Guides · Taste
City Water with Chloramine
Why chloramine is harder on standard carbon blocks, what to look for instead, and how to tell chloramine from chlorine.
Chloramine is chlorine plus ammonia
Many utilities switched from free chlorine to chloramine (monochloramine) because it lasts longer in the distribution system and forms fewer regulated disinfection byproducts.
The trade-off lands in your kitchen: chloramine is more persistent, and a standard carbon block that removes chlorine quickly can exhaust faster against it.
How to tell which one you have
Your utility's Consumer Confidence Report names the disinfectant and any recent change. A disinfectant switch is one of the most common causes of sudden taste and odor complaints.
A quick check at home: leaving a glass of chlorinated water on the counter for a few hours usually lets chlorine dissipate. Chloramine largely stays. If the smell survives overnight, assume chloramine.
What to look for in a filter
Look for a listing that specifically claims chloramine reduction, or a cartridge described as catalytic carbon rather than plain activated carbon — catalytic media is designed to break the chlorine-ammonia bond.
Standard 42 claims cover "chlorine taste and odor." Ask whether that claim includes chloramine for the exact model, because the two are different test targets.
RO systems reduce chloramine as part of their overall reduction, and many certified units name it explicitly.
Cartridge life is the real cost
Chloramine consumes carbon faster than free chlorine. A cartridge rated for 12 months on chlorine water may need replacing sooner on chloramine water — check whether the manual gives a separate figure.
If taste returns before the rated interval, the media is likely exhausted. Replace on the earlier of the two signals.
Keep a spare cartridge on the shelf. Chloramine breakthrough is a taste problem first and a cartridge-cost problem second.
Other chloramine notes
Fish keepers and aquarium owners already know chloramine is not removed by simple dechlorinators — the same chemistry applies to a carbon cartridge with no catalytic media.
For shower and bath taste complaints, point-of-use drinking filtration will not change the shower; a shower filter with its own chloramine claim is the relevant product.
If your utility is considering a switch back, expect a temporary change in taste and a period of flushing while the system transitions.
FAQ
Quick answers
+Does a normal Brita-style pitcher remove chloramine?
Usually not completely. Most pitchers carry a chlorine taste and odor claim; chloramine needs either catalytic carbon or an explicit chloramine claim on the model you buy.
+Is chloramine dangerous?
It is an approved disinfectant used within regulated limits. The household complaints are mostly taste, odor, and effects on fish and some appliances rather than a health emergency.
+Why did my water taste change this year?
Start with the CCR: a disinfectant switch, a new source, or a blending change is the common explanation and is required to be reported.