A watched pot never boils. There’s a reason we say that. Waiting for a big pot of water to boil can try our patience. It seems like the longer you stare at it the longer it takes to boil. Then, once you turn your back, presto, it starts to boil. Since your kitchen faucet is a source of scalding hot water, why not fill the pot with hot water to start with? Wouldn’t already hot water boil faster? Maybe it will even prove that old aphorism wrong!
See also: Does Adding Salt to Water Make Pasta (and other foods) Cook Faster?
The answer is a qualified yes. Of course, if you use hot tap water in your pot, it will boil faster. How much faster? It depends on the amount of water and the temperature setting on your hot water heater. Expect four quarts of water to boil from 1.5 to 2 minutes faster. That is not much of a time savings.
Once you consider the disadvantages of using hot tap water, you’ll probably decide that you can deal with an additional 2 minutes or less to boil a pot of water. The problem is that there are still a lot of lead pipes supplying water to American homes. If your home was built before 1940 it may even have lead service lines supplying its water, in addition to municipal lines probably having lead pipes.
You can’t do anything about lead that has already leached into the water before it reaches the vicinity of your home unless you filter all your water. However, if you do have lead in your service lines or other fixtures, hot water will leach lead out much more quickly. That’s why it’s best to let water cool down completely and run for 3 to 5 minutes before drinking it or using it to cook. If you know your service lines are not lead, it’s still good to let the water run from 30 to 60 seconds.
Will a Water Filter Help?
If you are worried about lead in your water, you can purchase a water filter to remove it, but make sure the filter you choose can remove lead since not all filters can. But, having a filter doesn’t mean you can use hot water for boiling since you cannot run hot water through filters or you’ll ruin the cartridges.
Many commonly sold faucet mount and inline (under the sink) filtration water filtration devices will reduce lead in the water, in addition to other substances.
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To remove 99% of lead and other impurities from water, a reverse osmosis system is the most commonly used. A popular choice is the APEC Systems Reverse Osmosis Water Filter, which is inexpensive and easy to install. A big advantage is that the manufacturers clearly state that the unit removes 99% of lead, arsenic, other heavy metals, and chlorine. Many filtering systems, including whole house systems, do not clearly state the amount of lead they can remove, and claim only to “effectively reduce lead” or “target lead.”
Common faucet mount water filters with carbon filter cartridges can effectively remove lead. The Brita Faucet Mount System states that it removes 98.7% of lead, and reduces sediment, and chlorine (taste and odor), while also reducing chemicals that may be linked to cancer risk (TTHM, benzene, TCE, toxaphene) that may be in your water.
Based on independent tests, most models of filter pitchers do an excellent job at removing most common heavy metals including lead, mercury, and cadmium. Arsenic removal tends to be hit or miss. Some pitchers will remove all arsenic while others will remove only a fraction of it. Check for a guarantee on heavy metal removal, including arsenic, before purchasing.
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