We all rely on a source of clean and fresh drinking water to stay healthy and happy. If the water tastes off or it has a strange odor, it’s less palatable, and it can be difficult to drink. This is particularly true if you have children that may not be able to “suck it up” and drink the water that they need. In some cases, this can affect the taste of any beverages or food that cooked and prepared with the water. A foul taste in your drinking water can indicate a serious issue, and it’s essential to identify the cause and fix it quickly. Here are three common reasons why your water taste may have changed.
- A Hot Water Problem
If this is only an issue with your hot water, then you may have a water heater problem. If the water heater is corroded inside, there could be rusty water circulating into your drinking water supplies. To test this, fill up a sink or bathtub with hot water and look for a rusty color or tiny deposits of dark rusty material in the water. If your fears are confirmed, you will need to contact a local certified plumber to take a look at your water heater. The plumber will inspect the water heater, flush it and attempt a repair. There could be bacteria in the water heater that produces sulfur; this will make the water taste bad and impart a “rotten egg” odor. A water heater has a hard life, and it’s not common practice to replace them every ten years or so.
- Aging Plumbing Pipes
It’s a good idea to avoid using hot water for drinking and cooking purposes and stick to water from the cold water faucet instead. But, if you can detect a rusty or metallic taste from both your hot and cold water taps, there could be a problem with your plumbing pipes. If your pipes are older, they may have become corroded; this is especially true if you have galvanized steel pipes that are more than 20 years old. If your pipes are the cause, you need to contact your local certified plumber and ask about repiping your home.
- A Main Water Break
If your water tastes bad and your plumbing pipes are less than 20 years old, there could be a problem in the main water line. If a break has occurred in the main water line dirt and debris can enter the water supply and make it taste foul. Ask yourself the question, is the bad water taste a new phenomenon or has it been going on for some time? If the change has occurred recently, it could be linked to some work that’s been carried out on the local water main, and it should be corrected soon. If the change in taste has been going on a little longer and it’s accompanied by lower water pressure and water pooling around your home, there could be a main water line break on your property. If this is the case, you need to contact a
local certified plumber to identify the cause of the break and fix it quickly to minimize the amount of water damage.
By Giovanni Longo President Flood Brothers Plumbing
Giovanni Longo is a 3rd generation master plumber who has been practicing his craft and trade in the greater Los Angeles area for well over a decade and a half. A plumbing and hydraulics-engineering innovator, Giovanni’s particular world-class expertise focuses on dealing with challenging sewer system designs as well as resolving complex commercial and residential draining issues. As a certified Flood Mitigation expert, he is also well versed in a wide variety of water damage and remediation solution.
