UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions.

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Posted to uk.d-i-y,sci.chem,uk.food+drink.misc
David P
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

I am in the UK. Is it generally safe to drink BOILED water from the
hot tap?

My hot water comes from a tank or cistern in the loft and this feeds
into a hot water cylinder which is in the house. It doesn't look
wonderful inside that tank in the loft but I reckon if I BOILED the
water then presumably I will kill the germs.

Is there another reason why I should not drink boiled water from the
hot tap? Maybe there are dangerous minerals and some other
chemicals found in the hot water system which are unsafe?

Is the caution about this overstated?

BTW - my reasons for wanting to do this is detailed below.

Thanks
Dave


----

Why? I like to hand wash my dishes in very hot water. My hot tap
does not give me water which is quite hot enough. So I fill the
kettle from the hot tap and heat that water up.

While the dishes soak, I usually think I should make myself a coffee!
But I'm not sure if I can use the boiled water left in the kettle.
Or do I need to ... *groan* throw it away, flush the kettle, fill it
from the cold tap and then boil that.

----

x-posted to relevant groups:
uk.d-i-y sci.chem uk.food+drink.misc
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Guy King
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

The message
from David P contains these words:

Why? I like to hand wash my dishes in very hot water. My hot tap
does not give me water which is quite hot enough.


Turn up the tank stat a little? Or, if it's a combi, turn down the water
flow a bit.

Drinking hot water is less of a problem now than it was, as few houses
have lead piping any more. However, until recently most houses had their
copper pipes soldered with lead solder, which under certain
circumstances may leach out into hot water.

Also, beware of dead pigeons in the cold feed tank if you have one -
boiling may kill off the nasties, but it's still pretty distasteful.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
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Farooq W
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?


David P wrote:
I am in the UK. Is it generally safe to drink BOILED water from the
hot tap?

My hot water comes from a tank or cistern in the loft and this feeds
into a hot water cylinder which is in the house. It doesn't look
wonderful inside that tank in the loft but I reckon if I BOILED the
water then presumably I will kill the germs.

Is there another reason why I should not drink boiled water from the
hot tap? Maybe there are dangerous minerals and some other
chemicals found in the hot water system which are unsafe?

Is the caution about this overstated?

BTW - my reasons for wanting to do this is detailed below.

Thanks
Dave


----

Why? I like to hand wash my dishes in very hot water. My hot tap
does not give me water which is quite hot enough. So I fill the
kettle from the hot tap and heat that water up.

While the dishes soak, I usually think I should make myself a coffee!
But I'm not sure if I can use the boiled water left in the kettle.
Or do I need to ... *groan* throw it away, flush the kettle, fill it
from the cold tap and then boil that.

----

x-posted to relevant groups:
uk.d-i-y sci.chem uk.food+drink.misc


The germs would do low harm than the rust that might be coming from the
tank or the hot water cylinder. Chances of "toxic" mineral are perhaps
low since the main water supply is supposed to be quite clean.

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nightjar
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?


"David P" wrote in message
...
I am in the UK. Is it generally safe to drink BOILED water from the
hot tap?

My hot water comes from a tank or cistern in the loft and this feeds
into a hot water cylinder which is in the house. It doesn't look
wonderful inside that tank in the loft but I reckon if I BOILED the
water then presumably I will kill the germs.


According to the WHO guidelines to disinfection techniques, you need to keep
it boiling continuously for about five minutes to be sure of doing that.

Is there another reason why I should not drink boiled water from the
hot tap? Maybe there are dangerous minerals and some other
chemicals found in the hot water system which are unsafe?


Modern cisterns should be insect proof [Water Byelaw 30 (2) or the later
Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999], to stop them carrying in
disease organisms. The spread of Legionella is one thing linked to insect
carriers.

Why? I like to hand wash my dishes in very hot water. My hot tap
does not give me water which is quite hot enough. So I fill the
kettle from the hot tap and heat that water up.

While the dishes soak, I usually think I should make myself a coffee!
But I'm not sure if I can use the boiled water left in the kettle.
Or do I need to ... *groan* throw it away, flush the kettle, fill it
from the cold tap and then boil that.


A kettle does not boil water long enough to disinfect it. Why not put less
water in the kettle to begin with? If you do this regularly, you should have
a fair idea of how much water you will need.

Colin Bignell


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David Hansen
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

On Fri, 05 May 2006 07:56:38 +0100 someone who may be David P
wrote this:-

Is it generally safe to drink BOILED water from the hot tap?


Nothing is safe, it is a matter of relative safety.

If the storage tank is made of plastic, properly sized, properly
covered, properly protected from intruders, properly insulated and
the hot water cylinder is heating the water adequately then there is
not a great risk from drinking the water. The main risk would be
from legionella if the water has not been heated to a high enough
temperature for long enough.

Note that there is nothing to stop poison being delivered to your
house via the mains water supply. This has happened but there is
little concern about it.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54


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Dave Fawthrop
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

On Fri, 05 May 2006 07:56:38 +0100, David P
wrote:

|I am in the UK. Is it generally safe to drink BOILED water from the
|hot tap?
|
|My hot water comes from a tank or cistern in the loft and this feeds
|into a hot water cylinder which is in the house. It doesn't look
|wonderful inside that tank in the loft but I reckon if I BOILED the
|water then presumably I will kill the germs.

Yes, but it is not a good idea, there are other forms of crud in your tank.
|Is there another reason why I should not drink boiled water from the
|hot tap? Maybe there are dangerous minerals and some other
|chemicals found in the hot water system which are unsafe?
|
|Is the caution about this overstated?

With newer houses the tank has a cover which is an advantage,

|BTW - my reasons for wanting to do this is detailed below.

|Why? I like to hand wash my dishes in very hot water. My hot tap
|does not give me water which is quite hot enough. So I fill the
|kettle from the hot tap and heat that water up.

|While the dishes soak, I usually think I should make myself a coffee!
|But I'm not sure if I can use the boiled water left in the kettle.
|Or do I need to ... *groan* throw it away, flush the kettle, fill it
|from the cold tap and then boil that.

You are IMO being over cautious. We kill 10 people per day on the roads,
I have never heard of anyone dieing from contaminated water in the UK
after WWII. The severity of all risks should be judged on past
death/illness rates.

In the UK the kitchen tap is fed directly from the rising main and so gets
the cleanest water available. It is best to get all drinking and cooking
water from the kitchen tap.

The hot water from a *combi* boiler has not been stored and so is good for
drinking. It sometimes looks milky, but this is only air and has no effect
on portability.


--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Google Groups is IME the *worst*
method of accessing usenet. GG subscribers would be well advised get a
newsreader, say Agent, and a newsserver, say news.individual.net. These
will allow them: to see only *new* posts, a killfile, and other goodies.
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Dave Fawthrop
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

On Fri, 5 May 2006 08:16:48 +0100, Guy King wrote:

|The message
|from David P contains these words:
|
| Why? I like to hand wash my dishes in very hot water. My hot tap
| does not give me water which is quite hot enough.
|
|Turn up the tank stat a little? Or, if it's a combi, turn down the water
|flow a bit.

Hot water from Combis is *safe* for drinking, I have that from an EHO.
--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Google Groups is IME the *worst*
method of accessing usenet. GG subscribers would be well advised get a
newsreader, say Agent, and a newsserver, say news.individual.net. These
will allow them: to see only *new* posts, a killfile, and other goodies.
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Cicero
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?


"nightjar .uk.com" nightjar@insert my surname here wrote in message
...

snipped


A kettle does not boil water long enough to disinfect it. Why not put less
water in the kettle to begin with? If you do this regularly, you should

have
a fair idea of how much water you will need.

Colin Bignell


===============================
Just to be clear.....

I assume that you mean a kettle with an automatic switch which switches off
after a few seconds of boiling. Other non-automatic kettles can surely
boil for the 5 minute period mentioned by another poster.

Cic.


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Dave Fawthrop
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

On Fri, 05 May 2006 08:56:41 +0100, David Hansen
wrote:


|Note that there is nothing to stop poison being delivered to your
|house via the mains water supply. This has happened but there is
|little concern about it.

Poison/Toxins are all a matter of dose. In a *very* occasional sad case
people have died from drinking fantastic quantities of water, which caused
others no problems.
--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Google Groups is IME the *worst*
method of accessing usenet. GG subscribers would be well advised get a
newsreader, say Agent, and a newsserver, say news.individual.net. These
will allow them: to see only *new* posts, a killfile, and other goodies.
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Ian Stirling
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

In uk.d-i-y Dave Fawthrop wrote:
snip
The hot water from a *combi* boiler has not been stored and so is good for
drinking. It sometimes looks milky, but this is only air and has no effect
on portability.


It does make it a bit lighter per litre.


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|||newspam|||@nezumi.demon.co.uk
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?


David P wrote:
I am in the UK. Is it generally safe to drink BOILED water from the
hot tap?


If it has been boiled for long enough or at high pressure then it will
be made sterile.You should look into a hot or cold water cystern to get
an idea why it isn't really recommended to drink water that has been in
a header tank unless you really have no other choice.

My hot water comes from a tank or cistern in the loft and this feeds
into a hot water cylinder which is in the house. It doesn't look
wonderful inside that tank in the loft but I reckon if I BOILED the
water then presumably I will kill the germs.


About 5-10 minutes or the addition of a chemical sterilising solution
is generally enough. Water authorities go to great lengths to keep
various nasties out of tapwater and some of them will tolerate fairly
hot water.

Is there another reason why I should not drink boiled water from the
hot tap? Maybe there are dangerous minerals and some other
chemicals found in the hot water system which are unsafe?


Depending on your pipework it may still not be chemically pure to
qualify as potable water. One serious problem in older houses is lead
piping where hot slightly acidic water may dissolve some lead. Not good
to drink! Less of a problem with copper pipes.

Is the caution about this overstated?


Almost certainly, but do you really want to drink water that has been
held nice and warm with a selection of dead spiders, flies, bats,
rodents and other loft inhabitants in it?

BTW - my reasons for wanting to do this is detailed below.

Thanks
Dave


Why? I like to hand wash my dishes in very hot water. My hot tap
does not give me water which is quite hot enough. So I fill the
kettle from the hot tap and heat that water up.

While the dishes soak, I usually think I should make myself a coffee!


Since the energy required to sterilise the gunky water from your hot
tap is way more than that required to boil the purer water from the
cold tap why don't you anticipate your future requirement for a coffee
and boil potable cold water in the first place?

Regards,
Martin Brown

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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?


Ian Stirling wrote:
In uk.d-i-y Dave Fawthrop wrote:
snip
The hot water from a *combi* boiler has not been stored and so is good for
drinking. It sometimes looks milky, but this is only air and has no effect
on portability.


It does make it a bit lighter per litre.


How does the volume affect the reflection spectrum?

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andyv
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

I think that legionnaires disease is a most unlikely outcome. Get the
water above 50º from your hot water supply and the bacteria will not
survive. Even if it did, you'd have to take a shower in it and inhale
infected water droplets.

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David Hansen
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

On Fri, 05 May 2006 09:24:52 +0100 someone who may be Dave Fawthrop
wrote this:-

Poison/Toxins are all a matter of dose.


And the susceptibility of the person who takes it.



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54
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David Hansen
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

On 5 May 2006 01:58:26 -0700 someone who may be
wrote this:-

You should look into a hot or cold water cystern to get
an idea why it isn't really recommended to drink water that has been in
a header tank


I did just that a few weeks ago. No dead spiders, flies, bats,
rodents or other loft inhabitants in it. There was a little layer of
crud, which had come from the mains.

Next contestant please.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54


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Pete C
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

On Fri, 05 May 2006 07:56:38 +0100, David P
wrote:

I am in the UK. Is it generally safe to drink BOILED water from the
hot tap?


Yes*

My hot water comes from a tank or cistern in the loft and this feeds
into a hot water cylinder which is in the house. It doesn't look
wonderful inside that tank in the loft but I reckon if I BOILED the
water then presumably I will kill the germs.

Is there another reason why I should not drink boiled water from the
hot tap? Maybe there are dangerous minerals and some other
chemicals found in the hot water system which are unsafe?


*Mainly if your hot water pipes are made of lead.
..
Is the caution about this overstated?


Maybe a bit...

cheers,
Pete.
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Dave Plowman (News)
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

In article .com,
wrote:
Almost certainly, but do you really want to drink water that has been
held nice and warm with a selection of dead spiders, flies, bats,
rodents and other loft inhabitants in it?


FFS, how often do people have to be told the tank should have an approved
cover and venting to prevent this?

It's not just drinking the stuff. If you shower or have a bath, there's a
good chance you'll get some of that water in your mouth and eyes, etc. So
it should be to a decent standard - not from the graveyard of assorted
species through your neglect.

--
*Don't byte off more than you can view *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
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Dave Fawthrop
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

On Fri, 05 May 2006 11:37:54 +0100, Owain
wrote:

|Dave Fawthrop wrote:
| The hot water from a *combi* boiler has not been stored and so is good for
| drinking. It sometimes looks milky, but this is only air and has no effect
| on portability.
|
|If the water is aerated can the water company be sued or fined for
|supplying adulterated merchandise, or for the inaccuracy of the water
|meter reading 1 litre of water when in fact it's less than a litre of
|water that has been supplied?

Air in water is an *advantage* it improves the taste slightly.
--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Google Groups is IME the *worst*
method of accessing usenet. GG subscribers would be well advised get a
newsreader, say Agent, and a newsserver, say news.individual.net. These
will allow them: to see only *new* posts, a killfile, and other goodies.
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Guy King
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

The message
from "Dave Plowman (News)" contains these words:

Almost certainly, but do you really want to drink water that has been
held nice and warm with a selection of dead spiders, flies, bats,
rodents and other loft inhabitants in it?


FFS, how often do people have to be told the tank should have an approved
cover and venting to prevent this?


And how often have you seen a perfectly good cover left hanging off?

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.


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nightjar
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?


"Cicero" wrote in message
. uk...

"nightjar .uk.com" nightjar@insert my surname here wrote in message
...

snipped


A kettle does not boil water long enough to disinfect it. Why not put
less
water in the kettle to begin with? If you do this regularly, you should

have
a fair idea of how much water you will need.

Colin Bignell


===============================
Just to be clear.....

I assume that you mean a kettle with an automatic switch which switches
off
after a few seconds of boiling. Other non-automatic kettles can surely
boil for the 5 minute period mentioned by another poster.


Indeed, but non-electric kettles are very much in the minority and I wonder
whether one with an external heat source would have enough water left to
make a cup of coffee after filling the bowl, then boiling for another five
minutes.

Colin Bignell


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The3rd Earl Of Derby
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

David P wrote:
I am in the UK. Is it generally safe to drink BOILED water from the
hot tap?


No, you'll burn your mouth. ;-)

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite


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Dave Fawthrop
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

On Fri, 05 May 2006 16:45:23 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

|In article .com,
| wrote:
| Almost certainly, but do you really want to drink water that has been
| held nice and warm with a selection of dead spiders, flies, bats,
| rodents and other loft inhabitants in it?
|
|FFS, how often do people have to be told the tank should have an approved
|cover and venting to prevent this?

How about tanks which were fitted before this regulation was introduced,
which was in ????. Was the regulation retrospective? Who went round
providing and fitting said covers?


--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Google Groups is IME the *worst*
method of accessing usenet. GG subscribers would be well advised get a
newsreader, say Agent, and a newsserver, say news.individual.net. These
will allow them: to see only *new* posts, a killfile, and other goodies.
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Salmon Egg
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

On 5/4/06 11:56 PM, in article , "David P"
wrote:

I am in the UK. Is it generally safe to drink BOILED water from the
hot tap?


Compared to what? It is very easy to scald yourself drinking water that is
too hot.

Bill
-- Ferme le Bush


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Ron Jones
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

Owain wrote:
Dave Fawthrop wrote:
The hot water from a *combi* boiler has not been stored and so is
good for drinking. It sometimes looks milky, but this is only air
and has no effect on portability.


If the water is aerated can the water company be sued or fined for
supplying adulterated merchandise, or for the inaccuracy of the water
meter reading 1 litre of water when in fact it's less than a litre of
water that has been supplied?


Not all houses in UK have meters. I don't, and I suspect the majority don't
either.


--
Ron Jones
Process Safety & Development Specialist
Don't repeat history, see unreported near misses in chemical lab/plant
at http://www.crhf.org.uk
Only two things are certain: The universe and human stupidity; and I'm
not certain about the universe. ~ Albert Einstein




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Ron Jones
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

Dave Fawthrop wrote:
On Fri, 05 May 2006 16:45:23 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article .com,
wrote:
Almost certainly, but do you really want to drink water that has
been held nice and warm with a selection of dead spiders, flies,
bats, rodents and other loft inhabitants in it?


FFS, how often do people have to be told the tank should have an
approved cover and venting to prevent this?


How about tanks which were fitted before this regulation was
introduced, which was in ????. Was the regulation retrospective?
Who went round providing and fitting said covers?


Retrospective? How many acts do you know that are retrospective, not
many...

--
Ron Jones
Process Safety & Development Specialist
Don't repeat history, see unreported near misses in chemical lab/plant
at http://www.crhf.org.uk
Only two things are certain: The universe and human stupidity; and I'm
not certain about the universe. ~ Albert Einstein


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Ron Jones
 
Posts: n/a
Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article .com,
wrote:
Almost certainly, but do you really want to drink water that has been
held nice and warm with a selection of dead spiders, flies, bats,
rodents and other loft inhabitants in it?


FFS, how often do people have to be told the tank should have an
approved cover and venting to prevent this?

It's not just drinking the stuff. If you shower or have a bath,
there's a good chance you'll get some of that water in your mouth and
eyes, etc. So it should be to a decent standard - not from the
graveyard of assorted species through your neglect.


I think one needs to make one's own risk assessment. Only the OP will know
what his tank is made of (Galv steel or plastic), the fitting of the cover,
the tank insulation (often loads of glass fibre!), the state of the ballcock
(brass or plastic), the pipe runs (copper or plastic), the joints (solder or
compression), etc.
Anyway, if the hot tap is not hot enough for washing dishes then...
A. It's too cool, so up the theremostat, but I would suggest 55C max.
B. It hot enough, but you have tough hands and don't feel the heat (then
don't make it hotter as you will slowly damage your skin!!)
C. Buy a dishwasher.
D. Get SWMBO to wash the dishes - could be dangerous... ;-)


--
Ron Jones
Process Safety & Development Specialist
Don't repeat history, see unreported near misses in chemical lab/plant
at http://www.crhf.org.uk
Only two things are certain: The universe and human stupidity; and I'm
not certain about the universe. ~ Albert Einstein


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Andy Hall
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

On Fri, 05 May 2006 09:14:33 +0100, Dave Fawthrop
wrote:

On Fri, 5 May 2006 08:16:48 +0100, Guy King wrote:

|The message
|from David P contains these words:
|
| Why? I like to hand wash my dishes in very hot water. My hot tap
| does not give me water which is quite hot enough.
|
|Turn up the tank stat a little? Or, if it's a combi, turn down the water
|flow a bit.

Hot water from Combis is *safe* for drinking, I have that from an EHO.



That's good. Must be right then.


--

..andy

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Andy Hall
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

On Fri, 05 May 2006 16:46:56 +0100, Dave Fawthrop
wrote:

On Fri, 05 May 2006 11:37:54 +0100, Owain
wrote:

|Dave Fawthrop wrote:
| The hot water from a *combi* boiler has not been stored and so is good for
| drinking. It sometimes looks milky, but this is only air and has no effect
| on portability.
|
|If the water is aerated can the water company be sued or fined for
|supplying adulterated merchandise, or for the inaccuracy of the water
|meter reading 1 litre of water when in fact it's less than a litre of
|water that has been supplied?

Air in water is an *advantage* it improves the taste slightly.



It needs to. Tap water is a disgusting thing to drink.


--

..andy

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Guy King
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

The message
from Andy Hall contains these words:

It needs to. Tap water is a disgusting thing to drink.


Depends where you live. Round here it's Severn water and not very nice.
Where I grew up in Kent it came straight out of the chalk and until the
early 70s had nothing done to it all apart from filtering. That was
smashing stuff - you could cut your teeth on it it was so hard.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.


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The Natural Philosopher
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

David P wrote:
I am in the UK. Is it generally safe to drink BOILED water from the
hot tap?

My hot water comes from a tank or cistern in the loft and this feeds
into a hot water cylinder which is in the house. It doesn't look
wonderful inside that tank in the loft but I reckon if I BOILED the
water then presumably I will kill the germs.

Is there another reason why I should not drink boiled water from the
hot tap?


Its generally safe to drink boiled water from anywhere, apart from the
outflow of a chemical company.
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The Natural Philosopher
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

nightjar nightjar@ wrote:

A kettle does not boil water long enough to disinfect it.


Thats why our ancestors never ever drank boiled water of course, despite
the fact that it has been known for centuries that it is the most
practical way to avoid getting diahoerrhea from it...
  #33   Report Post  
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Dave Plowman (News)
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

In article ,
Dave Fawthrop wrote:
FFS, how often do people have to be told the tank should have an
approved cover and venting to prevent this?


How about tanks which were fitted before this regulation was introduced,
which was in ????. Was the regulation retrospective? Who went round
providing and fitting said covers?


If you are worried about drinking water from a graveyard, it's up to you
to make the tank safe. And I'll bet there are very few old galvanised
domestic tanks left in service - they'd be 30+ years old.

--
*Strip mining prevents forest fires.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
  #34   Report Post  
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The Natural Philosopher
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

nightjar nightjar@ wrote:
"Cicero" wrote in message
. uk...
"nightjar .uk.com" nightjar@insert my surname here wrote in message
...
snipped

A kettle does not boil water long enough to disinfect it. Why not put
less
water in the kettle to begin with? If you do this regularly, you should

have
a fair idea of how much water you will need.

Colin Bignell


===============================
Just to be clear.....

I assume that you mean a kettle with an automatic switch which switches
off
after a few seconds of boiling. Other non-automatic kettles can surely
boil for the 5 minute period mentioned by another poster.


Indeed, but non-electric kettles are very much in the minority and I wonder
whether one with an external heat source would have enough water left to
make a cup of coffee after filling the bowl, then boiling for another five
minutes.

Colin Bignell


Raising the water to 60 C kills about 95% of the bugs in seconds.
Raising it to 100C kills about 99.999% in about 5 seconds, and 99.99999%
in 5 minutes.

If your immune system can't cope with the odd bug, you had better not go
outside at all. You CERTAINLY should not eat rare beef...
  #35   Report Post  
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The Natural Philosopher
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:
David P wrote:
I am in the UK. Is it generally safe to drink BOILED water from the
hot tap?


No, you'll burn your mouth. ;-)

First sane response IMHO. ;-)


  #36   Report Post  
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Dave Fawthrop
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

On Sat, 06 May 2006 00:34:13 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:


|Raising the water to 60 C kills about 95% of the bugs in seconds.

That temperature is actually *82* deg C to kill food poisoning bugs
Some food poisoning bugs breed nicely below 64 deg C

|Raising it to 100C kills about 99.999% in about 5 seconds, and 99.99999%
|in 5 minutes.


--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Google Groups is IME the *worst*
method of accessing usenet. GG subscribers would be well advised get a
newsreader, say Agent, and a newsserver, say news.individual.net. These
will allow them: to see only *new* posts, a killfile, and other goodies.
  #37   Report Post  
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Dave Fawthrop
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

On Fri, 05 May 2006 21:45:44 +0100, Andy Hall wrote:

|On Fri, 05 May 2006 16:46:56 +0100, Dave Fawthrop
wrote:
|
|On Fri, 05 May 2006 11:37:54 +0100, Owain
|wrote:
|
||Dave Fawthrop wrote:
|| The hot water from a *combi* boiler has not been stored and so is good for
|| drinking. It sometimes looks milky, but this is only air and has no effect
|| on portability.
||
||If the water is aerated can the water company be sued or fined for
||supplying adulterated merchandise, or for the inaccuracy of the water
||meter reading 1 litre of water when in fact it's less than a litre of
||water that has been supplied?
|
|Air in water is an *advantage* it improves the taste slightly.
|
|
|It needs to. Tap water is a disgusting thing to drink.

Ours is quite pleasant, but it comes straight off the Yorkshire peat moors,
not from the Thames, or a borehole which has lost all its air millennia
ago.
--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Google Groups is IME the *worst*
method of accessing usenet. GG subscribers would be well advised get a
newsreader, say Agent, and a newsserver, say news.individual.net. These
will allow them: to see only *new* posts, a killfile, and other goodies.
  #38   Report Post  
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Mxsmanic
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

David P writes:

I am in the UK. Is it generally safe to drink BOILED water from the
hot tap?

My hot water comes from a tank or cistern in the loft and this feeds
into a hot water cylinder which is in the house. It doesn't look
wonderful inside that tank in the loft but I reckon if I BOILED the
water then presumably I will kill the germs.


Germs, yes, but there might be other inorganic substances in the water
that wouldn't be good for you, such as very high levels of iron from
the plumbing.

Is there another reason why I should not drink boiled water from the
hot tap? Maybe there are dangerous minerals and some other
chemicals found in the hot water system which are unsafe?


Possibly metals or minerals dissolved in the water that you probably
don't want to ingest.

Is the caution about this overstated?


I don't think so. Especially in homes that have less than brand-new
plumbing, the water that comes out of the hot tap can be awash in
inorganic material. It won't make you sick in the way that water
contaminated with bacteria would, but it may contain enough junk to
make you sick in other ways (lead poisoning, iron poisoning, etc.).

A single drink probably wouldn't make any difference, but you would
not want to make a habit of it.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.
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David Hansen
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

On Sat, 06 May 2006 08:16:10 +0200 someone who may be Mxsmanic
wrote this:-

Germs, yes, but there might be other inorganic substances in the water
that wouldn't be good for you, such as very high levels of iron from
the plumbing.


Where do you think these very high levels of iron will come from? I
doubt if many houses have galvanised iron water tanks these days, or
for at least a decade. New work since the late 1960s has involved
plastic tanks.

Possibly metals or minerals dissolved in the water that you probably
don't want to ingest.


Other than the mains supply, where do these metals or minerals come
from?



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54
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Andy Hall
 
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Default Safe to drink boiled water from hot tap?

On Sat, 06 May 2006 00:28:51 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:

David P wrote:
I am in the UK. Is it generally safe to drink BOILED water from the
hot tap?

My hot water comes from a tank or cistern in the loft and this feeds
into a hot water cylinder which is in the house. It doesn't look
wonderful inside that tank in the loft but I reckon if I BOILED the
water then presumably I will kill the germs.

Is there another reason why I should not drink boiled water from the
hot tap?


Its generally safe to drink boiled water from anywhere, apart from the
outflow of a chemical company.



Such as those who add chlorine, fluorides, chemicals to kill
invertebrates,......



--

..andy

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