When you turn on a faucet in your South Jersey home, you no doubt expect clean, clear water to come out of it. However, for a variety of reasons, that might not happen. Cloudy water is an issue that affects homes everywhere, including here in South Jersey. If your home has cloudy water and you want to fix it, you’ll need to know why to fix it. Here are six reasons your home might have cloudy water and what you need to do to clear it up.
1. It’s Very Cold Outside
One of the most benign reasons that your home’s water might get cloudy has to do with the outside temperature. When the mercury drops in the winter, the temperature of your home’s water supply will drop along with it. Cold water can hold more oxygen than warm or hot water can, and that extra air can make your water look cloudy.
If your cloudy water only happens in the winter, cold temperatures may be a culprit, especially if your hot water isn’t also cloudy. You won’t need to do anything if cold temperatures are causing cloudiness. This is merely a cosmetic issue, and it will clear on its own once the temperatures warm back up.
2. Your Water Pressure Is Too High
You can tell excess air is to blame for cloudiness by filling a clear glass with water from the tap. If the water clears up after the glass sits briefly, the cloudiness is likely due to air. Although cold temperatures are a common factor in cloudy water, they’re not the only reason for excess air bubbling up in your water supply. It can also happen when your home’s water pressure is too high. If your water is cloudy all year long, high water pressure is likely to be the culprit.
Air in your water is not dangerous, and you can continue to drink it, cook with it, and use it for bathing and cleaning. However, you shouldn’t necessarily ignore the problem, either. High water pressure can lead to more issues in your home, including water waste and potential damage to your appliances, including your washing machine and dishwasher. To solve the problem, give us a call and we will send a plumber to install a pressure-reducing valve in your home.
3. Your Home Has Hard Water
Hard water can also lead to cloudy water. Hard water affects much of the United States, including New Jersey. If you’ve got hard water, your home’s water supply has large volumes of dissolved calcium and magnesium. This is not dangerous for you, but the dissolved minerals can leave unsightly gray or yellow deposits on your sinks and faucets. The buildup can also shorten the lifespan of your water heater and appliances and increase the risk of dry skin and brittle hair.
A professional test can determine if hard water is the cause of your cloudiness. A whole-house water softener is the solution. The water softener will remove hard water minerals from the water before sending it to the faucet and fixtures. Once you have a water softener installed, your cloudiness should go away along with the negative effects of hard water.
4. Your Water Heater Needs Flushing
Here in South Jersey, you can expect most sources of tap water to be clean and safe for most uses. However, all tap water has some level of sediment or dissolved calcium carbonate in it. Under normal circumstances, there shouldn’t be enough to turn your water cloudy. However, if enough sediment and calcium carbonate settle in your water heater, you might notice cloudiness in your home’s hot water supply.
This problem is easy to address. Storage tank water heaters have small valves near their base. Through this valve, you will be able to drain the water heater as necessary. Turn it off first, and then use the valve and a garden hose to drain the water heater and remove the buildup in the process. When you turn the water heater back on, it will refill and the cloudy water should be a thing of the past.
5. Your Water Has High Levels of Total Suspended Solids
One of the most unpleasant causes of cloudy water happens when your tap water contains excess amounts of total suspended solids (TSS). That’s a complex-sounding name for inert organic or inorganic materials that remain in your tap water after it has gone through municipal treatment or a well water disinfection process. A suspended solid is defined as any solid that’s less than two microns that’s suspended in your water. Common TSS include things like algae, sand, and silt.
On their own, most TSS won’t cause any problems beyond cloudy water and an unpleasant water taste. However, they could indicate a bigger problem with your home’s water. That’s because things like bacteria, viruses, pesticides, and other harmful substances may bind to the solids in your water.
If TSS is the cause of your cloudy water, consider using a water filtration system for your home. After testing your water to identify the offending substances, you can install a water filtration system that’s designed to remove those things. That will ensure your home has clear, healthy, and safe water at all times.
6. There’s Methane Leaking Into Your Water Supply
Although uncommon here in South Jersey, the final reason your home could have cloudy water is if methane is leaking into your water supply. This is more common for homes that get their water from a well although a damaged underground supply pipe could conceivably lead to the problem as well. However, it’s an issue that typically only happens near active fracking sites. Since New Jersey and neighboring Pennsylvania banned fracking in 2021, this isn’t a problem that homeowners here typically need to worry about these days. However, if no other tests turn up the reason for your home’s cloudy water, methane infiltration could be the culprit. In that case, you’d either need to repair the pipe that’s allowing methane to seep into your water or retrofit an aeration pump in your home’s well to force the methane out.
Your Local Plumbing Experts
If your South Jersey home has cloudy water or any other plumbing problem, Laury Heating Cooling & Plumbing can help. We have served the local area since 1945, offering comprehensive plumbing services to residents here. We also offer HVAC installation, repair, and maintenance services and are a leader in the field, as our long list of industry awards and citations will attest.
If you need help with cloudy water in your home in Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Atlantic, Burlington, Camden or Cape May County, call our experts at Laury Heating Cooling & Plumbing today to schedule an appointment!
