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Drinking water safety question

View the thread, titled "Drinking water safety question" which is posted in UK Plumbers Forums on UK Plumbers Forums.

Hi, the water in my bathtub has been draining really slowly recently. I investigated it today and there was a large build up of gunk right under the plug hole, quite thick. I jabbed it hard with a stick and it completely dislodged and got sent down the pipes. I tried the taps again and the water was draining ok in the tub. However, I noticed after a minute of running the bath tub hot tap, suddenly the tap water would go a really dark colour then go light again.

Concerned I tried the bathroom sink tap and the same thing happened, it was ok initially then suddenly the water went a black colour, then back to clear again.

I've since tried running all the taps in the house over and over again and it hasn't happened, the water just looks normal now. I had a look on google as obviously I don't want to drink contaminated water or get sick. I read that there is a sewage exit point that all pipes connect into and if this gets blocked it can send contaminated water up the pipes again. I'm just wondering if maybe when I sent that gunk down the pipe that I prodded with the stick, it went down to the sewage pipe and was big enough to cause a temporary blockage hence the tap water changed colour? But that it's not happening or since now means it's not blocked, otherwise I'd be getting discoloured water. I don't know though - I have no experience in plumbing. Should I avoid drinking my tap water and get someone in to have a look, or does it sound like there's no problem now given the tap water looks ok in all my taps? I didn't think a bath tub blockage could contaminate my tap drinking water otherwise I would have got a plumber to sort it. thanks
 
Only drink water from the tap(s) that are connected directly to the 'mains' supply. This should never be discoloured or smell unusual. If it is, you can ask the water supply company to test and investigate.

The discolouration you've seen could have been caused by running the taps faster than normal as part of you drain-clearing project. This disturbed sediment in the pipes/tank. If you have a storage tank in your roof, it may be worth taking a look to see whether it is due for a clean.
 

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