Reasons Your Faucet Water May Be Cloudy

When you get a glass of water from your tap, you hope to see a nice, clean glass of drinking water. However, there are times that your water might come out looking a little cloudy. This cloudiness might cause you to worry. You wonder what it is that is making your water look this way and if it is safe to drink.
In this post, we are going to look at the most common causes of cloudy faucet water and what you need to know about the different causes.

Air Bubbles

The most common cause of cloudy or milky water is tiny air bubble trapped in the water. Air becomes more water soluble as the temperature decreases and/or as the pressure on the water increases. If the water from your water supply is cold or there is high enough pressure in the supply pipes, it will gain a lot of air as it travels to your home. Once it comes out of the faucet and into a glass, the pressure on the water decreases and it starts to clear.An easy way to tell if this is the cause is to fill a glass and watch to see if it clears after a few seconds to a few minutes. It will basically clear from the bottom to the top because the air will naturally rise to the top to escape.If this is the cause of your cloudy water, there is nothing to worry about. It is just air and the water is perfectly safe to drink. If you find the appearance of the water to be unpleasant and really want to get rid of it, you could talk to a plumber about installing an air elimination device.

cloudy drinking water rochester mn

Hard Water

Another common cause of cloudy water is mineral content. This is often referred to as hard water. Signs of hard water are glasses that have white spots after you run the dishwasher, soap not making an easy lather when agitated in water and mineral deposits on plumbing fixtures. In general, hard water will not clear with time.

For the most part, it is safe to drink hard water. It is just minerals like calcium and magnesium dissolved in the water. The bigger issue with hard water is that it can cause problems with plumbing fixtures and appliances that use water. One thing you might notice is that your coffeemaker gets coated or clogged with mineral deposits.

The remedy for hard water is to have a plumber install some type of whole house water softener. One of these devices can be installed on your water main, and it will effectively remove mineral content from your water.

Total Suspended Solids

Another issue that can cause cloudy or discolored water is a high level of Total Suspended Solids (TSS). TSS is a term for solid material that is suspended in the water but not dissolved. This could be a wide range of materials. Since they are not dissolved in the water, these solids will usually settle on the bottom of a glass if you let it sit long enough.

The safety of water that has a high TSS level is dependent upon what those solids are. Some of them could be harmful to human health and there is the possibility that some of them could damage plumbing fixtures. If you suspect that your water has a high TSS level, you should have the water tested immediately.

If you have determined that you need to do something about high TSS levels in your drinking water, the best option is to install a whole house filtration system. Most solids will be removable through filtration. That said, there are different types of water purification systems and some might be better for different situations. Once you know what the problem is, you can consult with a plumber about finding the right water purification system for your home.