Not sure how clean my tap water is

Baby_A

Hi

Probably nothing but I have a feeling that my tap water is not that clean. We use bottled water for drinking but my main reason is that my husband and daughters skin has got alot worse over the period of us living at our current place. They suffer from eczema, however it has become alot more sore.

I cant help but think it has something to do with the water, as it was never this bad at our previous place. Any ideas how I can get it tested?

When I fill up a glass of water from the kitchen its all white, is this normal?

Thanks

Boohbah

I had my water tested once, by the local water board. I was drawing water from a well at the time. Turned out it was cristal clear.

Counting_Pennies_2

Is the water white first of all and then settles down? It could be an excess amount of air bubbles.

If at all concerned I would recommend you get it checked out.

Also have you thought about floor coverings and the type of central heating you have. It might be more a case of the atmosphere drying out which is increasing the skin complaints

[Deleted User]

Hi,
All water in the uk is covered by very stringent regulations under EU constitution! This means that water companies must test the quality of their water every single day. So while it is more than likely safe to drink the chlorine levels may annoy sensitive skin in some people.

If you think there is something different about your water, look up your water bill and contact the water company directly. They should send a sampling officer round to check the water if you push them on it. I probably wouldn't mention the eczema as they might think you are over sensitive. If you've noticed a different colour, smell or deposits tell them about these. Perhaps ask the sampling officer if the chlorine content could be checked when at your house.

It may be that your house is now near a chlorine pumping station. In the distribution system there are pumping stations that dose the main periodically with chlorine. Some houses are affected more than others. So it may be that it is the level of chlorine in the water at your new house that is affecting your families skin.

I have met families in the past who noticed that their children's eczema improved after moving to a house with a private water supply (non mains) which had no chlorine in. Hence I think it could be the chlorine. I've also met kids that had to learn to swim in a non chlorinated pool as their skin reacted to chlorine.

Don't despair though, if your chlorine level is high there are after market kits you can buy to remove the chlorine from your water. So don't rush to move again!

Good luck. If you have no joy with the water company ring up your Local Government Environmental Health Department and ask to speak to a Senior Environmental Health Officer within the Pollution department who specialises in Water. Don't accept anyone else because they won't have a clue. Local Env Health are supposed to keep an eye on the water companies. Unfortunately legislation isn't really specific on the how!

Good Luck and let us know how you get on

Moss5

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black-saturn

I dont think there will be anything the matter with your water. If any company has been telling you there is and that you need to buy a water filter it's a scam, don't fall for it. All water is tested several times a day at the water purifiers. Sometimes the water will be impure for a while while they do engineering works but you are usually sent notice of this well in advance.

Are you sure theres not something else causing the skin problems such as allergens in the air or a change of washing powder?

myrnahaz

Counting_Pennies wrote:

Is the water white first of all and then settles down? It could be an excess amount of air bubbles.

If at all concerned I would recommend you get it checked out.

Also have you thought about floor coverings and the type of central heating you have. It might be more a case of the atmosphere drying out which is increasing the skin complaints

It's correct that 'white' water is caused by fine bubbles in the water - BUT DH (a water engineer) said that bubbles only get in the water if there is a break in the mains pipe, and that if air can get in then so can germs. If you ring your local water authority and complain about the problem, they'll send an engineer out to test the water. There should be no charge.

If you're concerned about chlorine levels, fill a jug with water every day and keep it in the fridge; the chlorine will dissipate after a short while and will taste better (and be better for you) - just remember to wash the jug and replace the water each day or so.

Marsh_Samphire

Possibly a shot in the dark, but OP mentioned the problems are since moving, is it to a new build house? I once saw a report on Watchdog (or a similar programme) about people getting rashes and skin problems. It turned out to be caused by too much flux (solder used to join the water pipes together) that was coming off in the water and also leaving blue/green stains on the sanitaryware. The TV programme sent someone to check and he said the original plumbers had used loads too much, and the excess is supposed to be removed after they have joined the pipes. The had to flush the whole water system out (not sure if they used any treatment for this) to flush the residues away.

sly666

Having worked as a engineer on a water company for 15 years and currently work as a engineer for a chemical treatment and filtration company i may be able to offer some help.

Firstly, the white water in your glass, if the white rises to the surface and dissapears after a few mins then its only air and quite normal. If however the white sinks then it is chalk or mineral deposits. I would call your water supply company and ask to speak to the Lab manager. We used to offer free tests.

The skin problems are more than likely caused by the water "hardness" this map HERE shows the total hardness of uk water, if you live in any blue or dark green area this will cause dry skin. A water softener will solve any problems with dry skin using showers and baths, it will also prolong the life of your boiler by reducing scale build up. But they are expensive £300-400 for a good one, You cannot drink water from a softener and also you have to keep feeding it salt tablets.
The under sink filters shown in links earlier in this thread only remove chlorine and smell. They offer some degree of filtration using activated carbon, the cartridges need to be changed regularly or bacteria can actualy build up in the filter. The flow rate is very low, unsuitable for showers etc.

None of the bottled water available today is of better quality than tap water. In fact the statutory standards for tap water are stricter than those for bottled water. In certain circumstances the quality can be inferior to tap water especially if the bottle has been stored in warm conditions.

I use a reverse osmosis filter system located under the sink, this provides almost 100% pure water (to drink and for the tropical fish!) these have VERY low flow output, again unsuitable for showers etc. These are about £100 on ebay

The chlorine dosed at pumping stations is normaly about 0.5ppm (parts per million) depending on source quality, by the time it reaches your tap its almost undetecable. I measure 0.09ppm (thats 0.09 litres or 90 millilitres of chlorine per million litres of water!) If your unlucky enough to live near a reservoir or booster station you may get higher chlorine levels.
If you get a strong smell of chloine (usualy in the morning) let your tap run at full bore for a min to clear the stagnent water. The smell is infact not the chloine but the chloramines, a side effect of chlorine killing organic matter.

In case your intersted swimming pools run at between 1.5 - 3.0 ppm of chlorine, and i would be very cautious of "chloine free" pools, they are usualy cleaned with Bromine, an even nastier chemical! or something that most likely does not offer any kind of dissinfection whatsoever!
Again, if the pool hall smells of chloine, then it is a sign the pool proberly requires more chlorine as high chloramines are present due to heavy organic matter in the water (you dont want to think about what these are!)

Thanks

withabix

As I construct and upgrade water treatment works, from both a civil engineering and mechanical/elecrical/process perspective, I would agree with sly666 above.

I would also recommend looking at other potential causes of skin complaints, not just your water supply.

Nile

Hello sly666

Welcome to the MSE site.:wave:

Thank you for your detailed explanation which will help the original poster (Baby A) and other readers and contributors of this board.

Kind Regards

Nile