Do you drink water from your bathroom tap?

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IsWasMaybeAMefi@reddit

If there is an unsealed water tank in your roofspace, chances are that is where bathtap water is from. If your roofspace is not secure, birds, rats may enter that water tank, die - and you drink it. Not good.

If there is no such tank, and the taps are mains-fed, all is good.

Me? I'm posh, I drink from the shower :)

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blind_disparity@reddit

Doesn't everyone wash their teeth and rinse with bathroom tap water?

I'd also rather not bathe in rotting rat corpse either, if I'm honest.

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TheRiddler1976@reddit

Ooh look at Mr Fancypants here.

Rotting rat corpse soup not good enough for you? You think you're above the rest of us?

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Key_Ad_9435@reddit

I personally like to clean my teeth with the actual rat, whiskers also double as excellent floss.

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DoggeatDoggworld@reddit

Ooh, Ratfans!!!!

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smitchlovesfunk@reddit

You don’t need to rinse your mouth with water after brushing your teeth, just spit out the toothpastey saliva and off you go.

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blind_disparity@reddit

I definitely need to get the toothpaste more thoroughly out of my mouth than that, just for my own comfort.

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20THH03@reddit

You... wash your teeth? That sounds horrible

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blind_disparity@reddit

Sure

Plug the jet wash into the bathroom tap and wash those teeth clean

Clean in about 20 seconds

And I don't need to floss either now I don't have any gums

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MisterNacropolis@reddit

You can do the same thing with a garden pressure hose ...but you do risk accidentally blowing a tooth out or drowning though...

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20THH03@reddit

Handy tip, I'll have to give it a go. Might break out the power washer for an extra oomph

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homemadedynomite@reddit

I stopped doing it bc my ocd is not okay with my toothbrush being in the bathroom

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Wind_your_neck_in@reddit

Your actually not supposed to rinse after brushing teeth. That daid I do danp my toothbrush is rat water before I start

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Puzzleheaded-Day1956@reddit

If you use mouthwash right after does it really matter tho?

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IAM_THE_LIZARD_QUEEN@reddit

No but you're not supposed to do that either

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Puzzleheaded-Day1956@reddit

Had no clue, googled it and it gave me like 3 different answers

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IAM_THE_LIZARD_QUEEN@reddit

Ask your dentist next time you go.

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Puzzleheaded-Day1956@reddit

I’ve had different dentists tell me different things. Same as Google

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Wind_your_neck_in@reddit

I inagibe that would dilute the rat water sonewhat

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DeifniteProfessional@reddit

Stop eating sugar and acid and rinsing won't be an issue

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Wind_your_neck_in@reddit

I'd like to keep my own teeth as long as possible and at 37 with no cavities I'm confident, but I'm not gonna remove foods tyat bring me joy

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Brilliant_Canary_692@reddit

But you're good to brush your teeth with it

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2Nothraki2Ded@reddit

It should be noted this is specifically for hot water.

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FarIndication311@reddit

Some homes also have a cold water tank in the roof feeding cold taps (all but the kitchen tap).

Homes aren't setup that way anymore but there's plenty which will still have this left over from the past.

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ilxfrt@reddit

I remember that from when I was an exchange student in the UK. The granny, who lived with the family, was adamant that only the kitchen tap was safe to drink and the mum, dad and kids were like, don’t be ridiculous granny this isn’t Victorian times. I was confused.

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randomdude2029@reddit

My house was built in 1985 and has a cold water tank in the loft. Definitely not only Victoria! Only the kitchen and the guest loo have mains fed cold water. Guest loo cistern fills in about 5 seconds flat 😂

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Macaroon-Flashy@reddit

How do you find out which taps are mains fed?! I've lived in my house a year and have drank water from both the kitchen and bathroom tap... but I have a hot and cold water tank in the attic.

The hot water tank is definitely in use, I have no idea whether the cold is or not, but I assume so! 😂

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randomdude2029@reddit

The easiest way is to compare the pressure to the kitchen tap. If some gush while others trickle then it's easy to tell. Otherwise you will have a stop-cock or valve coming from the storage tank - turn it off and then see which taps don't work.

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Macaroon-Flashy@reddit

And not to sound like an idiot, which is which? I assume gush is tank?

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randomdude2029@reddit

Most houses these days will have much more pressure from the mains than from the tank.

Typically you get 1.5 to 3 bar if water pressure from the main (1 bar is the legal requirement) vs 0.1 bar per metre of height of the water tank. So your tank would need to be 15 to 30 metres higher than the tap to equal the typical mains pressure.

So, gush is mains, less is tank. You can also see this by checking if the pressure for hot and cold water is the same. The hot water cylinder is always fed from the tank if there is one, so pressure of hot and cold will be similar when cold is tank fed.

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O_Fiddle_sticks@reddit

Where does the loft tank water come from if it's not the mains?

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randomdude2029@reddit

It comes from the mains of course. But you have two differences - pressure based on the height of the tank vs the pumped pressure of the water main, and whatever gets into the tank in the loft.

So mains water is under a lot more pressure, and is safe to drink, vs tank water which comes out with a lot less pressure and isn't necessarily safe to drink.

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TheZZ9@reddit

Yep, granny was probably correct. Most houses over a decade or two old have the kitchen tap supplied direct from the mains and a cold tank in the attic supplying the taps in the bathroom and feeding the hot water heater and central heating. If that loft tank isn't covered securely then there could easily be a dead mouse floating in the tank.

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2Nothraki2Ded@reddit

Oh, no way. I genuinely thought it was just hot water because why would you store cold water. Cheers!

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FarIndication311@reddit

Years and years ago water pressure varied massively. Having a big tank in the roof meant this didn't affect the water flow from the taps and kept it constant.

In some flats or perhaps all made before the 90s or so there's generally a massive tank in the roof feeding most of the cold taps. I only know this as in my flat we got it re plumbed so only the hot water tank receives water from the roof tank now, and all the other taps are now mains fed! But it wasn't built that way sadly!

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O_Fiddle_sticks@reddit

Where is the roof tank filled up from? What's its source? If everyone's saying kitchen is mains tap. And roof tank is something scummy. What's filling roof tank?

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FarIndication311@reddit

The roof tank is filled from the mains... however, constantly flowing water from the mains is good. Once it's stored in a tank for however long, it's no longer "good". Especially in my case where the tank is 50+ years old and upon examination could realistically be a set for the next batman film ...

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AlexRichmond26@reddit

I'll leave this here : up 1995 some houses came with loft water tank.

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2Nothraki2Ded@reddit

Yeah, this all makes total sense. Thanks for the insight!

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V65Pilot@reddit

I live in an HMO, and I'm the only one who gets water from the bathroom (for my kettle- I drink bottled water), simply because everyone else has the "dirty water in the attic tank" mentality. The house is on a combo boiler, and I've personally been in the attic (I store stuff up there). There is no cistern, something I have explained to all my housemates.....

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Key-Performance-7889@reddit

What was it I cba finding your post, no hate I got a barrage of that for trying to give advice, can't win ae. But what did you learn?

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2Nothraki2Ded@reddit

That house also had open cold water storage tanks in the loft. I thought it was only hot water.

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Buddy-Matt@reddit

Nope. We had ours removed when we moved in, but a cold water tank in the attic was definitely a thing, and still is in many (older?) houses.

Ours looked like this: https://www.onlinetankstore.co.uk/product-category/water-tanks/cold-water-loft-tanks/circular-cold-water-tanks/

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WoodSteelStone@reddit

When we moved into our ex Council house there was a massive tank in the loft that took two tonnes of water. Our plumber said he'd never seen a tank like that in a normal house in 35 years doing his job. He drained it and cut it up to GEF rid of it as we changed to a combo boiler. Thank goodness council houses were built good and strong.

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DeifniteProfessional@reddit

Imagine just casually having the weight of a car hanging over your bedroom

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WoodSteelStone@reddit

It was in about the best position it could be I guess; straddling the internal chimney for the old coal fired boiler (disused and the part in the loft had been removed) and also over a wall between a bedroom and the bathroom. The chimney would have taken much of the weight I guess. Still, you are right, it was like a big fat sword of Damocles right over the bath and part of a bedroom.

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MyAccidentalAccount@reddit

Our house was built in 2006 and had a cold tank in the loft.

Had it removed when we updated the boiler a few years ago.

So it's not just older houses, it was a think in new builds less than 20 years ago.

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ColJohnMatrix85@reddit

There's what looks like the lid of one of those left behind in our loft by the previous owners of our 1970s house. Now I know what it is! Thanks

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bife_de_lomo@reddit

Most gravity systems have a cold water tank in the loft that serves the cold taps. In thise cases only the kitchen tap will be direct from the mains.

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chartupdate@reddit

This is the situation in my house, all the sanitation facilities are gravity fed from a loft tank. Only the kitchen taps, the washing machine, the dishwasher and the ensuite electric shower run on mains pressure.

Worth its weight in gold when the street main has burst and you can still flush the toilet.

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mcrosby78@reddit

Edit: I was wrong about something and I learnt something new which is ace.

This is rarely admitted on Reddit! Well done! :-)

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2Nothraki2Ded@reddit

Thanks! It was in part to stop people replying say I was wrong ;) It's okay guys, I get it.

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stvvrover@reddit

I drink from the toilet

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fullcapabilities@reddit

I can confirm - we once had a dead rat floating around in our water tank in the attic.

Bad vibes.

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Infamous-Corgi-8306@reddit

Not just birds and rats. Sometimes... ... humans...

https://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/20/us/california-hotel-water-corpse/index.html

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HarB_Games@reddit

Amazing documentary on netflix about this case. Crazy stuff.

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mynameisnotthom@reddit

It's really drawn out, all stemmed because the stupid pig writing the report stated that the hatch to the water tank was found closed, with her in it.

Indicating foul play

It wasn't, it was found open

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aivlysplath@reddit

Meh, I wouldn’t call it amazing. She had bipolar disorder. I also have bipolar disorder. I’ve seen some mind melting things while psychotic and hallucinating. Auditory at first then full blown visual hallucinations with time. That documentary made it seem spooky or something. She could’ve been murdered, yes. Or, more likely, a victim of a horrible mental illness. Poor soul. I hope she’s at peace.

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ChipCob1@reddit

BuzzFeed Unsolved did one as well

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Scary-Potato4247@reddit

Any idea what it's called? I'm intrigued!

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HarB_Games@reddit

"The Vanishing at Cecil Hotel" if I remember rightly

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TheRabidBananaBoi@reddit

I googled the "The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel reddit" and the first 3 links were just talking about how absolutely shit the documentary was 💀

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lknei@reddit

It was absolutely shite 😂 IIRC there's a whole episode exploring the idea that Elisa crossed over into another dimension. It was entirely laughable until you remembered a young lady lost her life

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HarB_Games@reddit

This might not have been the one I saw then, I don't remember that AT ALL lmao

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illfatedcatbird@reddit

It is decent, but like most documentaries by Netflix it should have been 1-2 episodes max instead of dragging it out to 4 episodes

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JunkRatAce@reddit

Hang on a wee minute that's half correct but with an important bit missed out.

If the house has a water tank in the roof space for heating that supplies the hot water only. The cold water by law has to have its own safe supply.

So bathroom sink cold tap is perfectly safety drink.

Have a mixer tap ... then you need to run the cold water for a few seconds before drinking it.

Either way yes cold water from the bathroom taps is safe to drink...

If it's nor setup as above then ghe installation is illegal and needs changing.

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kmaddock7@reddit

There are two different tanks you can have in the loft:

A small tank to feed the central heating (not hot taps)

A large tank that supplies the hot taps (via a cylinder), most of the cold taps and probably the toilets

It's only the kitchen cold tap that has to be mains fed.

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JunkRatAce@reddit

Yes, those are what the tanks in the attic usually are. And It's actually any place where drinking water is drawn off. So it can include the bathroom and in a vast majority of houses it does. My house is 75 years old and it does.

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tradandtea123@reddit

If there is an unsealed tank turn on the bathroom cold tap and put your finger over it. If it's tank fed you can easily stop the water flow completely with your finger. If it's mains fed it will spray and you won't be able to stop water coming out

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Calm-Scientist8126@reddit

Drinking water from the shower can give you legionella no matter how your plumbing works because there is a section of hose where water can sit stagnant and open to the air.

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Massive-Path6202@reddit

Under current code?

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lknei@reddit

It takes the same water to have sat for up to 30 days for legionnaires to form. Unless you're a frequent traveller or general tramp, you're not gonna get legionnaires from your shower

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bonamoureux@reddit

You can't get legionnaires from drinking it. It has to be inhaled. The vapour produced by showers is why they are a large legionella risk.

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Massive-Path6202@reddit

Is this for real? Seems wildly unhygienic. Surely this would violate the building code?

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4ever_lost@reddit

Easiest way to test (doesn’t always work) if the pressure from your kitchen tap is different to bathroom, then your bathroom is using dead animal water

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gagagagaNope@reddit

The second thing in hard water areas is if you've a softener. Generally they advise not to drink softened water (sodium levels) ... but if you read more you discover that generally you can drink *a lot* before it's an issue.

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According_Judge781@reddit

Even with no tank, water normally travels further through your old pipes to reach the bathroom than it does to reach the kitchen. Those pipes can add to that tangy taste!

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Aiken_Drumn@reddit

It's travelled a long long way through pipes. A few extra m ain't gonna matter unless you've literal lead pipes in your home.

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According_Judge781@reddit

Does your bathroom water taste the exact same as your kitchen water??

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Aiken_Drumn@reddit

Yes. But I installed a fully new plumbing system a year ago.. And I live in a getting floor flat! 😂

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BoredReceptionist1@reddit

And how do I know if I have lead pipes 😬

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Aiken_Drumn@reddit

If you can smell purple.

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kmaddock7@reddit

It has already travelled miles through pipes before it reaches your house. A few more metres isn't going to make any difference

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Death_Savager@reddit

It absolutely does make a difference. That mains water travels through pipework underground which has little temperature variation. The moment it enters your house, it's your responsibility. If your pipework is poorly insulated those few degrees temp increases will make a difference

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V65Pilot@reddit

Pretty sure the pipes going to my electric shower must run outside at some point. In the winter I can barely get a hot shower, in the summer, it's almost scalding on the lowest setting, but, thankfully, useable. There is a fine line between pain and pleasure.

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According_Judge781@reddit

I guess it's a completely different reason that water from the bathroom tastes different to water from the kitchen....

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Wellidrivea190e@reddit

Old houses only now. No new builds will have this. Anything built in the last 10/15 years.

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crough94@reddit

Shower? What about the bath tap?

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GamerGypps@reddit

Why is an unsealed tank every a thing ? Why not have a lid ? Surely dust and other shit is always collecting in the tank and on the water ?

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squesh@reddit

I prefer bidet water but to each their own

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xSadotsuin@reddit

I too am cultured

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space_absurdity@reddit

Can supply. DM me

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HumbleScottish@reddit

The golden shower?

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hallerz87@reddit

Yep a little bit of shower water in your shower whisky really opens it up

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Ok-Project5637@reddit

i’ll disregard everything you’ve said and i’ll still drink from it going forward

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IsWasMaybeAMefi@reddit

Better than drinking any liquid going backward!

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sparkletigerfrog@reddit

Slugs 🤢

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RandomPriorities13@reddit

Bathroom and kitchen cold supply in a modern house are both from the mains so safe to drink. Hot water is variable in turns of heating and tank cleanliness/processes and not safe to drink.

Usually the kitchen sink is next to where the mains water enters the house so in theory fresher, but as long as your pipes are safe just let the upstairs tap run for a few seconds to clear the water that’s been sat in the pipe and you’re good to go!

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spatz_uk@reddit

David O’Docherty explains why you shouldn’t drink from your bathroom tap… https://youtu.be/WsDCfxWrPXI?feature=shared&t=104

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MrNippyNippy@reddit

Yes - we’re in a new build which has modern plumbing (no cold water storage tank) but I do make sure to run it for a minute to get fresh/colder water as the pipe run is longer than in the kitchen.

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Oellph@reddit

Fresh water from the really long network of pipes that feed your house? I get it. I do the same. But when you think about how far that water has travelled through all manner of pipes, it doesn’t make logical sense.

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germany1italy0@reddit

Don’t you reckon the different pipe run is negligible given there’s a long pipe from the main supply to your house?

I also let cold water run for a few seconds in kitchen and bathrooms but a minute seems excessive?

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ldn-ldn@reddit

It's not negligible. There's a big difference in water temperature when it goes from your warm house pipe or from cooler pipes from outside.

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MrNippyNippy@reddit

I dunno - seems to take that long to get cold.

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Keepour823@reddit

Yes, my house doesn’t have an open tank in the loft that our parents are used to

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Special_Substance_23@reddit

If you have a combi boiler and no tank in the loft, all of your cold water taps are safe to drink from

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JukP14@reddit

Nope. Never have and never will

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Adventurous_Train_48@reddit

Everyone thinks I'm a freak for doing this. I used to have a direct slurp out the tap when I was in the bath as a child 😂 I use a water filter now because the water here is all manky, but it's always been my preferred tap.

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lau177@reddit

All the time. Our house was built in 1900 but all of our water is from the main feed with a combi boiler so no dead ratty water tanks in the attic

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Puzzleheaded_Row_874@reddit

Pretty much all of UK cold water is potable, that is drinkable. Most cold water outlets are fed straight from the mains. If it isn't it should be clearly marked.

Some large premises, like flats, might be fed by a tank. Where this is the case the tanks are fully enclosed and should be monitored under legionella control measures. As are all public outlets.

But in most cases where a tank is installed it is usually only feeding heaters for hot water. Most private residences don't use them anymore, combi boilers don't need them.

There may be some rare cases of legacy tanks that feed cold water in private houses, but this would be exceptionally rare, given most have been updated when repairs and maintenance is done.

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MisterNacropolis@reddit

We had a dead sheep in our unsealed water tank in the attic ...and I didn't just make that up either!

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EnvironmentalEye5402@reddit

From my plumber as I asked the same question

Bathroom water is not drinkable. We have a water tank so it's classed as non potable.

Kitchen separate so it's fine.

In most public bathrooms you'll see a 'not drinking water ' sign.

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stowaway_55@reddit

Yeah. I refill my bedtime water from the bathroom and I fill my dogs upstairs bowl from the bathroom. The water up or down all comes from the same place in my house 🤷🏻‍♀️

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elizabethpickett@reddit

Unless you are in a super old building (in which case you should already now) the cold taps are all just mains water so bathroom water is fine

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Key-Performance-7889@reddit

Your bathroom water isn't filtered the same as your kitchen water or so I was always led to believe. 🤔

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Vavalras@reddit

I'm on an geography and environmental science course and this question happened to come up in one of the modules on water. If all your water comes into your house from the same piped source that originates with a water company (Scottish Water, Northumbria Water, etc.) and you don't have some coming from say, water tanks you have on the roof, then all your water is potable. This means that it's clean and drinkable. This even will apply to your toilet water. The only way you bathroom tap water would taste different to other taps in your house is if something was different with the specific pipe that goes to one of those taps. 🙂

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Fabulous-Pop3316@reddit

I imagine if I crapped in the kitchen I'd be less inclined to consume it's goods too.

I NEVER drink bathroom water.

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missmog1@reddit

Wash, shower and clean teeth in bathrooms. We have a separate mains fed water filter in the kitchen for drinking and cooking. We live in a high chalky area so a filtered tap is a must. A water softener feeds the toilets and the combi boiler for hot water and showers so can’t drink that water source.

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Notagoodhousewife83@reddit

My bathroom water is so much better than my kitchen to water!!!

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Adventurous_Eye_8490@reddit

It is totally safe to drink. I drink it all of the time and always have done.

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TheAprilGoal@reddit

Only when I'm pissed or hungover. Which is surprisingly often

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DownrightDrewski@reddit

Depressingly often in my case, though, not so much the hangovers.

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TheAprilGoal@reddit

Chin up old boy. This doesn't have to be forever, it's in your hands more than you think. Having that responsibility over yourself can be daunting but you've got to take the plunge for your own sake.

Be safe

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DownrightDrewski@reddit

I'm trying to taper at the moment. I'm not doing a very good job, but, I have reduced a bit, and at this rate I might be sober this year.

We'll see.

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Sufficient-Plant1886@reddit

I highly recommend William Porter’s book Alcohol Explained. Helped reframe my experience with alcohol. You can do it. Best decision I ever made stopping drinking and smoking. One day at a time.

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MojoMomma76@reddit

Umm… sorry couldn’t see and not comment… I’m sort of where you are and have found some really decent company and advice at r/stopdrinking. V non judgemental and nice place to be. Might be worth swinging by if it’s on your mind. Also not a place that pushes a particular solution like AA if that would put you off. Hope you’re feeling in a better place soon in any case :)

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DownrightDrewski@reddit

Thank you - my issue with that community is that you can't post whilst drunk.

I am part of a different support sub though; I just need to not slip back this time.

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MojoMomma76@reddit

Wishing you the best sincerely - really glad you’ve found a space that works for you. Take care pal.

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DownrightDrewski@reddit

Thank you, hopefully I can make it work.

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TheAprilGoal@reddit

I hope the best for you. Small steps are still progress, remember that. Next time you go to grab for another drink when you don't know if you need it or not, just walk away and tell yourself you can get it in 10 minutes...which you can, but that 10 mins of self control is a huge building block in my experience.

Feel free to DM whenever

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DownrightDrewski@reddit

Thank you.

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ItsTheOneWithThe@reddit

Try and find a hobby or distraction even small. Best of luck.

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DownrightDrewski@reddit

Great advice, unfortunately I have ADHD and struggle to maintain interest in anything long term.

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Tense_Bear@reddit

Jesus, dude.... You ok?

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DownrightDrewski@reddit

Uh... that's probably a matter of perspective. Not really, but, I've been far lower than I am right now.

I'm also trying to actively taper at the moment.

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Tense_Bear@reddit

I don't think a lot of us are ok... Maybe ok is in the eye of the beholder, but I do understand down.

It's not much of an offer, because I'm really dull, but feel free to message me any time if you just need a sounding board or anything

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DownrightDrewski@reddit

Thanks dude - I mean I'm not going to depress you even further with dumping my shit though.

It's mostly melodramatic really, just a bad mental state that means that even minor things become a "big deal".

P.s I'm slightly annoyed that your original comment has been downvoted.

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Slow_Ball9510@reddit

I raise you a glass of cold milk from the fridge

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sebuq@reddit

No, unless I was locked in there and got particularly thirsty. I wouldn’t fear for my life for having done this, but wouldn’t drink it on a regular visit to the bathroom.

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imtheorangeycenter@reddit

Yes, all taps are mains fed for us. I'll drink from the bath tap mid-soak, no worries.

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JustLetItAllBurn@reddit

I misread that as you just drinking from the bath mid-soak and was horrified.

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Fluffycatbelly@reddit

Toddlers. I tell you, toddlers freaking love drinking bath water 😑

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Top_Brilliant1739@reddit

It's the marshmallow bubbles that gives it its kick...

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JustLetItAllBurn@reddit

Consuming toddler soup might technically make them cannibals.

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imtheorangeycenter@reddit

Oh god no. Who likes tepid water??? :D

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mikkopai@reddit

Tasty!

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imtheorangeycenter@reddit

Drop an Oxo in to up the taste game.

And the fake tan.

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Ali35j@reddit

I’m not sure how common it is but some people use leaded solder on pipes that aren’t expected to have drinking water coming out, like the bath or central heating. Leaded works better

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imtheorangeycenter@reddit

Not applicable here, but understand. 30 years of chewing Biro caps will have done worse for me.

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Nice2BeNice1312@reddit

I do that but only if the bath is roasting and im somewhat dehydrated 😅

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imtheorangeycenter@reddit

Just how I like them, barely enterable, and still uncomfortable after 20 mins. Basically a fully wet sauna.

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long_legged_twat@reddit

I think it's not recommended to drink from the hot water circuit, in the houses I've had the cold water side has been mains fed so not a problem.

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ColbysRevenge@reddit

No, it's poisonous. Don't know why it just is, same as hot water

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BritshFartFoundation@reddit

No but only cause I live in London so I only drink water from the Brita filter

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Upbeat_Map_348@reddit

Yes, it’s fed from the mains. My old house had a very manky tank in the loft which could easily have had a dead pigeon on so I certainly didn’t drink out of that.

In most older houses, the bathroom would have been fed from a separate water tank which is why we were all taught not to drink it as kids.

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magicpenisland@reddit

How old do you mean by older home? I have a 1980s house. Not sure if there’s a tank. 🤔

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Brilliant_Canary_692@reddit

1980s home is very young.

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rainbosandvich@reddit

I live in a 1984 house, aside from the rampant authoritarianism I do have a water tank still. I've been drinking from the bathroom tap. Despite it being warm sometimes if I've had the boiler on, I haven't got sick yet.

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TheZZ9@reddit

If you go into the attic is there a huge thing full of water with pipes going into and out of it? One will be an overflow pipe which will probably be a UPVC pipe running from a tank at a slight downward angle and out through the roof.
If you have an unpressurised central heating system you will probably have another much smaller tank for that.

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tradandtea123@reddit

A lot of the time they're redundant though. It's too much hassle for a plumber to cut up and remove, especially if it's an old asbestos one, so they just leave them sometimes with stagnant water in that's been there for decades.

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tradandtea123@reddit

If you have a combi boiler there's no tank. If there is a hot cylinder in a cupboard somewhere for the hot water, possibly with an immersion heater, then you will have a cold tank. If you don't know if you have a tank it's likely filthy

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forgottenoldusername@reddit

My house is from 1802 and doesn't have tanks either

I imagine it once did, but there is no sign of any plumbing up there anymore.

They were becoming less common by the 80s, but not unheard of.

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mattl1698@reddit

it probably depends on where you are as well as the age. if your house is at the top of the hill, they might have added a tank to help with the pressure at your taps. if you're next to a water tower, they might have not bothered with one as you'd have ridiculously good pressure.

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itsableeder@reddit

I have a 1950s house and there's definitely no water tank in the loft. We had a hot water tank in the loft in the house I grew up in (also 1950s I believe) but no cold water tank.

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fussyfella@reddit

Where I am now, yes. I know the system is fully pressurised and the same water as any other tap. When I lived in a really old house and all water but the kitchen came from a header tank in the loft, no I would not. I was not paranoid about things like rinsing my mouth when I brushed my teeth, but I would not drink from it per se.

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DeifniteProfessional@reddit

Used to as a kid, then I found out water tanks are basically bird baths

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secrethedgehog5@reddit

Absoloutely not

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smellyfeet25@reddit

no . only from the kitchen tap

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InevitableTension667@reddit

If your bathroom taps don't have a supply from the water main, then it's storage fed and I wouldn't advise drinking it. Just converted my own place to mains fed. That included converting the cistern and shower to be able to handle mains pressure.

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Rubberfootman@reddit

Bathroom tap water always tasted better when I was a child. All the dead animals in the loft tank must have improved the flavour.

Kitchen tap water tasted of metal.

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Designer-Historian40@reddit

My bedroom was always freezing growing up so my bedroom tap water was always lovely and cool.

Or frozen. That has happened.

[-]

theresamaysicr@reddit

Same. My dad once didn’t believe us kids and we did a blind tasting. He was amazed. The plumber found the dead pigeon in the upstairs tank about six months later.

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Giddyup_1998@reddit

Excuse my ignorance, but why would you have a tank upstairs?

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Whaleever@reddit

They're called Header Tanks if you want to google

[-]

LobbyDizzle@reddit

So the house would have both pressured mains for kitchen feeds as well as header tanks for the bathrooms? Seems like having to manage two different systems instead of one.

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Whaleever@reddit

No, header tanks feed everything. They feed the boiler cold water too.

No clue about the difference between bathroom and kitchen tap water.

[-]

LobbyDizzle@reddit

Okay that makes more sense. One of the commenters made it sound like they did a taste test of two different systems.

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TheZZ9@reddit

Yes, it is/was typical for the kitchen tap to be fed directly from the outside water supply but the taps in the bathrooms to be fed by the tank in the attic. One advantage is even in summer the cold tap in the kitchen is usually nice and cold. The water out of the cold tap in the bathroom is room temperature because it has been sitting in the hot attic. See https://i2.wp.com/usercontent2.hubstatic.com/9096377_f520.jpg

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LobbyDizzle@reddit

This looks needlessly convoluted, but I'm guessing this it to help with load balancing all of the water outlets if they're all run at once, or to need less effort to heat up outlets that are typically heated up?

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Whaleever@reddit

Maybe they fed the kitchen taps directly from the main feed before it went up to the header tanks?no clue lol

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Whaleever@reddit

They might have fed the kitchen tap straight from the mains. We still have access to mains water, it goes to the outside taps so i could get mains water straight to the kitchen taps if I wanted

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Giddyup_1998@reddit

Interesting. I'm still confused, but thank you.

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AgileInitial5987@reddit

What is confusing you about it?

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Giddyup_1998@reddit

We don't have them in Australia, so I'm just trying to wrap my head around it. Sorry.

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AgileInitial5987@reddit

Haha don't be sorry. Just trying to figure out how we can help.

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Phrexeus@reddit

It's because mains water is at high pressure, and you don't need those pressures all around the house. So you fill the cold water tank (which is in the loft) with mains water and then your heating system, toilets, bath etc all feed off that tank. And because it's higher than everything else in the house there's no pumping required, hence "gravity fed".

The kitchen tap is supplied directly with mains water, as that's the one you drink from.

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IdentifiesAsGreenPud@reddit

Because they are gravity fed ... so mostly they are in the loft. You know - upstairs :)

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Giddyup_1998@reddit

Still don't understand why you would have a water tank in the loft/roof.

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TheZZ9@reddit

They are there to supply pressure to open hot water and central heating systems. See https://i2.wp.com/usercontent2.hubstatic.com/9096377_f520.jpg

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IdentifiesAsGreenPud@reddit

You see that usually in older houses where the community supply was either not good enough for the quantities needed, or mostly due to the pressure - or rather lack thereof. I live in a town where every house had the bathroom fed with a water tank in the loft to get good enough pressure (heated by an electric shower) to take said shower. The water in the kitchen - and downstairs bathrooms was such a low pressure - the bathroom toilet tank needed nearly 15 minutes to fill up.

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TimsTamJimsJam@reddit

It's to improve water pressure I believe, the fact the tank is above the taps means gravity helps with the pressure.

[-]

tem1985@reddit

Had the absolute opposite experience when my sisters hamster went missing.

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Sleepyllama23@reddit

It still tastes the best, even without the extra protein

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Rubberfootman@reddit

That 2am slurp, direct from the tap, is the most amazing thing in the world.

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TheZZ9@reddit

I bought a £40 mini fridge and put it on my bedside table. I keep a couple of cans of drink in there and put a glass of water in every evening. If I want a drink in the middle of the night it is ice cold and refreshing.

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Sleepyllama23@reddit

Has to be straight from the tap!

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ItsTheOneWithThe@reddit

When I was about 21 my big sister moved out and I got to have “the big bedroom” it and “mum and dad’s room” weirdly had a sink in them. Waking up after a massive sesh and being able to crawl out of bed almost straight to a tap to inhale fresh Aberdeenshire tap water was amazing. Was still fucking dying like.

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mexicocaro@reddit

It tasted kind of sweeter.

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IdentifiesAsGreenPud@reddit

IT DOES - Every time I had a bath as a kid I took a glass with me and parents always thought I just play with it - NO - was to drink water (tap was awkward to get to so couldn't drink straight from tap)

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mexicocaro@reddit

It’s funny the memories you have, I still love it when I go home, it’s icy cold and so refreshing. In the north east we call tap water ‘council pop’…honestly better than anything sold in bottles!

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Rubberfootman@reddit

Yes, I thought exactly the same.

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CaptainHope93@reddit

I regret learning to read

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VampytheSquid@reddit

As a science teacher, I told my 1st year class not to even think about drinking from the taps as having at least a couple of dead pigeons in there was tradition... 5 years later, a girl admitted to me that had given her nightmares & she'd avoided all the water in the school. Oops. 😳

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TheShakyHandsMan@reddit

My fiancée insists on drinking water from the bathroom as she’s convinced it tastes better.

I did tell her about the dangers of separate tanks in the loft but she still insists on the bathroom water.

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astoni2020@reddit

No I don't

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Death_Savager@reddit

Even if your water is mains fed - I still would not drink from the bathroom. Every time you flush the toilet, the bacteria is forming on the tap strainer.

Source - I'm a water hygiene risk assessor. When taking water samples, we never test from rooms with a toilet as they ate 100% positive every time 😅 nothing too alarming if you are fit and healthy, but I'd rather not drink poo water

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Massive-Path6202@reddit

How can this be true? Shouldn't code prevent any sort of backflow?

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Death_Savager@reddit

I don't mean backflow, I mean particles when you flush the toilet that are released into the air

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Massive-Path6202@reddit

Ah. If the person wanting to get water from faucet runs it briefly, it will dislodge those particles from the relevant surfaces of the faucet

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ButItIsMyNothing@reddit

In my house the bathroom tap comes via the water softener and is therefore not suitable for drinking.

[-]

jamesbrown2500@reddit

Here in Portugal all the water is the same, just one connection, the water that goes to the kitchen it's the same who goes to the bathroom...

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Dedward5@reddit

I’m pretty much convinced that the constantly repeated comment about bathroom water coming from a tank (in old houses) is bollox. Hot water systems used to have a cold water header tank in the loft but that only fed the hot water taps via the boiler. ALL cold taps were fed direct from the mains. Why have a “backup” tank for cold water that you can’t drink when that’s the most important use of cold clean water?

I think the lack of drink ability of hot water in the bathroom confuses people.

Watch this video by Tom Scott https://youtu.be/HfHgUu_8KgA?si=BL2ct5czuKH5Qzue

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ThePsychDiaries@reddit

Omg this is an ongoing issue in my house.

All taps are mains fed. Kids insist the water from the bathroom tastes different. It does not. It's the same damn pipes.

I drink from bathroom taps. My kids will if they have to but will make faces at it.

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Massive-Path6202@reddit

Is your house new? How do you know for a fact that the pipes throughout the house are made from the same material?

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Downtown-BT-83@reddit

It actually might taste different due to aeration.

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Begum65@reddit

Nope, for some reason my bathroom taps stink, the water has a distinct 'bath' smell. We don't have a tank or anything. Must be the taps and pipes are not a higher grade safe for drinking/cooking with.

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skepticalG@reddit

Bathroom water tastes better than kitchen water. In some places

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Downtown-BT-83@reddit

For all the people saying that water tastes different or better from the bathroom tap, it’s probably to do with aeration.

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L-Emirali@reddit

I don’t even drink from the utility room tap so bathroom is a hard no.

There is zero sensible rationale for this.

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Quirky-rib@reddit

Don't drink water from any source. Drink beer. The fermentation process will kill any pathogens in the water used to brew. Mother's milk->beer.

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Hot-twist5786@reddit

Noooo

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SeaweedClean5087@reddit

My cold water tap in the bathroom is mains but the hot comes from a tank. Always make sure when I’m sbooting up to use the cold.

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Brizzledude65@reddit

Yes, always have done. Not keeled over yet.

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JustJim93@reddit

This.

Never even knew there was a difference between mains and loft but I've drank that golden bathroom nectar at early hours most of my life and I'm still here to type this comment!

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Mr_Reaper__@reddit

"Golden bathroom nectar" could very easily be misinterpreted if you didn't know what this thread was talking about

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adreddit298@reddit

Relevant Tom Scott video https://youtu.be/HfHgUu_8KgA?si=KoAOVbwoGxLgPypn

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BornInPoverty@reddit

Ok but where do you brush your teeth? Surely not the kitchen? If it’s safe to brush your teeth with, it should be safe to drink.

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TheZZ9@reddit

Theoretically you spit that out rather than drink it. If there were germs in it you'd be ingesting a far smaller quantity than you would drinking a glass of it.

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FarIndication311@reddit

No need to add water to your toothbrush!

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guillotines_ready@reddit

a lot of bad info in this thread. there are many reasons a tap can be not fit to drink from, from the solder used on pipes to the grease used in the taps.. and the reality is the safe versions are much more expensive and so are not used in bathrooms where they are not required

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Hungry-Falcon3005@reddit

I don’t even though I know it’s fine because growing up I couldn’t and it’s ingrained into me now. If I want a drink of water during the night, I’ll go downstairs rather than use the en suite. Husband thinks I’m crazy.

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Mystei0sbrudda@reddit

same i have never and will never drink from the bathroom tap

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B1ueRogue@reddit

Sp cam we drink or not drink

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Benjammin123@reddit

Put your finger over the tap hole and if there’s pressure behind it then it’ll want to bust out. If you just block it with little/ no pressure then that’ll be a tank. My plumber mate told me this 20 yrs ago and it sounded quite legit so that’s how I check the tap before I drink out of it. If not I’ll scoop some out the bog, it’s ok if your glass doesn’t touch the sides.

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saladinzero@reddit

I just do the toilet thing regardless, just in case.

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anti-sugar_dependant@reddit

I don't, even though I live in a house with no water tank, because I grew up in a house with a water tank. And I don't really drink water on its own.

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Alarming_League_2035@reddit

When I lived in the uk I preferred the tap water from the upstairs bathroom in both houses I lived in 🤔

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Ecstatic_Stable1239@reddit

Yes as it’s the same source as anywhere in the house.

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BenchClamp@reddit

Alway have drunk (filled a glass before bed) from bathroom tap. Never had any issues.

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the_topiary@reddit

It depends on where the bathroom water comes from. If it's a tank, I'd be unlikely to drink from it. If it's off the rising main then no worries. You can tell by putting your finger over the tap when it's on: if you can stop the flow completely by putting finger pressure on the end of the tap, it's from a tank. However if it sprays everywhere then it's off the main.

At home I drink from the bathroom tap as it comes from the mains.

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spicyzsurviving@reddit

yep. Scottish tap water babe xxx

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thescouselander@reddit

Yes, I do this sometimes. I live in a new house and all the cold taps come directly off the main so it's the same as the kitchen.

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DoctorOctagonapus@reddit

I don't have a cold water tank, everything comes straight from the main. If I cleaned it thoroughly enough I could drink from my toilet bowl.

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Alternative_Echo_623@reddit

I do and it tastes exactly same. When thirsty in night when I ran out of bedside water (my thing) and hungover etc. Same pipes, same place water comes from etc but my partner if 17 years still doesn’t . And he refuses to drink if he suspects that I have slyly used bathroom water lol

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reverse_the_curse@reddit

Yeah, every day! It tastes fresher than water from the kitchen

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Indigo-Waterfall@reddit

No becuase the water comes from a tank in my attic rather than the drinking water….

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MyAccidentalAccount@reddit

All of our cold water is direct from the mains, no storage in the house, so yes, I drink from the bathroom taps.

Wouldn't if there was a cold tank feeding them though.

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Neither_Presence_522@reddit

So long as it’s from the tap, rather than used bathroom water, yes.

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Double-Explanation35@reddit

Yep but usually only at night/ drink on the nightstand. Always have done, mainly cos in a house the kitchen was downstairs, bathroom and bedroom upstairs.

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Responsible_Ad_7733@reddit

I was taught this, but my parents got the water tank ripped out in 2006 so now the bathroom water comes from the mains. Great to nip in there for a drink if someone is at the kitchen sink

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YouCantArgueWithThis@reddit

Yes. It's the same water. Actually, even a bit better, because the temperature is always cooler.

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RoutineCloud5993@reddit

I try not to drink tap plain water without filtering because it tastes like Satan's arse crack sweat on a particularly hot day.

I have an attic water tank and it's got a reasonable cover on it so I trust the water isn't full of dangerous crap and dead stuff. No inherent issue with drinking from the tap, aside from the fact the tank is mains fed and still tastes like arse

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Mitridate101@reddit

I used to as a kid until I saw the state of the uncovered galvanized tank in the loft 🤢🤮

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MiddleAgeCool@reddit

Official no even though it's mains fed. Unofficially after a night put when the inside of my mouth is like a dry flip flop baked on the beach, yes. It's nector of the gods.

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Cool_Tree8285@reddit

Idk I’ve just always gone with kitchen water good, bathroom water bad coz it’s just always been like that in my household

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jengaduk@reddit

Yes. Main's supply and modern(ish) pipes.

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Bullet4MyEnemy@reddit

Always have a pretty good drink from the tap after brushing my teeth because the minty flavour makes water taste absolutely amazing and I don’t brush my teeth in the kitchen 🤷🏼‍♂️

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Pedantichrist@reddit

It is the same water. My wife will not drink it. She is wrong.

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GingerPrince72@reddit

No, I'm not a savage.

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No_Breadfruit_4901@reddit

I don’t even drink tap water unless I am in Scotland

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Quailpower@reddit

The beat tasting water in the world is middle of the night, ice cold water straight from the tap (no cup) as you hold onto the sink for dear life

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Negative-Net-4416@reddit

My upstairs bathroom cold taps are fed directly from the mains. I know this because the moment I turn off the water supply to the house, the mains-pressure cold water stops. Instantly.

The pipes are also the exact same copper as the downstairs cold tap. So, confident that its mains water, in safe pipes, I drink it.

I do have a water tank in the attic, which attracts dust, scum, and possibly small animals. This feeds the hot water cylinder, and gravity-pressure hot water still comes out of the taps long after the mains water is turned off. I wouldn't ever consider drinking that.

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Main_Monitor_2199@reddit

Yes. Garden tap too, whatever’s about

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ttevS@reddit

Yes, it comes from the same supply, and is from an extension of the pipe feeding the kitchen, so the water's just travelled a bit further.

The pipe then carries on, or branches off, to the bath & (don't let this put you off) the loo.

I've seen plumbers instal these pipes in my former job as a sparky, so I know it's safe to drink; and I DO.

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colin_staples@reddit

Yes. And obviously it's what I use when brushing my teeth.

My house doesn't have a water tank in the loft, all our taps are fed directly from the mains. So the water from the bathroom tap is the same as the water from the kitchen tap.

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OverTheCandlestik@reddit

If it’s hot in the middle of the night and I need to drink? Of course

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HangingBrain96@reddit

In times of desperation

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dwair@reddit

Tap is tap. Water come from tap. Drink water. Is good

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neenoonee@reddit

I swear down the water from the bathroom tap in my mums was the best water.

Then she went and had all the bathroom done and it just isn’t as tasty.

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Mental-Jellyfish9061@reddit

I do it often (but only when needed/lazy). My mrs thinks it's coming from a local polluted pond or something !! She looks at me as if i've just poisoned myself!

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LolaDeWinter@reddit

Pigeon water!!!! Eugh!

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stinglikeameg@reddit

I have a tank in the loft so I only drink bathroom water when I'm feeling super lazy/hungover/unwell. Haven't died yet but it does taste slightly different.

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slip_cougan@reddit

Generally this is not a good idea. As others have said, the water may be coming from a tank and all sorts of nastiness could be lurking there.

In my house the bathroom taps are fed from the main and so, safe to drink.

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Bart2800@reddit

Where I live, most houses are generally mains-fed all over. So I drink from all taps.

But I do have a habit, if a tap was on hot and I change it to cold to drink, I let it run for a while before filling my cup. Don't know, I tend to think that water from the heater isn't too clean. Ridiculous, as my heater is brand new...

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mikolv2@reddit

Yes, every single day. I don't have a water tank, water is the same as any other tap in my house.

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Normal-Basis9743@reddit

When running the water, If you hold your thumb over the tap and the water sprays then it’s mains water. If you hold your thumb over the tap and water stops then it’s from a tank.

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Cpt_Saturn@reddit

I had this same talk with my British friend when I first emigrated here. I drank from the bathroom tap since I lived in our uni dorm and didn't want to go to the communal kitchen every time I wanted to fill up my bottle. My friend on the other hand thought I was utterly committing a grave sin.

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OctaneTroopers@reddit

Downstairs water shits on upstairs water. I will gladly stumble about in the dark to go downstairs for that stuff.

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markhewitt1978@reddit

Yes. A glass every night. I'm still here.

No tank in the loft.

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MegaMolehill@reddit

When I bought my house ten years ago the bathroom water was fed from a tank in the loft which had no lid. It was disgusting. Wouldn’t want to even brush my teeth with that.

Had the tank removed and the taps re-plumbed before we moved in. Happily drink from the bathroom tap now.

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ShitBritGit@reddit

I drink from the bathroom tap a lot. It's closer to my bedroom and is the first tap on the main pipe. As I've no idea how old the pipes are, the less pipework the better.

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tigerjack84@reddit

Only if I actually can’t make it downstairs to the kitchen..

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katie-kaboom@reddit

I do now, but previously I didn't. The house we live in used to have a cistern tank that serviced some of the taps (it used to be student housing and had a sink in every bedroom). You weren't really supposed to drink that water, though I did sometimes anyway. When the plumbing got redone several years ago, that got taken out and now it's all mains water and you can drink it.

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DigitalDroid2024@reddit

I remember being told only to drink from a cold water tap, rather than the hot one.

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Kayanne1990@reddit

Yes. It comes from the same place the water in the Kitchen does. I remember when I was young, the bathroom water used to come from the water tank, but yeah.

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kenma91@reddit

Funnily enough this is a weird thing I have , I just cant

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Popular_Sea530@reddit

I don’t drink ours because I know it’s fed from the loft.

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Tumeni1959@reddit

Historically, many houses had the cold water in the bathroom fed from a cold water tank in the attic. This was susceptible to dirt, animal intrusion, etc.

This has changed with newer houses. You need to know your own plumbing to be certain if you should or not.

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Violet351@reddit

I don’t have a water tank so yes I would

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LeadingSky9531@reddit

I keep a 5L bottle of tap water in my fridge...

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GeordieAl@reddit

When I was a kid I used to rinse my mouth with bathroom tap water after brushing my teeth. That was until the day bits of fur and then small bones started coming through… turns out a mouse had gone for a swim in the water tank in the loft.

Took many many years and many house moves before I would trust bathroom tap water again!

[-]

TSC-99@reddit

Yes I do indeed

[-]

thiagogaith@reddit

Finally a post for me.

There are different experiences.

The best bathroom tap water is

Winter

No tap contraption to air the water

Right after brushing your teeth

There's nothing to beat that sensation

Im out... And drunk. Gonna drink some tap water in my bathroom.

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AwkwardDuddlePucker@reddit

In my old house we had a tank so I'd only drink water from the kitchen which was mains fed. In my current house all the taps are mains fed so it's not really an issue. I don't really like tap water though, so drink filtered water stored in the fridge anyway.

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Background-Studio841@reddit

So it depends on the house. All my water comes from the main pipe so it is the same everywhere in the house. If you have a tank on the roof or something that feeds the bathroom water it is a different story. I have always had main water fed into the bathroom so yeah I’ll drink it.

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delee76@reddit

I’m in the us and we don’t have lift tanks. It’s all from the city water supply. That said….no. And I don’t drink it from the sink either. Only bottled. Common here.

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pinkthreadedwrist@reddit

It's only common if your water is total shit or you don't give a shit about the envirinment. Bottles are incredibly wasteful. I use a Pur filter and keep it in the fridge so it's cold.

But yes I would also drink from the bathroom tap. It's the same water.

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delee76@reddit

Filter is a good option. The water is pretty crappy here tbh.

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strawberry670@reddit

In my old house we never drank bathroom water as it came from the thing in the loft (forgotten what it's called - tank?) but in my new house it's mains fed so it's safe.

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Paspalar@reddit

The black mould gives me dreams that make me question things in my scary drawer, so no.

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DeadBallDescendant@reddit

God, yes. Early hours of the morning after a piss, mouth under the tap.

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Abject_Image1329@reddit

My bathroom water is fed from a tank in the loft so no we wouldnt drink from it

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SnowBlossom12@reddit

I drink water from the bathroom tap ever since I was told that it definitely comes from the same source as the downstairs tap in our house. But when I was younger, I used to only drink from the kitchen tap.

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Fluffy-Pomegranate-8@reddit

But but but, I rinse my toothbrush with that water....

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MrTurleWrangler@reddit

I lived in a flat share when I was 20. First time living in a place like that and only moved out my mums two years before. Big halls type place with 9 people sharing one kitchen sorts thing. I only ever drank from the bathroom tap as I was always too awkward to go to the kitchen, that and the en suite bathroom was closer

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PrognosticateProfit@reddit

I drink water from the nearest tap, be it bath, basin, sink, or outdoor.

[-]

Isgortio@reddit

I did at my parents house when I was gaming, the bathroom was across the hall and the kitchen was downstairs at the other end of the house. I haven't died. I won't drink it where I live now though, as I know it's definitely coming from a tank in the loft.

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itsableeder@reddit

I fill my water bottle up in the bathroom every night before bed. It's just water.

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MDF87@reddit

Only when I'm ill and too lazy too walk downstairs.

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seann__dj@reddit

Yeah. Never had any issues.

Unless all my issues are from drinking tap water.

Who knows.

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NeverCadburys@reddit

No, I live in an old building and even if they've changed from a tank system, the pipes are of questionable quality that even a few years ago was causing problems with the fresh water from the kitchen and it took a couple of years to be certified as safe.

[-]

eerefera@reddit

Regularly. Our bathroom is downstairs next to the kitchen; when I first moved in I put ridiculously small taps in the kitchen so it's easier to fill drinking vessels from the larger bathroom tap

[-]

88Jewels@reddit

I always have. Never lived somewhere with a water tank.

Also, I always think the cold water from the bathroom is way nicer.

[-]

Affectionate_You_858@reddit

Always preffered the bathroom water as seemed cooler amd more refreshing

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NortonBurns@reddit

Fresh water good, tanked water bad. That's the only distinction.

If your water comes straight from the mains, & is heated by an instant boiler, then you can drink it from anywhere in the house.
If it's tanked, don't touch it. If you don't know, don't touch it.

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logasbogas@reddit

Yeah I do, fuck it

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Hopeful_Strategy8282@reddit

I drink from whatever tap I’m closest to when I decide I’m having a drink

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No-Jicama-6523@reddit

I do, because in modern homes all cold water is connected directly to the to the mains and not via a cold water tank.

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ComplexOccam@reddit

No water tank in the loft so yes.

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AubergineParm@reddit

Some houses have what’s called a Header tank. This is a cold water tank in the attic that gravity-feeds cold taps on upper floors. You should not (although I still I because I’m disgusting) drink from bathrooms where the water is gravity fed from a header tank, rather than a direct mains connection.

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WilkoWilkesMusic@reddit

No I don’t even though my bathroom is mains-fed it’s also more likely to have faecal particles or other such bodily fluids on or around the tap and in the same environment, so I’d rather just go downstairs to get water than is more likely to have toast particles or something more sanitary.

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

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Exciting_Top_9442@reddit

However it is from the main. I still filter it.

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CivilLab9711@reddit

No out bathroom.pipes are lead ..I could do what the Romans did but maybe not

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Ruminate_Repeat@reddit (OP)

This was somebody’s argument today

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New-Fondant-415@reddit

I have (once in a while, very reluctantly) cupped my hand and had bathroom sink tap water to swallow tablets if I'd shoved them in my gob then realised my water bottle was empty. Wouldn't refill the bottle under the tap. It's the old "lead pipes" thing from when I was young.

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On_The_Blindside@reddit

the search function broken is it?

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Humorous-Prince@reddit

In most cases the cold taps are mains fed, the hot water will come from a tank fed by a bigger cold main tank in the loft. Unless you have a combi boiler.

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jamscrying@reddit

Yes but I'm 90% sure it comes straight from mains

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Kitfromscot@reddit

But what about brushing your teeth?

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Diddleymaz@reddit

I remember the water from the tank v rising main. You clean your teeth with the water from the cold water tap in the bathroom so it’s ok. The hot water used to come from a water heater and a header tank. My parents definitely warned me not to drink the water from the hot tap.

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jesus_mooney@reddit

When i re-plumbed my house i made the decision to keep the tank in the attic just incase we lost water. And one day we did. And we had a working toilet and a working sink.

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KiwiOk5084@reddit

I always thought it was to do with lead pipes coming from downstairs

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hoganpaul@reddit

Why wouldn't you? All your domestic water comes into the house down the same pipe

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ukAdamR@reddit

Right, but many UK homes still have an unsealed cold water tank, which feeds the bathroom taps. This is not drinking grade water, unlike the kitchen tap which is always directly fed from the main intake.

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ukAdamR@reddit

No, but only because the sink and faucet make an awkward arrangement to fit a water bottle underneath. As my home doesn't have a cold water tank the bathroom tap supplies drinking grade water just as the kitchen does.

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Pyriel@reddit

Yes, because all my taps are mains fed.

If the water is from a tank, then no, as there could be all sorts of dodgy bugs in it.

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SnoopyLupus@reddit

I have done, but I avoid it.

I check the water tank in the loft once in a while when I’m up there, just to see if it’s leaking somewhere. But I know there’s gunk in the bottom and try not to drink from there.

Washing my teeth I spit it out.

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Maleficent_Fish2109@reddit

Only if it comes from the same main water feed

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BadBoppa@reddit

Just filled up my water bottle from the bathroom tap as I was doom scrolling Reddit.. so yes I do. Mains fed though not water tank!

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AttersH@reddit

Yes, our water all feeds from the mains water. When I was a kid, it came from a tank in the loft & I was always told I’d be sick if I drank it, so I absolutely didn’t 😂 It depends on your house, some probably do still have water feeding from tanks in lofts! But newer houses won’t!

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solomanbones@reddit

Always got a glass of water from the upstairs tap when in bed and couldn't be bothered to go downstairs and although I will drink it, I've always known that it comes from a big tank and it might just have something floating it ...never has though whenever I've checked

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amandacheekychops@reddit

Yes. House built 2003, no water tank in roof.

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Alone-Sky1539@reddit

only my downstares taps are potable.

upstares the water flows into an open cistern which isnt deemed potable

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Mop_Jockey@reddit

Yes, I don't have a tank in the loft so all my mains water is the same.

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