You may notice an unusual odor in your tap water and become concerned. You likely don’t want to drink the water only to fall sick. Additionally, the odor may interfere with your domestic chores. For example, it may transfer to the food you prepare or on your clothes after laundry, undermining your quality of life.
Unfortunately, many people do not know the common causes of odor in tap water. Thus, this blog provides an overview of the causes, including feasible remedies.
Common Causes of Water Odor
You have three common causes of odor in tap water; they vary depending on the contributing factor.
A prevalent type entails odors arising from medicinal or chemical reagents. For example, adding excess chlorine to water may alter your tap water’s odor and color.
Excess chlorine addition is common among homes that rely on public water suppliers. The chlorine reacts with metal ions in the hard water, forming chloride compounds. For example, chlorine may react with iron, resulting in a rusty color. Consequently, you may notice that your tap water has become brown or has a rusty taste.
You may also notice that your tap water has a sewage-like odor; some people equate the odor to rotten eggs. The odor often arises from microbial activity in the water pipes. Severe bacterial activity in your plumbing system may result in gastrointestinal complications should you consume the water directly from the faucets.
Lastly, your tap water may have a musty or moldy odor from decaying matter in the plumbing system or water source. For example, suppose pests enter and die in your water well. They may decompose, altering your water’s odor after some time.
Full Versus Partial Water Contamination
The odor may only affect some faucets while the rest remain uncontaminated. For example, you may notice that water from your shower has a sewage-like odor, whereas other faucets are odorless. Similarly, you may notice that only tap water in specific rooms in your home has an odor.
Several reasons may explain this predicament. First, the cause of the odor may be just a specific faucet. Bacterial activity or mold growth in your water heater will likely affect the water odor in your shower and other faucets that drain the hot water. This may require contacting a plumbing company to assess and clean your water heater to resolve the issue. Although this may not always work because if any bacteria are still present the odor will return over time.
Second, identify whether you have shared pipes in cases where some faucets or rooms in your home have odorized water, whereas the rest have clean water. This especially applies where the main pipe splits into several lines carrying water to different rooms or faucets.
Feasible Remedies for Water Odor
Homeowners may utilize DIY or professional interventions to solve their water odor issues. The first-line remedy entails draining water to expel the odor. You may allow the water to run for a few minutes to clear the hydrogen sulfide trapped in the pipes from bacterial activity, deodorizing the water. The odor will likely disappear, at least in the short term.
However, some homeowners may realize that the odor does not clear even after running the water for several minutes. Alternatively, they may notice that the odor only clears for some time and then recurs. Such issues may require professional technicians to inspect your plumbing system. The plumbers will identify the cause of the odor and resolve the issue, restoring your clean water supply.
Homeowners facing water odor issues should contact plumbers for long-term remedies. People living in Tacoma, Washington, may contact Spartan Plumbing Inc to schedule plumbing inspections and repair services. Our plumbers arrive timely and resolve underlying issues in the shortest time possible. Get in touch today.
