With more than 30 years’ experience in the residential and commercial water treatment space, Mark Nelson is a Class 1 Drinking-Water Operator and a CBWA (Canadian Bottled Water Association) Certified Plant Operator. As founder and president of Nelson Water in Ottawa, Mark focuses on dealing with challenging water treatment system designs for problem water. He also heads the largest water bottling plant in the city of Ottawa with a delivery network throughout the Valley.
We need to drink adequate volumes of clean and fresh water each day to stay fit and healthy. Many essential bodily functions rely on the consumption of water and when your water tastes bad it’s hard to drink enough. In this article, we will look at nine common causes of bad tasting (and smelling) water, their causes, and how to fix them.
1. A Bitter Taste
If your tap water tastes harsh and bitter this is usually caused by high concentrations of Total Dissolved Solids or TDS. This is often referred to as hard water, which is technically correct, but the true scope of TDS is beyond the scope of this article. Another possible cause of bitterness is the corrosion of copper pipes in your home plumbing system.
The Solution: If you have copper plumbing pipes an upgrade to new PEX or PVC pipes may be necessary. If you already have up to date plumbing consider a ceramic filter or a reverse osmosis or RO filtration system to remove the TDS.
2. A Fishy or Dirty Taste
Private well water can have a mineral or earthy taste when consumed in its raw form. Drinking untreated well water is not recommended because it’s likely to contain harmful microorganisms and other contaminants. Public water with similar characteristics may have been exposed to algae or other contaminants that were not removed during the treatment process. When water contains algae, it can smell fishy or musty and it’s certainly not palatable for drinking or cooking purposes.
The Solution: Installing a ceramic filter or RO filtration system will remove the contaminants and make the water taste fresh and clean.
3. A “Swimming Pool” Taste and Odor
Most municipal water treatment plants add chlorine or chloramine (chlorine mixed with ammonia) to the water supply. Chlorine is a tried and tested disinfectant, but it does impart a “swimming pool” taste and odor to drinking water that many people cannot tolerate. This is particularly true if you live closer to the water treatment plant. The water supplier adds extra chlorine to the water to maintain the disinfection properties throughout the journey through the delivery network. So, if you live closer, you will have a higher concentration of chlorine in your drinking water.
The Solution: Adding an activated carbon water filter or a RO filtration system will remove the chlorine taste and odor.
4. A Metallic Taste
The usual cause of a metallic taste is the presence of high concentrations of dissolved minerals, including iron, zinc, magnesium, and others. Although this may be unpalatable it’s important to state that these metals do not represent a serious threat to human health. The main problem with dissolved metals is that they can cause damage to your plumbing pipes and fixtures.
The Solution: The RO filtration or an ultrafiltration system can remove dissolved metals.
5. A “Rotten Egg” Taste or Odor
Our sense of taste and smell are closely linked and the “rotten egg” odor is certainly a strong trigger for most people. The cause is usually hydrogen sulfide gas that is most noticeable when the tap is turned on. This is a pretty common occurrence in private wells and hydrogen sulfide can cause a lot of damage to plumbing pipes and water heaters.
The Solution: A ceramic filter system can remove hydrogen sulfide bacteria.
6. A Taste of Gasoline or Diesel Fuel
When drinking water tastes or smells like gasoline or diesel fuel, there are a number of possible causes, and none of them are easy to fix. There may be a nearby fuel storage tank that’s leaking into the groundwater or runoff from a nearby facility is the source. But, no matter the cause, it’s important to stop using the water immediately because it contains harmful chemicals.
The Solution: The water must be tested, public water suppliers should be contacted and you may need to hire a local plumbing company.
7. A Salty Taste
The typical culprit is chloride ions in high concentrations and this is more common in coastal areas. Another possible cause is the presence of sulfates that can make water taste very salty. Soil contains sulfates which can be washed into surface water or can seep into groundwater as runoff passes through it. Finally, road salt can enter reservoirs after periods of snowfall and heavy rain.
The Solution: A RO filtration system can remove all of these contaminants.
8. A Sweet Taste
This is typically caused by the presence of elevated concentrations of certain dissolved minerals, such as iron and calcium. But, another possible cause could be an alkaline imbalance in the water which can be confirmed with a water testing kit.
The Solution: If you have a high pH level a RO filtration system or ceramic filter can help. If you have a low pH level adding an alkaline ionization filter may fix the problem.
9. No Bad Taste or Odor
There are many contaminants that cannot be detected with our senses. This includes microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, and cysts that we cannot see. Without clues, the only way to check for the presence of these contaminants is a laboratory water test. A home testing kit is not sufficiently accurate when you need to understand the makeup of your water supply to make informed decisions.
The Solution: A laboratory water test, followed by a consultation with a local water treatment specialist to find the right treatment method to suit your needs. In many cases, an ultraviolet or UV purification system will be the ideal solution.
In Conclusion
Odors can be a little difficult to identify because a bad smell may be linked to a clogged drain or other problem. The bad odor may be caused by the flow of water from a faucet but the source of the problem could be a leak, crack, or break elsewhere in the system. It’s also important to note that the similarity of tastes and odors can be confusing at times. Sometimes it’s tricky to know where a taste ends and a smell begins. So, a bad taste or foul odor is a good indicator that something is wrong, but our senses cannot replace a laboratory water test.
If you want to improve the quality of your drinking water, contact your local water treatment specialist today.