According to Yaakov Zak, the Chief Engineer responsible for
water quality in the Mekorot water company, the fur coating
formed by our hard water in kettles and pipes is not
harmful. On the contrary, some of the salts it contains are
important for our health.
In an interview published in the magazine Green-Blue,
White, Zak points out that the consumer is not meant to
check and supervise the quality of the water on its way from
Mekorot to the outskirts of his home. This is the job of
Mekorot's monitoring and inspection arrangement. On the
other hand, he can play a part in maintaining the quality of
the water.
Water contains salts in its natural state, including calcium
carbonate. The fur coating is composed of minerals in the
water and is not harmful.
The white cloud that is sometimes present in tap water
dissipates quickly. It is merely air mistiness, which
reaches the pipes because of swirling of the water, and is
not harmful in any way.
In accordance with Regulations of the Health Ministry,
Mekorot adds antiseptic material to the water, which remains
effective until the water has left the faucet. A slight
smell of chlorine is, therefore, reasonable, and not
harmful.
A shower head should not be plunged into a bath filled with
water, since the stop of the water flow and the creation of
hypo-pressure may result in bath water flowing back into the
clean water system. For the same reason a toilet seat should
not be rinsed with a shower head or any other pipe attached
to the water piping, otherwise water from the toilet may be
sucked out back into the drinking water system.
