Water is essential for human life and well-being. It keeps you hydrated, healthy, and, most importantly, alive. It is the fuel that helps you move and keeps your immune system functioning day and night.

While municipal water providers normally disinfect your drinking water with chlorine and chloramine, contamination can still happen. Thus, you must ensure that you are not drinking unclean water. Given this, any significant impurity or change in the quality of your water should be immediately reported to the concerned authorities.

Signs of Contaminated Water

Below are the signs that there could be something wrong with the water you’re consuming. These should help you decide if it’s time to have your water supply inspected.

1. Unusual Water Taste

An oily, metallic, or fishy taste in your water is easily detected by your taste buds because they are equipped with delicate sensors. These aim to protect you against harmful or hazardous substances. You should consider using a filter if you suspect you’re drinking unclean water.

2. Sulfuric Water Smell

Sulfur is the culprit if your water smells like rotten eggs. The mineral naturally occurs underground, so it’s not unusual to find trace amounts of sulfur in your water supply. However, this shouldn’t make your water smell. Too much sulfur can lead to intestinal problems, dehydration, and other drinking unclean water diseases. If you smell sulfur in your water, it’s best to have this checked.

3. Low Water Pressure

If you have a faucet running much slower than usual, it could indicate that your pipes are clogged. Pipes can become corroded over time and eventually get filled with sediment and scale. This can interrupt the flow of water inside your pipes, and the best way to fix this is to install a new pipe system, preferably one made from copper or PVC.

4. Water Sediment

Sediments can be small particles like dirt, clay, or similar impurities in your water. Although they are not considered among the dangers of unclean water, they can be a bit distracting when examined closely.

Additionally, high levels of sedimentation in your water can cause serious problems. These can affect the appearance and performance of your water filter system if you have one at home.

5. Cloudy Water Appearance

A lot of treatment systems don’t filter out naturally-occurring minerals. These can give your water that foamy or cloudy look. It is usually temporary, with your water becoming clear after a few minutes. However, if the cloudy appearance persists over time, it could mean that bacteria are present. When this is the case, it’s best to have your water tested.

6. Spots and Stains

Depending on where you live, you may have hard water or a high level of dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium in your water supply. While this is not exactly harmful, it can cause suds to stop lathering and decrease the effectiveness of laundry detergents, hand and dish soaps, and other cleaning agents. Spots and stains can also be noticed on glassware, plumbing, and serving pieces if you use hard water.

7. Chlorine Water Smell

To kill harmful microorganisms and bacteria, chlorine is usually added to water. Although the amount of chlorine involved is usually not dangerous, you might find it unpleasant, especially if your water smells much like that in a swimming pool.

If you suspect you’re drinking unclean water with too much chlorine, it is a good idea to have it tested. Safe-to-drink water should not smell even when chlorine is added.

8. Colored Water

Remember that water is supposed to be odorless and colorless. Sometimes, however, you’ll come across water with a noticeable color, usually orange and brown. It is often a sign that the water contains a lot of manganese and iron, possibly due to several factors. However, colored water is often due to digging or mining activities near your water supply. Old rusty pipes are also another reason your water has that brownish color.

Regardless of the reason, colored water is a sign of contamination. When this is the case, you should know what to do after drinking contaminated water.

9. Deteriorating Pipes

When your pipes start deteriorating or have become corroded, chemicals and other elements can seep into your water, affecting its quality and safety. It is best to call your plumber, so a thorough inspection can be done on the pipes, especially if you suspect something is wrong.

10. Physical Symptoms

Drinking contaminated water can lead to gastrointestinal problems like headaches, diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps. These are among the adverse health effects of unclean water, and if you experience any of them, you must consult your doctor immediately. Often, your blood will be tested for various chemicals.

Key Takeaway

Water is an essential part of our survival. However, water can often get contaminated, which presents a host of risks, some of which can be serious. Thus, it would be best to take note of the symptoms of drinking contaminated water and take the necessary steps to address them.

While many things that can make water unclean are not entirely harmful, it’s a different story if they persist. Smelly water, for example, that does not go away even after several months may need to be inspected. Having constantly low water pressure could also be a sign of damaged pipes that a plumbing company should look into, so your water quality will not be affected.

Absolute Electrical Heating and Air has excellent water filtration services so that you won’t be drinking unclean water.

If you believe something is wrong with your water supply, it’s best to have this checked. Absolute Electrical Heating and Air will gladly do this for you.

We have an Aurora plumbing expert who can perform a water inspection and offer our unique water filtration service to solve your problem. Contact us today, and we assure you that you’ll soon have clean water that you will love to consume.