Strange occurrence- after washing our glasses in tap water, we now have a white residue left on them. We have never had this before (since coming in August). There was no mention to us that we had to add salt to our water tank by the landlord, so we are a bit stumped.

Does the water change here during the winter? All ideas/comments appreciated! Thanks!

If you live in Vaud near the "Pied de Jura" you will find an noticeable increase in the calcium content of your water supply. The natural filtration of the calcium is reduced by frozen soil/ice/snow therefore increasing the content of calcium in the source water. This is normal don't panic. Ps We don't drink the water!! Hope this helps.

Why don't you drink the water?

We're in Vaud, near Vevey, so maybe that's what's happening. Thanks! Also wondering about why you don't drink the water....

Gallstones and kidney stones! The calcium in the water is a major cause of these ... there are tap water filtration units of five litres available in the Migro. You will be amazed at the amount of calcium deposits in the filter.

Agree, too much calcium/minerals in the water can have an effect on some peoples health.

I live in the same area and use a Britta filter pitcher for any water I will use for drinking, making coffee/tea or cooking. Works just fine and every so often I have to clean the filter pot where you fill the water from the tap to keep the calc residue from building up.

If you have a dishwasher you can get the salt at nearly any shop like Coop or Migro for that. There is a place in the base of the dishwashers to fill so you can condition that water while it's running.

Also, if you have your own clothes washing machine you'll want to consider getting a calc filter put on the water line, if you don't have a salt tank for water conditioning. Calc buildup can damaging that as well.

No. It isn't.

The common belief that hard water causes kidney stones and similar ailments is not well founded. Studies have been equivocable, with some showing that soft water produces a higher incidence of stones.

Probably the belief arose because of the calc deposits seen in kettles or washing machines etc. Our bodies don't work quite like that.

There is, however, evidence that hard water has health benefits over soft water, such as reducing cardiovascular problems in men. (But not women for some reason).

I'll stick with my bottled water to drink with I'm new here but my partner has lived here 20 years and none of his friends drink the local water. When in Rome springs to mind ....

I've lived here for more than 55 years and I know only a handful of people here who do not drink the local tap water, all of them expats from English speaking countries, without an exception. When in Switzerland, do as the Swiss do.

By the way, the legal requirements for the purity of tap water are much stricter than those for bottled water.

my friends run naked in the streets every weekend .........

If they are female ! Where?

I have often been surprised about people not drinking tap water. Water a'la spigot is one of the most controlled substances on the continent.
I do not see why I should pay the likes of nestle & co. 200 percent Zuschlag for a bottle of the same stuff.
Also to my amazement you tend to see shoppers from eastern and southern countries with bottled water by the hectoliter in their shopping carts.
It makes me want to grab them and shout "why you idiot"

Is this what passes for science here? Is there an appreciably greater incidence of kidney stones in your area? What about all the nasty crap that goes into the plastic bottles that your supposedly 'pure' water sits in? How do you know the water in the bottle is actually what you think it is and not tap water?

I didn't come here for a 'fight' ... I was only trying to help someone with a little local knowledge. I can now see why people don't stay on this site for very long

I've known Germans to go on vacation in Italy, with their wohnwagens filled with bottled water and food!

(so they don't have to buy anything in Italy, despite it being cheaper and better)

When I drink bottled water, it's for the bubbles.

For non-bubble version, I prefer the local tap.

Tom

P.S. And since I was given a bubble machine, I don't even buy bubble water anymore (for home use).

Bottled water must be one of the biggest marketing con tricks ever . To pay exhorbitant prices for crap in a bottle amazes me that people do it. Weighing up a little calc verus bisphenol A I'll go for the calc every time.

Don't make unsubstantiated and incorrect claims and expect them to be accepted as 'local knowledge' then.

Also, if you want to be consistent, you should also make your tea, coffee, ice-cubes, etc. with bottle water!

Tom

Fight?? Nobody fighting here, just a difference of opinions, I to have a bubble maker and since then I don`t need to buy the silly, ridiculously expensive stuff for my carbonate kick.

You learn to enjoy it after a while...