Earthy and musty off-flavors in water occur world wide, come from nature and have no known health effects at their natural levels.

Earthy and musty odors can be found in natural waters and in soils, as well as in beets and in corn (because they are grown in contact with soil). In waterways, when certain algae grow in abundance in what we call an algae bloom, high levels of these odors can be produced.

The technical name for the chemicals produced by the majority of odor-causing algae is 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) and geosmin.

Helix uses ozone in the treatment process and one of the benefits of using ozone as the primary disinfectant is that it is very effective at removing earthy and musty natural flavors. These taste and odor problems are sporadic and usually occur in the summertime when weather conditions are most likely to induce an algae bloom.

Although ozone is very effective at removing these tastes and odors, if the bloom is large enough, customers may still detect an odor. The level of these flavors in water can be as low as 5 nanograms per liter (that is 5 parts-per-trillion). Yet, highly sensitive people can still taste or smell them.

Sensitivity varies greatly among people. Many people are unable to detect one or the other flavor at their natural levels. Some people can detect both, equally well; the human senses are far more complex than anyone can understand. A way of masking this harmless musty taste and odor would be to chill your tap water. Usually it will clear up in a few days.

Do you use home water treatment devices?