| Impurity or Contaminant |
Symptom |
Cause |
Health Effects |
Solution |
| Hard Water |
Soap curd, and scum in wash basins & bathtub Whitish scale deposits in pipes, water heater & tea kettle |
Calcium, limestone, and magnesium salts |
Aesthetic: Abnormal taste, appearance or smell |
Cation exchange water softener |
| Grittiness |
Abrasive texture to water when washing or residual left in sink |
Excessively fine sand, silt in water |
Various -- sand could trap contaminants |
Sand trap ultra-filtration |
| Odor |
Musty, earthy or wood smell |
Organic matter |
Aesthetic: Abnormal taste, appearance or smell |
Activated carbon filter |
| Chlorine smell |
Excessive chlorination |
Could occur from formation of disinfection byproducts |
Activated carbon filter |
| Rotten egg odor, tarnished silverware |
Dissolved hydrogen sulfide gas or presence of sulfate reducing bacteria in raw water
|
Various effects |
Manganese greensand filtration, constant chlorination, activated carbon filtration |
| Hot water, rotten egg odor |
Action of magnesium rod in hot water heater |
Various Effects |
Problem with magnesium rod in heater |
| Detergent odor, water foams when drawn |
Seepage of septic discharge into underground water supply |
Disease-causing microorganisms may be present |
Locate and eliminate source of seepage, heavily chlorinate well, activated carbon filtration |
| Gasoline or oil smell |
Leak in fuel oil tank or gasoline tank seeping into water supply |
Fuel components may be toxic or carcinogenic |
No residential treatment Locate and eliminate seepage |
| Methane gas |
Naturally occurring caused by decaying organics |
Various effects |
Aeration system and repump |
| Chemical odor |
Industrial waste seeping into surface or ground water supplies |
Various. Note: Compounds may be carcinogenic. |
Activated carbon filtration, short term |
| Taste |
Salty or brackish |
High sodium content |
Aesthetic: Abnormal taste, appearance or smell |
Deionization, reverse osmosis, home distillation system |
| Alkali taste |
High dissolved mineral containing alkalinity (Stained aluminum cookware) |
Aesthetic: Abnormal taste, appearance or smell |
Reverse osmosis |
| Metallic taste |
Very low pH water,
Heavy iron concentration, or leaching of lead and copper
|
Various. |
Calcite filtration |
| Turbidity |
Dirt, salt, clay |
Suspended matter in surface water pond, stream or lake |
Turbid water may contain disease causing microorganisms |
"Calcite" or Neutralize (media) type filter - up to 50 ppm |
| Sand grit, silt or clay substances |
Well sand from new well or defective well screen |
Turbid water may contain disease causing microorganisms |
Sand trap and/or new well screen |
| Rust in water |
Acid water causing iron "pick-up" |
Turbid water may contain disease causing microorganisms |
Neutralizing calcite filter to correct low pH acidity and remove precipitated iron |
| Gray string-like fiber |
Organic matter in raw water algae, etc |
Turbid water may contain disease causing microorganisms |
Constant chlorination followed by activated carbon filter to dechlorinate |
| Acid water |
Green stains on sinks and silver, porcelain bathroom fixtures Blue-green cast to water |
Water which has high carbon dioxide content (pH below 68) reacting with brass and copper pipes and fittings |
Could lead to health effects if acid water causes leaching of lead and copper |
Neutralizing calcite filter down to pH of 55, or
Calcite/ Magnesia - oxide mix (5 to 1) for higher flow rate and to correct very low pH water
Soda ash chemical feed followed by filtration
|
| Discolored water red, "Iron" water |
Brown-red stains on sinks and other porcelain bathroom fixtures Water turns brown-red in cooking or upon heating Clothing becomes discolored |
Dissolved iron in influent water appears clear when first drawn, causes staining |
Various effects |
Water softener, chlorination, filtration/ dechlorination |
| Precipitate iron (water will not clear when drawn) |
Various effects |
Manganese greensand, non-hydrous aluminum silicate, or Calcite media filtration; Downflow water softener |
| Brownish cast does not precipitate |
Iron pick-up from old pipe with water having a pH below 68 Organic (bacterial) iron |
Various effects |
Treat well to destroy iron bacteria with solution of hydrochloric acid then constant chlorination followed by activated carbon media filtration and dechlorination
Potassium permanganate chemical feed followed by filtration
|
| Reddish color in water sample after standing 24 hours |
Colloidal iron |
Various effects |
Constant chlorination followed by activated carbon media filter dechlorination |
| Yellow water |
Yellowish cast to water after softening and/or filtering |
Tannins (humic acids) in water from peaty soil and decaying vegetation |
Various effects |
Adsorption via special macro-porous Type I anion exchange resin regenerated with salt (NaCl) up to 30 ppm
Manganese greensand or manganese treated sodium alumino-silicate filtration under appropriate conditions
|
| Milky water |
Cloudiness of water when drawn |
Some precipitant sludge created during heating of water
High degree of air in water from poorly functioning pump
Excessive coagulant-feed being carried through filter
|
Various effects
Aesthetic: Abnormal taste, appearance or smell
Various effects
|
Blow down domestic or commercial hot water heater tank periodically
Water will usually clear quickly upon standing
Reduce coagulant quantity being fed, service filters properly
|
| Very high chloride content in water |
Blackening and pitting of stainless steel sinks and stainless ware in commercial dishwashers |
Excessive salt content
High temperature drying creates chloride concentration accelerating corrosion
|
Various effects |
Use other chloride resistant metals
Reduce total dissolved solids by reverse osmosis
|
Kulp Plumbing and Water Conditioning, LLC is a family owned business located in Collegeville, PA. We gladly serve Montgomery, Bucks, Chester counties and surrounding areas. We can handle all of your residential and commercial plumbing needs whether it's installing new fixtures or repairing your existing bathroom or kitchen. We are well-equipped to respond to your needs quickly and with only the highest quality products and service. We also offer 24-hour emergency service.
We can do a lot for your home or business. Contact us for: bathrooms and kitchens, plumbing for new construction and additions, installation of kitchen & bath fixtures, basement bathrooms with pumping systems, dishwasher and washing machine lines run and installed, sump pumps, sewage grinder/ejector pumps, hot water heater install, tankless hot water heaters, sewer and water main install, garbage disposals, ice maker lines... 
Years of experience ensure quality and precision when it counts. Have a plumbing emergency? We are the fastest service out there to respond. We keep our trucks stockpiled so we can fix the problem on the first trip to your home in the event of an emergency. You will be pleased with our fast and professional service.
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