At a Glance:
5 Signs You’re Drinking Dirty Water
How to Determine Contaminated Water
Clean water is essential for living in a healthy home. Not only do you directly drink water throughout the day, but you also use it to make your morning coffee, boil pasta, and create a wide variety of family recipes. Additionally, the water in your home can also affect your skin and hair, and when it’s treated, it leaves you feeling radiant after a shower when it is clean and pure.
Cleaner, Tastier Water
Shop Water TreatmentsIf you suspect you have dirty water, you and your family might experience a variety of side effects. Learn how to identify dirty water, diagnose the cause, and take steps to resolve the issue.
5 Signs You Are Drinking Dirty Water
There are multiple ways to identify dirty water within your home. You can look at the water directly or consider the various side effects of engaging with this water each day. Remember, you don’t need to drink a glass of dirty water directly to experience issues. Even washing your hands can lead to potential problems. A few signs that you are drinking dirty water include:
- The water appears cloudy when it comes out of the tap or there is sediment that settles to the bottom after a brief period of time.
- There is a strange hue to the water (brown or orange) despite being in a clear glass.
- The water smells bad.
- The water tastes salty, sulfuric, metallic, or has another bad taste that ruins your coffee and food.
- There is an oily film on the top of your water.
You should be able to use your senses to identify if water is contaminated. Most dirty water will look different, have an odor, feel oily or salty, and taste bad compared to what comes out of a bottle. Even before you invest in water testing, these should be warning signs that something it wrong.
Possible Risks of Drinking Dirty Water
The human body can usually withstand low levels of water contamination; however, drinking dirty water every day can put pressure on your immune system. Dirty water can also affect your clothes and linens, along with your hair and skin. A few risks of dirty water in your home include:
- You and your family experience gastrointestinal problems, including diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramping.
- Your water has an off taste, which makes the food you prepare with it taste different than it should.
- You notice that the texture of your hair changes and your skin feels dry. (This could also be caused by changes in the weather or different soap.)
- Your clothes seem to fade faster in the wash and/or your silverware is starting to rust.
Some of these symptoms are significantly worse than others. Dirty water can cause serious gastrointestinal issues and carry a variety of bacteria and viruses. Fixing the issue is a matter of protecting your family and keeping everyone healthy.
How to Determine if Your Water Supply is Contaminated
There are multiple steps you can take if you suspect that your water supply is contaminated. The first thing to do is to reach out to your local government. They should be able to tell you if your tap water is safe to drink and provide a CCR, or Consumer Confidence Report, on your water quality. This should break down what your water is treated with and what are considered acceptable levels for various chemicals.
The next step is to actually test your water. The Environmental Protection Agency can help you secure a water testing kit and recommend labs that will evaluate your water. These kits can range from $20 to $150, though some communities provide testing kits for free.
Testing your water can help you identify if it is contaminated. Even if your city water is clean, there could be an issue with a pipe that is contaminating the water along the way. If this is the case, consider calling a plumber to look at your water system.
If the test comes back clean but you are still worried about dirty water, consider investing in a water filtration system for your home.
Top Water Purification System Options
There are multiple water filtration options for your home. One of the top market options is Envirotec, which provides whole-home solutions for customers. Here are a few top products to consider and how they can help you.
Don’t risk drinking dirty water in your home. Test your water immediately and invest in one of the top water filtration options on the market.
Envirotec™ Water Filtration System
If you want to improve the water in your home, invest in a whole-house system. These water filters will catch particles in your kitchen tap water, but also in the water you shower and wash your clothes with. You won’t have to worry about dirty water coming out of any sink at any time of the day.
This is a carbon filter that does not use salt or potassium to filter your water. You can enjoy a clean water experience without having to add extra chemicals to your tap.
Envirotec™ 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis System
A reverse osmosis system might be the best option for water filtration in your house. These systems use a series of membranes where clear water can pass through and contaminants get trapped behind. This is a five-stage system, which means water passes through five membranes, each one trapping smaller particles than the last.
Envirotec systems are designed to be twice as fast as other water filtration options, so you won’t have to wait for your water. For the most part, you won’t even notice that your water is filtered before reaching you – other than the improved clarity and better smell and taste.
Envirotec™ 4-Stage Reverse Osmosis System and Water Softener System
This is a top option if you have naturally harsh water in your tap. Not only will the Envirotec filter remove contaminants, but it will also work as a water softener in your home.
This model also comes with a water conservation shut-off that can save hundreds of gallons of water each month. Not only are you investing in a quality filtration system, but you might notice a decrease in your water bill with the help of Envirotec.
Envirotec™ 6-Stage Reverse Osmosis and Water Softener System
This is the most advanced filtration system offered by Envirotec. Water passes through six different membranes for extra filtration in your home. The sixth membrane is a coconut carbon blend flavor filter which ensures your water tastes good and is perfectly safe to drink.
To get an idea of just how thorough this filtration system is, the membranes can catch particles that are one micron in size, which is 40 times smaller than visible to the human eye. While you might not be able to see sediment floating around your water, it’s there, and this filter will catch it.
FAQs
Let’s review a few remaining questions on tap water.
Is tap water safe to drink?
Tap water is safe to drink in the majority of American homes. However, not everyone can drink tap water and some people might need an extra level of filtration. If your tap water has an odor or color other than clear, consider investing in a water filtration system before drinking it or cooking with it.
Why Trust Spencer’s TV & Appliance?
Since 1973, Spencer’s TV & Appliance has grown to 10 locations throughout the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. The secret to our longevity is simple: personal service. Customer satisfaction has always been the focus of our business, and throughout the years, we have been able to work hard with our suppliers to bring you the best prices. After all, getting customers the best price and personal attention is how we compete with big-box stores, day in and day out.
Not only do we offer top-rated appliances, name-brand electronics, and the best mattresses on the market but we also provide water treatment solutions and perform kitchen design services. Stop by your nearest Spencer’s and see what you’re missing!
Shop Water Treatment and Purification at Spencer’s
At Spencer’s TV & Appliance, we provide high-quality, name-brand products at great prices — check out our catalog to shop water filtration systems online today. Your friends in the business are always happy to help you identify whether you have dirty water and find solutions to filter it. Call us, or better yet, stop by at one of our locations in the Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Glendale regions. Visit us today!
Learn More: Top 11 Impurities in Contaminated Water (and How to Get Rid of Them)