Water from faucet is cloudy with bubbles?

Question

I have water softner for the whole house but it does not help. The water appears cloudy when you fill a glass, but then clears. I could see some whisps of smoke coming from it as it clears over a few seconds. I know Santa Clara, CA has hard water, but this is just odd. Any ideas why and how to fix it?

Answer 1

Drinking water delivered through the municipal system can sometimes look "milky" or "cloudy." This cloudiness often occurs when air becomes trapped in the water. While this may impact the water's appearance, it does not affect the water's safety and will not harm household plumbing systems.

How does air get into the water?
It can be introduced in many ways, including the groundwater pumping process, water pipeline maintenance, or the process of bringing cold groundwater to the warmer surface.

Because water pipelines are pressurized, air remains trapped in the water until you open the faucet and release the pressure—similar to the effect created when you open a bottle of soda. The thousands of tiny air bubbles that form give the water a slightly white appearance.

How do I know if cloudiness is really because of air?
There's an easy way to test whether cloudy water is due to trapped air. Fill a glass with tap water and set it on the counter. Observe the water for a minute or two. As the air dissipates, water should start to clear up.

Trapped air does not affect water quality
It's important to understand that this cloudy appearance does not reduce the water's quality. Technicians collect and analyze thousands of drinking water samples a year from throughout the Water District's service area to ensure that tap water meets or surpasses the standards of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

Answer 2

The wisps of smoke are actually tiny bubbles not unlike the larger bubbles released when you pour a carbonated beverage into a glass. The water may be "cloudy" from the aerator in your faucet. The aerator is supposed to mix air into the water as it comes out of the faucet which gives it a better taste however there may be some "dirt" in the screens of the aerator causing more air bubbles than needed or desired. A quick test to determine if it is the water or the aerator you just fill a glass from an outside faucet or the garden hose. if it comes out clear it is the aerator if not it is the water source.

You can easily unscrew the aerator and take it apart to clean the screens but use care and make note as to how and in what order everything comes out or you may end up with several pieces and no clue as to how the darn thing gets reassembled.

Answer 3

I've seen that before, usually right after the water has been turned back on from being shut off for a time. Then, I know it is attributed to air in the water line.

Your case sounds a little more extreme. I would contact your utilities provider or city water department, or if you get water off of a local well then you may want to have someone come out and check your well and water pump. It could be as simple as a bad water line, valve, or seal somewhere near your home. I'd be interested to find out what kind of answers they give you, whichever path you pursue.

Answer 4

Is there an aeration equipment on the water line? now and again the cloudiness is purely air bubbles. Does she have a water softener put in? should be some thing concerning that, yet is maximum in all probability purely air bubbles. best of success. i'm hoping this facilitates.

Answer 5

It's just air trapped in your pipes, most likely caused by low water pressure. It is not a problem, so there really cannot be a solution besides finding some way to get higher water pressure.

Answer 6

It's the softner. It's the salt in the softner. I got rid of my softner. I have much healthier water now.

Answer 7

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