Checking drinking quality of water after refurbishment

invizus

Hello. I have just done renovation in my first house, and contractors changed all pipes in the house. I was just wondering whether I should get someone to check water quality, whether it is good for drinking? 
The contractors I used are all-round experienced builders (team of builders), but I do not know whether they are are qualified in everything. So maybe I should be getting someone from Thames Water or checkatrade to come and do a check my water quality?

Thanks in advance.

grumbler

I don't see how water quality can be affected. Just in case flush the pipes for 5 minutes, and that's it.

Jeepers_Creepers

New pipes? As Grumbler says.

It's your call, but if you really want to ensure that everything is flushed out - perhaps flux or jointing compounds, stuff like that - then buy a few large 5L bottles of drinking water and use that for drinking for a week or so, whilst the taps are run as normal for washing and showering and stuff.

But, really, this isn't something folk normally worry about.

Apodemus

grumbler said:

I don't see how water quality can be affected. Just in case flush the pipes for 5 minutes, and that's it.

I guess the only problem would be if they had approached the plumbing as if it was a heating job and used lead solder on joints in the copper piping?

TELLIT01

Properties are being built and refurbished across the country, all the time.  Nobody I've heard of has got anybody in to check the water quality.  As said, run the taps for a couple of hours to ensure there's nothing in the pipes.  Beyond that, water through the mains supply in this country is safe to drink.

Apodemus

TELLIT01 said:

Properties are being built and refurbished across the country, all the time.  Nobody I've heard of has got anybody in to check the water quality.  As said, run the taps for a couple of hours to ensure there's nothing in the pipes.  Beyond that, water through the mains supply in this country is safe to drink.

Just because no-one is checking doesn't mean that the problem doesn't occur:

NHS Scotland said:

The Scottish New Homes Lead Survey study investigated the extent and impact of the illegal use of lead solder in the plumbing of new houses.

 First Stage Report (2000) The first stage of the survey found evidence of excess lead in drinking water, in between 10% and 30% of a sample of houses built between 1997 and 2000.

 Stage 2 (2003) Stage 2 confirmed that the lead detected in affected houses was associated with the use of leaded solder. The study also identified that the proportion of houses affected was probably as much as twice as high as originally estimated in stage 1.