Why Does My Water Taste Weird?
Bad-tasting water can be caused by a wide variety of impurities. For example, if your home receives water from a municipally treated source, the chances are pretty good that you’re tasting chemicals left over from the disinfection process. The most common culprit is chlorine, which is added to groundwater or surface water to kill any parasites, bacteria, and viruses that might be lurking there. It’s an important part of ensuring that your tap water is safe to drink and bathe in. But the smell and taste of it can be off-putting for many people, and it’s no longer needed by the time the water reaches your kitchen and bathroom faucets.
Apart from the treatment process, the source of your tap water often determines the impurities it’s likely to contain. Here are a few of the most common impurities that can affect how well your water passes the taste test:
Hydrogen Sulfide
This is the chemist’s name for the guilty party behind what’s often referred to as “sulfur water.” Hydrogen sulfide is a naturally occurring substance that’s safe for human consumption, but many people have no desire to consume it. Sulfur water gives off an obnoxious odor that is typically compared to rotten eggs, and the hydrogen sulfide undermines the flavor of the water as well.
Dissolved Metals
Excessive dissolved iron, copper, manganese, and zinc in your water can cause a metallic taste that many people find objectionable. These dissolved metals can occur naturally in groundwater, and tap water can also pick up a metallic taste after flowing through metal pipes.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
This term refers to a wide variety of chemical contaminants that can soak into the ground and make their way into the underground aquifer that supplies drinking water for much of the country. VOCs can also vaporize, spread through the air, and infiltrate surface water reservoirs that supply drinking water. Some of these contaminants can cause water to have a chemical taste and odor.
Sweetwater Home Services is a longtime residential water treatment company serving Austin, San Antonio, and many other communities throughout Central Texas. We offer a wide variety of water treatment solutions for both municipally treated and private well water, and our services begin with a free in-home water test. Contact us today for details.
