Is the water from bathroom tap safe to drink?

I started boiling water taken from my bathroom a few minutes ago when suddenly it hit me: When I felt unwell recently I would claim it might be from the bathroom water. This is because the Residents’ guide from the hall I’m currently staying at suggests that we don’t drink from the tap in our en suite bathrooms.

So I went on to our dear friend the internet and searching on google who, like a great friend, gave me something not necessarily helpful but relevant to my interest:

Which can be found here

Naturally, as a lurker and find trolls somewhat amusing, I wanted to share it with you guys.

Refining my search, I found a mixture of different comments on forums and the like which are quite old to be honest. They are here and here.

In a nutshell here’s what they had to say:

•  Bathroom tap water is generally drinkable as long as you know it comes from the mains.
• If it comes from the mains but you’re still unsure, boil and leave to cool then filter out.
• If your bathroom water is stored in a tank in the loft (or attic) it would be ideal not to drink it as it sits there for some time as opposed to the kitchen sink coming straight from the mains.
• One forumer wrote “The tank containing upstairs water is usually old and stagnant. I replaced my tank one time and came across bits and bobs floating on top, like dead spiders, dust and flies. I seriously would not recommend drinking tank water.”
• Check your pipes are not copper or lead based. These pipes would make them really unsafe for drinking.
• Do not drink hot water straight from the tap, regardless if it is from the kitchen or bathroom.

So there you have it, the yes and no’s of some of the compiled advice and thoughts. 

Overall, if you live in a house, just use the kitchen, simple and painless. As for me, I have no choice as the water dispenser here gives a crap 1.5 litres per 5 minutes or so, so I just boil bathroom tap water.

Also what I realise from my stay (also from an experiment I did in undergrad) is that water in the UK is classed as Hard water. Basically it means the water here has a higher concentration of mineral salts. Hence why you see lots of limescale inside heavily used kettles. So I recommend those who are more squeamish to filter their water here. (I just tend to drink straight out)

And the phrase you should definitely share with your friends and family today is:

“Toilet water is delicious”

And yes it is delicious indeed, just ask your dog.

~Fox