How do I Improve the Taste of my Tap Water?

Bryce Linton, CWS I

In the last 40-plus years, I’ve lived in six different states. With each move, it’s taken some time to get used to taste of my tap water in the new location. Sometimes the water coming from my tap has had a very strong chlorine odor and taste. Other times the water has had a bitter taste or ‘rotten egg’ odor.

Like most people, my water has always come from a municipal water source. In fact, most of us (about 86 percent) receive our water from a public water supplier where water is treated and monitored at a municipal water treatment plant and then piped to individual users for consumption.

Why the Bad Taste In My Water?

There are a number of different reasons why your water might have an unpleasant taste.

For many on city water, the taste of chlorination can be especially strong. Others find the taste of their water to be bitter, metallic or salty.

These strong tastes in the water can be the result of high level of total dissolved solids (TDS) from naturally occurring minerals and organic sources like decaying leaves, silt, and plankton. High levels of TDS can also be the result of water runoff, industrial waste, and fertilizers.

Although these tastes and odors do not necessarily pose a health threat, they can make drinking water less enjoyable and satisfying.

So what can be done to improve tap water—specifically taste?

There are a few water treatment solutions that can improve taste:

Reverse Osmosis: A reverse osmosis (RO) drinking water system is a great way to improve taste by reducing chlorine, total dissolved solids (TDS), as well as organic and inorganic substances. With reverse osmosis, you can get extremely high-quality water at the most economical cost for point-of- use applications (often installed under the kitchen sink).

Whole house filtration systems: There are certain whole-house water conditioners that have the ability to not only reduce hardness, but also improve taste– giving you drinkable water throughout the home. WaterTech’s Reionator has the ability to remove chlorine taste and odor without the expense of routine filter replacement, making your beverages and ice consistently taste better.

Carbon Filtration: Some tastes and odors, especially those due to organic substances, can be removed from water by passing through an activated carbon filter. One of the most obvious odors that can plague water is hydrogen sulfide–otherwise known as that “rotten egg” smell. WaterTech’s odor-stripping SorbMAX Air is designed to effectively reduce or remove hydrogen sulfide, eliminating this smelly contaminant once and for all. This treatment system can also strip away other bothersome contaminants including chlorine, chlorinated byproducts, chloramines and dissolved organic contaminants (including synthetic organic chemicals).

If you receive your water from a public water supply and would like to learn more about how to improve your water’s taste, odor, hardness and staining, we invite you to download WaterTech’s Home Water Guide.

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How do I Improve the Taste of my Tap Water?

Why the Bad Taste In My Water?

So what can be done to improve tap water—specifically taste?