The whole point of a water filter is to produce clean, fresh-tasting drinking water, so any unusual cloudiness in your water might be alarming.
Don’t worry, though – cloudy water from a filter is nothing to worry about. We’ve shared what it is, what it’s caused by, and what to do about it, in this article.
📌 Key Takeaways:
- Cloudy filtered water is usually caused by very tiny air bubbles in the water.
- The cloudiness should disappear once the filter cartridge is saturated with water and no more air is pushed through the filter pores.
Table of Contents
🤔 What Causes Cloudy Filtered Water?
The most common cause of cloudy filtered water is tiny air bubbles from the filter.
When you first install a new filter at your water supply line, the filter will be full of air. Only when you switch on your faucet or press your water dispenser will water flow through the filter.
As water starts to filter through the media, it’ll push air out of the filter media, creating air bubbles. These bubbles are so tiny (usually about 5 microns) that they make your water look generally cloudy. You might not notice that they’re bubbles until you take a closer look.
Eventually, all the air will be pushed out of the filter and will leave the water line, giving you clear, bubble-free water once more.
📖 What To Do About Water With A Cloudy Appearance
A filter will only produce cloudy water while the media is becoming saturated with water, causing air bubbles to be pushed out of the filter pores.
So, you could simply wait until the filter becomes fully saturated and all the air has been pushed out. At this point, your water should lose its cloudiness.
Since cloudy water isn’t dangerous, simply waiting for your filter to right itself is the easiest response.
However, if you suspect that trapped air has created pockets in the filter, preventing water from accessing the media (a common problem in pitcher water filters), you can remove the trapped air by soaking the filter in cold water for 15-20 minutes.
👉 Related: Common causes and solutions for cloudy well water.
📝 Final Thoughts
Cloudy water from a water filter is usually caused by air in the water. Trapped air isn’t dangerous and doesn’t affect your water quality. It should only occur in your water when you’ve just installed a new water filter cartridge, and should dissipate over time.
