Salt Water Shower?

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memphisj

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I have heard that most people in Las Galeras fill their home water tanks with salt water. Is this true? If so, aren't you a bit sticky after your shower? J in Memphis
 

Rocky

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I have heard that most people in Las Galeras fill their home water tanks with salt water. Is this true? If so, aren't you a bit sticky after your shower? J in Memphis
Maybe they don't have fresh water there, but I would be surprised if they don't.
As you said, you would be quite sticky after, and if that was the general rule around there, surely some tourists would have mentioned it before in their trip reports, of which there have been many.
 

Andy B

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Not true at all-its amazing the kinds of misinformation that floats around here. However, ALL the ground water from shallow wells (under 200 feet deep) at this end of the peninsula has a small salt content because of the porousness of the ground (karstic region) and the proximity of the ocean on three sides of the peninsula. Resultingly, you can taste the salt in the water when you brush your teeth (salt is evident at 17 parts per million parts of water) but it doesnt leave a sticky residue when you shower. It does play hell with the plumbing- we replace faucets at our hotel every couple of years because of severe corrosion, even to chrome-plated brass ones. And I suspect there may be a health benefit to this as salt will kill many unhealthy microbes that can be found in common groundwater.
 
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memphisj

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Hey, at least it ceases to be misinformation when someone takes the time to explain. Thank you very much Andy. This forum is great for clearing stuff up!
 

Rocky

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Hey, at least it ceases to be misinformation when someone takes the time to explain. Thank you very much Andy. This forum is great for clearing stuff up!
You are correct on both points, and I for one, will go to bed tonight, a little bit more informed.
 

montreal

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The tap water in Las Galeras is definitively saltier than regular tap water, but not like the sea!
 

bienamor

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The tap water in Las Galeras is definitively saltier than regular tap water, but not like the sea!

The showers at cayo leventado samana seemed mostly salt water when i was there once
 

Andy B

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The showers at cayo leventado samana seemed mostly salt water when i was there once

That doesn't suprise me at all. Cayo Levantado is a small island in the middle of Samana Bay with no fresh water source other than a well or what runs off the roof when it rains. The hotel has been completely rebuilt and perhaps they improved their water supply. On the other hand, with the exception of the tip of the peninsula in the Las Galeras area, most of the peninsula has good water both from several rivers and from natural springs. One of these rivers, the Rio San Juan, is being tapped near Del Vallee for the new aquaduct under construction that will serve much of the peninsula from Samana out to Las Galeras. A new aquaduct also under construction is also bringing water into Samana itself. Both projects are expected to be completed sometime in 2009.
 

pyratt

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Pyratts know....regular soap won't lather in salt water. Joy or Dawn dish soap will. USCG uses both on oil spills for this reason. Have used JOY soap to bathe with in the ocean in a pinch.

If your hand soaps lather, you may have higher than normal salts but NOT sea water

Hope this helps

p.s.> Dry off quick and the salt won't stick to you....another pyratt trick
 

Steve Costa Azul

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Salt Shower

Pyratts know....regular soap won't lather in salt water. Joy or Dawn dish soap will. USCG uses both on oil spills for this reason. Have used JOY soap to bathe with in the ocean in a pinch.

If your hand soaps lather, you may have higher than normal salts but NOT sea water

Hope this helps

p.s.> Dry off quick and the salt won't stick to you....another pyratt trick

The "Skinny" on salt showers is this.
Many people (my pool customers) have opted to switch their pools to the salt system created some 40 years ago in Austrailia. I am converting many pools to this system and the big reason is bather comfort. The secondary reason is that your chlorine needs are met, hence no longer needing additional chlorine to add to your pool water.
Bather comfort is the first reason and it is because it makes the water softer, that some home owners have made the switch. The same thing applies when showering is the topic. Keep in mind, the most popular salt generator has an optimum salt level @ 3200 PPM and the typical sea water is 34,000 PPM (Dead Sea excluded). Less than one tenth of the sea to get the job done. Most people do not crave salt levels of 34,000 PPM. Bottom line is, a shower with some salt, will be softer and it WON'T feel/be stickier, it will simply roll off you skin.
A previous post claimed 17 PPM ..... You could NEVER taste salt at that level.
Enjoy your salty (barely) shower!
Steve

 

Andy B

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Better check your research, salt IS tastable at 17ppm.

My mistake. My post probably should have read parts per thousand instead of parts per million. Check the link for a description of the salinity of the Atlantic Ocean in the Bahamas and in Long Island Sound area. However using these figures, the 17PPT figure would be about HALF the salinity of the tropical Atlantic and taste level of salt in water would be hundreds of times lower than that.

Google Answers: Salt in the Oceans
 

memphisj

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Thanks guys! I really appreciate all the effort you have put into answering my question. I'm sure my showers will be great after a long day of exploring, or just lazing around with a few presidentes. Cheers! J

P.S. Are Joy and Dawn detergents environmentally safe? I'm assuming the Coast Guard wouldn't use them unless they were.
I'm off to Google.
 
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What I can confirm is that the water in the rooms of Bahia Principe Cayo Levantado AND the pools is NOT salty. About the beach showers, I don't know, as I have not taken them.
 
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