An old idea where a hot water storage tank in the loft supplied the water to the taps and dirt or the odd dead pigeon may be in the tank as well.
All comes from one perfectly safe supply these days with mains pressure water heaters.
Testing for legionella on the hot tap where the supply is above 60c shouldn’t an issue.
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Can’t recall being told anything like that as a child… but it would certainly have made a lasting impression on me NOT to drink the hot water… 
I don’t know why, but have always thought water from the hot tap has a taste to it 
That’ll be the pigeon, or …
Maybe the dechlorination improves it?
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Direct mains supply, so no tank and two new chauffe-eau and pipework, both houses the are the same.
Must be the heating of the water taking out the chlorine?
When I was a kid we were told not to drink from hot tap because of likely lead or zinc poisoning,possibly the hot water stored in the tanks allowed the metals to leach off the poisonous sulphates, might be just hearsay, but we believed it to be true.
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Yes could well be true to, dont know if hot water passed through internal lead piping, before my time, only known copper but certainly zinc water tanks were common. Thankfully consigned to history and not applicable to mains fed systems.
I will test my hot water in france for chlorine when I am there next unless someone else would like to do that if they have a pool test kit (not dip strips).
Have to let it cool first. In France I use the hot tap to fill the kettle on occasions as it takes less time to boil it.
It shouldn’t be dripping at all, either water pessure to high or faulty or calc 'd up or something else in the safety valve, try reducing the inflow pressure and turning the knob a few times on the safety valve
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You’ve gone and done it now Wozza, just when everyone else convinced me that it was normal, and only the degree was questionable.
When you say calced up, what/where do you mean? In the hotwater pipe from the heater, the groupe de securite or the overflow pipe running down from it? There is definitely calc in the overflow and I am trying to get somewhere to buy a flexible tool to clear it. Nothing closer than 15 kms from here though and I have been rather busy with other things the last few days.
In the GdS on the seat seal and other parts. Spray with white vinegar, see if that helps also as said earlier pressure also.
No not normal at all unless to much pressure in the tank, you mentioned having two different tanks so I imagine they are both on the same feed so th water pressure is the same, so that may not be the problem. If the group de Securite is calc’d up as mentioned turn the knob on the side of it a few times (expect and prepare yourself as it sperts out) and this may help free up the calc, if it doesn’t then you should turn off the supply valve to the tank and then drain the tank, either dismantle from the tank and soak in vinegar or lemon juice or buy a new one and fit. You will probably need some tefon tape and replace the washers.
I my experience of dealing with these (I’ve got 3 ballons), there are always a few drips from the safety valve - as the water expands during the heating cycle, the pressure in the tank increases.
If its a constant stream of water, then the incoming pressure is too high and you either need a pressure reducing valve on your incoming supply or on the input to the tank.
Yes but if you reduce the incoming pressure the rise in temperature and therefore pressure wont get above the relief valve pressure.
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After turning down the heat setting by 50% yesterday it took 6 hours to drip a litre rather than the 5 before, but the water is only warm, no-where near piping hot as it used to be. I will re-adjust to 75% of max today and see if that produces acceptable hot water.
I can live with the drips, as before with the old tank, as long as no damage is being done or danger incurred.
Only to your water bill and the environment through wasting drinking water.
Maybe…but every one of these valves I’ve ever seen has always had drips of water (live in a soft water area so no problems with calcification).
Maybe no one bothers to set the pressures slightly lower because they dont undetstand? I have very hard water and mine only drips when it calcaires.
So if I don’t waste this dripped water, but use it in place of drawing from the tap, do I eliminate environmental and financial damage? 
Would I be right in thinking that this collected water, originating from condensation (does It?), is actually purer and more beneficial to drink? If so, I could help the environment and bank balance even more by collecting it and avoid buying the bottle stuff.
Please excuse the ignorance, I chose arts options at school rather than sciences.
Imagine my chagrin when I did well in a physics exam (simply by learning all the ‘laws’ parrot fashion) but badly in a French one (complacency) and was thus denied the desired option of German. 
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Probably best not to drink it unless boiled in the kettle first, or use it for cooling downyour dish washing water/give to the dog etc