thin). People catch the idea of pollution and start to drink beer instead. (low alcoholic beer). It was commonly given even to toddlers! So whe have this defeat against water. This is deep inside us.
>>>>
>>>>Well (no pun intended) WE never had that problem but everyone sure likes going to the pub and drinking beer here! :-)
>>>
>>>I don't need a excuse to have a beer too.
>>>>
>>>>>My idea to drink and ask for water from the tap is handled like a mental derangement by mostly everybody.
>>>>
>>>>(they look at you as if you are mad)
>>>
>>>To much straight forward. ::)
>>
>>Too straight forward (even more so) :-)
>
>I try to remember. (Still bold if you mean strong)
>
>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>>>The allways state "But we have bottled water!?". They are so bound to the idea of not drinking from the tap that they reject a glass of water from the tap but accept it freely from the water dispenser of a refrigerator. And the dispenser is piped to the tap!
>>>>
>>>>I hate the taste of water after it's been through one of those water filter jugs: de-oygenates it and leaves (to me) a tangy taste on the palate.
>>>
>>>Even though I see no relation between filter jugs and my fridge
>>
>>I assumed the fridge water dispenser would be fitted with some kind of filter.
>
>It was, but I found no use of it. Replaced it with a fitting.
>The water is fine anyway, it need replacement every 3 months, it's difficult to buy (only on order) and they are cost around 25,0€ - for nothing.
>
>>>I agree that those filter jugs make the water stale only.
>>
>>and you can taste it on the palate?
>
>Stale water? That's for sure!
>
>>
>>>My mother in law argues that it would purge. To me it purges the wallet only. But I can ask for water from the tap. <vbg>
>>
>>Ain't it the truth! :-)
>>
>>>
>>>Agnes
>>>>>
>>>>>Agnes
>>>>>(Going to the tap <g>)
>>>>>
>>>>>>When I was living in Germany no one drank the water. We were briefed when we entered the country to not drink the water too. In fact, when I first arrived, taking showers gave me a rash everywhere because the water was so hard. It took a few weeks to get used to it. All of my German friends never drank water either. Water is so hard in Germany that it can create problems with dialysis machines if a good reverse osmosis system is not used:
>>>>
>>>>...