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Firstly thank you for taking time to read this for me. Last week we were lucky enough to have our second daughter born. During getting some bits out of the roof I looked at the cold water tank as it was running. I’m a complete novice at plumbing but can fix a few things. To be honest I didn’t realise the cold water tank did anything except fill up the immersion tank for hot water when the boiler is on. However it was running because someone was running the cold tap in the kitchen. I looked inside and could see some bits floating around then a algae looking film on the bottom. It has a lid and is plastic. I saw a small spider floating as well. I then realised this is our drinking water! I immediately worried and decided to only use bottle water to drink. Especially with a week old baby to wash etc. So my question is how do I clean it out and do I have to use it? It seems as all the cold water and hot water taps are fed from this yucky tank. The two toilets flush and fill up without the tank water so they must be direct and that is what I would like all the cold water to come from? The boiler is a Glow worm flexicom 12hx and presume it heats the water in the immersion tank which gives us our hot water and also the central heating. The immersion tank must be fed from the yucky cold water tank so that’s not good either? Does this boiler need a cold water tank? Or an immersion? Need some help and advice as I don’t have the money for a call out charge of a plumber yet until I know what I’m dealing with. Thanks for any help
 
Your cold water in kitchen should be mains water only.???!!!!
Also your cold water on basin tap in bathroom ideally should be mains.
It could be as easy as joining the mains water pipe that feeds tank to the cold outlet pipe leaving tank and have that cold with a stopend on it. This would do as a temporary job.
 
Usually a kitchen sink will always be fed from mains...some older houses still has gravity fed colds from the attic tank. Never seen a kitchen sink fed from gravity tho. Ideally you shouldn't be drinking it no.
 
Your cold water in kitchen should be mains water only.???!!!!
Also your cold water on basin tap in bathroom ideally should be mains.
It could be as easy as joining the mains water pipe that feeds tank to the cold outlet pipe leaving tank and have that cold with a stopend on it. This would do as a temporary job.
Thank you for the quick reply. I was trying to work or a way of isolating the kitchen tap to check. So I could turn off the main water outside then try the taps as I would imagine if there’s any running water it will be from the attic water tank?
 
Thank you for the quick reply. I was trying to work or a way of isolating the kitchen tap to check. So I could turn off the main water outside then try the taps as I would imagine if there’s any running water it will be from the attic water tank?
But bear in mind you may have running water for quite a few seconds even with your external stopcock closed, as the water sitting in the pipes will run out first.

Siphon the cistern out with a hose. It is one of my favourite jobs. And the cistern should have a lid as a minimum (which isn't all it needs to bring it up to current standards, but it is a step in the right direction).
 
Re linking out the cold feed from the tank beware if you have a shower pump
 
Fact is, if you have a bent pipe dropping down from high level, that will be the vent from you HW tank so even if you clean it out now it will get dirty again.

In my opinion, you are best tracing the pipework from the tank to see where it feeds the bathroom's cold taps. They can then be very simply converted to mains to guarantee you what's called potable (drinking quality) water at the cold taps and as a WC fill (will be faster). The fill to the WC though NEEDS a backflow protection device - even though few get fitted.

Lastly, and this is from an old dad, it is VITAL your little 'un is exposed to all manner of stuff in the water etc. Although dead dogs are a little too far, this stuff builds their immune system and stops em being an allergy nightmare later in life. When stuff drops on the floor practise the 5 second rule. 5 secs or less and a quick wide is all it needs - unless it's dog poo obvs! Actually ours suffered a three week rule!

No need to fret, all can be resolved and be perfectly safe with just a little mod ;)
 
Thanks for the info everyone. I will check tomorrow to see which taps are mains fed. I will then get a price to see what it will cost to change any over to mains inlet. It’s outside of my personally skill set! Any ideas on prices? I guess it’s hard to say unless you see how much work is involved. So am I right in saying the cold water tank should only supply the immersion heater? And maybe toilets? If so when I wash any dishes by hand the hot water will have originally come from my guncky tank? I hope to have the cold taps from mains asap

Thanks again
 
In theory you should clean out the cistern annually. In practice the dirt tends to settle to the bottom and little gunk gets into your hot pipes. I do clean my own one out, but not annually, and, as long as it is covered, I usually find it isn't all that dirty anyway.

If it makes you feel any better, my own 'lid' is a sheet of polythene. I bought the house 12 years ago and the cistern was uncovered and that was my solution at the time, not being a plumber. Then inertia set in coupled with outrage at the cost of a circular lid... [EDIT - I'm not recommending this approach, but we all know how you can identify the cobbler's son].
 
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Thanks for the replies

I now just need to work out a way of cleaning the tank. What’s the best cleaner that’s safe afterwards to still wash from the water as it feeds my immersion tank and therefore the Hot taps that we wash with.

B034C274-6D87-468B-A985-CEECBDAE721F.jpeg
 
I would siphon it out with a hose as it will normally just lend itself to being sucked up, but I think Dave dislikes something in my approach, and he hasn't said what, so I don't know what to say now. Perhaps I'm wrong.
 
I would siphon it out with a hose as it will normally just lend itself to being sucked up, but I think Dave dislikes something in my approach, and he hasn't said what, so I don't know what to say now. Perhaps I'm wrong.

Thanks Ric
What is this at the bottom of the tank?? Any ideas? I’ll tie the ballcock up and let the tap run to fill up a few water butts. That way I don’t waste all the water! I should be able to scrub it out then and try again. I would like to have mains directly to the taps in the bathroom. I’m addition to this the 2 part zone valve has broken and have to have the heating on to get hot water! Unless I turn the the immersion heater on direct.... I have a new valve. But how much to have someone drain the system and fit the valve?
 
To me it looks like simple sediment our water system carries. It never gets washed through as its allowed to 'settle out' (as in settlement tanks)
 
Thanks for the replies

I now just need to work out a way of cleaning the tank. What’s the best cleaner that’s safe afterwards to still wash from the water as it feeds my immersion tank and therefore the Hot taps that we wash with.

View attachment 34724
All bacteria in the water are destroyed when heated and stored at 60 deg in the hot water cylinder, so don't worry too much!
 

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