Is upstairs tap water OK to drink?

[thatsitivehadenough]

Is the cold tap water in the bathroom up to drinking standards?

Really what I want to know is.. Does it come straight from the supply or does it come from a storage tank in the attic or something?

I realise that you have the hygiene issue with being in the same room as the toilet!

 

[JohnD]

It depends whether, in your house, the cold tap is fed from the main or a loft tank. Both systems are in use.

You are the only person on this forum who knows, or can readily find out, the answer.

Otherwise I will come and look for you at £500 plus travel expenses.

 

[flameport]

Does it come straight from the supply or does it come from a storage tank in the attic or something?

Could be either. To find out:

1. Place your thumb over the outlet of the cold tap to block it completely.
2. Turn the cold tap on.

If you can hold the water back, it's from a tank, therefore not suitable for drinking.
If the water sprays all over the place soaking you and the entire bathroom, it's from the mains.

 

[JohnD]

oi, you're doing me out of my £500!

 

[thatsitivehadenough]

Thanks. It sprays everywhere and has a good pressure behind it! Doesn't taste as nice as downstairs though!

 

[ChrisOxford]

Doesn't taste as nice as downstairs though!

That could be just because it's got warm on its way up to your bathroom. Let the tap run for half a minute and try again.

 

[gas112]

Easiest way to tell is turn the stop cock off and see if it stops more or less straight away

 

[oilhead]

For a free nights B&B over a weekend, in Blackpool, I might be persuaded to come and confirm it for you!!!!!!

 

[flamenco]

I recently had to shut the mains tap under sink in downstairs kitchen. The cold water in kitchen sink stopped immediately. The upstairs bathroom cold taps took ages to stop running so am I right in thinking they must be fed from a tank (in the attic?) rather than direct from the mains. I am about to restart my home brewing hobby and want to be sure about using water upstairs.

 

[JohnD]

If the bathroom cold tap came from a tank in the loft then it will probably hold about enough to fill a bath.

 

[hazetimesfive]

they both come from the mains you know

 

[JohnD]

go up into the loft and look inside the cold tank. Is it clean?

has it got a close-fitting plastic lid to keep out drowned spiders, birds and mice?

has it got a good insulating jacket to prevent it getting warm in summer, to encourage bacterial growth?

you can sort all those things if necessary.

 

[flamenco]

The water on top of the tank has a thin whitish film on it. The lid is loose fitting so the two things are connected I guess. It does have insulation round it but I am a bit bothered by the size of the thing. It would probably fill a bath three times over. (I think it was installed by the previous owner some 28 years ago). Is there a maximum safe size for a tank in the attic? There are two of us living here now.

 

[JohnD]

A big water tank is heavy. If you are lucky it will have been positioned over or close to a wall rather than in the middle of the span of timbers.

Older houses often have more substantial timbers than modern ones with trussed rafters in a "W" shape. What width, depth and spacing are yours; how many under the tank, and what distance from the walls?

A bath takes about 120 litres of water which is about 26 gallons, which should be enough unless you have two bathrooms or power showers. I think my tank is 50 gallons nominal but is not brim-full. A plastic tank should be on a thick WBP ply platform, but chipboard will do as long as there is no chance that it will ever get wet or damp (ha!).

Tanks often have the size on the side, moulded or on a label. Otherwise measure it and someone will know, In summer you can empty yours and scrub it out, wipe the inside of the lid with bleach, rinse it and use the cold bath tap to drain out the cleaning and rinsing water. If you turn off the stop-cock and fill the bath from the cold tap you will soon see how many bathfulls the tank holds.