Boiling water and cooling it to drink

MoPHo

Platinum Member
Dec 16, 2003
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Does it make the water taste any better? I have a hot pot back at my dorm room and was wondering if i boil and cool it will it make the water taste any better than straight from the tap? I know it kills the bacteria to boil it but i've never heard whether the water will taste better.
 

Kelvrick

Lifer
Feb 14, 2001
18,422
5
81
Originally posted by: MoPHo
Does it make the water taste any better? I have a hot pot back at my dorm room and was wondering if i boil and cool it will it make the water taste any better than straight from the tap? I know it kills the bacteria to boil it but i've never heard whether the water will taste better.

It'll get rid of bacteria (works for if you're lost in the woods and find a stream) but it still won't rid the water of deposits like limestone and such.
 

mrzed

Senior member
Jan 29, 2001
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Usually tastes worse. Boiled water will usually have less oxygen in it, I think that must account for part of it.
 

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
25,776
4,305
126
You'd basically boil the air out of the water. When you cool it back down, it'll taste flat.

The bacteria would still be in the water (but dead). The minerals would still be in the water (and have flavor).

Overall, I'd say the taste difference would be very small but detrimental.
 

HN

Diamond Member
Jan 19, 2001
8,186
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if it does taste no better (or worse, even), add the ole lemon or cucumber slice.
 

OS

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
15,581
1
76
Originally posted by: Kelvrick
Originally posted by: MoPHo
Does it make the water taste any better? I have a hot pot back at my dorm room and was wondering if i boil and cool it will it make the water taste any better than straight from the tap? I know it kills the bacteria to boil it but i've never heard whether the water will taste better.

It'll get rid of bacteria (works for if you're lost in the woods and find a stream) but it still won't rid the water of deposits like limestone and such.

I'm not sure, i think boiling water causes minerals to precipitate out, those asian water boilers, after using it for a while, the bottom becomes caked in a thick sort of scaley/mineral deposit.

 

Kelvrick

Lifer
Feb 14, 2001
18,422
5
81
Originally posted by: OS
Originally posted by: Kelvrick
Originally posted by: MoPHo
Does it make the water taste any better? I have a hot pot back at my dorm room and was wondering if i boil and cool it will it make the water taste any better than straight from the tap? I know it kills the bacteria to boil it but i've never heard whether the water will taste better.

It'll get rid of bacteria (works for if you're lost in the woods and find a stream) but it still won't rid the water of deposits like limestone and such.

I'm not sure, i think boiling water causes minerals to precipitate out, those asian water boilers, after using it for a while, the bottom becomes caked in a thick sort of scaley/mineral deposit.

Thats true, but how long is he going to boil his water? That, and we don't know what is caked and what stays in the water.

I'm too lazy to google so OP is on his own. :D
 

Ika

Lifer
Mar 22, 2006
14,264
3
81
I've noticed boiled water tastes worse. I'm used to Brita filtered water and boiled water just has a strange taste to it. I'm not sure if this is a result of the boiling or the not-filtering, though.
 

OS

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
15,581
1
76
Originally posted by: Kelvrick
Originally posted by: OS
Originally posted by: Kelvrick
Originally posted by: MoPHo
Does it make the water taste any better? I have a hot pot back at my dorm room and was wondering if i boil and cool it will it make the water taste any better than straight from the tap? I know it kills the bacteria to boil it but i've never heard whether the water will taste better.

It'll get rid of bacteria (works for if you're lost in the woods and find a stream) but it still won't rid the water of deposits like limestone and such.

I'm not sure, i think boiling water causes minerals to precipitate out, those asian water boilers, after using it for a while, the bottom becomes caked in a thick sort of scaley/mineral deposit.

Thats true, but how long is he going to boil his water? That, and we don't know what is caked and what stays in the water.

I'm too lazy to google so OP is on his own. :D


it's on wiki if one searches by "hard water", which is water high in minerals.

i think it says limestone mostly precipitates out when you boil it.


 

Kelvrick

Lifer
Feb 14, 2001
18,422
5
81
Originally posted by: OS
it's on wiki if one searches by "hard water", which is water high in minerals.

i think it says limestone mostly precipitates out when you boil it.

I think you might have read it wrong.

Temporary hardness is hardness that can be removed by boiling or by the addition of lime

In any case, it only comes out from the water that was boiled, which kind of defeats the purpose of the OP boiling water to drink it.
 

StevenYoo

Diamond Member
Jul 4, 2001
8,628
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0
stuff might leech out of the vessel you're boiling the water in, affecting its taste.
 

OS

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
15,581
1
76
Originally posted by: Kelvrick
Originally posted by: OS
it's on wiki if one searches by "hard water", which is water high in minerals.

i think it says limestone mostly precipitates out when you boil it.

I think you might have read it wrong.

Temporary hardness is hardness that can be removed by boiling or by the addition of lime

In any case, it only comes out from the water that was boiled, which kind of defeats the purpose of the OP boiling water to drink it.


it says lime is calcium hydroxide


"Temporary hardness
Temporary hardness is hardness that can be removed by boiling or by the addition of lime (calcium hydroxide). It is caused by a combination of calcium ions and bicarbonate ions in the water. Boiling, which promotes the formation of carbonate from the bicarbonate, will precipitate calcium carbonate out of solution, leaving water that is less hard on cooling.

It should be noted that the above explanation is an oversimplification of the process that is occurring. The following equilibrium reaction actually happens when calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is "dissolved" in water:

CaCO3 (solid) + H2O (liquid) + CO2 (gas) ? Ca2+ (aqueous) + 2 HCO3- (aqueous)

Upon heating, less CO2 is able to dissolve into the water. Since there is not enough CO2 around, the reaction cannot proceed from left to right, and therefore the CaCO3 will not "dissolve" as readily. Instead, the reaction is forced to go from right to left (i.e. products to reactants) to reestablish equilibrium, and solid CaCO3 is formed. Heating water will remove hardness as long as the solid CaCO3 that precipitates out is removed. After cooling, if enough time passes the water will pick up CO2 from the air and the reaction will again proceed from left to right, allowing the CaCO3 to "redissolve" in the water."


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_water



"Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite (calcium carbonate: CaCO3)."


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limestone

 

imported_goku

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2004
7,613
3
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Well I had an idea for truely clean water but it would require a lot of energy, basically what you'd do is boil water and collect the percepitation from the act of boiling into another container, that way it should be cleaner, no?
 

bonkers325

Lifer
Mar 9, 2000
13,076
1
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boiled water will taste worse than tap because of oxygenation. the more oxygen in the water, the better it will taste.
 

KarmaPolice

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2004
3,066
0
0
i dunno but with my past experience in camping I seem to remember it always being worse then regular water from a tap. This could be for reasons like O2...or it could be the pot you boil it in.
 

gotsmack

Diamond Member
Mar 4, 2001
5,768
0
71
Originally posted by: goku
Well I had an idea for truely clean water but it would require a lot of energy, basically what you'd do is boil water and collect the percepitation from the act of boiling into another container, that way it should be cleaner, no?

OR you could buy distilled water
 

Squisher

Lifer
Aug 17, 2000
21,204
66
91
Originally posted by: gotsmack
Originally posted by: goku
Well I had an idea for truely clean water but it would require a lot of energy, basically what you'd do is boil water and collect the percepitation from the act of boiling into another container, that way it should be cleaner, no?

OR you could buy distilled water

Drinking distilled water is not advisable. It'll leach minerals out of your body.

 

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
10
81
Originally posted by: Squisher
Originally posted by: gotsmack
Originally posted by: goku
Well I had an idea for truely clean water but it would require a lot of energy, basically what you'd do is boil water and collect the percepitation from the act of boiling into another container, that way it should be cleaner, no?

OR you could buy distilled water

Drinking distilled water is not advisable. It'll leach minerals out of your body.
How so?
 

Squisher

Lifer
Aug 17, 2000
21,204
66
91
Originally posted by: Howard
Originally posted by: Squisher
Originally posted by: gotsmack
Originally posted by: goku
Well I had an idea for truely clean water but it would require a lot of energy, basically what you'd do is boil water and collect the percepitation from the act of boiling into another container, that way it should be cleaner, no?

OR you could buy distilled water

Drinking distilled water is not advisable. It'll leach minerals out of your body.
How so?

First hit on google, I'm sure there are more. "drinking distilled water"
 

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
10
81
Originally posted by: Squisher
Originally posted by: Howard
Originally posted by: Squisher
Originally posted by: gotsmack
Originally posted by: goku
Well I had an idea for truely clean water but it would require a lot of energy, basically what you'd do is boil water and collect the percepitation from the act of boiling into another container, that way it should be cleaner, no?

OR you could buy distilled water

Drinking distilled water is not advisable. It'll leach minerals out of your body.
How so?

First hit on google, I'm sure there are more. "drinking distilled water"
Much of that site is BS, including that specific article.

What the hell is the point of providing references if you don't note where they're used?