Korean Job Discussion Forums

[amcnutt]

Is there any alternative to buying bottled water in Seoul? I heard the tap water is undrinkable, but I don't want to keep buying bottled water all the time. It's a waste of plastic etc, although recycling in the city I heard is pretty good.
If I boil the tap water for tea is that safe?
Also, wasn't sure if a Brita filter would purify it or not.

[DorkothyParker]

I think a purifier would be fine. That's what it's made for. The only thing it can't purify are micro-organisms. The water isn't dirty, it just tastes bad.

My husband boils it for tea. He says you can't taste it, but I can. In soups, I can't taste it, though. I think cooking is definitely okay.

I've met people who drink the tap water plain. They don't mind the taste. :/

Other than the 2l bottles, you can get 5l jugs at Home Plus. They cost less in the long run and are less plastic maybe? You will be recycling. It it almost impossible not to recycle your plastic.

[blackjack]

I drink tap water, I just keep jugs in the fridge, the water warm tastes bad but chilled it's fine

[Ruthdes]

In general, the water from the reservoirs is safe, if over-chlorinated to make it so. The problem is (apparently) what gets added by the pipes in your apartment block. If they're old, there's a lot of crud that can get into the water.

A Brita filter should be fine to filter out the crud and the chlorine (BTW, I know you can buy Brita on Gmarket/Auction.co.kr, but I've never seen them in stores. Not that I've never looked for them. Can you get Brita in Emart or Homeplus here?)

Another way to deal with chlorine, if you have the patience, is to fill a wide mouthed container (such as a big saucepan) with tap water and leave it out over night. A lot of the chlorine should evaporate off. The greater the surface area:volume ratio, the faster it will evaporate. Unfortunately you still have to deal with the crud and any lead or other heavy metal contamination that may have come from your pipes.

[canactuary]

Water in Seoul is safe to drink. It's unfortunate that it still has a bad rep. As Koreans are very health conscious, most Koreans I know use large electric water purifiers. Just google it and you'll find recent supportable facts. Save money, the environment and your teeth by drinking tap/purifier vs. bottled.

[kyopoopa]

[Caffeinated]

[Binch Lover]

An other alternative is to get a filter tap installed in your sink. A guy came and installed some filters under the sink and a small tap into the sink itself. It takes up less space than an electric one, and works just as well except that the water isn't chilled. My gf arranged it so I'm not sure how to go about it. It was pretty cheap tho, around 50,000 won, so even if you're only in your place for a year it works out much cheaper than buying bottled water.

[egrog1717]

[caylia]

Out of all the systems mentioned above, which one or method filters out mercury and arsenic?

[KOREAN_MAN]

I don't think drinking tap water is a good idea. You'd just never know. Watch a movie called 'A Civil Action' and see what can happen if you drink tap water. It's like drinking poison. A good movie too, btw.

[Solarian]

I was cleaning my shower today, and there was a lot of orange shit that built up everywhere that the water has been regularly splashing. I don't know if this is due to the piping, or whatever, but that doesn't look safe for any human being to drink. I don't drink it, I don't cook with it, and to be honest, I even feel dirty when showering in it. Even the feel of it on my skin isn't right.

[Pangit]

Brita filters still use plastic housing - much less likely to be recycled. Get the bottled water delivered, they take back the empties.

[BoholDiver]

You can refill a bottle every few days from your school's water machine.

Dollars to donuts there's a machine at your school.

[johnyv40]

So what makes bottled water safer than boiled tap water?
Isn't most bottled water just tap water anyway?