Why Does The Water Have A Metallic Smell? 6 Signs To Notice

September 10, 2021
 | By 
Queen Plumbing Charlotte

Water is a crucial part of our life, and thus, maintaining its quality is very important. To maintain the water quality, you need to know how the water can be contaminated and what signs it will show then.

You should be careful if you think your tap water is tasting slightly different or smells are a bit off. The issues can be with your main water supply line or with your home plumbing system. Most of the time, the issues you will face with tap water will be because of your plumbing facilities. The water could be refined with the most advanced technology, but; still, you could get unclean and unhygienic drinking water. This happens when the water supply runs through your plumbing system's pipes and encounters some problems.

It's easy to get anxious about the drinking water if the water coming from the faucet is not clean. It can cause health problems for you and your families. That's why we will provide you with a brief idea about the signs of unhygienic water and the reasons behind this.

Why Does Water Coming From Faucet Smells Or Tastes Metallic?

Clean and fresh water flowing from the bathroom tap

Your tap water can taste or smell metallic for various kinds of reasons. The primary reason can be that it has metal particles in the faucet water. Your faucet water might contain metal particles like zinc, copper, iron, lead, or some different metal particles. This will make the water taste like metal and you will feel like there are some metal quarters in your faucet water.

Iron gives the plumbing pipes a reddish and brown type color over the pipe. Also, the faucet water feels a bit rusty if it contains iron in it. The above-mentioned contaminants can get into municipal supply water naturally or through your home plumbing pipes.

Your tap water can also taste like metal if the pH level drops. With a low pH level, the water gets more acidic and it can give a more intense metallic taste.

Signs That Indicates Something Wrong In Your Tap Water

A wide range of signs your tap water will show if the water gets infected by something wrong. You need to know what these signs are and have to pay good attention to have good clean faucet water.

Smells Of Chlorine

Operators put chlorine in swimming pools to eliminate the bacteria growth in the pool water. If you find the smell of a swimming pool water in your tap water, you can be certain that there is chlorine in your water supply. Municipal supply adds chlorine to their water supply to remove bacteria and other types of microorganisms. A low amount of chlorine blend in the water is not generally harmful to the health but sometimes it makes the taste of the water quite off. If you think the taste is getting a bit out of your comfort zone, you can buy a water refinery filter to filtrate the water.

Low Water Pressure Than Usual

If your water pressure in your kitchen faucet or other faucets seems low than other times, it might be because you are getting low pressure in your plumbing system. You have clogged pipes, and it happened over an extended period. These pipes get filled with sediment and block the inside space of the pipes. The only solution to remove sediment and scale from your pipes is to replace the entire PVC plumbing system in your house. This is a costly process but unfortunately, you have to do this if you are having low pressure in your faucets.

Cloudy Water Or Milky White Water

You might get frightened naturally if you see the water coming from the faucets is cloudy or milky. But do one thing before you get anxious about this issue. Do not use the cloudy water; rather, take the cloudy water in a glass and put the glass aside for a few seconds. Carefully see what the cloudy water looks like after a few seconds. If the cloudiness dissipates in a few minutes then it probably happened because of the trapped air. When the water pressure is higher than usual it can produce a lot of tiny air bubbles. These air bubbles get vanish by themselves if the cloudy water remains still in a place.

Sometimes the pressurized municipal system does not filter out all the chemical substances in the water, and that can generate cloudy water. Faucet water cloudy can also suggest that the water you are getting is hard and contains minerals like calcium.

Having sands, clays, or specks of dirt in the pipes can also be a common reason that is occurring cloudy water or milky white water. If you are having cloudy water for this particular reason you need to take immediate action. You need to consult with professionals. Queen Charlotte Plumbing company can help you in this regard.

Methane Gas In The Water

No drinking water should not have any methane gas. First, fill the water in a bottle and seal it with the cap. Then remove the bottle cap and put a lighter or match above the opening as soon as possible. As methane gas can escape from the cold water or hot water very rapidly you need to do the whole process promptly. Carefully notice the lighter or the match. If you see any small rush of flame it means that there is methane gas present in your water.

Visible air bubbles can also indicate the presence of methane gas in the water. If you see air bubbles either in hot water or cold water, you can confirm the existence of methane gas by applying the above test. Also, water with methane gas does look cloudy or milky. You need to lower methane levels if the methane levels of your water source are high. Call at 704-707-3339 to consult and check the methane levels in your well water.

Tap Water Leaves Stain Or Scum Behind

Brownish color dirty water is coming from the water tap

Sometimes hard water can be supplied from a pressurized municipal system. Hard water is a kind of water that contains diffused minerals like calcium and manganese at a high percentage. Hard water is not particularly dangerous but it can lessen the effectiveness of soaps and detergents. Hard water also leaves scales staked into the glass and other plumbing materials that ultimately shorten the life of hot water heater and other home appliances. Set a softening system in your plumbing system to remove the extra piece of mineral particles in your water.

If your hot water or cold water tap leaves any kind of stain or residue behind, it means that you have some issues with your appliance system and should look at it carefully.

The Smells Of Rotten Eggs

Sometimes the water smells like rotten eggs or sewage. If this is the case then your water contains hydrogen sulfide in it. Hydrogen sulfide is a gas that produces in the groundwater and can make the water smells like rotten eggs. This gas is generally harmless except for the bad smells. But be careful it can turn into sulfate with the touch of certain bacteria. Sulfate is bad for human health and can cause diarrhea.

A water filter can eliminate this gas from the water but if it stays for a long time you should consider consulting with professionals.

Test Your Cold Water Or Hot Tap Water With Our Help

The above-mentioned signs are not the only issues tap water shows. You might face other problems that were not mentioned here but that does not mean you do not need to take care of them. If you think your tap water tastes or smells a bit off, you should give it proper importance.

To discover the exact reason that is causing trouble to your tap water, you can contact Queen Charlotte Plumbing Company. Queen Charlotte Plumbing company has a long experience in the plumbing industry and can efficiently solve your problems.

You can contact Queen Charlotte Plumbing Company at 704-707-3339.

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