I'm aware that there are metabolites of the many various medicines that people take in the water supply in many US cities and towns. What are the health effects of this (known or theoretical)?
Has drug residue/metabolites ever been linked to weight gain in humans? How can it be removed from the water (is reverse osmosis the only way)?
posted by mintchip
on May 18, 2013 -
4 answers
Yesterday the body of a surfer was found naked and nibbled by sharks at my daily surf spot. While surfing today in the exact vicinity I couldn't shake the feeling parts of his body, both physically and meta-physically were still 'there'. Have one science and one karma question about this:
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posted by remlapm
on May 10, 2013 -
24 answers
What's wrong with my corn plant? The tips are all burnt and dead. I definitely do not over-water it ever since
this happened - am I simply under-watering it?
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posted by kthxbi
on Apr 27, 2013 -
6 answers
I live on the top floor of an old apartment building and my shower stopped draining the other day. After trying drano, I upgraded to Pequa last night and its not working. Or it seems like its working, and then it stops. Before, some brownish water came up before it went down. But now that I've poured the last of the Pequa down the drain some really dark rusty water has come up. Is this a good sign? And if I let it sit for an hour or two and flush with warm water I'll be saved? Or do I have to deal with my inept landlord? (Which I'm trying to avoid)
posted by Unred
on Apr 20, 2013 -
13 answers
For 6 weeks, due to a broken septic tank, we have been unable to put any water at all down our drains. This has involved driving to the gas station/grocery store/town park/etc every time we had to go to the bathroom. It has meant keeping buckets in all of our sinks for tooth brushing/dish washing/etc that we have to empty in our driveway whenever they fill up. It has meant either showering at the pool or, if in a rush, stopping up the drain in the bath tub and showering before work and then bucketing out the water when returning home. It has basically been like living in a 250k tent with climate control and real beds.
On Monday (purportedly) it will finally be fixed. We want to have a big, water-usage themed party (sorry, environment) to celebrate this miraculous victory. Please help with suggestions.
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posted by corn_bread
on Apr 16, 2013 -
20 answers
I've been looking for info on showering/bathing in relation to sweating and whether it's sanitary or not. I can only seem to find articles that basically say "yeah, you need to shower cause you'll smell" but can't find anything that confirms whether or not it's actually sanitary or not e.g. infections. What do ya'll think/know?
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posted by defmute
on Apr 11, 2013 -
19 answers
The last few years it seems I've had to drink more water to stay hydrated; I drink, on average, 3.5 liters a day (0.92 gallons), more if I exercise, and still I'll wake up with a mild headache and mild nausea from dehydration about two days a week.
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posted by martinrebas
on Apr 7, 2013 -
18 answers
Can you name (and ideally link to) this poem by Auden - the only thing I remember is that the theme is that he is imagining a civilization (or a city?) built out of water
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posted by zresearch
on Apr 2, 2013 -
4 answers
The counter for my bathroom sink sits below the level of the counter (
picture). When the water is turned off, or the soap dispenser used, water dripping off hands gets all over the counter and eventually runs to the edge of the counter onto the floor. I want this to stop.
The fix for the faucet is to find a new faucet. But I'm not sure what to do about the soap dispenser.
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posted by ShooBoo
on Mar 31, 2013 -
6 answers
I'd like to hear from people who have installed water softeners in their homes. What are the pros and cons, the prices, and the life expectancy of a whole house system? I'm not on a well. I have municipal water so would be most interested in answers from people who are also on municipal water. The other big concern I have is that I have an allergy to salt (yes i do) and wonder if the salt softened water would bother me.
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posted by WalkerWestridge
on Mar 28, 2013 -
7 answers
The water from all the faucets in my apartment (bathroom and kitchen) smells and tastes mildewy for about a few seconds after they're turned on. It's then fine unless the faucets are left off for more than an hour or two and then they must be run for a few seconds again. Any fixes? This has been going on for several months now.
posted by shivohum
on Mar 20, 2013 -
6 answers
I am totally overwhelmed trying to figure out what water (tap, bottled, filter, RO, etc.) to drink at home at this point. Can you help?
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posted by semacd
on Mar 12, 2013 -
25 answers
My girlfriend says if water is constantly flowing over a diamond eventually it will break down and apart. I say that because diamonds are harder than anything that might be in water, they are immune to such erosion and weathering. She says that's idiotic, and BOY does that grind my gears! What do you think, green?
posted by lain
on Mar 4, 2013 -
25 answers
I got a water softener and when it goes into recharge mode it drains all the water from my water heater. This happens about once a week and it causes the water heater to try and fill. Of course as there is no water being provided this just means it is sucking air. The pulling of air is so violent that it shakes the intake pipes and creates a thundering racket.
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posted by M Edward
on Feb 28, 2013 -
8 answers
Does anyone have a recommendation for white water rafting excursions in West Virginia. Planning for the upcoming summer, with 2 parents and 4 teens, all beginners, but thrill seekers.
posted by Huron90
on Feb 22, 2013 -
8 answers
Looking for suggestions on how to thicken liquid, namely water or milk, for the purposes of photography.
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posted by phaedon
on Jan 28, 2013 -
25 answers
Did I just ruin my pizza stone? I washed it in water and was then told that was a big no-no...so how bad is it and is there a way to recover from it?
Any other pizza stone cleaning/storage tips would be appreciated!
posted by man down under
on Jan 6, 2013 -
16 answers
I'm looking for a water detection system with a wireless alarm.
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posted by shew
on Dec 25, 2012 -
3 answers
We recently moved to a new house and our washing machine hook-up does not drain properly. Instead of fixing it, our landlord keeps being pushy about how we should just drain it into the state land behind the house.
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posted by Nattie
on Dec 20, 2012 -
27 answers
I'd like to heat up a rock or piece of metal to drop in my chicken's water source to warm it up. What should I use?
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posted by cda
on Nov 29, 2012 -
36 answers
I'm sure I once read a myth about someone telling a secret to a pool of water--and even this strategy backfiring. The moral of the story being, if you want to keep something secret, never utter a word, not even to the water or the wind. I've tried googling with no success. Can anyone flesh out this memory for me?
posted by uans
on Nov 21, 2012 -
8 answers
Spilled water all over MacBook Pro. I turned it off to dry it out, but it's making horrible crackling sounds. What's going on?
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posted by serialcomma
on Oct 27, 2012 -
26 answers
I like to keep a case of bottled water in my car, for emergencies and inconveniences. During the winter months, the bottles tend to freeze (and thaw). What is the most burst-proof brand of bottled water, or what sort of shape/style of bottle should I be looking for?
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posted by mskyle
on Oct 22, 2012 -
24 answers
Can you help me to understand what the problem with my sink and washing machine pipes is? A heavy load of draining water spills out from near the U-bend.
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posted by tumples
on Oct 17, 2012 -
9 answers
Help me analytical-types! Do I upgrade my current water heater to the GE Geospring Hybrid for practically free??
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posted by Thrillhouse
on Oct 11, 2012 -
8 answers
I can't find a Wikipedia page I saw a while back. It was about a sort of design error or cognitive bias whereby designers or engineers reject as irrelevant (or are unaware of) a relevant factor in the requirements of a design because it is outside of their field. It gave an example which was about designing and providing water supplies in Africa. There were known ways to prevent a certain disease in the water, but the engineers were not familiar with them, so the disease spread.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94
on Oct 9, 2012 -
3 answers
1. How exactly does Starbucks treat their water? I've seen references to "famous triple-filtered" and "reverse osmosis" but nothing definitive or comprehensive.
2. Can this process be duplicated at home? If so, how?
3. Objectively, how is water that has gone through that process different from tap water or bottled water?
4. Subjectively, how would you describe the taste and mouthfeel if you wanted to say that I want water that is.... To me it feels both cleaner and more minerally, somehow fuller, maybe more alkaline?
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posted by RandlePatrickMcMurphy
on Oct 9, 2012 -
14 answers
My 14 year old daughter had a short 'fit' after drinking water too fast, does anyone know what could have happened and should we do any medical follow up?
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posted by foleypt
on Oct 9, 2012 -
17 answers
We're thinking about making an offer on a house. However, it has an odd feature in the basement that may be related to drainage. Can anyone tell us what this might do or what could be behind the wall?
Picture here - it's the 4" bumpout in the back left corner.
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posted by WowLookStars
on Sep 30, 2012 -
11 answers
Are there safety data available regarding the maximum internal pressure of a 2-Liter PET bottle at standard temperature and pressure?
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posted by surfgator
on Sep 3, 2012 -
7 answers
Could my kidney stone have been caused by the copious minerals precipitating out of my well water?
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posted by waldo
on Aug 22, 2012 -
9 answers
I've been using the Watter Bobble filter bottle, but I'm having misgivings about cost and hygiene. Mostly hygiene.
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posted by carbide
on Aug 19, 2012 -
7 answers
"Someplace casual and on the water" in Seattle ... which restaurant should I take a party of 7 to this coming Friday night that fits these criteria?
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posted by kthxbi
on Aug 10, 2012 -
16 answers
Need to change an Everpure H-300-HSD filter cartridge. The model number on the cartridge is 9720-75. How important is this number? Ordering direct from the Everpure site seems to get me a generic 300-HSD filter, and I'm finding -74 and -76 and -72 and so on models with a price difference of twenty+ dollars on other sites such as Amazon. If I'm off a number is that likely to not work at all?
posted by curious nu
on Jul 10, 2012 -
0 answers
Assume I will live for another 50 years and that I live in North America. Will we "run out" of drinkable water in my lifetime? If not, how bad will the upcoming decades get as far as availability and pricing?
posted by radiosilents
on Jul 10, 2012 -
15 answers
I read today of a capsized yacht that killed over two dozen people, and I realized that I think I may over-estimate my ability to survive a sinking. I have always thought that I could tread water or float on my back for a long time if that were to ever happen, but the fact that people generally drown and sometimes soon after the sinking makes me think that there's a lot of complex things happening during the sinking (and I am probably over-estimating how much energy it would require for me to keep swimming). What is ordinarily the causes of drownings in sinkings at sea?
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posted by scunning
on Jul 5, 2012 -
35 answers
Water started gushing from under my bathroom sink for no apparent reason. Why, and what's the best way to get this (potentially large) problem fixed? Details inside, obviously.
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posted by st starseed
on Jun 26, 2012 -
7 answers
