Have you ever noticed that your tap water tastes different first thing in the morning compared to later in the day?
Does it taste metallic or like chlorine? Well, you’re not alone. Many people experience this same thing and wonder what is causing it. The good news is that there are a few possible explanations for why your morning water might taste weird, and all of them are easily fixable.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common reasons why your water might taste weird.
The Science Behind The Taste
There are a number of different factors that can play a role in why your water might taste weird.
Biofilm
The most likely explanation for your water tasting strange is something called “biofilm.” Biofilm is a thin layer of organic material that forms on the inside of pipes and fixtures due to bacteria, minerals, and other elements in your water supply. It’s completely harmless, but it can affect the taste of your water.
Chlorine Taste and Smell
One of the most common causes of funny-tasting water first thing in the morning is chlorine. Chlorine is added to public drinking water supplies to kill harmful bacteria, but unfortunately, it can leave behind an unpleasant taste and smell.
Fortunately, this problem can be easily remedied by installing a home filtration system that removes chlorine from your tap water. This will help ensure that you have clean, safe drinking water without any funny tastes or smells.
Metallic Taste
If your morning water has a metallic taste, it could be due to dissolved minerals like iron or manganese in your tap water.
Minerals like these are naturally occurring and generally harmless, but they can impart an unpleasant flavor to your drinking water if they are present in high concentrations. Installing a home filtration system can help reduce the number of minerals in your tap water, thus eliminating that metallic taste from your morning glass of H2O.
Bacteria Contamination
In some isolated cases, strange tastes and odors may indicate contamination by harmful bacteria such as E. coli or salmonella.
If you suspect that this may be the case with your morning tap water, it is important to contact a professional plumber immediately so they can inspect your plumbing system and determine if there is any contamination present in your pipes or fixtures.
A professional plumber will be able to recommend ways to remedy any bacterial contamination present in order to ensure you have safe drinking water in your home again as soon as possible.
Old Pipework
If your home has older pipes or lead pipes, they may leach metals or minerals into your drinking water that can affect its flavor. This could be anything from iron to copper to magnesium – all of which have their own distinct tastes.
In recent times, many homes with old pipes have replaced them with newer, plastic pipes to reduce the amount of minerals leaking into their drinking water and improve its flavor.
How To Fix It
Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to improve the taste of your drinking water without resorting to bottled water or other expensive solutions.
- First off, let your tap run for a few minutes before filling up a glass or bottle with cold drinking water. This will allow any excess chlorine or metals/minerals to evaporate out before reaching your glass or bottle (and therefore avoiding any unpleasant odors/tastes).
- You should also try running cold-water only through all of your faucets at least once per week. This will help flush out any built-up sediment inside older pipes that might be leaching metals/minerals into your drinking water supply.
- Consider investing in some kind of filtration system such as a reverse osmosis filter or carbon filter – these filters work by removing impurities from your incoming source supply before they reach your taps (resulting in better tasting drinking water).
Final Thoughts
As we’ve seen, there are several factors that can affect how our tap water tastes first thing in the morning (temperature, chlorine levels etc.).
Fortunately there are some simple steps we can take to improve its flavor without having to resort to expensive solutions like bottled water or filtration systems (e.g., letting our taps run for a few minutes before filling up with cold drinking water or by contacting your local water authority for help understanding how their treatments may be affecting your tap water’s taste).
Whatever the reason for the weird taste of your water in the morning, installing a home filtration system is usually enough to get rid of any funny tastes or smells from your tap so that you can enjoy fresh tasting drinking water every day without worry.
