Commercial kitchen water supply and potable water requirements UK
Food businesses need an adequate supply of safe water for the activities carried out on site. This guide explains potable water, hot and cold water, food and equipment washing, supply failures and private-water considerations without inventing a one-size-fits-all plumbing specification.
Practical guidance from TKEG (The Kitchen Efficiency Group), built around everyday UK hospitality compliance and kitchen operations.
What does potable water mean in a commercial kitchen?
Potable means water that is safe and suitable for drinking. Water used where it can affect food safety — including food washing and many cleaning activities — needs to be of appropriate drinking quality.
A normal mains supply will be the usual source for many hospitality businesses. Where a private supply such as a borehole, spring or well is used, additional risk assessment, monitoring or treatment requirements can apply.
Where does a kitchen need hot and cold water?
Food premises need water appropriate to the activities carried out. Hand-wash basins require suitable running water, while facilities for cleaning and disinfecting utensils and equipment need an adequate supply of hot and cold water.
Food-washing sinks also need an adequate water supply of drinking quality. The exact layout and number of facilities should reflect the size, menu, processes and contamination risks of the business.
Water used for washing food
Fruit, vegetables and other foods that require washing should be washed with water of drinking quality. Where necessary, food washing should be separated from equipment washing to prevent contamination.
A food sink should be kept clean and disinfected appropriately. Avoid turning it into general storage or allowing dirty equipment, chemicals or waste to compromise a food-preparation control.
Cleaning equipment and utensils
Cleaning and disinfection depend on suitable facilities as well as the correct chemicals and method. Premises should have adequate facilities for cleaning, disinfecting and storing utensils and equipment, with an adequate hot and cold water supply.
If the normal washing facility fails, the business should assess whether an alternative method genuinely controls the risk rather than simply continuing service as normal.
What if the water supply stops?
A loss of water can affect handwashing, food preparation, cleaning, dishwashing, ice production, toilets and other essential controls at the same time. The response should therefore be based on what can still be done safely.
Restrict or stop affected activities when safe controls cannot be maintained. Record the incident, affected processes, corrective actions and the checks made before returning to normal operation.
Private water supplies
Businesses using a private water supply should not assume that clear-looking water is safe. Private supplies used by food businesses can fall within specific regulatory monitoring and risk-assessment arrangements administered by local authorities.
If your premises uses a borehole, spring, well or other private source, establish who is responsible for the supply, what testing is required, whether treatment is installed and what happens if results are unsatisfactory.
Useful water-supply records
Useful evidence may include private-water test results where applicable, treatment or filter maintenance, water-outage incident records, corrective actions, plumbing or equipment repair records and relevant cleaning checks.
The purpose is not paperwork for its own sake. Records should help demonstrate that an identified water-related risk was controlled and that action was taken when something went wrong.
Practical guidance, checked against official UK sources.
TKEG guidance is written for practical hospitality use. Where a topic involves regulation, official schemes or workplace safety, businesses should also consult the current guidance from the relevant authority and apply it to their own operation.
TKEG is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Food Standards Agency, HSE or a local authority. Official guidance and legal requirements take precedence where applicable.
Put the guidance through a practical check
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Continue with closely related guidance
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Common questions
Does a commercial kitchen need potable water?
Yes. Water used for food washing and other uses where water quality can affect food safety needs to be of appropriate drinking quality.
Does every kitchen need both hot and cold water?
Food premises need water facilities appropriate to their activities. Handwashing, equipment cleaning and food washing each have relevant requirements, including adequate running water and hot/cold supplies where specified.
Can a restaurant use a private water supply?
Potentially, but private supplies used by food businesses can be subject to local-authority risk assessment, monitoring and treatment requirements. The business should establish the applicable controls before relying on the supply.
Can a kitchen stay open during a water outage?
Only if the activities continuing can still be carried out safely. If handwashing, cleaning, food preparation or other essential hygiene controls cannot be maintained, affected activities should be restricted or stopped.
Do I need to record water checks?
There is no universal daily water-log requirement for every mains-fed kitchen. Records become particularly useful for private supplies, treatment systems, outages, repairs and corrective actions.
Turn the paperwork into a working system.
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