Is It Okay to Drink From Your Bathroom Tap?

Interesting Facts About Your Water:

1. Older plumbing may mean a storage tank is part of the system.

2. Stored water is more likely to be stale or contain bacteria.

3. Some boilers use storage tanks, so hot water for drinks should be taken from the mains and boiled.

Running water is one of the great conveniences of modern life. But not all water in your home may be the same. Is it a good idea to drink from the bathroom tap when you’re in the bedroom, you develop a raging thirst and the kitchen is so far away? Here are some facts:

If your plumbing system includes a water storage tank, it’s probably best not to drink from the bathroom tap.

This is why:

• Not so fresh: Depending on the plumbing, water supply to the bathroom may be from a storage tank. This water may have been in the tank for a while.

•  Lead pipes: Older homes may have lead pipes in the bathroom, or lead joins in a tank, which means it’s best not to drink water stored there. It’s generally considered fine for brushing teeth, however, as long as the water is not swallowed.

• Dead creatures: There have been reports of mice and rats and birds drowning in storage tanks. This obviously doesn’t improve the water quality and can be a source of dangerous bacteria. If you think there is a dead rodent in your water tank, call a plumber. The tank and pipework will need to be cleaned properly, and wherever the animal entered needs to be blocked.

• Hot water: If you have a system boiler – with a storage tank – it’s best not to drink from the hot water tap. A regular boiler is also fed from a tank. A combi boiler heats water when needed from the mains supply.

If you are not sure what kind of plumbing you have, drink water from the kitchen tap as this water will be the freshest.

Water jargon

Impress your friends by knowing these terms:  

Float valve: Also known as a flat valve, this floats at the top of a tank to close a lever when the tank is full.

Cold feed: This pipe supplies cold water to the hot water system.

Stop cock: This is the mains tap where water enters your property. It’s also called the stop valve, or stop tap.

Storage cistern:  This is where water is stored when a home has an indirect system, and can also be stored in one of these to supply a regular or system boiler.

Fresh, clean water is fundamental to health. If in doubt, fill your glass from the kitchen tap.