IAD: Not feeling warm and fuzzy about this water refill station
Sep 18, 2023, 2:47 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 226
IAD: Not feeling warm and fuzzy about this water refill station
Water refill station: Red filter status
This is my 1st time using these water refill stations.
The filter status is Red. (Located in Z gate)
Does that mean I'm basically drinking out of a water fountain?
This normal for this airport?
Sep 21, 2023, 10:19 am
#2
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: WAS
Programs: enjoyed being warm spit for a few years on CO/UA but now nothing :(
Posts: 2,507
Well, it is impossible to know from just the front of the machine how long the light has been on - 1, 10, 100 or 1,000 fills - before you saw it. It might have come on just minutes or days before you saw it. MWAA Maintenance is generally good and attentive to these kind of things so I expect the light has probably come on more recently (days maybe) rather than been on for a long time.
The filters for most of these machines are rated for 3,000 gallons. The filter change indicator would typically come on around 3,000 gallons but could come on sooner if the performance of the filter degrades. The "green ticker" meter on the upper right is not a counter of refills or how many gallons have been filtered but rather a count how many 20oz plastic bottles have been "saved." The photo is a little blurry but the number appears to be "3,087" which would indicate at least 964 gallons of water have gone through the machine but it easily could be more if the counter was reset at some point.
I think you do not need to worry at all for two reasons. The primary reason is that the light coming on does not mean the water is suddenly or magically unsafe to drink. It's no different than the "sell by" or "expired" date on your milk, eggs, or any other food product - the food is 100% fine, even days after the sell by "expired" date. Also, Washington DC area potable water quality from the water authorities is exceptionally good and has been for decades - additional filtering (such as this filling station or a consumer/home water filter) are generally unnecessary and provide little improvement in water quality although some people believe they can detect a taste/odor difference - my taste buds never have been able to discern a difference.
Also, the light being on does not mean you are suddenly and essentially drinking out of a "water fountain." Every "refill station" is just a water fountain by another name - whether it has a filter or not.
Hope you had a nice flight!
The filters for most of these machines are rated for 3,000 gallons. The filter change indicator would typically come on around 3,000 gallons but could come on sooner if the performance of the filter degrades. The "green ticker" meter on the upper right is not a counter of refills or how many gallons have been filtered but rather a count how many 20oz plastic bottles have been "saved." The photo is a little blurry but the number appears to be "3,087" which would indicate at least 964 gallons of water have gone through the machine but it easily could be more if the counter was reset at some point.
I think you do not need to worry at all for two reasons. The primary reason is that the light coming on does not mean the water is suddenly or magically unsafe to drink. It's no different than the "sell by" or "expired" date on your milk, eggs, or any other food product - the food is 100% fine, even days after the sell by "expired" date. Also, Washington DC area potable water quality from the water authorities is exceptionally good and has been for decades - additional filtering (such as this filling station or a consumer/home water filter) are generally unnecessary and provide little improvement in water quality although some people believe they can detect a taste/odor difference - my taste buds never have been able to discern a difference.
Also, the light being on does not mean you are suddenly and essentially drinking out of a "water fountain." Every "refill station" is just a water fountain by another name - whether it has a filter or not.
Hope you had a nice flight!