Troubleshoot Your Water

Louisville Water Company’s Water Quality staff have many years of experience diagnosing water quality issues for our customers. This troubleshooting tool was developed to help our customers determine possible causes and solutions of typical water quality issues experienced in a home. Please take the time to go through this guide.

If this does not address the issue, contact Customer Service at (502) 583-6610 to request support of Water Quality staff.

Before starting, here are some considerations that will help in the troubleshooting process.

• Is the problem a visual one (discoloration or particles)? Is there a problem with the smell or taste?
• Does it occur with just the cold water, hot water, or both?
• Does the problem occur in every faucet?
• Does it occur only when you first turn on the water or does it occur continuously?
• When did you first notice the problem?
• Have you checked with your neighbors? Are they experiencing the same problem?
• Do you know what type of pipes you have in your home (i.e. copper, galvanized iron)?
• Do you have any home treatment devices (i.e. water softener, reverse osmosis system, whole house filtration system, or point-of-use activated carbon filter)?
• Have you or someone in your household had COVID-19 at any point during the pandemic?

See It?

Is your water a different color? Do you see particles in your water?

Discolored water can result from both controlled and uncontrolled events in the water distribution system. This can include main breaks, use of fire hydrants for fire fighting, water main flushing efforts, and other normal system operations. Plumbing inside your home or office could be the source of discolored water.

Smell It? Taste It?

Does your water smell funny? Does it taste different?

Smell and taste are categorized together since those two senses are dependent upon each other for an accurate characterization of an issue. With smell or taste issues, the first step is to determine if the problem exists in the public water supply or in your plumbing.

Credit and appreciation to Dr. Jeanette Kelley from Alameda County Water District