Water from the hot tap

[MickDundee]

I moved into a new build house in October - pipes, boiler, everything was brand new.

The water comes out of my taps at 66.7C if I let it run for a bit so I’ve used it for filling my boiler for my last 3 brews - my strike water heats in about 5 minutes so it’s a massive time saver.

However, am I doing my beer any harm by doing this?

 

[man_beach]

I wouldn't do it if you have a hot water tank. If you have a combi boiler (like I have) then I've taken water from the hot tap for years with no ill effects

 

[sam51]

anybody got a water softner and unvented clinder, could you use this for hot water.

 

[Ghillie]

@man_beach is right. You're grand with a combi boiler, but the jury is out with a hot water tank as with a conventional boiler.

When I brewed inside I used to sparge straight from the hot tap. Combi boiler of course.

 

[terrym]

If your hot water comes from a system that is fed direct from the mains, without a break, then it should be OK, irrespective of what you do with it in the brewing process.
However if you have a header tank (say in the roof) topped up by mains water and that gravity feeds a hot water tank somewhere (like I have) then the water out of the hot water tap is not sterile, just like any cold water also supplied from the header tank.
But if you make up a mash using header tank water and subsequently boil it you sterilise it. So that's OK. But if you use header tank water, without boiling it, to make up a kit or an extract brew its not OK, cos it might be contaminated. Thats why in my house I don't drink water from the bathroom taps.

 

[Dutto]

Anyone who has cleaned out a 25 years old Header Tank won't have any confidence in using the hot water from a traditional system in a brew.

I checked out the header tank in an old house I bought and about the only thing I didn't find in it was a dead pigeon! (However, the desiccated corpse of a pigeon was laid on top of the fibre-glass insulation alongside!)

A layer of sand at the bottom, a "tideline" of scum and oxidised zinc around the water-level, a layer of dust on top of the water and an assortment of spiders webs laden with dead flies hanging underneath the cover, was enough for me to install a new tank with a perfectly fitting cover!

 

[MickDundee]

It’s not a header tank so I look like I’m ok.

 

[chrissyr63]

I fill from the hot tap (combu boiler and soft water). Does cut down on the boil time.
One thing I did wonder about is does the fact that the water is hot have any impact on adding campden tablets (or other water treatments)?

 

[Dutto]

..........

One thing I did wonder about is does the fact that the water is hot have any impact on adding campden tablets (or other water treatments)?

Apart from making the use of Campden Tablets redundant (heating the water will help drive off any residual chlorine at a quicker rate) I don't think that the water being that bit hotter will make any difference.

 

[Pinter]

I was wondering about using the hot tap, but wasn't sure that all my water pipes / fittings were drinking water quality.

 

[prog99]

I’ve always used the hot water out the combi, never had issues.