Does filling the kettle with warm/hot tap water make any difference when making a cup of tea?

Question

A guy in work recently went ballistic when someone filled the kettle with warm water, proclaiming that the said kettle filler is 'trying to poison us all.'

wtf!?

Answer 1

Water out of the warm tap hasn't been purified as much as the cold water... If you are boiling it then it wont matter, extreme heat kills most bacteria, but I would never risk drinking hot water as it is out of a tap..

Answer 2

The hot water tank isn't usually as clean.  It might contain dead spiders, even dead birds.  That's what my plumber told me anyway.

Answer 3

Well isnt this a funny one - I've always been taught you NEVER fill the kettle with warm water - only cold water.... the warm water is not as good.... why?  I'm not sure....  I would never fill the kettle with the warm water tap water...

Answer 4

wtf indeed. All you achieve by filling a kettle with warm water is a shorter wait for your cup of tea. Works for me.

Answer 5

Hmm water in the hot system sits there for hours - cold water is fresh.

Answer 6

Yes water from the hot tap is not mains water & isnt as well filtered you are drinking dirty water

Answer 7

There is only one supply to your property Cold water from your treatment works that is at least chlorinated.

This then splits to your main tap (Usually the cold tap on the kitchen sink - This is the tap that the water company that supplies your water would take a sample from if there was a reported problem with your water quality.)

The water quality beyond this point is usually no-longer "Guaranteed" by your Utility Company and this includes all domestic hot water taps.

The reason for this is that older properties have "header tanks" that are basically the same as a huge toilet cistern in your attic or roof space. This is often left open (Or blown open by high winds forcing their way up the over-flow and blowing the lids off). And supplies the water to your boiler.

All kinds of rubbish is then free to contaminate your hot water system which is why we use the cold.

Also, if the water sits in an open header tank in your attic for weeks on end during a hot summer (All the chlorine gasses off in a few hours)  with a dead bird sitting inside, then it could make you ill-

UNLESS YOU BOIL IT!!!

Which is exactly what you would be doing if you were making a cup of tea....

So, it makes no difference whatsoever!

Answer 8

the warmer or hotter it is, the quicker it will boil, can't think of what else, tell dude to chill.

Answer 9

warm tap water is not boiled..could cause alot of disease..always use boiled water to make tea..taste better and give beautiful color tho

Answer 10

i cant say for defo but i have heard the same!

Answer 11

Hot water from the tap sits in the water heater for a long time, and it doesn't always have a chance to get properly heated before it's tapped. If there are bacteria or algae in the water to start with, they can multiply very rapidly in this lukewarm water, making it unhealthy to drink. The famous Legionnaires disease sometimes propagates in that way.

There shouldn't be any poisons in the hot water, so if it's properly boiled for making tea, the bacteria will die and the water will be harmless.

Answer 12

It makes no difference, eventually the water will reach the same temperature.

Answer 13

No that's wrong, my bf thinks the same thing but boiling water removes any impurities or bacteria in it.  As long as the water has been allowed to fully boil it'll be fine. Tell that guy that he's an idiot, loudly, in front of everyone and get him back.

Answer 14

waters  water is it it dosent make a diffrence

Answer 15

Yes, is one of those urban myths that are completely untrue.  I bet that he didn't give you a reason, cause there's no reason at all not to drink/use water from the hot tap.

Answer 16

i will go with beanie`s answer .

as for sal`s answer how long do you think the cold freshwater??? has been waiting in the water pipes before it gets to your cup

Answer 17

Water from the cold tap comes directly from the mains supply, but water from the hot tap has stagnated , awaiting use , in at least one tank. While the tank should be secured and covered there is no knowing what could get in or fall in and miultiply or foment organisms.  The odd pigeon has been known to drown in a water tank in the loft. This is with what you are filling the kettle . No tea for me , thanks.

Answer 18

Have a look  at your tank (usually in the attic)

Check for sludge, dead pigeons / rats / mice, even lead pipes in older properties.

Give it all a good stir with a stick and grab a glass full.

You will see why you shouldn't fill a kettle from the hot tap.

Answer 19

just makes the water boil quicker,

Answer 20

Ballistic is a bit over the top, but he was probably concerned that hot water is often stored and heated in a tank, rather than coming directly from the main pipes.  The problem with that is that water can go stagnant and tanks can have nasty stuff in them such as flies, dead pigeons and rats.  Of course being a hot water tank would also mean that potentially hazzardous germs and microbes will flourish in that environment and not all can be killed simply by boiling a kettle!  It is safer and more advisable to use clean fresh cold tap water from the mains.  Some people say boiling water kills all the germs - I doubt it, but bottom line - if I took a c**p in a pan of water, would you boil it and make a cup of tea from it?  That's probably the last thing the drowned pigeon did in your water tank.  Just use the cold tap - better safe than sick.

Answer 21

well i have always been told that the hot water tap is not drinking water so i have never done this.

Answer 22

as far as poisoning??? no. all bacteria will be destroyed in the boiling process. you will use more energy however. the warm water will boil faster but your hot water system also has to work to replace the water you used. best just to wait for the cold water to boil

Answer 23

I thought the reason for filling it with cold water was because the warm water has germs in it. Germs love warm and wet. But the very definition of boiling water means that the kettle raises the temp to just above 100 degrees - meaning that all germs are dead. So really it's doesn't matter.

Just don't drink straight out of the hot tap!