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Quick Guide to Common Taste and Odor Problems
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Sensory Cue |
Possible Cause |
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Brown-red water stains |
Iron |
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Yellow water |
Tannin |
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Black-stained fixtures and laundry |
Manganese |
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Blackening and pitting of stainless steel sinks |
Chloride |
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White deposits in pipe, water heater |
Hard water |
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Soap scum |
Hard water |
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Milky water |
Particles, air |
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Grittiness |
Fine sand, grit |
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Turbidity, murkiness |
Dirt, clay, silt, organic matter |
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Blue-green stains on porcelain fixtures |
Brass, copper |
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Musty, earthy smell |
Organic matter (leaves and algae) |
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Chlorine, bleach smell |
Chlorine |
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Detergent, foam |
Wastewater discharge into water supply |
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Rotten egg smell |
Dissolved hydrogen sulfide gas |
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Metallic taste |
Iron, manganese |
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Salty, brackish |
Sodium chloride, sulfate, inorganic salts |
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Adapted from the EHMI Water "Sense" Wheel ™ Environmental Hazards Management Institute |
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