2 Fold Question on PEX/BPA and using hot water from a tank vs using cold water

[schoellhorn82]

I have a stove top that i use nat. gas to heat my strike water in my basement. I have to lift heavy buckets of hot tap water and carry over to the pot on my stove. So in my effort to always make my brewing days less work, i am considering running a water line over to the stove and fill up from there. Here's my questions:

I like using PEX and gaterbites due to easy installation and cost, but does PEX have/leach BPA from the piping?

Also, does anyone use hot tap water from the hot water tank to speed up heating their water? I never thought that there may be danger in using hot water but just read on a plumbing forum that hot water is ONLY to be used for cleaning and cold water is to be used for cooking. Can anyone shed some light here for me? Thanks in advance.

 

[billl]

Pex is food grade, so that part is fine.

Whether your hot water is good for brewing really depends on your water source. Hot water heaters undoubtedly collect gunk. They should be flushed periodically to keep it from building up. Depending on where you are in that process, your hot water may have higher levels of gunk than your normal water.

 

[brewpal]

I have used hot water tank water for all stages of brewing for several years now with great success. Last year I replaced the gas hot water heater with a larger modern one and added a convenience hot water faucet in the garage using pex. On brew day I crank the tank to max and and get 150+ deg water which reduces heating time for strike water. I even use the water directly from the tank for sparging without additional heating.

If your water supply is decent and your tank in good shape it should be possible to use the hot water for brewing.

Good luck.