Why does my city water smell like chlorine, and can I remove it?
Public water systems in Pennsylvania are required to keep a disinfectant residual in the pipes, which is why treated city water smells and tastes like chlorine at the tap. A whole-home activated carbon filter removes chlorine taste and odor; chloramine, which some systems use instead, needs a catalytic carbon media with more contact time.
Chlorine vs. chloramine
Chlorine is volatile — it off-gasses and is relatively easy for standard carbon to strip out.
Chloramine (chlorine bound to ammonia) is more stable and persists further into the distribution system. It requires catalytic carbon and a larger bed to remove reliably.
Your water utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report states which one they use.
Disinfection byproducts
When chlorine reacts with organic matter in source water it forms byproducts such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids, which the EPA regulates. Carbon filtration at the point of entry reduces these along with the taste and odor.
Skin and hair
A ten-minute hot shower is a large chlorine exposure by inhalation and skin contact. Whole-home carbon is what people notice most quickly — softer-feeling skin and less irritation, separate from anything a softener does.
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