Does New PEX Make Water Taste Different? What Tustin Homeowners Notice After a Repipe and How to Flush It Out
A slight plastic taste or odor can appear in the first days after a PEX repipe. Why it happens, how long it lasts and how we flush new lines in Tustin homes.
After a repipe, most Tustin homeowners notice better pressure and clear water right away. A few notice a faint plastic taste or smell for the first days, especially in water that has sat overnight. That is a known, temporary effect with new PEX, and it fades with use. Understanding why it happens and how to flush the system puts the question to rest.
Why new pipe can affect taste
PEX is made to national standards for drinking water, which test what can leach into water. New pipe, like a new garden hose or water bottle, can release tiny amounts of residual compounds from manufacturing in its first period of use. Water that sits still in the lines picks up more of that taste than water that moves through quickly. As water flows through the pipe over days and weeks, the effect drops off.
How long it lasts
Most homeowners notice it fading within days to a few weeks. Daily use flushes the system naturally. Homes where some bathrooms are rarely used, such as guest baths, may notice it longer in those rooms.
How to flush new lines
- After the repipe, run cold water at each fixture for several minutes, starting with the fixture closest to the main and working outward.
- Run each fixture briefly first thing in the morning for the first week, especially the kitchen tap you drink from.
- Use cold water for drinking and cooking, which is good practice anyway.
- Clean faucet aerators after a few days to remove any debris from the installation.
- Run the hot side too, so the water heater lines are flushed.
When taste is something else
If the taste is metallic, the water is discolored or there is a rotten egg smell, the cause is probably not the new pipe. Water heater anode rods, remaining old pipe or municipal changes are more likely. Tustin is served by the City of Tustin water utility and Irvine Ranch Water District in some areas, and either can tell you about recent treatment changes.
Tustin homes and repipes
Many homes in Old Town Tustin, Tustin Meadows and the neighborhoods off Red Hill Avenue were built in the 1950s through the 1970s and have galvanized or aging copper. Newer Tustin Ranch homes may have copper that is starting to show pinhole leaks. After a repipe permitted through the City of Tustin, we flush the system and check every fixture before we leave.
Related reading
Wondering about code approval? Read is PEX legal in California, and see what causes brown water from the faucet. Neighbors can visit Irvine, Costa Mesa and Lake Forest, or see every city we serve at repipeinc.com.
Questions about a new PEX system?
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Repipe OC, 23821 Hillhurst Drive, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677, (949) 524-2362, CSLB #1087885 C-36.
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Written by Repipe OC · CSLB #1087885 C-36 · 23821 Hillhurst Drive, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 · (949) 524-2362