Is it something in the water?

tridean

Jedi Master
Hi,
I live in South Australia, and it is common knowledge that we have chlorine in our water. At this time of year it is apparently increased.

Also, recently, we had a water softener removed from our premises and as such have direct water from the mains to the taps. The softener was old and the owners decided to remove it rather than replace it.

Since then I have noticed some issue with me, especially when showering.

Obviously I can smell the chlorine, but I am also getting a horrible tinny sensation in my mouth, even the mere thought of going for a shower induces this tinny taste as if I have some aluminium foil in my mouth. I dread going for a shower now. What's worse, is it is also more difficult to play my guitars (being steel stringed) without getting this horrible tinny taste in my mouth.

Is this the chlorine doing it to me? I wouldn't have thought so as I owned a pool at my previous house and never had this issue swimming etc.

Could it just be the hardness of the water?

Anyone here from Adelaide have issues with the water when showering. I know some people complain about their hair smelling like chlorine

Dean
 
Hi Dingo,

In case you weren't aware, the amount of chlorine added to the water supply is generally based on levels of organic pathogens like e.coli. Depending on the weather, these organism increase in numbers, thereby necessitating an increase in chlorine. I notice our water (in Ottawa; Canada) tends to smell more of chlorine after a long span of continuous hot days.
However, I have never tasted the metallic taste.

Water softeners might alter the taste of water, but I didn't think that the taps used for drinking water were usually connected to the softener, just the water lines to laundry and bathing areas. I could be totally wrong, as the only times I've seen water softeners is in the country where everyone uses well water and not municipal water. So your situation could be totally different.

Perhaps the water has lots of naturally occurring iron, which usually has a rust taste to it, and the water softener somehow neutralized that taste.

Gonzo
 
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