Knowledge hub

Water problem guide

Start with what you see, smell or taste. Each symptom points to a likely cause, and each cause has a fix.

Taste and smell

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Swimming-pool taste or smell	Chlorine or chloramine (city water)	ClearBlu Plus or Enhanced Water Softener
Rotten-egg smell	Hydrogen sulphide (wells)	Iron & Manganese Filter
Metallic taste	Iron or manganese	Iron & Manganese Filter
Earthy or musty taste	Tannins or organic matter	Tannin Eliminator
Salty or flat-tasting drinking water	High dissolved solids or sodium	Reverse osmosis

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Orange, red or rust stains	Iron	Iron & Manganese Filter
Black or brown stains	Manganese	Iron & Manganese Filter
Tea-coloured or yellow water	Tannins	Tannin Eliminator
Cloudy or gritty water	Sediment	Sediment pre-filter with a whole-home system
Blue-green stains on fixtures	Corrosive (low-pH) water attacking copper pipes	Free water test to confirm pH

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
White crust on taps, kettles, shower glass	Hard water	SoftBlu or Enhanced Water Softener
Spots on dishes and glasses	Hard water or high TDS	Water softener
Dry, itchy skin; dull hair	Hard water and chlorine	Enhanced Water Softener
Grey or stiff laundry	Hard water, sometimes iron	Softener, plus iron filter on wells
Water heater popping or rumbling	Scale buildup in the tank	Water softener

Concern	Likely cause	Fix
Positive bacteria test on a well	Bacteria such as E. coli or coliforms	UV Pro
Older home, possible lead pipes	Lead service line or solder (pre-mid-1950s homes)	Reverse osmosis at the kitchen tap; ask your city about lead testing
Boil water advisory	A problem in the municipal system	Follow your local authority's advice; see our Ontario drinking water guides

Several symptoms at once? That's common. A free in-home water test shows which problems you actually have, so you only treat what's there.

Free in-home water test

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