Drinking water quality

[Sir Richard Head]

Is there any reason to suppose that the water in a narrowboat tank is any worse than that in the domestic cold water tank in your house (assuming that you still live in a house)?

 

I know that on occasions when I had to take a look at my cold tank I was surprised by the amount of sludge in the bottom of the tank. However the tapping used to draw water from the tank is usually set 2 or 3 inches above the bottom so that any sediment remains in situ.

 

I see more and more boats being built with stainless steel water tanks in preference to the integral types; would it be reasonable to suppose that the water quality in a stainless steel tank is somehow better?

 

Something I always do when filling the tank is to allow the water to run through the hose before putting it into the filler to ensure that any residual water left in the hose is flushed away first. I'm sure most people would do this anyway.

Edited February 19, 2005 by Sir Richard Head

[Amicus]

you dont drink the water from your house cold water tank/cistern, cold taps are off the rising main.

[Sir Richard Head]

In my house the upstairs cold taps are fed from the tank and I think that this is true of many houses

Edited February 19, 2005 by Sir Richard Head

[John Orentas]

I think it has to do as much with 'Added Value' as anything else, though you do avoid an unpleasant job painting the tank every 5 years or so. With a stainless tank you avoid the corrosion issue but they are equally prone to the growth of any micro-bugs that may be about.

[ChrisPy]

In my house the upstairs cold taps are fed from the tank and I think that this is true of many houses

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

dICK hEAD ..... your honoroble worshipful thingy...

 

are you sure?

 

I think you will find that the pipe that feeds your taps continues up to the attic where it feeds a header tank fitted with a ball-cock valve. The header tank is only there to keep the hot water sytem topped up. The water that arrives at the taps should not pass through the header tank.

[Sir Richard Head]

I am sure.

 

The downstairs taps run at mains pressure whilst the upstairs run at gravity pressure. When I shut of the water at the mains stop valve water ceases to flow from the downstairs taps but is still available upstairs (via the tank).

 

How dare you call me a Dickhead!

[ChrisPy]

I am sure.

 

The downstairs taps run at mains pressure whilst the upstairs run at gravity pressure. When I shut of the water at the mains stop valve water ceases to flow from the downstairs taps but is still available upstairs (via the tank).

 

How dare you call me a Dickhead! 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I stand corrected your SS Lord Ship. grovel grovel

 

they sure 'ave got strange plumpers round yore neck o' the woods, Zur, am'n't they?

[dor]

Chris , I have to agree with DH: normal plumbing in houses is to havie a rising main with downstairs CW off, especially kitchen tap. Mains feeds CW header tank which feeds HW tank and CW taps upstairs. This is necessary as otherwise there would be a big pressure difference which would make showers impossible to balance. The exception is electric showers which need mains feed. Power showers on the other hand MUST be fed H & C from the same source.

 

However, more and more houses are now fitted with combi boilers. In this situation, it is normal to have all CW taps fed from the mains, as HW is at mains pressure also.

[bottle]

You are all correct my house and all previous ones, upstairs was "tank fed" and only kitchen cold was mains. My daughter has recently moved into a "modern" house and all of her cold taps are mains fed.

To fit a shower in this situation completely seperate supplys are taken from cold tank and hot tank to supply shower only. This stops the problem of another tap being turned on and changing the temperature of said shower, it also stops screams in the bathroom.

[David Schweizer]

Chris , I have to agree with DH: normal plumbing in houses is to havie a rising main with  downstairs CW off, especially kitchen tap. Mains feeds CW header tank which feeds HW tank and CW taps upstairs. This is necessary as otherwise there would be a big pressure difference which would make showers impossible to balance.  The exception is electric showers which need mains feed. Power showers on the other hand MUST be fed H & C from the same source.

 

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Really? In my house all the cold water supplies come directly from the mains. To equalize the pressure for the gravity fed shower the cold feed is taken from the same tank that supplies the hot water cylinder, but the taps are still mains fed.

 

By the way whether your house has direct mains fed cold water or is supplied from a tank will depend on when the house was built, Building Regulations have changed a couple of times on this one.

[Richard Bustens]

I should think it depends on the age of the house ,and the oldest house i have has was 1940 ish and that had what i considered to be the norm and all taps fed from the rizer and tank only supplying the hot tank.

That is why i always thought my g/ parents always said not to use the hot tap for filling the kettle.

But i always did as for some reason the fluorine taste was gone from the water if you use the hot water.

[dor]

Interesting! All the houses I have come across, which as far as plumbing goes is probably about 20, all had upstairs cold taps supplied from cold tank, the exception being those with a combi boiler. Some even had downstairs taps fed from the tank with the exception of the kitchen sink tap. All sorts of ages too. That's why I thought that was the norm. I stand corrected.

[bottle]

Dor

 

You was never wrong there just is not a "norm"

[steveh]

With regard to cold water storage tanks, some houses do have them so don't. The old honeywell plan's uses to seperate tanks (these are fitted to most post war houses). 1 for a header tank to supply the domestic hot water system this has a open vent wheich allows for expansion from the hot water cylinder back into the header tank (also known as a feed and expansion tank / cistern) the second tank is to supply gravity fed cold water to all appliances except the kitchen whcih as you all mention mains fed. Another tank can be also used for fed and expansion for central heating.

 

Techanical bit, according to byelaw 30 of the water byelaws all cistern / tanks fitted with an non airtight lid, overflow with 0.30 micron insect mesh and are classed as potable water storage vessels and can be used to supply drinkable water. As a certified deff and dumber I wouldn't drink from it! you don't know whats been in there.

 

A law came into practice in the mid 90's where all commercial domestic cold water systems needed to be chrolinated everything 6 months to kill any bacteria.

 

Do you know if boat builders recommend sterislising cold water systems on boats? I know there recommend emtpying the system for winter storage, but should you flush through with Milton or sterilising solution after long periods of standing as there is a possibilty of stagnation and leginella?

[DHutch]

A header tank to supply the domestic hot water system this has a open vent wheich allows for expansion from the hot water cylinder back into the header tank

 

Yeah, and if you have mains presure hatwater tank, you have to have a expantantion tank (large acumulator) and a one-way valve (and two safty valves)

 

 

daniel

[Paul Evans]

Do you know if boat builders recommend sterislising cold water systems on boats? I know there recommend emtpying the system for winter storage, but should you flush through with Milton or sterilising solution after long periods of standing as there is a possibilty of stagnation and leginella?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't know about boat builders but as I've said before on the forum at least one hire firm to my knowledge does flush the water systems in its hire boats through with Milton (or similar sterilizing fluid) at least annually. Apparently the practice is approved by the local Health & Safety Inspector who carries out tests on the water in the tanks. If you leave water standing in the tank for more than a few weeks it's probably a good idea to do the same.