Growing up, we’ve all heard that water has a neutral or no distinctive taste. All of this feels credible unless you relocate cities or the water in your home suddenly tastes different. This could be many things – too salty, too sweet, or just strange. 

If you've ever faced this, you know the struggle of trying to adjust to the "bad tasting water". It simply does not seem to quench your thirst. You may try gulping it all down at once, taking it in through small sips, but if anything, it leaves you feeling more dehydrated than ever. 

Bad-tasting water can impact not just drinking habits but also mood and health! Though the taste of water before purification is usually off, certain water purifier may malfunction and alter the taste for the worst. 

Let’s understand the role of a water purifier in improving the taste of water. 

Different Kinds of Bad Tasting Water 

Listed below are the different kinds of odd water tastes you are likely to encounter –

• Metallic Taste – Just as the same suggests, sometimes water might taste like metal. The sharp flavour can linger in your mouth long after you've taken the final sip or glug. Metallic taste is usually indicative of high concentrations of metal filings in the water, mainly zinc, iron or copper. 
• Bitter Taste – If the water tastes intolerably bitter or even smells so, it is indicative of high levels of Total Dissolved Solids or TDS. In case the water reaches you via copper pipes, check for corrosion which may also render the water a bitter flavour. 
• Chemical-Like Taste – Chemical-tasting water stands somewhere between medicines and disinfectants. This usually points towards high levels of chlorine in the water. 
• Salty Taste – This is usually not the case with the taste of the water after purifier but tap water instead. If water leaves a salty aftertaste, it exposes the high concentration of chloride ions in it. This is common in coastal regions but could be due to irrigation drainage or industrial waste. 
• Sour Taste – This kind of bad-tasting water is the most unfit for drinking. It is caused due to high levels of heavy metals in the water, rendering toxic acidity. 
• Fishy Taste – This taste is akin to a rotten egg-like flavour. The taste of water purifier water may produce such a taste if it runs on ion exchange. The decomposition of anions in the resin produces a compound called trimethylamine – the same by-product released from a decaying fish's flesh. This calls for a filter change. 
• Plastic-Like Taste – If you’re unable to consume water due to a distinct plastic-like taste, it’s time to check the water purifier’s pipes and other parts. System degradation may be responsible for this unusual taste. 
• Sweet Taste – Even those with a sweet tooth do not prefer candied water. Water that’s suddenly too sweet for your palate indicates a pH imbalance due to the presence of naturally occurring minerals like calcium or iron in large quantities. 

Water Taste after Purification: Which Purifiers Make a Difference?

There are different types of water filtration systems; yes, each water purifier changes the taste of the water in the purification process. Let’s understand how –

Ceramic Filters 

These filters consist of a porous ceramic casing for filtration. Some filters may additionally use carbon filters for a double-step filtration process. Ceramic filters mainly help eliminate fishy or foul tastes from the water by removing most of the dirt, grime, and bacteria. 

However, it is essential to remember that ceramic filter water taste after purification may stay unaffected in cases of heavy metals, chloride ions, or high minerals. It is only suitable for removing dirt and bacteria. 

Carbon Filters 

Activated carbon filters usually use burnt coconut shells within a cartridge to purify the water. The cartridge may also contain a wood-based substance or bituminous coal. Since carbon particles are naturally porous, impurities like chlorine adhere to the cartridge through a process called absorption. 

If the only problem you’re facing with your home’s water is a strong chemical taste, these water filters improve taste by eliminating chlorine particles. 

Reverse Osmosis (RO) Purifiers 

Employing a semi-permeable membrane, Reverse Osmosis or RO water purifiers aim at eliminating all bad tastes and odours caused due to different contaminants. Based on next-gen water purification technology, these purifiers are point-of-use systems that can be connected to the refrigerator or placed under the sink. 

RO water taste is the closest to the neutral water taste we were taught growing up. Such water filtration systems remove toxins like chlorine, iron, heavy metals, dissolved salts, and more to render the water safe and tasty (you get the drift). 

However, do remember that not all RO water purifiers are created equal. Yes, people often complain about the RO water tasting a bit odd. This could simply mean that your RO water purifier removes all essential minerals from the water. 

Taste enhancer in water purifier preserves essential minerals which naturally give a neutral or rather tasty flavour to the water. Plus, essential minerals in water are vital from a health perspective. Minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium, etc., are essential to maintain healthy hair, supple skin, strong teeth and bones, etc. 

Choose Top-Quality, Choose Livpure 

Water is life's greatest elixir, and Livpure makes it so through a complex seven-step purification system. The Livpure latest water purifiers comes with several filtration filters that remove all kinds of dirt and contaminants from the water, even heavy metals and dissolved salts. 

Moreover, the water purifier also contains an in-built mineraliser that ensures no essential minerals are removed during the filtration process. You can keep an eye on the system's smooth functioning through LED indicators. 

Finally, the purifier comes with a fairly large storage capacity of 7 litres so that even joint families can have sufficient drinking water for extended periods. Given that 70% of the human body is composed of water, you can never compromise on quality, and Livpure ensures you never have to!