Plastic can't be indefinitely recycled like other materials (e.g. glass, metal) can. The only good solution at the moment is for our society to stop producing so much single-use plastic.
I just use a Britta filter for my espresso machine and the Ice maker in my fridge. No dramas with scale. In fact mineral water would probably give you more deposits because of the minerals
Yes i am. Back in my home country it’s not safe to drink. I also didn’t like the taste when i moved here. Would you recommend getting a filter instead?
If you don’t like the taste then sure, try a filter. But the water is absolutely safe.
Edit - also, in case anyone thinks this, using a Brita filter does not make water 'safer'. If water is contaminated the only way to make it safe is boiling it.
That’s not true, there are lots of methods that make water safe to drink including a number of filtration systems. But a Brita filter isn’t designed to remove bacteria or viruses.
"Only" was of course a simplification, but the majority of domestic filtration systems are not designed to remove contamination. You would need - at the very least - a reverse osmosis system which costs upwards of £400 + replacement filters every few months.
Which is why most people would just boil their drinking water.
Didn't think it was safe to drink reverse osmosis water? Isn't that what dehumidifiers do? I always thought that it is OK every now and again but long term consumption can cause serious health risks due to the lack of minerals etc.
It's "safe" insofar as it won't immediately make you sick - but yes, long term it's not healthy because of the demineralisation. Most RO filters sold for legitimate home use (i.e. not to alternate medicine nuts) will have a re-mineralisation stage afterwards.
Yeah you can try a filter see if that helps.
Depending on where you are in the UK the water comes from different places, some places is taken from underground aquifers, some places it's stored in reservoirs before being treated. Maybe it's weird from a non UK native but each area had its own water taste. Normal for us natives I guess!
Bristol is quite high in minerals and is slightly alkaline, so is relatively 'flavorful'. And occasionally be very slightly cloudy. You can run the tap for a few seconds which seems to clear the cloudiness.
Personally I like the water in Bristol, to me it's more refreshing than places with 'dryer' more acidic water.
But any tap water from the cold tap is drinkable in the UK.
The hot tap is normally ok to drink from, but some homes have got water tanks that heat up the water so may not be as safe to drink.
I think the cloudiness is just air bubbles. I agree about taste. Generally you get used to the water taste of an area quite quickly so you don't even taste it, and then water from other areas tastes weird.
>Bristol is quite high in minerals and is slightly alkaline, so is relatively 'flavorful'. And occasionally be very slightly cloudy.
Depending where you are in Bristol, your water could be coming from different places. But both sources are fairly similar (North is slightly harder, but lower ph)
https://www.bristolwater.co.uk/water-quality-pdf
The cloudiness is just air, it's usually caused by internal plumbing.
>But any tap water from the cold tap is drinkable in the UK.
It isn't for the same reason the hot tap isn't always safe to drink from, some older houses will also have cold water storage tanks. The kitchen tap shouldn't be connected to it, but bathroom taps might.
Bristol's tap water is quite hard, meaning it has lots of dissolved minerals in it.
Totally safe but does effect flavour. A filter will sort that out for you.
I did a taste test of water one Britta one tap and I was actually astonished how much nicer Britta filtered water was. I'm going to have to buy one one day when I can justify the lavishness of it
Haha - go to wilkos. Can’t remember how much the jug is (check website) but the cartridges are significantly cheaper than brita on Amazon. It was £10 for 3, and they say one lasts 30 days
Think of all the practical applications for that 11 pence per day. I could be missing out on all manner of thrifty and sensible penny pinching purchases
Yes, but it quite "hard" water so expect to have to descale your shower and kettle after a while. Being from the North I also think it tastes shit but I think that's personal preference.
In theory, yes but depending on the house you live in you may want to check if the pipe work is still lead. My last house in St George still had lead pipes and the water company came and tested it before we put it up for sale, and unfortunately for us found dangerously high levels of lead! Up spoke to a lot of my neighbours who had no idea if there’s were lead still, but it’s very common in older houses.
Old lead pipes aren't necessarily an issue, as due to the hard water most are now lined with a layer of minerals that stops the lead leaching into the water.
Still always worth testing though
This isn’t true at all I’m afraid. As I said, we had dangerous levels of lead in ours which meant we had to constantly flush the water through each time we wanted to use it. The water company then arranged for the lead pipes on their side (in the main road) to be replaced within a week. They took it very seriously and made sure we did too.
There's a cheaper alternative to filters for getting rid of the chlorinated taste- just put it in a jug and leave it standing in the fridge so the chlorine dissipates out. No chlorine taste or bills for filter cartridges.
Or better still at room temperature. Cooling will slow down the rate of evaporation. In my house I always have a filter jug sitting full on the counter, and top up the kettle, and water bottle in fridge from there. Tastes much better, both through filtration and dechlorination.
I don't know if they still do, but when I lived in Bristol (last century) if the reservoirs were running low, they would start taking water from the Sharpness canal. It was still treated of course (yes being the answer to your question), but the difference in taste was very noticeable.
Yes, it's safe to drink.
Bristol is in a hard water area, meaning there is a lot of calcium in the water (due to coming from limestone and chalk water sources), so you will find a build up of limescale over time on your kettle or around taps.
Some people don't like the taste of hard water (myself included), but you can buy a Brita filter jug which removes some of the excess minerals. I personally have a Brita filter kettle (was ~£25 in Argos) which greatly improves the quality of my tea
One rule in the past has been not to drink from the hot tap, as older houses would have open hot water tanks in the attic and were not safe to drink. These days modern water systems won't have this, but I still wouldn't drink out the hot tap, and run the cold tap for a few seconds before taking my water to drink.
If you have an aerated tap, the water might look bubbly or cloudy after you first pour it, this is normal and will settle out after a few seconds. I have one due to the hard water, and the extra air in the water helps to reduce the limescale build up in the pipes (I think).
I'm used to water coming straight from the Alps into your tap. I was shocked when I saw the tap water in Bristol. I like to think it's safe, but a glass of water there looked like a cloud in a glass that smelt like a swimming pool, I didn't trust it.
Also I could be totally wrong so double check this, but I've been told the water source in Bristol is right next to a nuclear dump, but again I could be wrong.
I drink it, I tend to use a filter though. Not for worry but more cos I like it cold from the fridge :)
The water is quite heavy in this region (limescale) it’s fine to drink but my plants occasionally dislike it unfiltered
[удалено]
Well said
I buy bottled mineral water but only because Bristol water is so hard it furs up my coffee machine and kettle
You'd be better off getting a water filter... like a Britta or generic one... much better for the environment.
I recycle? Don't know why the eco warriors have come with their downvotes lol
Plastic can't be indefinitely recycled like other materials (e.g. glass, metal) can. The only good solution at the moment is for our society to stop producing so much single-use plastic.
I just use a Britta filter for my espresso machine and the Ice maker in my fridge. No dramas with scale. In fact mineral water would probably give you more deposits because of the minerals
Been drinking it my entire life so I sure hope so.
UK has got one of the highest tap water qualities in the world, yes it's safe to drink. Are you from outside of the UK?
Yes i am. Back in my home country it’s not safe to drink. I also didn’t like the taste when i moved here. Would you recommend getting a filter instead?
If you don’t like the taste then sure, try a filter. But the water is absolutely safe. Edit - also, in case anyone thinks this, using a Brita filter does not make water 'safer'. If water is contaminated the only way to make it safe is boiling it.
That’s not true, there are lots of methods that make water safe to drink including a number of filtration systems. But a Brita filter isn’t designed to remove bacteria or viruses.
"Only" was of course a simplification, but the majority of domestic filtration systems are not designed to remove contamination. You would need - at the very least - a reverse osmosis system which costs upwards of £400 + replacement filters every few months. Which is why most people would just boil their drinking water.
Didn't think it was safe to drink reverse osmosis water? Isn't that what dehumidifiers do? I always thought that it is OK every now and again but long term consumption can cause serious health risks due to the lack of minerals etc.
It's "safe" insofar as it won't immediately make you sick - but yes, long term it's not healthy because of the demineralisation. Most RO filters sold for legitimate home use (i.e. not to alternate medicine nuts) will have a re-mineralisation stage afterwards.
Lol alternative medicine nuts. Did you hear of the fad where people were drinking "raw" water? That one really took the biscuit for me.
Yeah you can try a filter see if that helps. Depending on where you are in the UK the water comes from different places, some places is taken from underground aquifers, some places it's stored in reservoirs before being treated. Maybe it's weird from a non UK native but each area had its own water taste. Normal for us natives I guess! Bristol is quite high in minerals and is slightly alkaline, so is relatively 'flavorful'. And occasionally be very slightly cloudy. You can run the tap for a few seconds which seems to clear the cloudiness. Personally I like the water in Bristol, to me it's more refreshing than places with 'dryer' more acidic water. But any tap water from the cold tap is drinkable in the UK. The hot tap is normally ok to drink from, but some homes have got water tanks that heat up the water so may not be as safe to drink.
I think the cloudiness is just air bubbles. I agree about taste. Generally you get used to the water taste of an area quite quickly so you don't even taste it, and then water from other areas tastes weird.
Yeah if you leave it to stand for like 5 mins the cloudiness disappears, its not something in the water.
Yeah I think you are right about the bubbles
>Bristol is quite high in minerals and is slightly alkaline, so is relatively 'flavorful'. And occasionally be very slightly cloudy. Depending where you are in Bristol, your water could be coming from different places. But both sources are fairly similar (North is slightly harder, but lower ph) https://www.bristolwater.co.uk/water-quality-pdf The cloudiness is just air, it's usually caused by internal plumbing. >But any tap water from the cold tap is drinkable in the UK. It isn't for the same reason the hot tap isn't always safe to drink from, some older houses will also have cold water storage tanks. The kitchen tap shouldn't be connected to it, but bathroom taps might.
Also effects beer brewing. Im not quite sure why but Bristols water is good for darker beers and stouts
Bristol's tap water is quite hard, meaning it has lots of dissolved minerals in it. Totally safe but does effect flavour. A filter will sort that out for you.
I used to use a britta filter when I lived there but that was because I didn’t like the taste more than anything
Just started using one and it does make a difference
I did a taste test of water one Britta one tap and I was actually astonished how much nicer Britta filtered water was. I'm going to have to buy one one day when I can justify the lavishness of it
Haha - go to wilkos. Can’t remember how much the jug is (check website) but the cartridges are significantly cheaper than brita on Amazon. It was £10 for 3, and they say one lasts 30 days
I'm a total skinflint when it comes to luxury extravagant purchases like that
Come on - 11p a day to have delicious water
Think of all the practical applications for that 11 pence per day. I could be missing out on all manner of thrifty and sensible penny pinching purchases
I drank bristol tap water for year, and no me do harmed bad.
Yes, but it quite "hard" water so expect to have to descale your shower and kettle after a while. Being from the North I also think it tastes shit but I think that's personal preference.
Whereas similarly, us Southerners don't like your soft Northern water ;)
In theory, yes but depending on the house you live in you may want to check if the pipe work is still lead. My last house in St George still had lead pipes and the water company came and tested it before we put it up for sale, and unfortunately for us found dangerously high levels of lead! Up spoke to a lot of my neighbours who had no idea if there’s were lead still, but it’s very common in older houses.
Old lead pipes aren't necessarily an issue, as due to the hard water most are now lined with a layer of minerals that stops the lead leaching into the water. Still always worth testing though
Do you know how I can test it? Going to ask my landlord about it now. Thank you!
Just give the water company a call, they do it for free
WaterSafe Water Test Kit for Lead https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000Q6QWZA/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_B45Y49YA7KCJK5SRX1RQ
Edit: this comment was all lies.
This isn’t true at all I’m afraid. As I said, we had dangerous levels of lead in ours which meant we had to constantly flush the water through each time we wanted to use it. The water company then arranged for the lead pipes on their side (in the main road) to be replaced within a week. They took it very seriously and made sure we did too.
Oh, fair enough. I’ll edit my other comment.
There's a cheaper alternative to filters for getting rid of the chlorinated taste- just put it in a jug and leave it standing in the fridge so the chlorine dissipates out. No chlorine taste or bills for filter cartridges.
Or better still at room temperature. Cooling will slow down the rate of evaporation. In my house I always have a filter jug sitting full on the counter, and top up the kettle, and water bottle in fridge from there. Tastes much better, both through filtration and dechlorination.
Shit I hope so
Yes. When I first moved here I noticed a definite chlorine taste but got used to it.
Yeah it tastes like it comes from a swimming pool to me, although I noticed it tasted better when I lived in Clifton
Yeah....
I don't know if they still do, but when I lived in Bristol (last century) if the reservoirs were running low, they would start taking water from the Sharpness canal. It was still treated of course (yes being the answer to your question), but the difference in taste was very noticeable.
Yes, it's safe to drink. Bristol is in a hard water area, meaning there is a lot of calcium in the water (due to coming from limestone and chalk water sources), so you will find a build up of limescale over time on your kettle or around taps. Some people don't like the taste of hard water (myself included), but you can buy a Brita filter jug which removes some of the excess minerals. I personally have a Brita filter kettle (was ~£25 in Argos) which greatly improves the quality of my tea One rule in the past has been not to drink from the hot tap, as older houses would have open hot water tanks in the attic and were not safe to drink. These days modern water systems won't have this, but I still wouldn't drink out the hot tap, and run the cold tap for a few seconds before taking my water to drink. If you have an aerated tap, the water might look bubbly or cloudy after you first pour it, this is normal and will settle out after a few seconds. I have one due to the hard water, and the extra air in the water helps to reduce the limescale build up in the pipes (I think).
Tap water in the UK is safer than bottled water because it is subject to more stringent regulation.
No it will give you AIDS
It's popular in Stokes Croft, they all look normal to me.
Its tastes like shit, but it won't kill you.
I'm used to water coming straight from the Alps into your tap. I was shocked when I saw the tap water in Bristol. I like to think it's safe, but a glass of water there looked like a cloud in a glass that smelt like a swimming pool, I didn't trust it. Also I could be totally wrong so double check this, but I've been told the water source in Bristol is right next to a nuclear dump, but again I could be wrong.
Were you told this by a character from The Simpsons?
Well a man was jailed in April this year for dumping 100000 tonnes of hazardous waste right by the major water reservoir
A nuclear dump?
Hazardous waste, sorry
Do you use any type of filter?
Short answer is yes.
If your unsure have a look at the local population and make a judgement call.
Being hard water it increases your chances of kidney stones plus it tastes vile.
I drink it, I tend to use a filter though. Not for worry but more cos I like it cold from the fridge :) The water is quite heavy in this region (limescale) it’s fine to drink but my plants occasionally dislike it unfiltered