Can Someone Please Explain How Does The Drinking Water System Work In The Uk?
Hi everyone….I’ve recently moved to UK, and would like to know how does the drinking water system work here. Is it advisable to drink water from the hot water tap in the house, or should we drink water only from the cold water tap.
Sources for any information provided would be appreciated.
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13 Responses to “Can Someone Please Explain How Does The Drinking Water System Work In The Uk?”
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November 5th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Tap water in the UK is fine to drink straight from the main feed.
Not a good idea to drink from the hot water tap or from a tank feed as the water has been standing and could have some sort of contaminants in it.
If the hot water feed is from the mains into a combi boiler then it is going to be ok.
All water is fed to households from the same mains feed – you would only get “recycled” water if the building was set up to do that and it is rare that any normal buildings would have any sort of water recycling set up.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
You should drink water from the cold tap and not the hot tap if you have a water tank in the roof as this is where the water is heated and stored and is not “new” water. However if you have a combi boiler (which basically takes cold water and heats it up) there is no difference.
I hate to break it to you but there is no such thing as “new” water on this planet.
In Scotland the water is “soft” water but in cities it is “hard” water. You need less soap in soft water areas to get a lather on clothes and washing your hair etc.
All water in London has been through treatments which means that al water is recycled. The only way you would avoid this would be to live in a highland lodge in Scotland and drink the rain water which runs off the hills. Even so, this water has been evaporated from the rivers/seas by the clouds and dropped back down.
The water in the UK is very safe for drinking and the only real problem in hard water areas is that you get furring in your kettle and on the shower etc. A good descaler gets rid of this no problem.
Here is a report on tests on UK water:http://www.dwi.gov.uk/pubs/coreport/hgoo…
November 5th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
The water is treated and has the following added:
Lime Used to adjust the pH of the water throughout the
treatment process.
Ferric Sulphate
Used as a coagulant in the treatment process. It is
removed along with organic material and other
impurities during filtration.
Carbon Dioxide
Injected into the untreated water to improve the
“treatability” of the water which is naturally soft and
acidic upland water. Removed within the filtration
process.
Sodium Di-hydrogen
Orthophosphate
Introduced into the treated water. The phosphate
reacts with lead used in the household’s pipework
and thus reduces the amount of lead which is
dissolved and consumed by our customers.
Chlorine
(in the form of Sodium
Hypochlorite)
Introduced at various stages within the treatment
process and specifically at the end of the process to
disinfect the final treated water and ensure that the
water is free from any bacteria.
Some or all of the above may be used in the treatment process, only essential
minimal levels of sodium di-hydrogen orthophosphate and chlorine will be
present in the treated water. All other chemicals contribute to the treatment
process and are removed within the filtration process.
Fluoride
There is no statutory requirement for the Authority to fluoridate although it’s added. About the only good thing given the state of our teeth!
Therefore I drink good old bottled French Alps water and boil the rest first!
November 6th, 2009 at 12:18 am
The water from the cold tap is mains fed which is safe to drink.
The hot water is also mains fed, but has been sitting in the hot water tank for some time and has been through the hot water system, and I wouldn’t recommend drinking it.
Most of our water is recycled but has been treated and is safe to drink.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:47 am
all water in the house is safe to drink even the water to flush the toilet comes out of the same cold water main’s pipe as the rest.
we probably have the safest water delivery system in the world.
i usually use the hot water tap to fill the kettle.
why boil from cold when you have already paid to heat the hot water.
hope this helps
November 6th, 2009 at 9:45 am
Not recommended to drink from hot water. It goes through the boiler of course, so it might not be safe. Probably is, but might not be. If you want hot water boil the kettle, it kills bacteria that way.
November 6th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Don’t drink from the Hot Water Taps, it’s not recycled, but comes from the tank in the roof space & may be contaminated,
November 6th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Did you drink from the hot tap in your old country ?
If so you`re a fool.
Drink from cold tap ONLY ,feel free to drink BOILED water from cold tap too but NEVER drink from a hot water tap.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
The tap water in the UK is perfectly safe – all top chefs agree
November 7th, 2009 at 2:49 am
Lol the water here is fine.I normaly drink cups of tea anyway.
NOT TRUE
November 7th, 2009 at 6:17 am
drink only from the pub, and you’ll be fine
November 7th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
You only have ONE water feed into your house – which brings pure water into the house which is 100% safe to drink. The reason why you should not drink from the hot tap is that the water that comes through that will have been stored in a cistern possibly in your roof space and may be contaminated by insects or rodents in the roof space. By law all new hot water systems have to have a lid to prevent contamination but a lot of older houses still have uncovered cisterns – best to be safe.
In many houses the cistern in the roof also feeds cold water to the bathroom taps – The water laws say that the tap on your kitchen sink must be fed direct from the cold water inlet to the house – therefore all water for drinking should be drawn from the kitchen sink tap where it will be completely fresh – do NOT drink from hot taps because that water has been stored both in the loft cistern and in the hot water storage tank.
November 7th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
English tap water is some 7.5% oestrogen
its edible, dont get me wrong, but expect to grow boobies in the long term