This page displays a table listing common water problems in home,
farm, and business uses. The table is taken from WATER
PROCESSING
for Home, Farm and Business by Wes McGowan, published by the
Water
Quality Association in 1988, and displayed here with their kind
permission.
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Common Water Problems In Home, Farm, and Business Uses
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Complaint, Impurity, or Contaminant
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Symptom
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Cause
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Means Of Treatment
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Hard Water
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Soap curd and lime scum in wash basins and bathtub. Whitish scale
deposits in pipes, water heater, and tea kettle.
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Calcium (limestone) and magnesium salts in raw water measuring 3.0
grains per gallon (as CaCO3) or higher total
hardness.
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All calcium and magnesium salts removed with cation exchange water
softener. General limit 100 gpg TH. Where hardness above 70 GPG,
install two (2) softeners in (tandem) series.)
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Grittiness
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Abrasive texture to water when washing or residual left in sink
and tub.
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Excessively fine sand or silt in water passing through well screen or
coagulation treatment step.
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Install a sand trap or ultrafiltration with membrane elements. (See step
2 under Turbidity.)
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Odor
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Aromatic, fishy, musty, earthy, or woody smell.
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Generally harmless organic matter often found in surface water sources.
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(1) Activated carbon media type filter; or (2) cartridge, A.C. filter
for drinking and cooking uses.
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Chlorine smell, “city water”
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Excessive chlorination in public or private well sources.
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(1) Dechlorinate with activated carbon media type filter; or (2)
cartridge A.C. filter for drinking and cooking water only.
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Rotten egg odor “sulfur water” and/or tarnished silverware.
Yellow, black stains on bathroom fixtures. Discolors coffee, tea, and
other beverages as well as distorting appearance and taste of cooked
foods.
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1) Dissolved hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas in raw water. Often present in
high iron content water and low pH waters.
2) Presence of sulfate reducing bacteria in raw water feeding on
sulfates in water, creating trace H2S quantities, usually on hot water side.
3) Reaction of magnesium anode rod in hot water heater and soft
water.
(Electric or gas fired heaters.)
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(1) Manganese greensand filter up to 6 ppm H2S, *with pH not lower than
6.7;
(2) Over 6 ppm H2S, constant chlorination followed by
filtration/dechlorination.
Disinfect all plumbing with household bleach and pretreat supply by
chlorination to eliminate this rare bacteria. If desired, follow with
activated carbon media filter.
1. Remove magnesium rod from heater.
2. Use alternate anode such as aluminum.
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Detergent odor, water foams when drawn. Septic odor.
(See also Nitrate impurity.)
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1. Seepage of septic system discharge into underground water supply.
2. Detergent accidentally put in water supply system or well.
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1. Locate and eliminate source of seepage, then heavily chlorinate well.
2. Activated carbon media filter will absorb limited amounts of
detergent.
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Gasoline or oil (hydrocarbon) smell.
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Leak in fuel oil tank or gasoline tank allowing seepage into water
supply, or aquifer.
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No residential treatment. Locate and eliminate seepage. Activated
carbon will absorb oil and gasoline (most hydrocarbons) on short term
basis.
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Methane gas smell or cloudy water.
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Naturally occurring caused by decaying organics in (a) oil well fields
or (b) housing areas built above old city dump sites entering
aquifer/well source.
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Residential/commercial aeration system with proper venting of methane
and repump water.
Note: Methane very volatile gas.
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Phenol smell (chemical odor).
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Industrial wastes seeping into surface or ground well supplies.
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Activated carbon media will absorb short term. Locate and eliminate
source or seek new water supply.
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Taste
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Salty or brackish flavor of water. Laxative effect in some situations.
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1. High sodium or magnesium content, i.e., NaCl, NaSO4, MgSO4.
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1. No economical residential treatment for sodium over 1800 ppm.
2. Deionize drinking water only with disposable mixed
bed–anion/cation resins, or;
3. Reverse osmosis for drinking and cooking water only, or;
4. Home distillation system for drinking and cooking water
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2. Malfunction of water softener leaving brine in water lines.
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Open cold water tap and flush out softener. Service softener to correct
problem.
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Alkali taste. Stained aluminum cookware.
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High (TDS) dissolved mineral content and high alkalinity in raw water,
i.e., SO4, Cl, HCO3.
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1. No economical residential treatment (total compensated hardness over
180 grains per gallon).
2. Reduce TDS to lower limits by RO for cooking and drinking water.
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Metallic taste
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1. Very low pH water in the 4.5-5.5 range.
2. Heavy iron concentration in water (above 3.0 ppm Fe).
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1. Correct with calcite media-type filter (see Acid water).
2. (See Iron Water.)
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Mine water acidity.
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pH below 4.5 with mineral activity.
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Chemical feed, soda ash, or caustic.
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Corrosion of stainless surfaces
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Blackening and pitting of stainless steel sinks and stainless ware in
commercial dishwashers.
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1. Very high chloride (Cl) content in water.
2. High temperature drying creates chlorine concentration
accelerating
corrosion.
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1. Use other chloride resistant metals.
2. Reduce TDS, including chloride content by partial RO, split stream.
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Turbidity
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Mud, silt, clay, and sediment in water.
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Suspended matter in surface water—pond, stream, lake—riled
up after a rainstorm.
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Calcite media filter—up to 50 ppm, or pumacite media filter.
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Sand, grit, silt, or clay substances.
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Well sand from new well or defective well screen coming through system.
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Use sand trap and/or install new well screen.
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Rust in water, red discoloration and sediment.
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Acid water causing iron “pick-up” in water system or caused
by repair to water mains.
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Calcite media filter for correcting low pH, and to remove precipitated
iron.
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Grey, string-like fiber.
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Organic matter in raw water—algae, etc. Usually occurs in surface
water sources.
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Constant chlorination followed by calcite media filter; or activated
carbon media filter to dechlorinate.
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Acid water
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Green stains on sinks and other porcelain bathroom fixtures. Blue-green
cast to water.
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Water which has high carbon dioxide content (pH below 6.8) reacting with
brass and copper pipes and fittings.
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1. Neutralizing calcite media filter down to pH of 5.5; or
2. Filter with mixed media of calcite/magnesia oxide (sold under
tradename COROSEX) (5 to 1) for higher flow rate, and to correct very
low pH water; or
3. Soda ash chemical feed followed by filtration.
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Mine Water
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Unable to raise pH with calcite media. Greenish stains and red staining
of fixtures.
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Mineral acids H2SO4 and HCl from mine water getting into surface supply.
pH below 4.3 indicates the presence of FMA.
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Chemical feed, caustic soda, or soda ash.
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Corrosive water with high oxygen content
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Failure of copper tubing and pitting of brass fittings, especially on
hot water where pH is near neutral. Some greenish stain may show on
plumbing fixtures.
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Oxygen corrosion usually found with surface water supplies and in deep
well supplies in arid regions. By heating high O2 water, the oxygen is
set free to attack metal surfaces.
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Chemically feed mild amounts of polyphosphates and/or sodium silicates
to protect metal surfaces from attack.
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Discolored water red, “Iron Water”
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Brown-red stains on fixtures, dishes and laundry. Water turns brown-red
in cooking or upon heating. Clothing becomes discolored when laundered.
Iron above 0.3 ppm (Fe) causes staining.
Usually darkens coffee, tea, and other beverages.
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Dissolved iron in influent (more than 0.3 ppm Fe.) Water appears clear when first drawn at cold water
faucet.
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1. Can remove 0.5 ppm of Fe for every grain/gal. of hardness up to 10
ppm with water softener and minimum pH of 6.7 (unaerated water).
2. Over 10 ppm Fe: chlorination with sufficient retention tank time for
full oxidation followed by filtration and dechlorination.
3. In warm climates (Southeast, Southwest)residential aerator,
(repump)ands filtration will substantially reduce iron content.
4. Pressure aeration plus filtration for up to 20 ppm Fe.
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Reddish colored water with red particles settling to bottom of a glass,
upon brief standing.
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Precipitated iron, water not clear when first
drawn at cold water faucet.
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1. Up to 10 ppm iron removed by manganese greensand filter; if pH 6.7 or
higher; or
2. Manganese treated, aluminum silicate media (sold under tradename
RIRM) catalyst filter where pH of 6.8 or higher and oxygen content is 15
percent of total iron content.
3. Downflow water softener with good backwash, up to 1.0 ppm Fe. Above 1
ppm. up to 10 ppm use calcite media filter followed by downflow water
softener.
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Iron pickup from old pipe where pH below 6.6.
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Calcite filter media to remove precipitated iron and raise pH to 7.0
value, or better.
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Brownish cast does not precipitate.
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Organic (bacterial) iron “crenothrix.”
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1. Treat well to destroy iron bacteria with solution of hydrochloric
acid then constant chlorination followed by activated carbon filtration
or calcite filter.
2. Potassium permanganate chemical feed followed by MnZ/anthracite
filter.
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Reddish color in water sample after standing 24 hours.
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Colloidal iron.
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Constant chlorination and retention followed by activated carbon media
filter dechlorination.
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Yellow water
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Yellowish cast to water after softening an/or filtering. (Color reading
over 75 APHA units. Yellow stains on washable fabrics, china and
bathroom fixtures.
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Tannins (humic acids) in water which are harmless organics from water
passing through peaty solid and decaying vegetation.
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1. Absorption via special macroporous Type I anion exchange resin
regenerated with salt (NaCl) up to 3.0 ppm, or;
2. Chlorination with full retention time followed by
filtration/dechlorination (over 3.0 ppm).
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Black cast to water
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Blackish staining of fixtures and laundry. (Manganese content above 0.05
ppm causes stains.)
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Interaction of carbon dioxide or organic matter with manganese bearing
soils. Usually found in combination with iron.
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1. Manganese greensand or manganese treated sodium alumino-silicate type
filter to limit 6 ppm, 15 ppm respectively (combined Fe and Mn) with pH
not lower than 6.7.
2. Manganese treated aluminum silicate media catalyst filter under
proper set of conditions.
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Milky water
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Cloudiness of water when drawn.
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1. Some precipitant sludge created during heating of water but
disappears quickly.
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1. Blow down domestic or commercial hot water heater tank periodically
to rid hot water tank of precipitated calcium sludge.
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2. High degree of air in water from poorly functioning pump.
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2. Water will usually clear quickly upon standing.
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3. Excessive coagulant-feed being carried over to potable water through
treatment plant.
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3. Reduce coagulant quantity being fed and service plant filter units on
regular basis.
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Cloudy water.
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Presence of methane gas (CH4) in water. Common in marsh water where
putrefication takes place in swamp land areas. Also common in oil field
waters.
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Aeration with proper venting of this volatile
gas and repump product water. Free methane gas is a fire and
explosion hazard.
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© Water Quality Association, 1988. Reprinted by permission.
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