10 Signs Your Drinking Water May Be Contaminated

Posted: September 1, 2018 to Drinking Water

Water is essential for your well-being. You cook with it, drink it, bathe with it, wash your clothes in it, and use it for washing your dishes. But how safe is your drinking water? Below are 10 signs that there could be something wrong with your water.

Your Water is Cloudy

Something that you are likely to notice first is the way that your water looks. If your water starts looking cloudy, you should think about what might be happening. Even though your water has some minerals in it, it should always look clear. Your water should have pureness of 99.9999999%. This means that the last part won’t be enough to make your water cloudy. If it is cloudy, you should have the water tested.

It Has a Chlorine Smell

When you are drinking water, there shouldn’t be a lot of smell to it. If the water you’re drinking smells like pool water, chances are there’s something wrong. Even though treatment facilities add some chlorine into the water so that bacteria are killed, the amount shouldn’t be enough that there’s a smell. Test the water if you believe that there’s too much chlorine in the water since it can be really dangerous.

Your Water has a Color to It

Keep in mind that water is meant to be completely clear. If you’re noticing any type of color in your water, stop drinking the water right away. The most common colors are orange or brown. This often means that there’s a lot of manganese or iron in your water. There’s a variety of reasons that this could happen. It most often happens due to excavation or mining close to your water supplies. Another reason is that the water is flowing through old pipes and they’re rusting. No matter what reason there’s color in the water, it should be immediately tested.

Your Water has a Sulfur Smell

Does your drinking water have a smell that reminds you of rotten eggs? When it smells like this, what you’re smelling is sulfur. This naturally occurs underground. Even though it’s normal to have some trace amounts of it in your drinking water, you shouldn’t be able to smell it. A lot of sulfur often leads to dehydration and problems with your intestines. It should be immediately checked.

Your Pipes deteriorate

When were you last under your house? If you have done it recently and noticed that some of your pipes are deteriorating, it could be a sign of contaminated water. When your pipes are rusting and deteriorating, some of those elements and chemicals from your pipes are seeping into your water, affecting its safety and quality. You should call your plumber to check it out.

There are Issues in the Neighborhood

You may not be having problems personally yet with your water. But if you hear about neighbors having issues with their water and their houses being built around the same time, you should be concerned. If they are having problems with their pipes deteriorating which causes problems with their home’s drinking water, it’s possible that you’re having the same issues. You just don’t know it yet.

You’re Noticing Physical Symptoms

The one thing that you really shouldn’t ignore is physical symptoms. Even though these symptoms usually mean that your exposure to contaminated water has been going on for a while, it’s essential that you deal with it. When you combine any of the signs that are listed here, you should see your doctor. They will likely check your blood for a variety of chemicals.

Issues With Your Baked Goods

Are you noticing that you are having problems with your baked goods? It’s possible that it’s the fault of your water. The chlorine that is added to your water for killing the harmful microorganisms also can negatively affect yeast that will make pizza or bread dough rise. Filtering your water can help with this issue and not cost a lot of money or effort.

Sediment in Your Water

If you are noticing sand, clay, dirt, or other types of sediment in your water, this is another sign that you could have an issue. Even though these types of particles aren’t dangerous, they’re not attractive. A sediment filter can help with solving this problem.

Scale, Spots, and Stains

Depending on where you live, you might have problems with hard water. This means that your water has a lot of dissolved minerals such as magnesium and calcium. Even though hard water’s not dangerous, it can stop your suds from lathering and reduce how effective laundry detergent, hand soap, and dish soap are. It also causes scale deposits and spotting on serving pieces, plumbing, and glassware. This means that your appliances like your water heater and your boiler don’t last as long. It’s a good idea to have a water softener installed to help with this problem.

These are 10 signs that you should have your water checked out. The last thing that you want is to become sick due to your drinking water.