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When you think about water, you imagine clean, pure, and great-tasting water that refreshes your entire body and makes you feel rehydrated and replenished.
Water is of different kinds; there is tap, mineral, RO, softened, well water, etc. It is essential to select and filter out water that you can easily drink without thinking twice about what it tastes or smells like.
A lot of people have invested in the zero water filter technology to get the best of filtered water but many of them started to complain about getting a fishy, sea smell in their water which makes it difficult to consume.
The smell gets so pungent that it spreads around the house, smelling like an old aquarium. Water is supposed to make you feel clean but in this case, everything that comes in contact with the zero water filter, smells awful and makes it hard for the people to live in an ocean-like environment, I mean, we are humans for a reason!
A lot of people have identified that the smell came from the zero water filter pitcher and even linked their constant headaches, nauseous feeling, and discomfort in their stomach especially if the water was at a normal temperature.
The following video shows some of the reasons the zero water may smell like fish:
What is the Zero Water System?
The Zero Water filtration system utilizes a five-way process to filter out contaminants from water as it uses the change of ions as its technological advancement to filter out most solid impurities which other competitors fail to do. It claims to remove harmful contaminants such as lead, harmful metals as well as chromium.
Zero Water Smells Like Fish- Common Causes and Solutions
Here are some possible reasons for the zero water to be smelling like fish;
Ionisation
The technique of ion exchange purifies the water but through that, it is supposed to release an organic material which is called ‘trimethylamine’ which usually smells like a dirty fish bowl. If you contact the authorities at Zero water, they will suggest you replace and change your filter after every three weeks in order to avoid this issue.
Impure Water
In some cases, the quality of water depends on the area you live in. If it is a rural area, chances are that the water treatment of filtration in your area is not able to purify water as it is supposed to. The issue stems from the presence of natural compounds present in the water which means there is a high presence of chemicals such as barium, cadmium, and chloramine.
A lot of water treatment plants specifically utilise chloramine as a disinfectant, to purify the water but if the limit exceeds, It is bound to give water the fish smell. On the other hand, cadmium and barium are natural compounds and can infiltrate the water through rusted pipelines or impurities caused by the fertilisation process.
The thing is, these materials are not dangerous for consumption but they do give off a really bad smell that can surround the entire house and no one wants to live in a place where the air is spoiled.
So what can be done to avoid this issue? The answer is simple, you can easily treat your water through a reverse osmosis system which will help you filter out the harmful and smell-causing metals such as cadmium and barium as well as compounds that cause the rotten fish smell in the water. You can also use carbon filters to filter out the impurities from the water which will not only purify the water but also make it taste better.
Summertime Problems
If you are facing these issues at an increasing rate, especially during the summer, it is nothing strange at all. Usually, when organic compounds such as algae come in contact with high heat and direct sun rays, they affect the water reservoirs, changing their chemical composition. If the problem persists, however, the problem is most likely due to the local water provider.
So what can be done as a solution to this problem? You can first and foremost contact the water provider to state the issue or even test the water for any chemical presence that might be causing the problems. In addition, you can get your pipelines checked to see if there is any deterioration in the pipes that is causing oxidation or affecting the water supply of your house and causing the smell or metallic taste.
In addition, a professional plumber or water expert may suggest you use a higher amount of chlorination procedure to wash out the waterway so that the organic smell-causing compounds.
How To Clean The Water?
If you have tried out every solution there is, do one more thing. Get a glass of tap water and walk around in a different space where there is no odour of any kind. Try to move the water around the glass and smell it, if it does not have a fishy stench then chances are that the water pipelines are the real culprit and it has nothing to do with your water tank.
You can use carbon or UV filters to reduce the issue of smell, as it might be relatively harmless but a lot of people may feel vomiting or get headaches when they take a whiff out of the water. Additionally, it can get irritating if it continues to spread around the house and a stinky house is definitely not a good place to host parties!
FAQS
How do I clean the zero water filter?
First, get rid of excess water present in the device and then remove the cover from either the dispenser or the pitcher. Now it’s time to get the filter out, if it is expired just throw it out. Wash your water device for around thirty seconds and dry out the device using a dry towel then proceed to attach a new and fresh filter.
What materials could be clogging the zero water filter?
There could be dust or mud residues depending on the quality of the water you are getting through your water supply. In most cases, it is mostly minerals and metals.
Final Thoughts
This article enlightened you on some of the common issues related to the fishy smell present in the water. No matter how clean the water is, the true idea of pure water is that it is not only clean but also tastes great and is odorless.
Also, if you always have a fish bowl smell in your house, you will never feel like your house is clean. Not to mention, there are some individuals who are sensitive to certain smells that will cause problems for them in the long term if the problem persists.