What's in this water?
The tap water at my work looks white. A visual example would be adding salt to water and stirring. Any ideas why the water looks this way? I certainly don’t drink it nor do my co-workers. Isn’t tap water supposed to be drinkable?
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15 Answers
Is it coming out white only when it’s warm?
Calcium. You most likely have hard water at your work. It should be fine to drink, depending on the concentration of calcium in the water. You could get a water purifier to reduce the concentrations. For best bet, alert someone at your work, so they can get someone to test it and make decisions regarding it’s drinkability.
Tiny air bubbles? Does the water clear if you let it stand for a while?
Calcium and/or sediment. A water softener would probably fix it.
@toomuchcoffee911 Actually yes, it does appear more saturated when it’s warm/hot.
@gasman No air bubbles. I haven’t tried letting it settle, will try that.
In our area, it’s bubbles (especially if they’re working on the lines and have an air intake somewhere). Let it sit for about 5 or 10 minutes and see if it clears up.
Well, @Harp explains why warm water is cloudy right after it comes out of the tap here. Hope it helps; sometimes that happens to our water, too.
Boil a few tablespoons in a pan until the water is gone if there is a white deposit then it is very hard water with a lot of minerals.
Also call the local water dept and just ask them about what you are seeing. I have seen similar moments when our village switches well they are pumping from for what ever reason and the water is more turbid than usual.
It could be hard water, it could be from aeration if your faucet has an aerator on it (does the water make a lot of bubbles as you fill up a glass?), it could be Harp’s warm water effect. Does it taste funny? If you rule out the latter two, it is probably the former, in which you should follow @Cruiser‘s good advice and call your local water department. Mine is very helpful, and will come out and test your water for free so you know what is in it. If it is hard water, a lot of times you will see scales or mineral build up in the sink or on anything the water touches. Tap water is most likely fine. I drink it exclusively.
Update
I filled a clear plastic cup with warm water and there were bubbles fizzing. After a minute or so they went away and so did the cloudiness.
i’ve heard this occurs when your water is aerated. so, what you’re seeing is just a lot of mini bubbles, which go away once they all pop.
i don’t know how truthful this is, but just sharing.
If it’s whiter when it’s hot, then it’s just air bubbles.
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