Why would water give you heartburn?

My husband says he cannot drink water because of it causing him heartburn. The only time I think he has it is if he has been outside on a hot summer day doing yardwork. However, he lives off of diet Pepsi and I think he could drink at least a 12 pack a day. I know this can't be healthy, but I remember another girl saying a few years back that she couldn't drink water either. What's with this?

Sometimes if I drink a lot of water after eating greasy or acidic food, it seems to push the offending compound up into my esophagous.  But most of the time, no, I can't see a problem.

Could it be the acid in what he normally drinks causing the heartburn after drinking water?

My recommendation would be to take two Tums with a glass of water.  But sometimes I'm not a very sympathetic wife.

If the water where you live has a lot of chemicals in it, that might make a difference. Sodas are basically 99.9% water with some flavouring.  Colas contain a lot of phosphoric acid.  Maybe he's doing some damage with all the acid and then water feels alien?

Like your husband, I used to never be able to drink water because it would give me the worst heartburn.  As it turned out, I was not getting all my nutritional needs from the food I was eating (I was eating processed, fatty foods, and not getting enough calcium).  As soon as I changed to a clean diet, eliminated the processed foods (except for high fiber cereals) from my diet, and increased my calcium intake (though greek yogurt, cottage cheese and lowfat milk) I have been able to drink water without any ill effects. 

I used to get heartburn EVERY night.  Now, I NEVER get heartburn and, except for my morning coffee and the occasional iced tea, I only drink plain water...