Household pipes:
A bleachy or chemical taste and odor in the water in your home or business is often caused by an accumulation of organic material in the plumbing. Chlorine is added to the City of Albany’s water to control bacterial regrowth. This chlorine can react with the organic material to create a very strong chemical or bleachy taste and odor.
Flushing your water pipes can eliminate the accumulation of organic material:
- Remove the screens (called aerators) from the ends of indoor faucets and simultaneously run all of the faucets wide open for three to five minutes.
- Flush each toilet two or three times while the faucets are running. Simultaneously running faucets and flushing toilets generates a large flow of water through the pipes and should dislodge any buildup of organic material that is causing the taste and odor. Removing the aerators before flushing the plumbing will prevent anything dislodged by flushing from accumulating on the screens.
- After three to five minutes of flushing, turn off the faucets, clean the aerators, and reattach them on the faucets.
Water Heaters:
Water heaters should be flushed at least once a year — twice a year is even better — to control the buildup of mineral deposits. This will help the water heater operate more efficiently and will usually extend its life.
The water heater will also need to be flushed if the hot water becomes a yellow or brownish color due to an accumulation of rust or if you find sand-like mineral sediment in the hot water.
Here’s how to flush your water heater:
Do not shut off the gas or the water supply to the heater.
- Attach a garden hose to the draincock at the bottom of the heater. The draincock usually looks like a regular hose bib (garden faucet) or a round dial with a threaded hole in the middle.
- Extend the garden hose to a place where the water can safely exit the heater, such as a sink drain or the driveway.
- Open the draincock to allow the water to drain. Caution: water leaving the heater will be hot and under normal household water pressure.
Also note: If the draincock is made of plastic and the heater is several years old, it may be difficult to open and may break easily if forced. - After five minutes of flushing, fill a white bucket or large light-colored container with the still-flushing water.
- Allow the water in the bucket to stand undisturbed for a minute and see if it is clear or if any sand-like material settles to the bottom. If the water is clear and no sand-like material is observed, go on to step 6. If the water is discolored and/or you see sand-like material at the bottom of the bucket, repeat steps 3 and 4 until the flushed water is completely clear and free of sediment.
- Close the draincock and remove the garden hose.
If you do not feel comfortable doing this work yourself, you may want to hire a licensed plumber to do it for you.
