Strange tap water

[Wills]

Hi somethings happened that I’ve not experienced before so looking for some advice.

My tap water smells really strongly of chlorine and tastes differently it’s been bad a few days now so getting concerned. I don’t really want to do a water change with it but was thinking of double dosing the declorinator and letting it stand for a few hours?

I’ve not tested it yet but will do it today to see if there are any other changes. But wondering if they have added extra chlorine for some reason?

 

[porl66]

Hi somethings happened that I’ve not experienced before so looking for some advice.

My tap water smells really strongly of chlorine and tastes differently it’s been bad a few days now so getting concerned. I don’t really want to do a water change with it but was thinking of double dosing the declorinator and letting it stand for a few hours?

I’ve not tested it yet but will do it today to see if there are any other changes. But wondering if they have added extra chlorine for some reason?

Give your local water company a call and explain to them and see what they say

 

[Guyb93]

Hi somethings happened that I’ve not experienced before so looking for some advice.

My tap water smells really strongly of chlorine and tastes differently it’s been bad a few days now so getting concerned. I don’t really want to do a water change with it but was thinking of double dosing the declorinator and letting it stand for a few hours?

I’ve not tested it yet but will do it today to see if there are any other changes. But wondering if they have added extra chlorine for some reason?

I had the same issue when I moved house the water tests show it’s the same water ph Gh all the same but there is definitely a difference in taste and smell , I don’t own a chlorine test so have no evidence I didn’t really notice to start with as I don’t drink tap water unless it’s in tea

 

[seangee]

Hi somethings happened that I’ve not experienced before so looking for some advice.

My tap water smells really strongly of chlorine and tastes differently it’s been bad a few days now so getting concerned. I don’t really want to do a water change with it but was thinking of double dosing the declorinator and letting it stand for a few hours?

I’ve not tested it yet but will do it today to see if there are any other changes. But wondering if they have added extra chlorine for some reason?

Only a question they can answer . May be that something is planned or they are expecting unusual demand, or even responding to something that has already happened (dead cow found in reservoir ). I know our supplier always chlorinates the water on a Thursday in preparation for the weekend so I avoid topping up or changing water in my pond over the weekend, and the chlorine smell is noticeably stronger on a Friday.

Just kidding about the dead cow - at least I hope I am

 

[mbsqw1d]

Also with the temperature dropping, as chlorine holds for longer in colder water. Could've been a burst pipe somewhere and thats brought water from the supplier much quicker than usual. But yeh, I think its worth giving them a call especially if its a noticeable difference.

 

[Colin_T]

A strong smell of chlorine in tap water is common after they do work on the pipes. They add extra chlorine to make sure nothing is alive from the dirt and everything else that got into the water supply during the work.

Wait a few days and it should go and then you can do water changes. Alternatively, fill up some plastic containers with tap water, add a double dose of dechlorinator and aerate vigorously for at least 60 minutes or more. Then do a smallish water change and see how the fish react.

Sometimes cows and other animals do end up in the dams where our drinking water is stored.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

My tap water is always like this, but usually more when they work on changing the pipes or something. They usually give my house a call when they are about to do it though...

(Of course I do live in KY...)

 

[Essjay]

@Wills Does your water company report works or anything in the "in your area" section of its website?

 

[AbbeysDad]

It happens more than we'd like to think. Our club president lost his entire fishroom following a water change last year - a devastating loss as he had a lot of special, hard to find fish along with some expensive breeders.
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As mentioned, whenever there's a break and subsequent repairs in the water line, in the interest of public health, they increase the chlorine or chloramine to compensate for any impurities. The levels can exceed what conditioners can handle. Obviously, we should avoid water changes if/when this happens but it's hard to know. In this case, you know to wait or take extra steps to ensure you use extra conditioner to neutralize.