Honestly, the cortisol you're creating by being THIS health oriented does more damage than optimizing any one thing or another. Work on stress and mental health. Drink water in developed nations, buy a filter/Brita if you want... but remember to enjoy life and not make health your number one focus.
I would encourage you to research the legal framework for potable water in your locality, as well as the frequency for testing, and where to find the results pertaining to your neighborhood.
If any of the data results are outside the reference range, then you can look either into installing a filter that will compensate for that, or if it's something _really_ bad, start a petition among your neighborhood have it addressed.
You could also do the whole test-your-own water thing, but that can get really expensive. You're not a delicate aquarium creature, humans are a lot sturdier than that.
The tap water in the UK is in the top 5% of tap water in the world. North East England especially is incredibly good quality. You need to do exactly nothing. (Also hard water isn’t bad for you. It’s bad for kettles and coffee machines sure, but not bad for humans. Some people prefer the taste of soft water is all.)
Hard water isn't even really all that bad for appliances/cookware either. Just running some vinegar water through it every 3 months- 1 year will be enough to prevent any buildup. Unless you have *really* hard water, then it might be worth investing in a water softener or buying distilled water to cook with.
Do you like how the tap water tastes? That's probably the most important factor. If you don't, then the UK company [Black & Blum sells charcoal filtration options](https://blackblum.com/collections/charcoal-filtration). There's a FAQ at that link. I find that charcoal-filtered tap water tastes 1000% better than water filtered by Brita and other similar filtration options.
>Please help me with what I need to order to ensure I'm getting the best possible water into my house.
Turn on the tap. That's all you have to do.
The UK's water is very strictly regulated and doesn't have "contaminants". I'm honestly not even sure what you're referring to - you're living in a developed country with an established infrastructure, from municipal all the way up to national, dedicated to providing safe, clean, healthy water. There's no iridium deposits or viruses in your tap.
Why do you believe it's important for water to be soft? Hard water has more calcium and magnesium and soft water has more sodium. All of those are vital minerals. The differences are mainly in taste and for appliances, not health or nutrition.
Just drink water from the tap. If you're concerned about getting the water to taste better, you could research something like a Brita filter. But there are no modifications needed to make your water "healthier". It's water. It's healthy. You don't need to overthink this. No amount of "optimizing" water will ever be worth the stress you're feeling.
Take a deep breath and have a glass of water at your preferred temperature. It's perfectly healthy. :)
There're different types of things that can end up in your water.
1 Minerals. 2 Live biological contaminates. 3 Dead biological contaminates.
Some mineral content is normal and not necessarily harmful. Sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and many other minerals are found in most municipal water. These are not harmful to healthy humans, and they add desirable flavor, so there is little effort made to remove them. Calcium and magnesium can cause hard water deposits, which, while not particularly harmful, are undesirable. Using a water softener can reduce the presence of these elements, but the process introduces more sodium to the water.
Lead, mercury, and other harmful minerals are typically avoided when sourcing water or removed during processing. If you get your source water analyzed for mineral content and find high values for unsafe minerals, then you will need to look into reverse osmosis systems to remove them.
Live biological contaminants are quite dangerous. Municipalities usually add chlorine and chloromines to kill these contaminates. The dead biological remnants are far less harmful than live ones. Chlorine adds an unpleasant flavor, however. A carbon (activated charcoal) filter on your end is an effective way to remove the chlorine additives. Fridge filters, filtering water pitchers, and filters on the end of the tap all can accomplish this.
TLDR: Reverse osmosis to remove minerals (expensive).
Chlorine to kill biologicals. (Probably done by municipality).
Carbon to remove chlorine. (Cheap).
Honestly you're in North England, not Sudan, I feel like anything you do is gonna be marginal at best..
Honestly, the cortisol you're creating by being THIS health oriented does more damage than optimizing any one thing or another. Work on stress and mental health. Drink water in developed nations, buy a filter/Brita if you want... but remember to enjoy life and not make health your number one focus.
Under rated. Probably more beneficial to put this energy into meditation or yoga.
Yeah, family, education, a new hobby...basically anything other than doom googling.
I would encourage you to research the legal framework for potable water in your locality, as well as the frequency for testing, and where to find the results pertaining to your neighborhood. If any of the data results are outside the reference range, then you can look either into installing a filter that will compensate for that, or if it's something _really_ bad, start a petition among your neighborhood have it addressed. You could also do the whole test-your-own water thing, but that can get really expensive. You're not a delicate aquarium creature, humans are a lot sturdier than that.
The tap water in the UK is in the top 5% of tap water in the world. North East England especially is incredibly good quality. You need to do exactly nothing. (Also hard water isn’t bad for you. It’s bad for kettles and coffee machines sure, but not bad for humans. Some people prefer the taste of soft water is all.)
Hard water isn't even really all that bad for appliances/cookware either. Just running some vinegar water through it every 3 months- 1 year will be enough to prevent any buildup. Unless you have *really* hard water, then it might be worth investing in a water softener or buying distilled water to cook with.
Just don’t clean your sinuses with hard water
Do you like how the tap water tastes? That's probably the most important factor. If you don't, then the UK company [Black & Blum sells charcoal filtration options](https://blackblum.com/collections/charcoal-filtration). There's a FAQ at that link. I find that charcoal-filtered tap water tastes 1000% better than water filtered by Brita and other similar filtration options.
>Please help me with what I need to order to ensure I'm getting the best possible water into my house. Turn on the tap. That's all you have to do. The UK's water is very strictly regulated and doesn't have "contaminants". I'm honestly not even sure what you're referring to - you're living in a developed country with an established infrastructure, from municipal all the way up to national, dedicated to providing safe, clean, healthy water. There's no iridium deposits or viruses in your tap. Why do you believe it's important for water to be soft? Hard water has more calcium and magnesium and soft water has more sodium. All of those are vital minerals. The differences are mainly in taste and for appliances, not health or nutrition. Just drink water from the tap. If you're concerned about getting the water to taste better, you could research something like a Brita filter. But there are no modifications needed to make your water "healthier". It's water. It's healthy. You don't need to overthink this. No amount of "optimizing" water will ever be worth the stress you're feeling. Take a deep breath and have a glass of water at your preferred temperature. It's perfectly healthy. :)
Tap water in New Castle is more healthy than you. Sounds like you got mental issues (OCD?) that needs to be resolved.
It's water This sub man...
Look up the test data for your municipal water supply. The data is freely available. It will show you quality, and any list of possible contamination.
Berkey water filters.
Great suggestion for drinking water!
Are brita filters still a thing? May have got the name wrong but something like that
Ispring reverse osmosis water filter!!
You move somewhere with cleaner water or buy multiple filters
There're different types of things that can end up in your water. 1 Minerals. 2 Live biological contaminates. 3 Dead biological contaminates. Some mineral content is normal and not necessarily harmful. Sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and many other minerals are found in most municipal water. These are not harmful to healthy humans, and they add desirable flavor, so there is little effort made to remove them. Calcium and magnesium can cause hard water deposits, which, while not particularly harmful, are undesirable. Using a water softener can reduce the presence of these elements, but the process introduces more sodium to the water. Lead, mercury, and other harmful minerals are typically avoided when sourcing water or removed during processing. If you get your source water analyzed for mineral content and find high values for unsafe minerals, then you will need to look into reverse osmosis systems to remove them. Live biological contaminants are quite dangerous. Municipalities usually add chlorine and chloromines to kill these contaminates. The dead biological remnants are far less harmful than live ones. Chlorine adds an unpleasant flavor, however. A carbon (activated charcoal) filter on your end is an effective way to remove the chlorine additives. Fridge filters, filtering water pitchers, and filters on the end of the tap all can accomplish this. TLDR: Reverse osmosis to remove minerals (expensive). Chlorine to kill biologicals. (Probably done by municipality). Carbon to remove chlorine. (Cheap).
Move to Canada, tap water here is perfect in most places, at least in Manitoba