Recognise Your Water Problems

If you can’t get rid of the smell of rotten eggs in your home, the problem most likely is high levels of sulfur in your water. Sulfur is a natural material in the ground that water can pick up before it gets to your home. While in your well, a lack of oxygen can cause sulfur to create hydrogen sulfide gas which causes the foul taste and smell.
While there are no health issues drinking water with sulfur issues, a lot of it can effect the flavor. High hydrogen sulfide levels can all cause corrosion to your plumbing and metal fixtures. The metal being stripped away then deposits and stains your sinks and dishes.

Water with a low (acidic) pH level acts like it’s hungry and therefore eats away at your plumbing while it travels to your faucets, leaving your pipes thin and prone to pin-hole leaks. The metals stripped from the pipe are deposited
on your fixtures and turn to blue/green stains as they are exposed to air.
Water with a high (basic) pH level acts the opposite way. It is carrying way too much stuff to eat and starts to lighten its load as it travels to your faucets. This means it’s causing build-up in your pipes and restricting the water flow into your home.

Some people notice a different feeling on their skin when they first shower in soft water. It feels slick, and some might even say slimy. This is not a film being left behind on your skin, and it isn’t soap that doesn’t wash away either. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. When you have hard water it does leave soap scum on your skin. What you notice after showering in hard water is not a sign you’re “squeaky clean,” but instead, that you are covered in a sticky residue. The slickness on your skin when you bathe in soft water is actually your body’s natural essential oils. It’s how clean is supposed to feel!

Hard water refers to water containing higher than normal concentrations of minerals like calcium and magnesium. These mineral deposits in your home’s water buildup inside your water heater, plumbing and any surfaces that regularly contact water.
Hard water makes surfaces more difficult to clean and will even help your homes plumbing and water appliances corrode and need repair more often.

If you think that your water smells and tastes like chlorine, you might be right. Chlorine is a disinfectant used to treat city water and keep it safe from bacteria as it travels to your home. The city is required to remove any harmful contaminants and keep it that way as part of their service to you, but no one wants to drink water that smells like a swimming pool.
While chlorine is very important to protect your water from contamination, it is no longer needed when you are using it in your home and it can cause some troubles inside your home.

The word “rust” usually doesn’t make anyone think of warm, fuzzy thoughts, especially if it involves your home. If rust-colored stains are common in your toilets, sinks, and tubs, you might be dealing with an iron issue in your water.
You take pride in your home, so don’t let your water tarnish it. Even the smallest amounts of iron are enough to leave rust stains on your fixtures and laundry.
Iron buildup will cause a metallic taste, making water hard to drink and cook with. High levels of rust buildup can also clog your plumbing.

Manganese (Mn) is often found in surface water and groundwater sources. Usually in combination with iron. The EPA has set Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels (SMCL) for manganese at 0.05 mg/L, but the EPA does not enforce these guidelines. High levels of manganese can cause black staining in and around water fixtures and often signals high levels of iron mineral deposits in water.
Manganese buildup can reduce a home’s water pressure, and increase plumbing maintenance costs. Levels of manganese above the SMCL can cause staining of laundry and water fixtures and a give a sharp, bitter taste to water.

When an element or compound is dissolved in water, it’s in the ionic form, meaning the element or compound carries either a positive or negative charge. Ions that are positively charged (one or more electrons have been removed) are known as cations. Negatively charged ions (one or more electrons have been added) are known as anions. The charge of an element or compound can affect its toxicity in the human body as well as its solubility (how well it dissolves) in water.