What to do if the tap water is turbid and yellow

Water is an important natural resource. If we humans want to live a normal life, we definitely cannot do without sufficient water resources. Nowadays, whether in cities or rural areas, water resources are mainly tap water. The phenomenon of drawing water from wells has been reduced. Now every household has installed a faucet, making water use very convenient. When drinking tap water, you must ensure that it is healthy. So what should you do if you encounter turbid and yellow tap water?

I believe you are no longer unfamiliar with some abnormal phenomena produced by tap water. At least you have seen it in your circle of friends on the Internet. For example, why does tap water become turbid? Why does tap water turn white? What causes tap water to turn yellow? Today, I will reveal the answers one by one for you. I believe you will understand after reading it~

Reasons why tap water turns white or pale:

The reason why the tap water turns white is that air is dissolved in the tap water supply network and decomposed into tiny bubbles under pressure. When you cannot see the bubbles with your naked eyes, it is because the bubbles are densely arranged, making the tap water appear milky white. In severe cases, it may even be a bit like the color of rice soup.

At this time, you just need to let the cup, pot or bucket or other container containing tap water stand still for a while, the bubbles will naturally disappear, and the tap water will become clear. The whitening of tap water generally does not affect the water quality and can be used with confidence.

However, there is another reason, which may be caused by excessive microorganisms. Some high-rise buildings have secondary water supply to solve the tap water usage problem of high-rise residents. In order to deal with the problem of excessive microorganisms in the water storage tank, most properties may add bleaching powder to the water supply tank for sterilization, which may produce a slightly white-gray color.

The main component of bleaching powder is calcium hypochlorite [Ca(ClO)], and the chemical reaction formula is 2Ca(ClO)2+2H2O=Ca(OH)2+CaCl2+2HOCl. After draining the water, the color of the flowing water is a light white-gray color, and a slight pungent chlorine smell can be smelled. After standing for a few minutes, there may be a small amount of tiny particles in the water.

You can use a white transparent glass to collect tap water to observe its color. If the water is whitish, you can observe that the white color gradually becomes clear from the bottom of the cup upwards. This is the phenomenon that gas is dissolved in the water. That is, tiny bubbles in the water gradually escape from the bottom of the cup upwards, gradually becoming clear, and the water body also becomes transparent. If bleach is added to the tap water, then the tap water flowing into the glass will become white after bubbles are formed. At the same time, the water in the glass will still have a slightly white-gray color and a slight chlorine smell can be smelled. Chlorine is added to tap water for disinfection and sterilization, but all chlorine itself is highly oxidizing. In order to avoid harm to the human body, the rated dose must be added in strict accordance with the requirements of the standard.

There are two reasons why tap water can turn yellow:

The main reason why tap water becomes turbid is due to burst pipes in urban water supply pipes. As we all know, the city's tap water pipeline network (professionally known as water supply) is buried underground. Once the pipeline network bursts, the municipal water supply personnel will dig three feet underground to find the leak, plug the leak, or even replace the pipe, and they must be working in the mud. Then mud, sand and gravel will definitely be brought in during the emergency repair process. After the emergency repairs are completed, when the water supply valve is opened to restore water flow, the mud and sand along with the impact of the water flow may cause localized, short-term turbidity. This is the culprit for the turbid tap water you see.

Generally, turbid tap water is a short-term phenomenon. It will gradually return to normal by draining more water or using more water. If this continues for a long time, it may be that the pipe has burst and has not been discovered, or the source water of the tap water is contaminated.

I would also like to add that according to national standards, the raw water for a water purifier is tap water, which is purified and filtered again on the basis of tap water to provide residents with safe and healthy drinking water. If you still have concerns about the use of tap water, then install a water purifier as a final check!