Does it need checking? Yes, in New York. Copepods, tiny bugs, live in New York tap water. Not every home has them, but enough homes do (mi’ut hamatzui) that the water must be filtered or checked.
Which bugs
- Copepods: tiny bugs that live in the water. New York water has them.
- In tap water they are white, because of the chlorine in the water.
- They can be seen with the eye, but looking into a glass of water will not find them. They are easily mistaken for bits of paper and other particles.
How to check
- To prevent them, install a filter on the sink. A 5 micron filter cartridge is the kind that usually takes care of it.
- Change the cartridge once in a while. It gets dirty and old, and you don’t want to drink water that sat in it a long time.
- To change it, open the housing and remove the old cartridge. Empty the old water and wash the plastic housing.
- Take the plastic wrapping off the new cartridge. Put it in with the black plastic on top and the white part on the bottom.
- Tighten it very well. It usually comes with a tool to help you tighten.
- Open the water and let it run in. This removes the extra air from the filter. Then clean water runs through.
- To see whether your water has copepods: take water that does not go through the filter.
- Make a simple strainer. Cut a hole in a bottle and fit two pieces of mesh, one inside the other.
- Let the tap water run through the mesh for a few minutes. The more water, the better. The water runs slower as the mesh catches particles.
- Turn the mesh over into a black cup or cap with a little water in it. Let everything the mesh caught fall into the water.
- Look inside with good light. The white copepods stand out against the black.
Watch
▶ How To Change Your Water Filter
More of his videos on this:
- Shiur For Our Kollel: Water Bugs – Part 1
- Water Bugs and the Prohibition of Getting Disgusted – Part 2
Pictures
