Ship's Water

[just4steven]

I only drink tap water when in Cozumel, give me the "rush to flush" urge, I love it!

[winddawn]

I was reading John Heald's post about Carnival selling bottled water by the case, and I read that some people drink the ship's water from the tap. I just wanted you to see the water that came out of our tap a couple weeks ago on the Imagination.

 

I was told by several staff that it was no problem because it was "just sediment".

 

Drink up!

 

QUOTE]

 

Okay, here we go again, I will try to address everyone's concerns, in order, in one post, so bear with me.

 

The yellowish discoloration in the photo is caused by chlorine scale. Most ships do not use metallic piping for drinking water, they use plastic pipes. The residual chlorine that is required to be in the water tends to form a scale layer on the inside of the plastic pipes. When a section of the piping is shut off for repairs, this scale will dry out and fall off the pipe walls. It will then circulate around the ship, and will tend to settle out in the dead end branches at each cabin. When you turn on the tap, the water with the sediment will come out first, but if you let it run, it will clear up.

 

MMastell - there is very little "stuff" to build up in the pipes, other than the above mentioned chlorine scale, since most of the water has very little "hardness" or minerals in it, unlike your pipes at home. The taste you mention is the residual chlorine, and it will be everywhere around the ship, with the exception of ice makers, bar and soda guns, and the water dispensers in the dining venues or galleys, because this equipment has a charcoal filter to remove the chlorine, not for your taste, but because the chlorine scale causes maintenance problems with the machinery.

 

limoguy - the tanks must be maintained to USPH standards, using special epoxy coatings that are specifically made for potable water tanks. USPH also has requirements for periodic inspection of the tanks, to check on tank coatings, and how to repair coatings, and how to sanitize the tank after work is done before it goes back into service.

 

CruzinScotty - see above about why the water in those areas may taste different than your cabin.

 

Ncovert - the water everywhere on the ship is the same water. There are large main pipes that rise from the engine room, and then every deck has a "ring main" pipe that runs up one side the full length and then goes back down the other side the full length. Every location, whether galley, restaurant, or cabin, picks off of the ring main for that deck.

 

Beyond2k - depending on how close your cabin is to the main riser coming from the engine room, you may have more or less chlorine in the water, and hence the taste. The chlorine is required to be maintained at 0.5ppm at the farthest point from where it is injected in the engine room, typically the sensor and recorder are on the bridge, so since chlorine dissipates in water naturally, those areas closer to the engine room will have more than 0.5ppm chlorine, while those closer to the bridge will be at 0.5.

 

Orison - the reason the water in your cabin is never cold is that it is not buried in underground pipes like at home. Nor is it sitting stationary in the pipe waiting for you to turn on a tap like at home. The water is constantly being recirculated, to keep the chlorine level up, and the pipes run in the ceilings of the passageways, and in machinery spaces, so they never get cooled. Plus the pumping add heat to the water.

 

Okay, that takes care of the specific concerns. Now a little about ship's water. Some is made from sea water by distillers, that actually boil the water and what you get is distilled water. Some is made from sea water by reverse osmosis, which presses sea water through a porous membrane at very high pressure, and the pores are sized so only water molecules (or smaller) can pass. This gives water that is potable, but is not distilled. Some is taken on at the various ports. This water must be certified to meet WHO or USPH standards before it is taken on, and a sample is taken first for testing in the medical center for bacteria. This shore water must be segregated from the rest of the ship's water until the test is complete (18-24 hours) and it is negative for bacteria.

 

Okay, so now we have 3 sources of water. Before any of this water gets to the storage tanks, it must be chlorinated to 2ppm, continually. Then, because it sits in the tanks, the chlorine dissipates, and when the tank is pumped around the ship, additional chlorine is added to maintain the 0.5ppm. Your local water board probably chlorinates once at the source (lake, well, river), and that is it. USPH requires continual monitoring, and continual dosing to keep the water safe to drink.

 

USPH also requires that each water tank, and 4 random locations around the ship (not to include ice makers) are tested for bacteria. What local water board comes to your house every few months to test your water?

 

Cruise ship water is probably the safest water you can find, and that includes bottled water (does anyone remember the Perrier benzene problem?). Most bottled water is merely municipal water that is passed through a reverse osmosis machine. It may not always taste great (and water taste is one of the most subjective topics around), but it is always safe.

 

One last hint for those who don't like the taste of the water from the sink. Fill a pitcher or water bottle, leave it uncapped for an hour or so, and the chlorine will have dissipated and with it the taste.

I know when the municipal water looks like this, they tell customers not to drink it until they can flush the pipes. You will not convince me that ship water is any different.

[chengkp75]

When the municipal water looks like this, they usually tell customers not to drink it until they flush the lines. I wonder why a ship's lines are any different.

 

Because, as I've said, that the ship's lines are constantly recirculating, and constantly dosed with chlorine, and constantly monitored for chlorine. Your municipal water supply has no control over the water once it leaves their facility. The water could sit in pipes for quite a while before it either travels to your house, or until you actually start to move water in the pipes by turning on the water. Another factor is cross-contamination. No home that I am aware of has a backflow preventer on any water use, so that when a section of water pipe is shut down, anything can flow back into the water mains, causing contamination (the usual case when there is a pipe break). Every toilet, shower, galley sink faucet, dishwashing machine, laundry washer, and deck wash hose valve has a back-flow preventer on it, which must be tested annually. On a relatively small 2200 pax cruise ship, we had a spreadsheet of over 4000 backflow preventers that had to be tested.

[YubaSutter]

I think ships use water from the sea and then its goes through the reverse osmosis process.

suppose to be a very good process as long as the storage tank is maintained

 

Water from the sea goes through a desalinization process.

[chengkp75]

Water from the sea goes through a desalinization process.

 

Reverse osmosis is one desalinization process. Distillation is the other. Most ships use both. Distillation can be nearly energy neutral as the heat source is the heat removed from the engines' cooling water.

[VegasMark]

the water on our last cruise on the Dream had an aquarium taste to it.

 

Do you drink from aquariums often? :D

[Momma1980]

Reverse osmosis is one desalinization process. Distillation is the other. Most ships use both. Distillation can be nearly energy neutral as the heat source is the heat removed from the engines' cooling water.

 

 

Thank you for the information. Wonder if you can address the sodium content of the cruise ship's water a bit more. I ask because my ankles swell when I am on a cruise (and at no other time). I had a suspicion that it was due to higher sodium in the cruise ship's water supply. Any insight on this? Thanks!

[Haoie]

Very informative - kudos on your knowledge of shipboard water systems.

 

Should really sticky it on the board somewhere if you ask me.

[cb at sea]

Water is water....you're eating food cooked with and in that water...your ice is made from that water....the coffee, tea, OJ, and other drinks are made with that water. Drink it...it's fine. Jeez. Our water standards (and yes..the ship goes by American water standards!) are the best in the world. Drink it. It's fine.

[pjhootch]

I just won't pay for something that is plentiful and free. If you run the water, it clears up. I understand people don't like the taste sometimes- but the water is safe. I haven't really noticed an overwhelming chlorine taste but I am probably one of the minority that LIKES chlorinated water. Best water of any place I lived was in NYC. :D

[Orison]

Thank you for the information. Wonder if you can address the sodium content of the cruise ship's water a bit more. I ask because my ankles swell when I am on a cruise (and at no other time). I had a suspicion that it was due to higher sodium in the cruise ship's water supply. Any insight on this? Thanks!

 

That would be from all the sea air mist all around you.

[momof3cruisers]

That would be from all the sea air mist all around you.

 

Except, if I drink the same amount of bottled water as I was drinking ship water, the swelling goes away. For me, the only time I had problems with water retention has been when I didn't have bottled water for a couple of days. I am truly curious why this happens for some people. I know the water is clean and everyone else in my family drinks it just fine. But if I do my feet get terribly swollen. It's odd.

 

Chengpk, thank you so much for your interesting post. You write and explain in a nice style of plenty of detail w/o being confusing.

[nofishforme]

That pic of the sink looks like the sinks on the Holiday or the Celabration. Sinks on fantasy class ships are square steele wall hung sinks pink in color and the faucet is off to one side the Holiday had a bad problem with rust in the pipes you always had to run the water till it cleared up in the sink or shower

[chengkp75]

Thank you for the information. Wonder if you can address the sodium content of the cruise ship's water a bit more. I ask because my ankles swell when I am on a cruise (and at no other time). I had a suspicion that it was due to higher sodium in the cruise ship's water supply. Any insight on this? Thanks!

 

Except, if I drink the same amount of bottled water as I was drinking ship water, the swelling goes away. For me, the only time I had problems with water retention has been when I didn't have bottled water for a couple of days. I am truly curious why this happens for some people. I know the water is clean and everyone else in my family drinks it just fine. But if I do my feet get terribly swollen. It's odd.

 

Chengpk, thank you so much for your interesting post. You write and explain in a nice style of plenty of detail w/o being confusing.

 

I believe this to be one of the most persistent myths about cruising that I've heard. Distilled water from evaporators contains no salt, and the water from the reverse osmosis units will contain some. The membranes used in the RO units have pore sizes to allow water molecules to pass, but sodium ions are larger, and should not pass through. I say should, because nothing is perfect, and when you are talking molecular size holes, there will be some variation, so a little sodium will pass through. However, the RO water usually only makes up a portion of the sea water desalinized, so the sodium content is diluted by the distilled water.

 

Chlorine is the most likely reason for water retention from ship's water. While it is recognized as the sanitizing agent of choice for most water systems (though Bromine is also effective), it has been shown that chlorinated water will lead to weight gain through water retention. Your water at home, as I've said is chlorinated, but then sits in the pipes and the chlorine dissipates over time. The water onboard ship is constantly chlorinated. As a test, you could try just drinking water from the water dispensers, and not the sink taps to see if your ankles still swell.

 

Another problem of ship's water that can cause water retention is Ph. Distilled water is slightly acidic, and has a tendency to "leach" minerals from the body trying to neutralize itself, which can cause electrolyte imbalances (and more water retention). The ships combat this (mainly because the acidic water will corrode equipment, not for your ankles :o) by using a "rehardening" filter. This is what many describe in another water myth as "adding back minerals for taste". The rehardening filter uses sand to remove any particulates that may have gotten into the water tanks, and also uses calcium carbonate (the major ingredient in the antacid Tums) to neutralize the acidity of the water. This brings the distilled water back to the slightly alkaline condition your body wants, and reduces the tendency of distilled water to attract minerals from your body (or the valves, machinery, etc., in the water system, causing maintenance problems for us engineers).

[bigdog1958]

Water is water....you're eating food cooked with and in that water...your ice is made from that water....the coffee, tea, OJ, and other drinks are made with that water. Drink it...it's fine. Jeez. Our water standards (and yes..the ship goes by American water standards!) are the best in the world. Drink it. It's fine.

 

This always amazes me that people will say they will not drink tap water only bottled water. Sorry, but bottled water is tap water, just filled from the tap and stuck in a plastic bottle, trucked and and put in a warehouse getting heated up to maybe over a 100 degrees in that truck or warehouse, then sold to you. I would rather have my tap water fresh out of the tap instead of stored in plastic bottles for who knows how long.

[pjhootch]

This always amazes me that people will say they will not drink tap water only bottled water. Sorry, but bottled water is tap water, just filled from the tap and stuck in a plastic bottle, trucked and and put in a warehouse getting heated up to maybe over a 100 degrees in that truck or warehouse, then sold to you. I would rather have my tap water fresh out of the tap instead of stored in plastic bottles for who knows how long.

 

Yep. Then sold by Coke/Pepsi/Nestle- sometimes sold right back to the people that get free tap water from the same sourced water supply. And yes, it isn't completely free because we pay water bills, but it is close enough to free for me.

[bgh10788]

This always amazes me that people will say they will not drink tap water only bottled water. Sorry, but bottled water is tap water, just filled from the tap and stuck in a plastic bottle, trucked and and put in a warehouse getting heated up to maybe over a 100 degrees in that truck or warehouse, then sold to you. I would rather have my tap water fresh out of the tap instead of stored in plastic bottles for who knows how long.

 

Not to mention the incredible waste to bottle and transport. And then 80% of it ends up in the dump instead of being recycled. So wasteful. Just bring a brita pitcher or something if you're worried or don't like the taste and want to drink water in your cabin. I can guarantee that the pitcher plus a reusable water bottle is smaller and lighter than a case of water.

Edited September 26, 2014 by bgh10788

[cruzinlisa]

Except, if I drink the same amount of bottled water as I was drinking ship water, the swelling goes away. For me, the only time I had problems with water retention has been when I didn't have bottled water for a couple of days. I am truly curious why this happens for some people. I know the water is clean and everyone else in my family drinks it just fine. But if I do my feet get terribly swollen. It's odd.

 

Chengpk, thank you so much for your interesting post. You write and explain in a nice style of plenty of detail w/o being confusing.

 

This is what concerns me. I swell all the time anyway. I have to take a pill to reduce it. I am sure I take in too much sodium, even though I make somewhat of an effort to keep track of it (probably more than most of the general population, but less than someone who is on a low sodium diet). They may put more salt in the food than I do, although they probably use more fresh and less processed foods, so I would hope it would even it out.

Drinking water and doing a lot of walking seem to help with my water retention issues. If I swell too much that I can barely walk, then it just leaves water. And if that is the culprit, then its a problem. I would rather not bring on 2 cases of water, if I can help it. But I don't want to be miserable and gain 10 pounds of water weight.

[Momma1980]

Thank you Chengkp for your response. I appreciate the information:)

[chengkp75]

This is what concerns me. I swell all the time anyway. I have to take a pill to reduce it. I am sure I take in too much sodium, even though I make somewhat of an effort to keep track of it (probably more than most of the general population, but less than someone who is on a low sodium diet). They may put more salt in the food than I do, although they probably use more fresh and less processed foods, so I would hope it would even it out.

Drinking water and doing a lot of walking seem to help with my water retention issues. If I swell too much that I can barely walk, then it just leaves water. And if that is the culprit, then its a problem. I would rather not bring on 2 cases of water, if I can help it. But I don't want to be miserable and gain 10 pounds of water weight.

 

I wasn't going to address the higher salt content in the food, since the poster was talking about different results while on cruise (so the diet is the same), but with different water sources. This is another huge source of water retention, especially for those who do not eat out 3 meals a day while at home.

 

A couple of other remedies that I have heard of are:

 

Standing in the pool. Not swimming, but standing. The added water pressure down at your ankles will help to force the water up from those cells to others (won't change the amount of water retention, but will make walking easier).

 

Elevating your feet at night. Ask the cabin steward to prop up the mattress with some extra pillows (some have recommended using life jackets, but as a mariner, I can't in good conscience recommend using emergency gear this way). So, your ankles will retain water during the day, and "drain" back at night. Again, doesn't stop water retention, just redistributes it.

[Kokopelli2]

That pic of the sink looks like the sinks on the Holiday or the Celabration. Sinks on fantasy class ships are square steele wall hung sinks pink in color and the faucet is off to one side

 

I took the pic a couple weeks ago on a Fantasy-class ship.

[Kokopelli2]

chengkp75, thank you for your explanation of the water system. It is very interesting and informative.

[John1928]

When the municipal water looks like this, they usually tell customers not to drink it until they flush the lines. I wonder why a ship's lines are any different.

 

Typically when our municipal water looks like this it's because they're doing the twice yearly hydrant flush, and the notices all very clearly say that the water is safe to drink or use, but that you may wish to delay doing laundry as clothes may be discolored.

 

 

No home that I am aware of has a backflow preventer on any water use, so that when a section of water pipe is shut down, anything can flow back into the water mains, causing contamination (the usual case when there is a pipe break). Every toilet, shower, galley sink faucet, dishwashing machine, laundry washer, and deck wash hose valve has a back-flow preventer on it, which must be tested annually. On a relatively small 2200 pax cruise ship, we had a spreadsheet of over 4000 backflow preventers that had to be tested.

 

This seems to be becoming more common in residential use as well. I believe in-ground sprinklers and exterior hose bibs require a backflow preventer (maybe city code, not required elsewhere?). The last two showers I've installed have had them integrated with the shower head, and so did the last sink set (but the spigot was extendable so that may be why). Even toilet fill mechanisms are designed to be anti-siphon (simple air gap above the overflow tube works in a motionless house). Of course I've never tested any of them, so who knows if they keep working...

[chengkp75]

This seems to be becoming more common in residential use as well. I believe in-ground sprinklers and exterior hose bibs require a backflow preventer (maybe city code, not required elsewhere?). The last two showers I've installed have had them integrated with the shower head, and so did the last sink set (but the spigot was extendable so that may be why). Even toilet fill mechanisms are designed to be anti-siphon (simple air gap above the overflow tube works in a motionless house). Of course I've never tested any of them, so who knows if they keep working...

 

I haven't seen a sink or shower set with one, but, yes, sprinkler systems all require them. In fact, the most common backflow preventer is the "air gap", which means that the faucet aerator is above the overflow level of the sink. Perhaps they are putting them on sink sets now, because of the hose type faucets, where you could leave the hose in a sink full of water. Fire sprinkler systems, especially in high rise buildings are required to have them.

 

The vacuum toilets on ships do not have water tanks, the water supply is connected directly to the spray ring under the rim, hence the requirement for a mechanical backflow preventer.

Edited September 26, 2014 by chengkp75

[halos]

Before it gets to my lips, it passes my nose-if food doesn't smell appetizing then I wont eat it, same with water. I know chlorine smell, that is not what ship water from the tap smells like, and therefor I buy the bottled water when I cruise.

 

 

BINGO.

There have been times when that cruise-ship-sewage-odor was what I smelled in my water (also my iced tea)....therefore, I did not drink it.

I don't care how safe the water is deemed, sometimes it isn't palatable, so I will have no issue buying water.

My tap water at home wasn't drinkable when I lived in Maine...high levels of arsenic. We had to take care of it obviously, but I still didn't feel safe.

I moved to NC and lo and behold, I'm sitting practically on the Ash Pond that has made national news...so I still drink bottled or filtered water because I kinda value my life a bit. And to be honest, the 'clean' municipal water that is clean due to chlorine does not appeal to me. I'd rather not smell bleach when I chug back a glass of H2o.

To each his own, I guess.

 

Cruise ship water is likely safer that any other water I've lived with over the past 20 years but if it smells bad, I am not drinking it.

Edited September 26, 2014 by halos