New build house drying skin out + other issues / water tastes horrid

[LucasBall23]

We moved to this area of Scotland 5 years ago and I instantly noticed there was often a back taste of TCP in the water.

A year ago we moved into a new build property - not new to us tho, the property is just coming up to 3 years old.

We had noticed but weren't certain that our skin has become much drier. For the first 5 months I would get out of the shower and the skin would literally be popping and peeling off my finger tips in sheets. My hands and cuticles can sometimes be on the drier side but nothing like this. It was like paint blistering in the sun.

I did put it down to COvid which I had just as we moved in. But have also noticed my 7 yos skin is constantly dry and rashy, but again not can be reactive but this is just all the time now they have patches like sandpaper.

Casually mentioned to DH and he said yes he had noticed too on himself but didn't know whether he was imagining it.

The TCP taste as gradually gotten worse over the past 6 months and is MUCH worse in this house than in the first house we had in this town. Past few days it is undrinkable.

This has maybe been especially noticeable as we have been living away - we are having quite a lot of Reno work and decorating work done plus a new kitchen installed, so we had a month in a friend of a friends holiday house on the other side of town to get away from worst of mess. TCP taste was there in that house but not like it is in our house.

We had them had two weeks back in house then 10 days in Italy. Just back last Fri.

DH says his hands became insanely dry a few days after moving back in and that in the month away they seemed to improve, he thought it was to do with the weather warming up whilst we were living away but still very warm and the dryness was back.

And I have noticed it these past few days cuticles are starting to lift and split again, I had noticed how lovely my hands had been looking whilst in the friends holiday house. Also despite moisturizing after a shower yesterday I have white powdery dryness back again on arms and legs, not noticed this in ages.

I also noticed how awful my hair is, I don't often blow dry my hair but it has often felt like dolls hair/chewing gum in this house when I have, not so much in the holiday home and felt lovely on holiday Italy. Notice how hard it is to work conditioner through in this house also.

And the water in the past couple of days is practically undrinkable it taste so strongly of TCP really nasty.

I have phoned Scottish water but they are saying as we don't have and kitchen tap installed yet - kitchen on final fit. They can't take a sample.

Just to note products we have used (bar conditioners which I have chopped and changed) have been the same for us all for the good part of a yr and whilst away - I took our own had soap away as find hotel soap drying.

Also and I know this sounds slightly more far fetched but I have had terrible perimenopause symptoms since moving into this house. Better with HRT but still there - brain fog and confusion and exhaustion is a big thing. Anyway in Italy I felt noticeably so much better, it was more than just being away it felt like the vale of confusion has lifted. Past two days it is all back with a vengeance feel like I am living in cotton wool, slow in thought and in body. Had a big convo with DH this morning and he has noticed too. He said it's like I have gone back into the parallel world.

Could it be something in the house/water causing this?

Sounds very much like you have a hard water issue. It makes your water taste awful and is very drying to skin/hair hands etc. My PIL have this and my MIL says her hair and skin are very dry because of it. She loves it when she comes to us because she says she showers and washes her hair and her hair feels lovely and soft and that our water tastes delicious where hers is undrinkable.

Have you noticed limescale build up on your shower/in your kettle? As this can also be another sign of hard water.

You need to get the water tested and if it is a hard water issue I do believe there are water softening systems that you can have installed in your home that do something to soften the water as it enters your home.

Sounds horrible though. I hope you get to the bottom of it and can get it sorted.

Most water in Scotland is soft - does your water supply come from a borehole?

It's very unlikely to be a hard water issue in Scotland. Are you close to the water treatment works? If you're near the top of a network the tap water can taste of chemicals more because it's dosed (usually with chlorine) to ensure it remains safe to drink, but the chemicals decay as the water travels down the pipes. There has to be enough dosed so that it's still safe at the furthest away part of the network but if you're up at the start of the network it can be obvious in the taste, and could potentially be affecting your skin.

@SabrinaThwaite not according to Google. But will investigate that we're not on some weird supply with it being new

25 miles east of the treatment works apparently @MiddleAgedDread how close does close after to, we are closer by 5 miles than we were before and it is stronger right enough but 25 miles feels a way out.

oh no that's quite a way, i wouldn't expect that to have an impact then

So plucked up the courage to ask a neighbour and they have noticed exactly the same thing!! Said they thought they were going mad!! she is actually planning to investigate an under the sink water filter over the summer whilst off work.

Just to update everyone, water company came back to us and said yes we are actually really close to the treatment tank and the testing at the sink showed 0.8 something of chlorine and they dose at 1.0 something, so it is a relatively high concentration than if you lived further away...but that the WHO says up 5.0 is safe -y skin would be peeling off in strips!!!!

They have said it is only particularly sensitive people that are affected - but surely that can't be my whole house, I don't know what the percentage in terms of the population is but something tells me that would be less than a whole household.

Two neighbors have also reported the same problem.

My skin on my hands has been awful, cracking peeling, bleeding, swollen. we're away at the moment, less than 3 full days have been just doing my moisturising routine I would normally do. In fact last night had one too many wines and forgot to moisturise hands before bed. My skin has almost completely healed and DC's skin feels so soft, thats despite being in the swimming pool for an hr yesterday which is presumably full of chlorine. The DC's skin feels beautiful too, seems so much less rashy.

There is clearly something going on. The second neighbour is relatively new and messaged us rather than the other way round I think they only have contact details for us - just detailing that because it's not like we put the thought in their heads.

I feel this is not good enough your water should not make your skin bleed and itch and the taste shouldn't make you feel sick regardless.

This sounds terribly wrong to me. I have sensitive skin and even when living in hard water areas, don't suffer the way you do.

As a starting point, I would team up with the two neighbours who are also suffering and pay to get the water tested independently of the people who are actually providing it to you. A UKAS approved laboratory might be the way to go - I'm no expert.

I wouldn’t have put it past your water company to have tested for chlorine and chlorine only.

Talk to an independently laboratory. In Australia, I spoke to a health inspector at the council about a different matter and he gave me a couple of names. I don’t think he was supposed to.

Or, just thinking off the top of your head, your local university may have a lecturer in public health or something who could steer you in the right direction.

I think this is very smart!