The below chart outlines some symptoms, causes and possible solutions to the most common aesthetic water problems.

Symptoms in Water

Common Causes

Possible Solutions

White film on sinks and tubs; Scale in water heater and teapots; Dishes dry cloudy; Soap does not lather well; Pipes clogged or filled with deposits

Hardness, due to calcium and magnesium dissolved from bedrock

Water softener

Red or brown discoloration of fixtures, metallic taste

Iron, dissolved from bedrock

Water softener (low to moderate concentrations); Oxidizing filter (higher concentrations)

Black staining, metallic taste

Manganese, dissolved from bedrock

Water softener (low to moderate concentrations); Oxidizing filter (higher concentrations)

Blue-green stains in sinks and tubs; pinhole leaks in pipes; metallic taste

Corrosive water caused by low pH

Acid neutralizing filter

Salty taste, corrosion of metals

Chloride, dissolved from bedrock

Reverse osmosis; distillation

Red or orange stringy, slimy film in toilet holding tank; musty odor

Iron Bacteria

Chlorination of water source

Rotten egg sulfur odor in cold and hot water; black greasy stains

Hydrogen sulfide gas

Oxidizing filter; chlorination of water source (less severe cases)

Rotten egg sulfur odor in hot water only

Hydrogen sulfide gas; for a tank type water heater, typical causes of hydrogen sulfide gas are a magnesium anode rod and/or iron bacteria

Replace magnesium anode rod with aluminum; chlorination of water source

Cloudy or dirty water; pipes clogged or filled with deposits

Sediment or turbidity; groundwater intrusion

Cartridge or bag element filtration (less severe cases)

Pink, red, yellow, orange, brown, or black slime on fixtures, sink or shower

Airborne bacteria (serratia marcescens) grow on surfaces that are frequently wet

Not a water problem; clean using a chlorinated cleaner, keep surfaces dry