Hitchin Water: Quality, Hardness & Supplier Contact

If you have just moved home and or have some Hitchin water queries, you will be able to find who handles the Hitchin water supply as well as wastewater services in the information below. Additionally, we have tips on how to deal with Hitchin water hardness along with some money-saving tips so that you can enjoy quality tap water in your home.

Hitchin Water Supplier

Hitchin Water is supplied by Affinity Water. Here are the contact details for your Hitchin water supplier:

Hitchin sewerage and wastewater is handled by Anglian Water. Here are Hitchin sewerage and wastewater contact details:

Be aware that calls to numbers starting with 03 may be charged at local rates by your phone company.

Where does Hitchin water come from?

Affinity water gains 60% of its supplies from underground chalk aquifers. When the aquifer's supply lowers in the summer months this is then supplemented with alternative water sources such as boreholes until rainwater sufficiently restocks the aquifers. The water that is supplied from either of these sources goes through a rigorous testing and cleansing process before reaching your home to ensure that it is of high quality and meets safety standards.

Water Rates Hitchin

Water rates in Hitchin depend on whether your home has a water meter or not. You can easily find out whether your Hitchin water rates are metered by looking at your water bill. Homes that have metered Hitchin water rates will have a meter number listed on their water bills.

If you've just moved in or you don't have a bill handy, you can look outside your house or in the front garden for a meter. Sometimes the meter may be located inside your house near the stop tap. Having a meter would indicate that your home has metered water rates.

Homes that are not metered won't show a meter number on the bill, but they will have something called a rateable value of the home in their place. The rateable value is based on several factors such as your property's size, its location, the availability of local services, and is subject to review every 5 years. The rateable value of your home will have been determined by the local council in the 90s and is unlikely to have changed significantly since then.

Do you want to read more about water meters? Check out Selectra's essential guide to water meters.

The average water rates Hitchin residents are being charged result in an average water bill of around £417 a year. This amount combines both water supply and sewerage costs.

If you want to start saving some money on your water bill then our great guide to water rates will give you some simple tips & tricks to lower your water bill.

Hitchin Water Hardness

Hitchin water hardness is rated as very hard water. While rainwater itself is relatively soft, water hardness can change as it progresses through the water cycle. Due to the way water filters through rocks in Hitchin Water's supply area, Hitchin water picks up minerals, such as magnesium or calcium, on the way to your tap.

Hitchin's hard water rating means that the water in your home has an increased likelihood of leading to scaling in dishwashers, toilets, kettles and sinks. Here are a few simple things you can do to help mitigate the effects and occurrence of hard water furring or scaling in your home.

1. Kettles - Do not overfill your kettle with water, using only as much water as you need. You should also make sure that you clean your kettle by half-filling it with water and adding two tablespoons of white vinegar, leaving it for four hours in order to loosen scale build-up. Rinse and repeat to remove scale.
2. Dishwashers - Take advantage of the built-in water softener. Make sure you regularly top off it off with dishwasher salt in the appropriate compartment.
3. Baths, toilets and sinks - Use an acidic sanitiser regularly to clean susceptible surfaces in order to combat limescale deposits.

Can you drink the water in Hitchin?

Yes! You can drink the water in Hitchin. Hitchin's water was given a water quality score of 99.96% in overall mean zonal compliance by the UK Drinking Water Inspectorate, which means that your tap water is safe to drink without having to further filter or boil it.

Occasionally household water can change in its taste or odour. The majority of the time this is no need for concern, and could be for one of the following reasons:

1. Chlorination is a safe way to ensure hygiene throughout the pipe network. Adding a minimal and safe amount of chlorine to the water helps to ensure that bacterial presence is extremely low, increasing the standards of your drinking water.
2. Seasonal changes can infuse Hitchin water with an earthy smell or taste. As the source of your water can change location throughout the year, so too would the mineral attributes that your water picks up. This can cause minor flavour variations, giving your water a more chalky or metallic taste.
3. Plumbing can also contribute to the taste of your household water, adding metallic, salty or rubbery hints.

If you have questions about your water's taste, smell or appearance or the change in the quality of your water seems higher than usual, you should not hesitate to contact Affinity Water, who will provide you with further support and assistance.

Hitchin Water Problems

Hitchin water problems can include anything from burst water mains, flooding or even to having no water supply in your home. This is why it is important to make sure you know what to do and who to contact if you experience water emergencies.

If you notice a water leak or flooding outside your Hitchin property, you need to do one of the following:

1. If you are out and about, call or tweet Affinity Water, informing them of the nature of the incident and its location.
2. If you are near a computer, go to the "report a leak" section of Affinity Water and fill out the online form. You can also check their "What's happening in your area?" section to see if there are any ongoing works or known incidents that may be impacting the water in your area.

Hitchin No Water

If you have no water in your home, you need to find out if the issue is to do with your home plumbing or an Affinity Water outage impacting Hitchin.

1. Check the "In Your Area" sections of the Affinity Water website for any information explaining why you have no water.
2. Ask your neighbours whether they have the same issue as you. If they don't have the same problem, then the issue may be related to your homes plumbing rather than the supplier.
3. Check that your stop tap is open. If the tap is open and you have no water supply, this suggests a problem with the Affinity Water supply.

If you have no water, is it only no cold water or no hot water? If you have cold water but no hot water, the issue will be with your home plumbing and not the water company

If there is no cold water, not even a trickle, contact Affinity Water for assistance.

Hitchin Water Discolouration

If the water in your home is discoloured, the issue might be an Affinity Water issue impacting Hitchin.

1. Changes to the colour of the water in Hitchin may happen after a burst pipe has been repaired
2. Or, Affinity Water could have been carrying out upgrade work on the pipes in Hitchin
3. Water Discolouration is not harmful and can often be cleared by running the cold water tap until it becomes clear

If there is no improvement after trying this, you can contact Affinity Water for assistance.