Fixed my faucet and now the water tastes gross.

April 2, 2012 7:57 AM

Fixed the dripping sink faucet. Now the first water after I turn it on tastes nasty. What can I do? How long will it last?

My sink faucet (Delta single handle) was dripping and in need of repair. I took it apart and replaced all the possible replaceable parts. Now it works great, but I have to let it run for 10-20 sec. before the water tastes good. The first water that comes out has a nasty, rubbery taste to it (I'm assuming due to the new rubber washer/gasket thingys I installed).

This is really minor but it's driving me nuts! Having to run the water before filling a glass negates the water I save by not having a dripping faucet. Also, it's annoying when I forget and get a mouthful of rubbery water.

How long will this last? Is it due to the new rubber washers or something else? Is there anything I can do to make the water taste better faster? Thanks!

posted by Knicke to home & garden (3 answers total)

Whenever you do plumbing you're likely to knock loose some sediment. If I were you I would run all the faucets for ten minutes or so (sink, tube, etc) and flush out the system a bit.
posted by HuronBob at 8:03 AM on April 2, 2012

I've seen this with new CPVC pipes, you have to run enough water over the glue joints for them to stop flavoring the water.

But it appears that the most common reason for this is sediments moving after you turn off the shutoff and do the work, and the most likely place for them to be caught is in the aerator. Take that off and clean it well. (CLR is my fave for that, but I live in a hard water zone...)

And, finally -- if it's new rubber, it's going to do this for about a week.
posted by eriko at 8:05 AM on April 2, 2012

We had the same issue with our new kitchen faucet and it tasted like whatever lube they used in the plumbing parts. Eww. It went away after a month or so, but I still run a little water before getting a glass to drink. I generally capture the extra water I run to water the plants.
posted by advicepig at 8:19 AM on April 2, 2012