Have you ever noticed your tap water smelling or tasting a little funny? This is a phenomenon that quashes the belief that water tastes of nothing. In fact, water very rarely tastes, or smells, of nothing, and this is all down to everything beside the water which is present in every glass you drink. Water is full of contaminants. Some of these are harmful and are one of the reasons why many people turn to things like hydrogen water or distilled water. Synergy Science, a company specializing in precisely these products, say that it is water contaminants in many municipal supplies that drive the market for them.

However, some – in fact most – contaminants in water are actually good for you. There area various metals found in water which confer a mineral profile on the water. There are also things like good bacteria and a fluctuating hydrogen content, which can even make the water more efficient at hydrating you. Nevertheless, as beneficial as many of these contaminants are, they are not all beneficial – and some of them can give water a funny smell or taste.

Strange Flavors in Water

One of the most important things to note about inadequate municipal water is that it is a very widespread problem and not identical in every place. For example, dangerous contaminants in your water could be lead, in which case you almost certainly live in a property that still has lead plumbing. If your tap water is contaminated with arsenic, then you most likely live in one of the southwestern regions where arsenic content in groundwater is more common. There are countless other geographical variables.

This means, therefore, that the funny taste or smell in your tap water could be on account of any number of reasons. So, there isn’t just one single solution for getting rid of it. Nonetheless, there are certain contaminants that continually crop up as the source of strange tasting or smelling water. It is certainly possible to outline each of these – and what you can do about it.

Common Smells, Where They Come From,and What to Do About Them

Like a Swimming Pool

If you have ever been swimming in a public pool, then you’ll be aware of that unmistakable chlorine smell to the water. Chlorine is disinfectant which kills harmful microbes in the water, but it certainly shouldn’t be consumed. If your tap water smells like a swimming pool, then excess chlorine is almost certainly the problem. Excessive chlorine occurs usually when the water has been treated with extra chlorine in response to some microbial threat. You just need to wait for the problem to be corrected.

Rotten Eggs

This is unambiguously unpleasant. The gas which smells like rotten eggs is, specifically, hydrogen sulfide. But how can this end up in your water? As it happens, the hydrogen sulfide smell is usually caused by presence of the gas in groundwater or produced by bacteria in the water. You could also have a problem with your water heater. The solution to the problem lies in identifying the precise cause.

Sewage

From bad to worse! Sewage smelling water, unfortunately, results from the actual presence of sewage in it. Municipal supplies are not that bad, and so this probably comes from decaying food or hair in the pipes themselves. It is time to pour the bleach down there.

If you find that foul tasting or smelling water is something you are constantly dealing with, then you might want to turn to alternative water products or filtration. Nevertheless, there is usually a topical fix that can be applied.