When you turn on the tap, your water shouldn’t come out dirty—but it may appear cloudy or murky even if it’s perfectly safe to drink. Our Master Tradesman dives in.
If you know, you know: Southeast Wisconsin has some of the best and worst tap water the US has to offer. You’re probably here to find out why yours is coming out looking like the latter.
Note before we begin:
The info below is relevant anywhere water flows, including private wells. However, we will also include some information specific to Team Austin’s home stomping grounds (Milwaukee, Menomonee Falls, Brookfield, Waukesha et. al), where the city wells are all supplied by Lake Michigan water.
Now, here are the most common causes, listed from lowest to highest concern level—and what you can do to make your water beautiful & drinkable again.
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Air Bubbles
The most normal, least alarming cause of foggy or dirty-looking water is actually…air bubbles.
Air gets into water many ways. It could be naturally-occurring gasses in well water or aerated water as a result of an iron filter. Or it could simply be the minor aeration that occurs as water comes out of a modern faucet through a low-flow aerator.
Here’s how to solve the mystery:
Fill a nice clear clean glass with water and set it aside. If the water starts out murky and cloudy and then clears from the bottom up then you know the cloudiness is caused by air or other gasses in the water
– Eric Smith, Master Tradesman
The good news is that air bubbles and other gasses in the water are mostly harmless. On occasion, if the gasses are due to sulfur or other “stinky” gasses, air bubbles in water can cause aesthetic concerns such as water that smells like rotten eggs.
Unless your murky water is actually bothering you in terms of taste/smell, you can in fact live in harmony with it. No judgment from us!
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Mineral Hardness
Like much of the Midwest, Wisconsin has some of the hardest water in the entire country because of our mineral-rich aquifers. Hardness generally comes from calcium and magnesium in particular, which can leave water feeling sticky or with a layer of unsightly film on top.
In the region we serve, hardness in drinking water is something that needs to be addressed or else it will cause huge (expensive) problems with the plumbing system. The best way to address this problem is to have a water softener installed. Frankly, there’s not much else you can do. It’s the solution that really works, and again, in places like SE WI, it’s largely non-optional.
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Sand or Sediment
With much of drinking water originating from public or private wells, sediment of all types, colors and sizes can be found in drinking water. One of the most frustrating parts about sand in drinking water is that it causes water to look murky, cloudy, or downright dirty.
But perhaps worse than that is how inconsistent and unpredictable the sandiness can be. Our Master Tradesman shines some clarity on this murky subject:
Groundwater that feeds into the wells we draw from—be they public or private—changes in lockstep with the environment. Snowmelt and spring rains can cause the aquifers and underground waterways to swell, introducing water from new sources into the groundwater supply. The other side of that coin is that dry seasons can cause the water levels to lower, thus drawing from veins deeper in the earth.
Unfortunately, there isn’t necessarily a rhyme or reason to it (at least not one within our control). Groundwater is an ebbing and flowing resource that does change over time. That’s the nature of it.
How can you tell if sand or sediments are causing your dirty water? Back to the simple glass trick: Fill a nice clean glass with drinking water and let it sit on the counter. If after several hours there is visible grit or “dirt” at the bottom, then sand/sediment is likely the cause.
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Off-the-Charts TSS (Total Suspended Solids)
Suspended solids are just as they sound: solid objects that are suspended in water and, if left alone, would eventually settle to the bottom. The larger the solid particle, the faster it’ll reach the bottom (and vice-versa). The tiny ones stay afloat longer, making the water look cloudy. So when you do the glass trick, you can see the water begin to look pretty clear (except at the bottom). An iron filter can go a long way toward remedying this problem.
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It’s just bubbly from getting filtered!
One of the key steps to removing iron (and the stinky, rotten-egg odor commonly associated with it) is the aeration that happens inside an iron filter. Most iron filters, including the most popular model by Capitol water and the Hellenbrand Iron Curtain system, inject air into the filter, adding air bubbles to the water. It’s scientifically sound—just a part of the purification process. Still, it has the unglamorous consequence of bubbly water. Don’t worry; it’s not actually dirty. It just looks that way until the bubbles clear!
Is drinking cloudy water safe?
When bringing a full glass of cloudy or murky water to your lips, you probably have a safety concern or two that run through your mind. Water that looks dirty can in fact be unhealthy, but the good news is that this is rarely the case. To be sure, though, the best course of action is to have the water professionally tested. Our master tradesman shines some bright and fine light on drinking water safety:
Bacteria, arsenic, heavy metals, disinfection byproducts and the things in water we should be clearly concerned about are not visible in water. Things that make water look “dirty” are often easily treatable with whole home filters, which are relatively inexpensive. Ensure your drinking is both clean and safe by having it tested by a state certified laboratory annually.
What’s the crystal-clear choice for water that looks as clean as it tastes?
The team at Austin Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric has been helping homeowners make their tap water (city and well water) not only look clean and clear, but taste pure and refreshing for over 90 years. Not in love with your drinking water? You should be. Call Team Austin for a comprehensive water evaluation and say goodbye to dirty, cloudy and smelly water! Reach us at 262-367-3808, or book online in real time today.
