Tap water

[NickCantle]

Yes Stew, I think he was

[Paul mabbott]

Why would anyone want to drink decaffeinated coffee or alcohol-free beer? Seems perverse .... and may not be good for you:
Drinking decaffeinated coffee may be harmful to heart health

On the other hand, tapwater is a very variable thing - I would certainly never drink water from the Thames catchment (it tastes foul and I suspect it's a health hazard) and would prefer not to drink any water south of Yorkshire - where it is very good!

So for our solstice presents for people down south we're buying water purifiers!

In relation to diuretic effects versus water content, coffee has a diuretic effect greater than the volume of water intake, (especially if it's espresso) as does whisky .... I keep an open mind about beer.

Originally Posted by agrumpycow

My only source is people I work with (in the medical profession) and chemists and they all agree that any diuretic effect in caffeinated drinks is definitely there but that the amount of liquid in a cup balances it out. I just guess it's another case of how much and how often.

I would personally be more worried about the sugar intake from sugary squashes and fruit juice added to water than caffeinated drinks.

On a final note, the same people have also suggested that decaffeinated drinks are even more bad for you health due to the chemicals needed to remove the caffeine

[NickCantle]

Well, everything's bad for you nowadays, if it's not going to give you cancer it's going to make your bones turn to mulch. My rule is, I'll eat what I like and I'll drink what I like- If I get anything, so be it. No point living by such guidelines in my opinion.

[Lincs Yellowbelly]

Originally Posted by Stewy

I'm no doctor but I think that is wrong, I always thought caffeine was a diuretic. Anyone know?

Caffine is a diuretic, but the water gained from the coffee is far greater than the water lost by the body from drinking a caffine drink

[Stewy]

Originally Posted by Lincs Yellowbelly

Caffine is a diuretic, but the water gained from the coffee is far greater than the water lost by the body from drinking a caffine drink

Where is the source of this information? I need the sauce!

[Paul mabbott]

I once worked with a professor famed in cardiology. He would give lectures on all the factors contributing to cardiomyopathy and other heart diseases - sugar, cholesterol, nicotine, tobacco tar, caffeine, alcohol, .... after the lecture he would always invite people back for a cigar over a cup of coffee or a glass of brandy ....

Originally Posted by NickCantle

Well, everything's bad for you nowadays, if it's not going to give you cancer it's going to make your bones turn to mulch. My rule is, I'll eat what I like and I'll drink what I like- If I get anything, so be it. No point living by such guidelines in my opinion.

[NickCantle]

Sounds like my kind of chap Paul

[galanthus]

I have to agree with boddie here as I said the same thing to my other half last week. Defo minimal time to extra cold water this time of year. Tho still puzzling why my dog loves to drink freezing pond water in preference to tepid tap water mid-winter

[m1.carson]

Hi Nick,

The hard water of the Thames valley is supposed to be good for the heart, but after a trip up the Valleys, the lads couldn't rush fast enough to make me a cup of coffee, unheard of I might add, not to be too unkind to the Welsh it was not nice, all the water there tasted the same.

Max.

[NickCantle]

Ooh Norfolk water is better than Surrey water IMO It actually tastes of something

[Susie]

Originally Posted by Boddie

I think we have gone off on a tangent.

Does anyone actually agree that you have to run the tap for longer in the summer to get a cooler drink.

I reckon I can get a lovely cool drink after 2 seconds at this time of year but in the summer having to run the tap for at least a minute for it to be cool.

Nes pas?

Reason I ask is that we have just had a tap fitted with a filter attached to its pipe, so we dont need a Brita. But I argue that in the summer, short of running the tap for ages, it would be too warm

Is it just me?

No you are quite right, Boddie.

The reason being that in summer the pipes above ground and shallowly place below ground will warm to the air/earth temperature around them, which will obviously be warmer than the temperature you would want to drink the water at. You need to run off all this tepid water before you get a good cold drink from the water which has been held in deeper water mains.

At this time of year all the pipes are cold so you can drink it straight off.

I hope this is what you meant and I haven't gone off at a tangent.

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Boddie

I think we have gone off on a tangent.

Does anyone actually agree that you have to run the tap for longer in the summer to get a cooler drink.

I reckon I can get a lovely cool drink after 2 seconds at this time of year but in the summer having to run the tap for at least a minute for it to be cool.

Nes pas?

Reason I ask is that we have just had a tap fitted with a filter attached to its pipe, so we dont need a Brita. But I argue that in the summer, short of running the tap for ages, it would be too warm

Is it just me?

why do suspect that theres a punch line lurking in here somewhere

my advice would be dont drink water anyway - have you seen what it does to the bottom of boats ???

[pressld2]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

Why would anyone want to drink decaffeinated coffee or alcohol-free beer? Seems perverse ....

I have recently been diagnosed with a hiatus hernia which causes acid reflux and, as well as prescribing omeprazole to reduce stomach acid, my GP warned me off caffeine. Plus my wife swears that caffeine keeps her awake although I've never noticed that effect myself.

As for alcohol, I'm the only driver in my family and I dislike sweet drinks. So when we go out I'm looking for something long, cold and non-alcoholic that isn't full of sugar and the only thing I've found that fits the bill is alcohol free beer.

So although I don't actually want to drink either, I have decaff coffee on medical advice and alcohol free beer to keep my licence. (Oh, and to avoid killing people too! )

Dave P.

[tufftie]

coffee makes tummy acid worse but tea's okay - even strong tea (not keen on aphids water!) - i'm on pantoprazole...allergy to stomach acid. I rarely drink coffee because of it but no probs. with tea.

[Countrymum]

Boddie, what about sunny days in the winter? Does your water need to run for so long then?

Did you used to worry about the baby pigeons too?

[Tursiops2]

Originally Posted by Boddie

Is it just me or is tap water colder in the winter? I reckon to have a nice cold drink in the summer I need to run the tap for far longer than in the winter.
Am I wrong?

I've noticed the same thing. My solution is to keep a 2ltr plastic water bottle topped-up in the fridge during summer. Instant cold water and no waste.

I also have the opposite problem. In my house, the boiler is in the kitchen. If I want hot water from the bathroom tap upstairs, I have to run it for about a minute before I get any. That's at least a litre of water wasted every time I shave, but I rent so I can't change the arrangement.
T2

[C C]

Originally Posted by m1.carson

Hi Nick,

The hard water of the Thames valley is supposed to be good for the heart, but after a trip up the Valleys, the lads couldn't rush fast enough to make me a cup of coffee, unheard of I might add, not to be too unkind to the Welsh it was not nice, all the water there tasted the same.

Max.

I agree, my water is muck(me Welsh). There is some great tasting springs within a stones throw from my house, which is great on a hot Summers day.

I wonder if those that like the Thames water, has something to do with the levels of Prozac

[solus]

Back to Boddie's original (daft?) question.

The mains water coming in to our cold taps during these past few really frosty days has been icy enough to nearly freeze your gums when teethie-cleaning! And the water (mains cold) in to the electric shower in winter is also cold enough to result in a low-pressure dribble in order to get a nice hot shower (regulo 6+) whereas in summer there's lots of pressure and the same temperature is reached at about 3 - 4!

I wouldn't know about drinking the water from the taps at any time of the year (Severn-Trent - often smells/tastes like it's come straight from a swimming pool) as we use bottled water for drinking neat!

But yes, definitely to do with the ground temperature of the pipes.

PS: How soon we forget! Back in July we had NO water at all, of any temperature, coming through our taps for 9 whole days 'cos the waterworks was flooded!

[The Black Rabbit]

You could always make sure your kitchen tap is actually directly connected to the mains, rather than indirectly, via the cistern in the attic?!
Doug

[Susie]

Lawks, I wouldn't drink anything that wasn't directly from the mains!