Are you bothered by the taste of your water? When the water from your tap tastes unpleasant, it can become a genuine concern, impacting not only your desire to drink more water – which is important – but also your overall well-being and health. In this blog, we’ll delve into the reasons why tap water might have an off-putting taste, how hard water contributes to this issue, and discover actionable steps to enhance both the taste and quality of your water.

Why Does My Tap Water Taste Bad?

The taste of your tap water can be influenced by a variety of factors, ranging from the source of your water to the pipes it travels through to reach your tap.

Common complaints include:

  • A chlorine taste, which is used in water treatment to kill harmful bacteria
  • A metallic taste, which can be due to the presence of hard water (calcium and magnesium) or due to old pipes.
  • A chalky taste, similar to the above, which can be due to hard water particles
  • A rotten egg smell or taste, which can be due to natural elements like sulfur or sediment in the water.

Each of these factors not only affects the water’s taste but could also impact your health and the health of your plumbing system. And remember, the taste of your water will also affect anything with water in it – coffee, tea, or other food and beverages.

The Role of Hard Water and a Practical Solution

In many areas, such as Long Island, hard water presents a significant challenge. Rich in minerals like calcium and magnesium, hard water not only imparts a chalky or metallic taste as discussed above, but it also contributes to the accumulation of mineral deposits in pipes, reduces appliance efficiency, and leaves skin and hair feeling dry and lackluster.

One effective solution is installing a whole-home water softening system, such as Simply PURE Water Filtration’s whole-home water softening solution. These systems will work to remove the hard water particles, leaving softer water behind. Not only will this improve the taste of your water, but it will also protect your appliances, reduce soap scum, and it will improve your skin and hair health.

Ways to Improve the Taste of Your Water

1. Test Your Water

Understanding the contaminants present in your water is paramount as it serves as the initial step towards effective water filtration or softening. This knowledge will enable you to select the most suitable system tailored to your specific needs. Simply PURE Water Filtration, Inc. provides a free on-site water analysis & consultation (with the purchase of any system), offering personalized guidance based on the unique composition of your water.

2. Opt for Natural Enhancements

Explore natural methods to enhance the taste of your water. Consider infusing your water with slices of fresh fruits, such as citrus or berries, or fragrant herbs like mint or basil. These natural additives not only impart delightful flavors but also introduce additional health benefits through their antioxidant and nutrient content.

3. Carbonation Devices

Invest in a home carbonation device, such as a soda maker or carbonation system. These devices are designed to carbonate water quickly and easily, providing you with sparkling water on demand. Most carbonation devices come with a reusable carbonation cylinder that can be refilled or exchanged when empty.

4. Chill Your Water

Sometimes, the simplest solutions can be the most effective. Chilling your water before drinking can enhance its taste. Cooler temperatures can make water taste fresher and more refreshing. Use a glass bottle or pitcher for storing water in your refrigerator, as plastic containers can sometimes impart undesirable flavors.

5. Consider a Reverse Osmosis System

If your primary concern is purity and taste, a reverse osmosis system installed under your sink could be the best option. Simply PURE Water Filtration’s reverse osmosis systems are efficient at removing a wide range of contaminants, ensuring that your water tastes great. This system pushes water through a semi-permeable membrane, filtering out virtually all contaminants, including those responsible for bad tastes and odors. Reverse osmosis systems can remove particles as small as individual ions, ensuring that your water is not just safe to drink but also delicious.

By incorporating these additional methods into your water treatment regimen, you can further optimize the taste and quality of your drinking water, providing you and your family with a continuous supply of pure, refreshing hydration. And, as always, you have to first make sure that your underlying water supply is both contaminant-free and safe. That’s where we at Simply PURE Water Filtration, Inc. come in. As Long Island’s Only Certified Master Water Specialist, we’ll help you get the water filtration system you need, installed the right way and with no hassles. Contact us today to start improving your water quality.

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How to Improve the Taste and Quality of Your Water

About Simply PURE Water Filtration Services

Living in and serving the Long Island community, we strive to make sure everyone has access to clean, healthy water. We have the experience, knowledge, and industry-leading technology to provide clean water solutions for water impurities, contaminants, hard water, bad tasting/odors, well water, acidity & pH regulations.

Proud members of the WQA (Water Quality Association), and the EWQA (Eastern Water Quality Association), we adhere to strict guidelines and the WQA code of ethics. As a Pentair True Blue Partner and Authorized Distributor of Pentair Products, there’s nothing comparable to the performance, and efficiency of our whole house purification systems, water softeners, neutralizers, whole-house filters, and alkaline reverse osmosis systems for drinking in the convenience of your home.

NSF Water Filtration System
Pentair Water Filtration System

Our products are all NSF / ANSI certified, meeting the highest safety standards and quality performance. Providing our community with only the best experience of high quality water that’s Simply PURE from our family to yours!

Simply PURE utilizes accurate testing methods before and after system installation, as well as annual maintenance of all your water treatment equipment. Our Revolutionary Custom Built Water Treatment systems upon the completion of a Free In-Home Water Analysis, or an in-depth Comprehensive Water Analysis of your choice sent to our Certified Laboratory.

Customers Frequently Ask..

The answer to this question depends on which kind of drinking water you’re talking about. There are multiple agencies responsible for regulating water quality in the U.S., and there are some who are more critical about the way it’s handled.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in charge of overseeing the water that comes out of your tap. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees and regulates the quality of bottled water.

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Individual states are responsible for regulating water that is bottled and sold within their borders. Finally, your municipality must make sure it is following federal and state standards regarding water quality.

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The EPA does not regulate private wells, and rules for testing differ from state to state. In many cases, it is the homeowner’s responsibility to make sure their well water is safe.

Certain things can affect the flavor, odor, and appearance of your tap water, not all of them are necessarily harmful.

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Many people with public water can taste the chlorine, although the most noticeable problems tend to come from private wells. Contaminants like sulfur can impact the smell, while iron will cause discoloration and staining.

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The overall amount of total dissolved solids (TDS) in your tap water will definitely affect the taste, smell, and appearance. While many of these issues are not serious concerns, they can certainly be a nuisance. Water filtration systems, including a high-efficiency water softener to reduce hardness, can provide solutions.

This process is called “reverse” osmosis because the pressure forces the water to flow in the reverse direction (from the concentrated solution to the dilute solution) to the flow direction (from the dilute to the concentrated) in the process of natural osmosis. RO removes ionized salts, colloids, and organic molecules down to a molecular weight of 100.

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You can get a whole-house RO, but more commonly, a point-of-use RO system would be on your countertop or installed under the sink. They’re great for treating water for cooking and drinking, but they don’t usually produce large amounts of treated water — more like 3 to 10 gallons a day. For that reason, typically people choose to install RO-treated faucets in the most popular areas of the home such as kitchens and bathrooms, as opposed to installing it for every drinking tap. Just like any other kind of filter technology, reverse osmosis systems require regular maintenance. That includes periodically replacing the unit’s prefilters, postfilters, and membrane modules.

Due to the media attention Flint, Michigan, received over its water crisis, a lot of people have questions about lead in public water systems around the U.S.

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Lead (as well as copper) typically enters the public supply by leaching into water from corroded fixtures and outdated plumbing. Homes built before 1986 will likely have plumbing with copper pipes using solder that may contain lead.

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Lead can cause serious negative health effects, especially in children. The challenge is that it is undetectable by human senses. You can check with your local water authority for information about lead levels, but it’s important to note that the CDC and EPA say there’s no level of lead recognized as safe for consumption.

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If you have concerns about the presence of lead in your water, you can have it tested in a state-certified laboratory. You can also read more in our article on lead in drinking water.

Softening hard water can mitigate many of its objectionable effects. Water softening can be done either at point of entry or point of use. One of the unique advantages offered by point-of-use water softening is the opportunity for homemakers to have either hard or soft water for drinking. This choice is not available if the water supply is softened municipally. Hardness minerals can be reduced in water to make it “softer” by using one of three basic means:

  • Chemical softening—lime softening, hot and cold; lime-soda softening
  • Membrane separation softening—Nano filtration
  • Cation exchange softening—inorganic, carbonaceous, or organic base exchangers
  • Softening water for home needs is done almost exclusively through the use of cation exchange.

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Customer Testimonials

"Absolutely amazing service from beginning to end. Trustworthy and reliable to work with. And the water taste!! It’s incredible the difference after we installed our water filtration system throughout our house. Also knowing my kids are drinking the purest of water is the biggest game changer. I would absolutely recommend Vinny and staff."

Randi Demetriou 

"We had a recent installation done by Vinny at Simply PURE and we couldn’t be happier. Vinny is reputable, reliable, efficient and the service is great. The water is so clean and tastes great, we don’t have to think twice about what is coming out of our faucet! Thank you Vinny!

Mike D.