What To Do When Your Tap Water Smells

 

Water is necessary for the proper functioning of all life forms on earth, including humans. Without water, people can’t survive. However, not all water supplies are clean. Some may have a foul odor, which may be a sign of contamination.

Thus, whether your water smells like bleach, sewage, rotten eggs, or something musty, this situation can be unpleasant and damaging to your health. Luckily, there are ways to handle these odor problems in water.

Read on to learn what to do when your tap water smells odd.

Locate The Source Of The Smell

The first thing to do when addressing a smelly water problem is to find out the location of the odor. By knowing where the bad smell comes from, you can develop ways to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. To locate the source of the bad smell, you may consider the following steps:

  • Check whether the odor comes from all or only some of the faucets.
  • If the odor is present in all faucets, find out if the smell goes away after you run the water for a couple of minutes. If it does, the source could be from your plumbing system and not the water source itself. However, if the smell doesn’t disappear after you run the water, the source can be from the magnesium rod in your hot water tank if only the hot water smells. If hot and cold water smells odd, the source could be from either the plumbing system or the water source.
  • If the smelly water problem occurs only in some faucets, the source could be from the fixtures or pipes that supply the water to those particular faucets.

Get A Water Delivery Service

If you need a considerable amount of water every day, but your tap water smells bad, opting for a water delivery service may be your best option. With this dispensable water delivery option in place, you can make sure your water is clean, pure, and odorless.

Instead of constantly worrying about smelly tap water, you can enjoy the convenience of having your water delivered to your doorstep. This delivery option can also be ideal in situations when you get your tap water supply treated for its odor issues. While waiting for your primary water source to be available again, you can call for a delivery service to ensure your household never runs out of clean water for daily use.

Treat The Common Odor Problems In Your Water

You can’t use your water at home if it smells musty or similar to bleach, rotten eggs, and sewage. Smelly water, when consumed, may cause some severe health issues in your household. This is one reason you should get your water supply treated for its odor problems. However, the treatment methods for smelly water vary depending on the type of odor.

To help you determine the proper method of treating odor problems in the water, keep the following things in mind:

  • If you think your tap water smells like bleach due to the excessive amount of chlorine in your supply, installing activated carbon filters can be a good solution. These water purifiers are designed to absorb and remove impurities, including chlorine particles. As a result, you’ll be able to maintain clean water in your home.
  • If your tap water comes with a rotten egg smell, the potential treatment methods to use include using a manganese greensand filter, chlorination, and open aeration. Due to the complexity of these methods, it’s best to call a water quality professional to take care of the job for you.
  • If you notice a gasoline or oil smell in your tap water, using smaller cartridge-type filters may be a good way of treating this odor issue. However, since gasoline or oil smells in water can be a life-threatening hazard when consumed, it’s essential to seek professional help to handle this problem.
  • If your water smells like detergent, you can treat it using activated carbon filters or chlorination. You may hire a water quality specialist to ensure the procedure is carried out correctly and safely during the treatment process.
  • If your water smells fishy or woody, the typical treatment can include installing an activated carbon filter, water softener, or distillation. The proper treatment to use may depend on the cause of fishy or woody smells in your tap water.

 

Bottom Line

Typically, the quality of tap water you use at home can impact your health and that of your family. Therefore, keep the information mentioned above in mind if the water coming from your faucets has a smelly odor. Doing so can give you an idea of what to do to handle this water problem without compromising the health of everyone in the household.