Drinking softened water is safe for both you and your family; your decision to drink softened water, or not, should be based solely on whether on not you like the taste! they are almost certainly sufficient to protect our health, given what we currently know.

A combi boiler heats water when needed from the mains supply. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) advises that it's best to avoid drinking from the hot tap because hot taps are usually connected to a storage tank or heater rather than directly to the mains and the water may not be as fresh. A regular boiler is also fed from a tank. Although all mains water is safe to drink in the UK, there are a few points to remember before you fill your glass. Hot water: If you have a system boiler – with a storage tank – it’s best not to drink from the hot water tap. It too concludes that there’s very little good quality data on the health effects of THMs, and that the guidelines that do exist are ‘highly precautionary’ – i.e. So slake your thirst outside the shower. Heat from the hot water tank will also tend to dissipate the residual chlorine in the water, says Kirby, which “could result in the growth of bacteria in the hot water tank.” But, like the potential for lead exposure, there’s no way of determining if the bacteria are actually harmful (or exist) unless you test the water. It’s worth noting that all Harvey Water Softeners come with a drinking water bypass tap as standard.

Apparently if you live in an old house and don't have a combination boiler meaning you could have a water storage tank in your attic which is where your bathroom water would come from you shouldn't drink it because of the risk of the water being stagnant or contaminated. Even if the hotel has been newly constructed, the plumbing system may have copper pipes which have been joined with lead solder. The major worry with bathroom tap water in hotels is that older buildings usually have lead piping in the bathroom, which can make the water dangerous to drink. If you are not sure what kind of plumbing you have, drink water from the kitchen tap as this water will be the freshest. We’ve put together this guide to help you make an informed choice on whether or not to drink softened water. The UK’s Drinking Water Inspectorate has also published a comprehensive analysis (pdf).