WRAS Washning Machine Hose Causing Synthetic Water Taste

[kevmull]

Hi all

I'm a consumer and not in the trade and live in the Manchester area which is know for its quality soft drinking water

How to rid kitchen tap water of an AWFUL 'synthetic' taste? (worse than London water!)
Have fitted two stop taps AND a double return check valve on pipe leading to washing machine hose (1m).
Hose is usual rubber/plastic WRAS type that came with machine.
Have now temporarily removed the hose and water tastes fine so hose MUST be the cause? Odors from machine bypassing all the above defences?
What is the point of WRAS and the above if it does not prevent the 'synthetic taste of the water?
Had the water board out and they think that is odors coming from the machine.

What do you guys think? I've searched the net and a lot of regional water authorities sites and they all say 'fit a return valve' but no word about odors bypassing this valve and stop taps!

Would a 'metallic' WRAS hose be any better?

 

[Whyme]

A lot of water authorities wont recognize a non return valve as effective.Never heard of washing machine getting odor back into mains water..The check valve cant be working try another one..

 

[kevmull]

A lot of water authorities wont recognize a non return valve as effective.Never heard of washing machine getting odor back into mains water..The check valve cant be working try another one..

ee

Thanks for the reply

Shouldn't the two stop taps on the same pipe as the valve stop any water contact?

The Water Board field engineer who came out said it could be odors from the washing machine coming back through the pipes and by passing the stop taps and valve on the pipe. He said these will stop water but not odors.

Must admit the WM was quite smelly which i have cleaned with a 'maintenance wash' today.
I'll see how it goes with the hose re-connected.

 

[newcastle phill]

I think nonsense.
All washing machines have an auk type 2 airgap where there is no physical connection from the top of the dispenser to the machine.
I have never ever come across water from the machine back siphoning into pipework and have probably fixed and serviced in excess of 20,000 machines across all the major manufacturers when I used to do it.

 

[Whyme]

Kev did you mean the rubber smell from the hose or the machine itself cos as phill says impossible from the machine.

 

[zzzjim]

Is pipe run long and contorted to washing machine * , if one way valves working should not happen .
Does water pressure vary a lot ( a reason for back flow ) ie speed tap can fill , a glass / washing up bowl ?

No cheap external tap kit , or any other changes / road works recently ?
(The fussy =Me- Flush toilet before running drinking water ..using up warm stuff in pipes ! )Hate London water !

 

[kevmull]

Kev did you mean the rubber smell from the hose or the machine itself cos as phill says impossible from the machine.

Mot likely the hose. This is what the regional water engineer suggested.

All I know is that as soon as I disconnected the hose from the WM to the pipe the water tasted fine. Left it off for 5 days and no problems.
Have re-connected it and give the WM a empty run to rid it of any odors, just in case (needed doing anyway).
Am now about to try it again with hose re-connected but still with stop tap on pipe closed.
I'll report back later.

Cheers all

 

[kevmull]

Is pipe run long and contorted to washing machine * , if one way valves working should not happen .
Does water pressure vary a lot ( a reason for back flow ) ie speed tap can fill , a glass / washing up bowl ?

No cheap external tap kit , or any other changes / road works recently ?
(The fussy =Me- Flush toilet before running drinking water ..using up warm stuff in pipes ! )Hate London water !

It's a fairly short run as WM is right next to sink.
Water pressures seems fairly contsaant and fast.
I must add that it's a new build property which i'e been in less than two years.
At first I though it might be due to modern plastics they use in the pipes from the main to the house as sometimes if I let the water run long enough it would taste fine.
It's been like this from day one so not due to any road works.

I've learned to live with it but recently after resorting to buying bottled water (which I'm usually dead against in general) I though enough, and called United Utilities to come and have a look at it.

 

[AWheating]

As phil has said all wars approved machines have an air gap.

have you tried changing the hose?

 

[kevmull]

As phil has said all wars approved machines have an air gap.

have you tried changing the hose?

That's my next plan. Would those 'metallic' types like you see with boilers make a difference?

 

[newcastle phill]

Thats only an outer protective skin. Still a rubber compound inside

 

[zzzjim]

....... if I let the water run long enough it would taste fine.
.

Just wondering if you have any cheap parts in path to kitchen tap , try tasting water from another outlet connected to same path .

Attempting to rule out cheap tap / or connecting hose to tap !

Washing machine outlet not one of those - self cutting - clamp around pipe ones ( hence mention of outside tap -kit )