| SYMPTOM |
PROBLEM |
CAUSE |
Treatment |
| Soap scum; white deposits in pipes, water heater, kettles |
Hard Water |
Calcium and magnesium in water |
Cation-exchange water softener |
|
| Abrasive water, residual grit left in sink |
Grittiness |
Fine sand or silt |
Activated carbon filter, chlorination |
|
| Fishy, musty or earthy smell |
Odor |
Organic matter, algae |
Activated carbon filter, chlorination |
|
| Chlorine smell |
Chlorination in public or private well |
Activated carbon filter on shor |
|
| Rotten egg, sulfurous smell |
Dissolved hydrogen sulfide |
Greensand filter |
|
| Sulfur or iron bacteria |
Sulfur start filter |
|
| Gasoline smell |
Leaking underground storage tanks; fuel spills on surface |
Activated carbon filter on short-term basis; seek new water supply |
|
| Chemical odor |
Industrial wastes |
Activated carbon filter on short-term basis; seek new water supply |
|
| Green stains on sinks; blue-green cast to water |
Acid Water |
Acid or carbon dioxide in water reacting with copper pipes |
Install pH neutralizer or filter; make well deeper |
|
| Salty or brackish flavor |
Taste |
High chloride or magnesium content |
Reverse osmosis; distillation; water softener |
|
| Metallic taste |
Low pH or high metal concentration in water |
pH neutralizer; filters |
|
| Yellowish cast to water; Yellow stains on washable clothes and bathroom fixtures |
Yellow Water |
Tannins created from water passing through decaying vegetation |
Anion-exchange water softener; activated carbon filter |
|
| Brown-red stains on fixtures, dishes and laundry; water turns red when heated, darkens coffee, tea and other beverages |
Red Water,
Iron Water |
Dissolved iron; water appears clear when first drawn at faucet |
Water softener; iron filter |
|
| Reddish colored water with particles settling to bottom of a glass |
Precipitated iron; water not clear when first drawn at faucet |
Greensand filter; water softener |
|
| Brownish cast to water, no settling of particles; slime in toilet |
Iron bacteria |
Disinfect well and plumbing with bleach |
|
| Black stains on fixtures and laundry |
Black Water |
Interaction of carbon dioxide or organic matter with manganese |
Conditioner |
|
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