Why does my tap water taste like metal?

Copper, iron, manganese and zinc are the usual metals, along with low pH or corrosive water. The U.S. EPA keeps a list of secondary drinking water standards. These are guidelines for taste, color and odor, not health limits, and EPA says it doesn't enforce them. The list is useful here because it names the effect you notice when each one is too high. Several of them point straight at a metallic taste:

Notice the last two rows. They aren't metals at all. They describe water that eats at pipes. EPA says corrosive water can dissolve iron and copper, stain fixtures, and give the water an objectionable metallic taste and a red or blue-green color. So a metallic taste is often less about what's in the water at the source and more about what the water pulls out of your pipes on the way to the glass.

### Clues from what you see

Look at your fixtures, because the stain color narrows it down:

• Blue-green stains in a sink or tub point to copper.
• Reddish or orange stains point to iron.
• Black or dark brown stains point to manganese.

If the taste is paired with brown water from the hot side only, read our page on why only your hot water is brown. If it comes with pinhole leaks, see pinhole leaks in copper pipes.

In Phoenix, the city's own test results point back toward the house.

The 2025 Water Quality Report lists iron in the distribution system at not detected to 30 parts per billion. EPA's secondary level for iron is 0.3 mg/L, which is 300 parts per billion. For copper, the city's 2024 household tap sampling shows the 90th percentile at 0.3 ppm, with results from 0.04 to 0.5 ppm, and zero of 56 homes above the 1.3 ppm action level. The report lists pH across the system at 6.6 to 8.8.

The report also says where copper and lead come from. It says lead and copper usually enter drinking water from corrosion of household plumbing, pipes and fixtures that contain these metals, such as copper piping, lead solder or brass fixtures. It adds that levels at some homes may be elevated even though the city meets the action level, because of metals leaching from home plumbing or fixtures. Phoenix says it runs a corrosion control program that includes testing pH, alkalinity and temperature every two weeks.

So if you taste metal on city water, look inside your walls first.

### Why new or old copper can both do it

The Minnesota Department of Health explains the copper side well. It says copper plumbing usually builds up a natural coating over time that keeps copper from dissolving into the water. It says plumbing with copper parts less than three years old usually hasn't had time to build that coating. So new copper from a repipe or remodel can still be adding copper to the water for a while.

Older homes have the opposite problem. MDH says older homes are more likely to have copper piping, and copper can get into drinking water if the water moving through it is corrosive. It lists pinhole leaks, pitting in pipes and blue-green stains on fixtures as signs of corrosive water. It says water with a lot of dissolved copper can make drinking water taste or smell bad or look blue.

### Why the morning glass tastes worse

EPA makes the point for lead: the more time water has been sitting in pipes, the more lead it may contain. MDH's copper advice follows the same logic. It says to let the water run for at least 30 to 60 seconds before drinking or cooking if the water hasn't been used in more than six hours. If the first glass of the day tastes like pennies and the second one doesn't, that's the pattern.

It depends on which metal and how much, and taste alone can't tell you.

MDH says drinking water with more than 1,300 micrograms of copper per liter can be a health risk for everyone, and that infants and people with Wilson's disease may need even lower levels. It says eating or drinking too much copper can cause "headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, liver damage, and kidney disease." It also notes that most healthy people's bodies handle copper well.

Lead is the bigger concern, and it is the one you can't taste. EPA says: "Since you cannot see, taste, or smell lead dissolved in water, testing is the only sure way of telling whether there are harmful quantities of lead in your drinking water." So a metallic taste doesn't mean lead, and water with no taste doesn't mean no lead. In the 2024 sampling shown in Phoenix's 2025 report, two of 56 homes were above the lead action level, which is a reminder that home plumbing varies. Our page on how to test home water for lead walks through testing.

The iron and zinc entries on EPA's list are there for taste, color and staining, and EPA says these secondary contaminants are not considered a health risk at those levels.

Manganese is the one to take more seriously. The Minnesota Department of Health says: "Children and adults who drink water with high levels of manganese for a long time may have problems with memory, attention, and motor skills." It adds that infants may develop learning and behavior problems if they drink water with too much manganese. If the taste comes with black or dark brown staining, ask for manganese in your water test.

Start with the free steps, then test, then fix the source.

### Everyday steps

1. 1Run the cold tap first. For copper, MDH says 30 to 60 seconds after six or more hours of no use. Lead takes longer. Phoenix's report says to flush your pipes for several minutes before using tap water for drinking, cooking or baby formula, and longer if you have a lead service line or a galvanized service line that needs replacement. EPA says the time depends on whether your home has a lead service line and how long that line is. Running the tap, showering, or doing laundry or dishes all count as flushing.
2. 2Drink and cook with cold water only. MDH says hot water releases more copper from pipes than cold water. Phoenix's report says to use only cold water for drinking, cooking and making baby formula, and that boiling does not remove lead.
3. 3Clean the aerator. EPA says sediment, debris and lead particles can collect in a faucet aerator, so clean that screen regularly.

### Test before you treat

MDH says that if you're still concerned about copper, you should arrange with a certified laboratory to test your tap water, and that testing is important if an infant or someone with Wilson's disease drinks the water. Phoenix asks residents who want lead testing to contact the city at pipes@phoenix.gov. A test tells you which metal you're dealing with, which decides the fix.

### Fixes that match the cause

• A filter at the tap. Phoenix's report says a filter certified by an ANSI-accredited certifier to reduce lead is effective at reducing lead exposure. EPA adds not to run hot water through a filter. Our page on what removes heavy metals from tap water compares filter types.
• Replace the part that's corroding. An old brass valve, a failing galvanized line or a stretch of pitted copper can be swapped. Our page on galvanized pipe problems covers the steel-pipe case.
• Check the water heater. Rusty hot water can bring an iron taste to anything made with hot tap water.

If your test points to your plumbing, we'll find the fixture or pipe that's corroding and quote the repair up front. If you want filtration at the kitchen sink, HQ Plumbing and Air installs water softening and filtration systems across the Valley. We're licensed and insured, give free estimates, and quote an upfront price before any work starts.