I’ve been drinking tap water all my life and I have to wonder: Tap water pipes have a lifespan of 50 years, without any regular cleaning and maintenance. I have to clean my aquarium every week and even after cleaning it I wouldn’t drink from it. I know light and air play it’s role, but still, 50 years? Is the inside of the pipes really staying that clean or is it that the dirt in there doesn’t really bother us?
In: Engineering
Water treatment engineer here. In the US, our drinking water plants provide just enough chlorine to have a small residual (0.1-0.5 mg/L) by the time it hits your tap. It keeps the pipes clean and is a low enough dose that it isn’t carcinogenic to humans.
Europe doesn’t allow this (not saying if that’s good or bad) as they use UV disinfection mostly for water leaving their plants. The age of your pipes can also be a big deal and what they were constructed out of.
Latest Answers