When filling your kettle, which tap do you fill it from & does it make a difference?

[Don Tmatter]

Help settle an ongoing argument between me & Mrs Tmatter over which is better to fill kettle from.
I always fill from the cold tap, she fills from the hot tap.

 

[Braders]

Always the cold too.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

I always remember being told not to drink from the hot tap as the pipes were made from lead - but I suspect that advice is way, way out of date. But I still use the cold only.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

Always cold.

 

[Pantani]

Your Mrs is a head mental, no offense intended. I have never heard of anyone filling the ketle from the hot tap. What possible reason can there be for doing this?

 

[Knightsworld]

Always the cold tap.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Your Mrs is a head mental, no offense intended. I have never heard of anyone filling the ketle from the hot tap. What possible reason can there be for doing this?

To save electricity.

 

[narly101]

My dad fills from the hot tap because he's a pikey, and heats the water up until its really hot, then fills the kettle. I fill from the cold tap because it's purer than the shit that's been sitting in your hot water tank all day. end of.

 

[SK1NT]

Filling from the cold tap is cheaper... The hot water has to travel through the pipes only for a small amount to actually be used... This water then cools in the pipes... Then the cost to heating the hot water used...

Just the cold tap

 

[Nottseagull]

It depends on what sort of central heating system you have. If you have a header tank then this could, in extreme circumstances, harbour such nasties as Legionella, so it is unwise to use the hot tap in this case, even if the water is boiled.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

To save electricity.

In what way ? By using water that's been heated in your central heating system - I bet the kettle is more efficient and cheaper.

 

[chimneys]

OMG!! The hot tap water will have been through your boiler/hot water cylinder having been sitting in your cold tank possibly for days (same reason you shouldnt really drink water from your bathroom sink) with all the nasties that could entail. Your cold comes "fresh" straight from mains. No brainer!!

 

[leigull]

I fill from the cold tap because it's purer than the shit that's been sitting in your hot water tank all day. end of.

Yep, this. Hot water tap is for washing up only. But then maybe we should use cold water to wash up too as the hot water tap contains more germs?!!

 

[BensGrandad]

In the old days you was always told that the water from the hot tap lays in the tanks so was to a degree it was stagnant water as opposed to the water from the cold tap coming straight from the mains so being fresh so I always use the cold water but with combi boilers nowadays I dont think it is so important but old habits still prevail.

 

[Southstandfaithful]

Cold tap every time!

 

[blue2]

pipework and the fittings solder tanks etc used on the hot water system may not be of a suitable standard ie dead pigion in the tank boiling will probably kill most things but old systems might have rusty tanks lead pipes or lead solder and no end of boiling will help

In the UK the kitchen tap is fed directly from the rising main and so gets
the cleanest water available.

It is best to get all drinking and cooking
water from the kitchen tap.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Help settle an ongoing argument between me & Mrs Tmatter over which is better to fill kettle from.
I always fill from the cold tap, she fills from the hot tap.

Cold tap. Hot water has gone through the boiler and other system devices (i.e. immersion heater if you have one). Hot water is not to be considered drinking water and shouldn't be used for anything but washing etc. You shouldn't cook or make any beverages from the hot water tap.

It depends on what sort of central heating system you have. If you have a header tank then this could, in extreme circumstances, harbour such nasties as Legionella, so it is unwise to use the hot tap in this case, even if the water is boiled.

The central heating will be separate from the hot water supply. Central heating is a closed loop water circuit with the same water running around the rads. You're hot water comes from the mains, is heated by the boiler, but is separate from the central heating.

 

[Fef]

Cold tap out of habit. But reading some of the arguments for this above - I'm glad I do !

 

[BensGrandad]

An argument for using the hot tap is that it saves elec or gas not starting from cold and by boiling the water you are killing off any impurities but I always use the cold tap.

 

[KZNSeagull]

In what way ? By using water that's been heated in your central heating system - I bet the kettle is more efficient and cheaper.

Probably is - I have no idea! Was the only thing I could think of! What if you have gas central heating? Is gas cheaper than electricity?

I do know that a lot of energy is wasted in a kettle because people usually boil too much water at a time. Maybe better to heat the water in the cup in a microwave rather.

As for the germs bit that others are talking about, the boiling would get rid of them, surely?