My parents bought a house without tasting the water. Only later did they notice a slight aftertaste which got worse over time. Lesson learned.
Yes, but how else will I get clear ice balls for my old fashioned? 
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Boil some water and freeze it. If your water source gives you crap water (sulfur, iron, Ca/Mg hardness) the clarity will depend on the level or non-volatiles in the water.
I’m going to have to try this with my ice ball maker for my old fashioned too.
'38Packard
Cheapest way I’ve found to get clear ice is to obtain an insulated mug. Make sure it has a taper to the inside. Fill ‘er up and stick it in the freezer for about 12 hours. You should get a nice 1.5” - 2” puck of very clear ice over some still unfrozen water.
The taper shape helps you get the ice out. The mug is $10-15 and only takes a mug’s with of space in the freezer.
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At one time I worked for a privately owned company whose owner had more money than he could spend. So we got odd requests. Once he wanted to have a dinner party and decided on an ice carving. He quickly learned that when he purchased 100 lbs blocks of ice from the local ice company they were not clear.
Subsequently I learned dissolved gas was the cause. Your approach to clean ice is excellent. This approach seriously slows the formation of ice across the top of the “cube” or “mug” and a surface layer of ice will prevent gas from leaving the liquid.
Water’s greatest density is about 39F. So as water cools at the air/water interface of the freezer, convection will cause the cooler water to sink. Eventually some ice forms and that floats on the top as the density of ice is about 10% less than water.
I actually have one of the gadgets goofy mentioned. It’s an insulated styrofoam box about the size of a kid’s lunchbox. Hot tap water goes in at around 135 F. Silicone ice mold goes in the upper portion, with water in the open chamber below. In ~24 hours, you pull the silicone mold and have two perfectly clear 2.5" ice balls, with liquid water left in the lower chamber. Perfect for a cocktail glass. If you let it go long enough for the lower chamber to freeze solid, the lower chamber is NOT clear ice.
My wife thinks I’m nuts, but I think it’s all in good fun! It’s the most over-engineered ice tray ever…
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I think posting a picture of the device, and the result, is in order. 
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