Water 101 · 6 min read
What’s actually in your tap water?
Most tap water is treated to be safe to drink, but “safe” isn’t the same as “clean-tasting” or “free of everything.” City water usually carries chlorine and trace metals; well water can carry iron, sulfur and bacteria. A simple test tells you which, and filtration is chosen from there.
City water vs. well water
If your water comes from a municipal supply, it’s disinfected — usually with chlorine or chloramine — before it reaches you. That keeps it safe in the pipes, but it’s also why city water can taste and smell like a swimming pool. Older homes can add a second issue: lead or copper leaching from aging pipes and solder.
Well water skips the municipal treatment entirely. That means no chlorine taste, but it also means you’re responsible for what’s in it — commonly iron (rusty staining), sulfur (the rotten-egg smell), sediment, and sometimes bacteria.
The contaminants worth caring about
- Chlorine & chloramine — the taste/smell most people want gone first.
- Lead & heavy metals — you can’t taste them; a concern in older plumbing.
- Hardness (scale) — not harmful, but it spots glass and shortens appliance life.
- Iron & sulfur — staining and odor, common on wells.
- PFAS — “forever chemicals” increasingly found in supplies; reduced by reverse osmosis.
How to find out what’s in yours
Two easy steps: read your city’s annual water-quality report (or test a well), then match the results to the right filtration. You don’t need to memorize part numbers — you need to know your two or three actual issues, then choose a system that targets them.
Skip the guesswork
Answer a few questions and we’ll recommend the system that fits your water.
Take the 60-second quizEducational guidance only — not health or medical advice. In production this article publishes with a named, credentialed author (YMYL guardrail).