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Strange tap water!

FullblownRose

This story about excessive levels of Lead in a water supply, got me thinking. I've been unhappy with the taste and smell of my tap water for a while but I don't know how to have it tested. Has anyone had similar issues with theirs? Does anyone know if Irish Water can be contacted in relation to checking the water quality and safety?

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/high-lead-levels-drinking-water-forces-irish-water-220231908.html#LJBaQTi

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Lu Tze

FullblownRose wrote: »

This story about excessive levels of Lead in a water supply, got me thinking. I've been unhappy with the taste and smell of my tap water for a while but I don't know how to have it tested. Has anyone had similar issues with theirs? Does anyone know if Irish Water can be contacted in relation to checking the water quality and safety?

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/high-lead-levels-drinking-water-forces-irish-water-220231908.html#LJBaQTi

Lead was only mainly used in service pipes i.e. the small pipes from the water main to the house. It hasnt been installed in years, so its unlikely to be present if you have a house built in the last 20-30 years.

If you do have an older house, you could have a look at the stop cock outside and see if you can identify what material the pipe is. You could also look under the sink.

Either ay the majority of the service pipe is likely to be within the boundary of your property, so if it needs replacement that your responsibility, the portion from the water main to the property boundary is that of the water authority.

kneemos

Arabella Obnoxious Predator wrote: »

So, incorrect in other words.

It's as correct as saying "some."

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

kneemos wrote: »

It's as correct as saying "some."

Now you're just messin'. Most would include some, by it's very definition. But enough said, I have more to do than waste my Sunday because you can't admit to exaggeration based on no evidence other than anecdotes.

K.Flyer

There are still quite a large amount of older properties around Dublin, and I am sure the rest of Ireland, that still have lead pipework bringing water into homes from the water mains.
There is no obligation on any council or I.W. to change the pipes between the meter / stopcock to the house, that is down to the homeowners.

If you want to have your water tested and you live in Dublin City or the surrounding area you go to the HSE lab here.
Public Analyst’s Laboratory,
Sir Patrick Duns.
Lower Grand Canal Street,
Dublin 2.
Also incorporates an Official Food Microbiology Laboratory.
Tel: 01 6612022
Fax: 01 6628532

For other areas see this link..

http://www.publicanalystdublin.ie/en/StatutoryFoodControl/HSEFoodSafetyLaboratories/

SpaceTime

FullblownRose wrote: »

The water supply was interrupted a few times this year and the taste deteriorated after each interruption, so that fits.

Chlorine must be excessive if it's so strongly detected through taste and smell, I feel?

I'm not exaggerating- it's disgusting. You can still taste it in a cup of tea!

It can also be caused by just disturbing the pipes.

Depending on the age of the water installation in your local area, the pipes could be cast iron, concrete or various eras of plastics.

Cast iron is the usual culprit for causing water to go brown temporarily.
You're basically seeing rust (iron oxide) in the water, which is harmless but may taste weird / look bad and certainly isn't good for your dishwasher and washing machine.

Any water system will build up some degree of silt and grit in the pipes too, so when the pipes are moved around and flushed, you'll get that sit stirred up into the water too, so that can cause tastes and colour changes and it's why they have to be able to wash out the pipes for a while.

Excessive amounts of chlorine in the water though i.e. if it tastes and smells very bleachy, should really be complained about to Irish Water.

If there's a lot of chlorine being added to the water it will literally smell like swimming pool water i.e. that kind of vague bleach smell, especially just after you turn on the tap.

There's no real way of avoiding using chlorine in those water systems because there's no way that you can guarantee that all the pipes are absolutely perfect all the time, so there's always a risk of contaminated water being in the system somewhere.

There are downsides to it though, particularly the generation of byproducts that are caused when the chlorine in the water reacts with other chemicals in the water supply.
Despite all the hype around fluoridation, chlorination is probably a far more significant and real issue although the alternative - not chlorinating water would result in regular outbreaks of things like typhoid and other water-bourne illnesses so it's really a case of striking a balance.

However, badly maintained infrastructure being kept germ free with excessive chlorination isn't a great solution. I know the chlorine levels added to water in the US sometimes can be absolutely vile. When I was living over there the water in some cities was absolutely undrinkable. You'd have a self-bleaching toilet!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_chlorination

GM228

Lu Tze wrote: »

Lead was only mainly used in service pipes i.e. the small pipes from the water main to the house. It hasnt been installed in years, so its unlikely to be present if you have a house built in the last 20-30 years.

If you do have an older house, you could have a look at the stop cock outside and see if you can identify what material the pipe is. You could also look under the sink.

Either ay the majority of the service pipe is likely to be within the boundary of your property, so if it needs replacement that your responsibility, the portion from the water main to the property boundary is that of the water authority.

Was curious about the boundry-didn't Irish Water say they would replace/repair any broken/leaking pipes from the water meter into your property only once for free, does that mean if the meter is outside the boundry and a broken pipe is also outside the boundry but between the meter and house you would still have to pay for a second repair?

GM228

FullblownRose

SpaceTime wrote: »

It can also be caused by just disturbing the pipes.

Depending on the age of the water installation in your local area, the pipes could be cast iron, concrete or various eras of plastics.

Cast iron is the usual culprit for causing water to go brown temporarily.
You're basically seeing rust (iron oxide) in the water, which is harmless but may taste weird / look bad and certainly isn't good for your dishwasher and washing machine.

Any water system will build up some degree of silt and grit in the pipes too, so when the pipes are moved around and flushed, you'll get that sit stirred up into the water too, so that can cause tastes and colour changes and it's why they have to be able to wash out the pipes for a while.

Excessive amounts of chlorine in the water though i.e. if it tastes and smells very bleachy, should really be complained about to Irish Water.

If there's a lot of chlorine being added to the water it will literally smell like swimming pool water i.e. that kind of vague bleach smell, especially just after you turn on the tap.

There's no real way of avoiding using chlorine in those water systems because there's no way that you can guarantee that all the pipes are absolutely perfect all the time, so there's always a risk of contaminated water being in the system somewhere.

There are downsides to it though, particularly the generation of byproducts that are caused when the chlorine in the water reacts with other chemicals in the water supply.
Despite all the hype around fluoridation, chlorination is probably a far more significant and real issue although the alternative - not chlorinating water would result in regular outbreaks of things like typhoid and other water-bourne illnesses so it's really a case of striking a balance.

However, badly maintained infrastructure being kept germ free with excessive chlorination isn't a great solution. I know the chlorine levels added to water in the US sometimes can be absolutely vile. When I was living over there the water in some cities was absolutely undrinkable. You'd have a self-bleaching toilet!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_chlorination

Honestly, THIS is undrinkable! It's clear, though. I am used to a bit of cloudiness from air because I've seen that after the network has been disrupted.,and I wouldn't mind brown water for a short time after that, but this is actually getting worse over time...and I don't know much about bottled water and how it's harvested and treated so I'm not ready to switch to that either!

FullblownRose

Lu Tze wrote: »

Lead was only mainly used in service pipes i.e. the small pipes from the water main to the house. It hasnt been installed in years, so its unlikely to be present if you have a house built in the last 20-30 years.

If you do have an older house, you could have a look at the stop cock outside and see if you can identify what material the pipe is. You could also look under the sink.

Either ay the majority of the service pipe is likely to be within the boundary of your property, so if it needs replacement that your responsibility, the portion from the water main to the property boundary is that of the water authority.

True, but lots of housing estates built n the 60's, 70's are still here. My own house is old enough to have lead pipes. I wondered whether the pipes were lead long ago, but never got around to asking someone who knows how to check.
A minister defending the new water charges said ( on the radio, today) ''large areas'' of the country are still getting water through lead pipes. I listened mid conversation so I do not know who he was.

SpaceTime

FullblownRose wrote: »

Honestly, THIS is undrinkable! It's clear, though. I am used to a bit of cloudiness from air because I've seen that after the network has been disrupted.,and I wouldn't mind brown water for a short time after that, but this is actually getting worse over time...and I don't know much about bottled water and how it's harvested and treated so I'm not ready to switch to that either!

Could you describe the taste though?

It's quite possible that it's sediment from the pipes.

The most dangerous contaminants in water generally don't actually have a taste. You can't really detect lead for example without laboratory tests.

Chlorine or some combination of chlorine reacting with gunk that's been disturbed in the pipes might create a bad taste though.

If it's a metallic taste, it's more likely to be iron oxide than anything else from rusty pipes.

Assuming you're not metered, run your taps for a while to clear the pipes.

Lead is more likely to be an issue in pre 1950s homes in link pipes that the local authorities don't own are are unaware of.

In a lot of cases, the developer or builder would have laid pipes that sometimes interconnect houses and then ultimately connect to the public supply. Some of those are where lead's been found rather than the actual 'public system'.

One of the biggest problems in Ireland is that there was no clear demarkation point. I think household supplies should be the local authority / Irish Water's issue right up to the stop cock. That often wasn't the case in some local authority systems where the interconnecting pipes were owned by the householders.