People never cease to amaze me. Imagine - worrying about the differences between the water that comes from the same faucet!
I’m 38 years old, have drunk the warm/hot water (for I assume that ANY use of the hot tap would cause whatever horrendous condition is expected to arise - so even tepid water could kill ya) for all this time, at home, at whatever hotel, at my parents, etc etc etc for my entire life and this question never occurred to me.
Question: The sediment is caused by water sitting in the tanks, allowing it (the sediment) to settle out of the water. If this is so, doesn’t this mean that a specific amount of cold water contains more sediment than an equal amount of hot water that has been sitting in the tank for 24 hours? After all, the water that enters the faucet from the cold “side” is the same water that first enters the heater - the only difference is the amount of obvious residue.
I can’t believe I remember this, but a science fair experiment someone did when I was in elementary school, 40 years ago, showed that hot water made the soap work better.
lead pipes may not be all that common any more (especially in a hot water system), but lead solder has enjoyed fairly widespread use throughout the twentieth century.
Actually, in Massachusetts we have all the more reason to worry, because of the age of the housing stock. Apparently lead solder wasn’t banned until the '80s. My house, in addition to being Asbestos World, is full of it. Theoretically, after a few years or so, a protective layer of gunk builds up that creates a barrier between the water and the solder. But just to be safe, I never drink hot water from the tap, and in fact am somewhat paranoid about it.
Here’s something else to worry about: "Household faucets may be another source of contamination. Chrome-plated faucets are generally made of brass, which contains 3 to 8 percent lead. " (From the engineering department at the University of Georgia.)
I would not drink the stuff. To the guy who said we wash our dishes with hot water, sure, but that’s not the same as drinking a glass of the stuff. I’m not worried about GERRRRRMS, but I would like to keep my body free of heavy metals. My house was built in the 70s so I think this is reasonable. Also, my parents told me never to do it so it feels funny when I do.
So, I see a number of folks who are concerned about lead contamination in their drinking water. Have any of you actually had your water tested for lead? If your behavior is being driven by a perceived danger, why haven’t you tried to determine your actual level of risk? Water testing kits cost only a few dollars, and it could potentially put your minds at ease.
Now, I don’t drink or cook with water from the hot tap because that water has run through the water softener. Our municipal water is quite hard, so the softened water ends up with quite a bit of sodium in it, and I would just as soon keep my incidental sodium intake down. And yes, I’ve had the water tested.
Water utilities are required to test regularly for lead. On the MA site above, a chart shows you that the action level is 15 ppb, well below the mandated 50 ppb limit. As stated above, they are required to test worst case scenarios, which are in older homes with stagnant water. The vast majority of tests reveal lead below action levels.
I am not sure where you got your EPA quotes, but the 8% lead in “plumbing” refers only to brass fixtures or valves. Even if your fixtures are not old enough to be passivated by the water, Lead is not a magical demon. If it leaches out of your faucet overnight, the contaminated water is right at the faucet and is flushed out with the first flow of water. The amount of lead leached from the hot water tap would be almost identical to the amount leached at the cold water tap because water sitting at the faucet overnight is going to be the same temp on either side. So you would in fact be safer from a lead perspective to drink only hot water and only after it has gotten hot at the tap than you would be if you drank cold water but drank the water that came first out of the tap in the morning.
If you live in a house which has old enough plumbing that you are in fear for lead contamination, you should get it checked whether you drink from the hot or cold side. Then once it is checked, odds are good that you will find you can drink from either side with impunity. Even old houses may not be at risk due to the lead solder being passivated or due to having galvanized steel piping instead of copper!