That pool smell in your tap water
Opening the case on the taste nobody asked for.
IT DEPENDSThe evidence
Utilities add chlorine (or chloramine) on purpose. It keeps water free of germs on its long trip through the pipes to your house. That's a good thing. But some people can taste it.
5 mg/LThe health guideline for chlorine in Australian drinking water. Utilities run well below it.
Source: NHMRC Australian Drinking Water Guidelines
Source: NHMRC Australian Drinking Water Guidelines
~0.6mg/L: around the level many people start to notice the taste or smell.
Source: NHMRC Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (aesthetic notes)
Source: NHMRC Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (aesthetic notes)
0.81mg/L: average free chlorine one major Australian utility reported for a supply system in 2024. Safe, and above the level some people can taste.
Source: utility drinking water quality report, 2024 (see Sources)
Source: utility drinking water quality report, 2024 (see Sources)
So: safe, but noticeable. Whether it's worth fixing is about taste, not health.
The fix
- Free option: fill a jug and leave it in the fridge for a few hours. Chilled water tastes less of chlorine, and some of it dissipates.
- Cheap option: a jug or tap filter certified to NSF/ANSI 42 for chlorine taste and odour.
- Change the cartridge on time. An old cartridge stops doing its job. Set a reminder for the interval on the box.
Kip's picks
Case closed
Chlorine is doing a job. If the taste bothers you, a certified carbon filter fixes it cheaply. CASE CLOSED
Sources
- NHMRC, Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (chlorine health guideline 5 mg/L; taste threshold notes).
- Sydney Water, drinking water quality reporting 2024 (Nepean system free chlorine).
- NSF/ANSI 42, Drinking water treatment units: aesthetic effects.
Facts checked against the sources above. Something wrong or out of date? Message @kipinvestigates and we'll fix it.