My day to day experience as a water expert

  Last Friday, I got a call from a resident living in a gated community near Medavakkam. “It’s not a leak or drainage issue,” she began. “It’s the water itself. Every time we turn on the tap—especially in the bathrooms—it smells horrible. Like rotten eggs .” This wasn’t the first time we’d heard of this. “We thought it was maybe from the pipes,” she continued, “but the smell is there even in the overhead tank . Guests have started complaining. And honestly, it’s getting embarrassing.” The Real Culprit: Sulphur Compounds in Borewell Water As soon as she described the smell, I had a good guess — hydrogen sulfide gas , a by-product of decaying organic matter that’s common in some borewell sources. It creates that telltale rotten egg odor and can show up in both hot and cold water lines. “It’s worse when we switch on the geyser,” she said. “That’s when the stink is strongest .” That made sense. Heat releases more of the trapped gas, which is why the smell intensifies with hot water. S...

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Last Tuesday, I got a call from the facilities head of a private school in Pallikaranai, Chennai. He sounded a bit frustrated, and I could tell this wasn’t just a routine enquiry. “We’ve been getting flagged in every hygiene inspection for the past few months,” he said. “Everything else is in order — the bathrooms are cleaned regularly, and we have a proper maintenance team. But those white rings in the wash basins just won’t go away.” That caught my attention immediately. He continued, “We’ve tried scrubbing, descaling liquids, even replaced a few taps. But after two weeks, it’s back again. What are we missing?” The Real Problem: High TDS Water from Borewell The school was using borewell water for everything — from handwashing stations to cleaning floors and even in the kitchen. I asked him if they had ever tested their water quality. “No, we haven’t done a proper test. We assumed if it’s clear and has no smell, it’s fine,” he said. I explained that what they were seeing — the stubbo...

Last Monday, I got a call from the owner of a newly constructed villa in ECR, Chennai. He’d moved in just two weeks ago, and everything in the house was brand new — premium tiles, fancy bath fittings, and sleek steel taps. But something was bothering him. “I don’t understand,” he said. “Every tap in the house has started showing these white, chalky patches. I tried cleaning it with vinegar and some bathroom cleaner, but it keeps coming back. Is it the water?” I asked him how he found us. “I was googling why new taps start looking old so quickly, and one of your blogs on high TDS came up,” he said. “I didn’t even know what TDS was before that.” That’s exactly why we write them, for people to gain knowledge. The actual culprit: high TDS borewell water His villa was connected to a borewell, a common feature in the ECR. But like many homeowners, he hadn’t tested the water before moving in. “We just installed a regular UV filter for drinking,” he said. “Never thought much about the rest of...

Last Thursday, I got a call from the owner of a well-known beauty parlour in Anna Nagar, Chennai. She runs the parlour on the ground floor, and her family lives just upstairs. Her voice was calm, but she sounded like someone who’d finally connected the dots after weeks of frustration. “I was googling why some of my regular clients keep complaining about frizzy hair and dry skin, and one of your blogs popped up,” she said. “It explained everything. We’re seeing the same issues ourselves at home too. And now I’m sure it’s the water.” That’s exactly why we write those blogs. She continued, “It’s not just the clients. My daughter keeps asking me why her skin feels dry after a shower, and we’ve stopped using white towels because they always look dull and stiff. Can you please check if it’s hard water ?” The real problem: untreated hard borewell water She told me their building relies on borewell water, and they’ve been using a basic sediment filter. “We thought it was enough,” she said, “bu...

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Last Tuesday, I got a call from the facilities manager of a mid-sized IT office located in Porur, Chennai. He sounded irritated and overwhelmed. “Our water looks brown . It’s embarrassing. We had clients visiting last week, and someone pointed it out while washing their hands. Even the mugs in our pantry have brown rings. This needs to be fixed immediately.” I asked him a few questions to understand the source and type of water they were using. “We get borewell water,” he said. “And we’ve just been using a basic filter. The plumber said that was enough. But now we’re seeing brown stains on washbasins, toilets, and even inside our kettles.” This was clearly a classic case of iron contamination — and we’ve dealt with dozens just like it. The real problem: high iron content in borewell water I asked if the water had been tested. He replied, “No, we just assumed it was dirty water from the tank. We even cleaned the sump last month, but it didn’t help.” That’s when I explained, “This isn’t...

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Click here to read more about white spots on plates, tiles, and mirrors

  Last Friday, I got a call from a homeowner in Medavakkam, Chennai. He didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “Our borewell water tastes salty . We’ve tried changing filters and even boiling it, but nothing seems to help. The water just doesn’t feel drinkable.” I asked him a few basic questions — how many people lived at home, what kind of system they currently had, and where their water was sourced from. “We’re a family of four,” he said. “And we rely entirely on borewell water. Currently, we’re using a standard filter connected under the sink. But my wife and kids keep saying the water tastes weird. We’ve been buying cans lately.” This was a familiar problem — one we hear every week. The real problem: high TDS in borewell water I asked, “Has your borewell water been tested?” “No, we just assumed the filter would take care of everything,” he replied. That assumption is exactly where most households go wrong. Standard sediment filters or UV filters can remove particles and kill bacter...