Does Your Water Smell Like a Swimming Pool?

September 14th, 2020 by Nick Koz

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does your water smell like a swimming pool blog post

The smell of a swimming pool is comforting in public pools filled with people and their cohort of contaminants, but it isn’t something that you want to smell drifting from your drinking water. If you drink from your tap, and your water smells like a swimming pool, then you should invest in a water filtration system.

Why Does Your Water Smell Like a Swimming Pool?

Your water smells like a swimming pool because of a chemical called chlorine. It is the same ingredient responsible for the smell of bleach. Chlorine is regularly used by public water systems as a disinfectant in order to remove dangerous microbes from the water reaching your home. The CDC has determined that acceptable levels of chlorine in your drinking water are levels below 4 mg per liter. Most municipal water systems keep it well below that.

Still, the water that is free flowing to your tap is only considered utility grade water in most cases. It is safe to drink by the standards set by safe drinking water regulations, but those standards include allowed levels of toxins such as arsenic and lead. If you want drinking grade water, you should invest in a water filtration system.

Filtration Systems to Prevent that Swimming Pool Smell

Many people may believe they are protected from chemicals in their water because they have invested in a water softener, but water softeners are meant to remove water hardness. This means it removes minerals responsible for hardness such as calcium. It does not remove chlorine. If you want to be sure that your water is chemical-free (as much as possible), you should utilize a carbon filter along with a water softener. To take an extra step of protection for your family, you can add a reverse osmosis system for your drinking water.

How Dangerous is Water that Smells Like a Swimming Pool?

Your tap water shouldn’t smell overwhelmingly like a swimming pool. High chlorine levels in drinking water can cause dry skin and a bad test. You can ensure that your water is free of any harmful ingredients if you get a reverse osmosis system wherever you have tap water you use for drinking. You aren’t likely to die from the chlorine coming from your faucet, but you may improve your health by only drinking filtered water. The main question is would you rather use a filter, or be the filter?