Using Water From My Hot Water Tap…

[Griffin]

common sense, hot water = high solutbility, picks up whatever your pipes might be made of etc
cold water = low solubility, less stuff in it, add Cl remover, wait, let it be .....

 

[fishing4exotics]

Never had a problem with hot water from my tap in 37 years. As a matter of fact, I tested the hot water from the tap years ago. It contained no chlorine while the cold water did. Seems the water in the water heater boils out the chlorine. But, now that the municipal uses chloramine it won't dissipate like chlorine in hot water.

 

[newfishaddict]

I was advised on another forum (before I joined this one) not to use water from the hot tap as it could contain copper, lead, iron etc. I put some saucepans on the hob and heat cold water, it saves having to wait for the kettle all the time. I was also advised not to do water changes from Fri- Mon as the water companies put in extra chemicals for the weekend. That is true, my stepdad used to work for a water company and he said they do. Not sure if these two facts are important but I was told it very clearly so I don't use water from the hot tap. I think if you have the kind of boiler that heats up water as it goes through it is ok, it is only the sort where the water "sits" around for a while.

Pertaining to your comment;

I feel this is unlikely; “extra chemical for the weekend” why? I don’t understand…

What chemicals specifically?

The chemicals added to water are added in amounts pertaining to the amount of “counter chemical” in the target (treated) water. For example, here in the spring, the amount of organic mater increases in the river water which is treated, therefore the amount amtimicrobials such as chlorine and chloramines increase in proportion.

In Edmonton, you can go to the Epor website and check the amount of 15-25 different chemicals in the water each day; there are monthly results too that have the concentrations of 100s of chemicals…All the results are great, Edmonton has “perfect” water for aquariums. The chlorine levels are usually close to zero at the tap, and chloramines is usually 2 ppm(mg/L)…A good de-chlorinator (water conditioner) will tell you how much of chlorine and chloramine that it “counteracts” and you can calculate how much water conditioner you need exactly(even test it with a chlorine test to be certain).

My dad who is the Head of the Renewable Resources Division at Alberta Environment agrees with this...

 

[newfishaddict]

I was advised on another forum (before I joined this one) not to use water from the hot tap as it could contain copper, lead, iron etc. I put some saucepans on the hob and heat cold water, it saves having to wait for the kettle all the time. I was also advised not to do water changes from Fri- Mon as the water companies put in extra chemicals for the weekend. That is true, my stepdad used to work for a water company and he said they do. Not sure if these two facts are important but I was told it very clearly so I don't use water from the hot tap. I think if you have the kind of boiler that heats up water as it goes through it is ok, it is only the sort where the water "sits" around for a while.

If you live in a very old house, the copper might be an issue as it could have copper water pipes but most houses in the last 20 to 30 years have pvc pipes so it shouldn't be an issue. As I said earlier, if you let the hot water run for a minute or so before starting to fill your bucket/tank, you shouldn't have any problems. Any impurities in the tank will be washed out in that time frame. As for extra chemicals being added, I really don't see what the point of that would be. If it's something to make the water purer, does that mean we get unpure water the other part of the week. I have done water changes on every day of the week and also temper the water for water changes to match the tank temp by using hot water. I have had no problems at all.

Re: extra chemicals, I agree.

I think that copper is not very soluble in water, and thus not a big concern(especially in a condo with 184 suites)...am I correct? not certain

I know that lead is very soluble in water and the lead soldering on copper water pipes is of more of a concern.

Both should be very adequately handled by the carbon in any filter...

common sense, hot water = high solutbility, picks up whatever your pipes might be made of etc
cold water = low solubility, less stuff in it, add Cl remover, wait, let it be .....

Certainly that is not common sense…what grade of school taught you that??

Anyway, what you say is true but he increased solubility of hot water, BUT this also means less overall buildup in the pipes…

Also, my condo is 8 months old,,, I suspect this is not significant concern.

 

[Synirr]

I do water changes on my tanks once a week and always mix hot with cold during the winter since I use a Python. Never had a problem, but then again, I don't have any highly sensitive fish.

 

[Tolak]

Water companies do adjust for usage, sometimes overcompensating a bit to err on the side of caution. This more often concerns the use of chlorine & chloramine than any clarifying agents. A couple of friends of mine who work a little further down the line than director agree with this statement, as they are the ones doing it. One of them is a breeder, mostly corys, used to do guppies.

The further away from the source the water needs to go, the more intermediate pumping stations needed to maintain pressure. As it goes through these pumping and holding facilities, more chlorine & chloramine is added, as chlorine evaporates out, and there is risk of contamination with every mile more of pipe that is contacted. These suburbs buy the water from Chicago, add a little chlorine and such, then up the price. After going through a few different facilities, the water at the end of the line near Joliet has quite a bit more chlorine & chloramine than tap water near the lake.

They will also kick up the chemicals towards the end of the evening, knowing that a large quantity will be sitting overnight, and used at a rapid rate starting early in the morning. A little extra chlorine won't hurt people, too little with a lot of people getting ill from bad water is a disaster. Home aquariums are the least of their worries.

In Chicago, they have what is considered the best tap water in the U.S. I'm sure the quality, as well as quality control of the water is there, in Chicago. When you take into account the pumping stations, and added chemicals as the water gets further from the source, the quantity of chemicals can, and does vary. Throw in your typical municipal employee, who is no brain surgeon & got the job by who he knows more than what he knows, and you have chemical variances from day to day, if not hour to hour.

 

[fishatlas1]

While it's true that the hot water dissolves some minerals like copper from the pipes you will most likely (unless you have a serious plumbing issue) never get enough out of there to harm anything in your tank. Aside from the fact that it's mostly IN the pipes rather than the water, and is usually run out in a few seconds after the water is on which means it's pretty much cleared and down the drain by the time you get the water to temp.

The only time I could see it as being ANY problem would be using it in an marine tank with inverts that are copper intolerant, but even then I doubt there would be a significant amount actually getting into the water.

I use the hot, and even used it when I had a marine tank with hermits, shrimp, and anemones. Never had a problem, and it never read anything on the CI test either, and my house is 60 years old with copper pipes.

 

[newfishaddict]

Water companies do adjust for usage, sometimes overcompensating a bit to err on the side of caution. This more often concerns the use of chlorine & chloramine than any clarifying agents. A couple of friends of mine who work a little further down the line than director agree with this statement, as they are the ones doing it. One of them is a breeder, mostly corys, used to do guppies.

The further away from the source the water needs to go, the more intermediate pumping stations needed to maintain pressure. As it goes through these pumping and holding facilities, more chlorine & chloramine is added, as chlorine evaporates out, and there is risk of contamination with every mile more of pipe that is contacted. These suburbs buy the water from Chicago, add a little chlorine and such, then up the price. After going through a few different facilities, the water at the end of the line near Joliet has quite a bit more chlorine & chloramine than tap water near the lake.

They will also kick up the chemicals towards the end of the evening, knowing that a large quantity will be sitting overnight, and used at a rapid rate starting early in the morning. A little extra chlorine won't hurt people, too little with a lot of people getting ill from bad water is a disaster. Home aquariums are the least of their worries.

In Chicago, they have what is considered the best tap water in the U.S. I'm sure the quality, as well as quality control of the water is there, in Chicago. When you take into account the pumping stations, and added chemicals as the water gets further from the source, the quantity of chemicals can, and does vary. Throw in your typical municipal employee, who is no brain surgeon & got the job by who he knows more than what he knows, and you have chemical variances from day to day, if not hour to hour.

Yes, however this is not a concern for me, I decholrinate based on what level of chlorine and chloramine is left residual in the water at my tap...