Remedial actions include: If you have city water, contact your water supply authority or county health department for steps on how to get your water professionally tested, and if needed, treated. And of course, never mix bleach with vinegar or any other cleaning products for the record! When soft water enters your water heater, it may break down the magnesium and produce high levels of hydrogen sulfide as a byproduct. There are plenty of water testing kits online that can be used to detect contaminants in your well water, including iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfide. When organic matter (hair, soap, food waste etc.) First, a smell of sewage might not be from your source water at all you might just think it is. Depending on where you live, your well water might have a naturally high iron, sulfur, or bacteria content that is giving it an unpleasant smell. You might have a problem with bacteria growing in your hot water heater. WebCarbon filters do an excellent job of removing many common causes of bad smells in drinking water, but they wont remove significant amounts of sulfur. A leaking or overflowing tank, or a tank positioned too close to your well system, could cause sewage to get into your well. If sulfur smell alone is present catalytic carbon can be used. If the water smells like oil or asphalt, this can be from manganese. But what if your well water starts smelling bad like rotten eggs? Often water heaters can also become a source of foul H2S odors. How to address and remove bacteria in your water heater: Making sure bacteria growth in the water heater is the issue: If none of the above steps lead to an answer, the odor may be from your water source itself. Smell in the Basement Enter a search term above and click Search to find a topic that interests you. In low oxygen environments like wells, hydrogen sulfide gas can form, which is where the bad smell is coming from. The problem with sulfur bacteria, aside from being unsafe to drink, is that it can encourage the growth of slimy, thick iron bacteria. Usually, the gas can be detected long before it reaches harmful concentrations. You can speed up this process by: Public water suppliers add free chlorine to water to bind with contaminants (organic materials) to disinfect and prevent biofilm growth in the drinking water. Iron bacteria and sulfur bacteria present in groundwater use iron and sulfur as an energy source and chemically change sulfates to produce H2S gas. Well Water Are Coming from Well You want to make sure youre accurately testing for this contaminant so that you can remove it from your water if necessary. Start by flushing the drain with distilled white vinegar and baking soda and see if that removes the odor. If you get your water from a well and are smelling a chlorine or bleach odor, you may need to have your water system flushed. Smells Like Vinegar One day when I was doing dishes, I noticed the insides of the glasses smelled slightly gross, almost fishlike. Other odors such as cucumber odor, pond odors or algae type odors, as well as sulfur odors are most often the result of various bacteria in the water. The smell of sewage is often caused by an aluminum or magnesium heating rod. Your email address will not be published. There is a chance there could be bacteria in your water heater if it was left unused for a long time. Hydrogen sulfide can also interfere with the effectiveness of water softeners and filter systems. There are various ways to introduce chlorine bleach into pipes, but having a filter housing inline can make it easy. How to Get Rid of Sulfur When Well Water Smells. In some cases, chlorine interacts with organic materials that have accumulated in your plumbing system, which increase the musty-bleach smell. To disinfect your drain naturally, pour half a cup of baking soda You should clean and pump your septic tank once every three to five years, depending on the size of the tank and its usage. Let it bubble there for at least 10 minutes. If certain faucets smell bad and certain others dont, the problem is likely bacteria in some specific plumbing. When water passes through this organic matter, it picks up sulfur and other naturally-occurring impurities. If the water smells like oil or asphalt, this can be from manganese. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. This requires turning on outside faucets and letting the water run until the smell is gone. These five steps should help you to eliminate a sewage smell in your well water, and prevent the smell from returning. Free weekly well water tips to make your life easier and save $$$. Heres a chart that can help you locate potential sources. Pour cup of baking soda down the drain followed by cup of white vinegar. Do not use the water because it may contain harmful bacteria. If you are on a public water supply, contact both your water supplier and county health department immediately. Do you want to exclusively remove sulfates? Well Water Smell Like If youve never experienced smelly water, consider yourself lucky! Water Smells We recommend using a professional laboratory test to detect these contaminants. Generally, the bacteria that produce this problem are not a health threat, however, the taste and odor can be very unpleasant. WebCarbon filters do an excellent job of removing many common causes of bad smells in drinking water, but they wont remove significant amounts of sulfur. Ideal for regular testing of private or shared well water. It depends on what youre looking for. Water Smells like Rotten Eggs. Swirl the water in the glass, then smell. Water containing hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S), has a distinctive rotten egg odor, which may be especially noticeable when running hot water. Well Water Smell Like You must be wondering what causes this nasty rotten egg odor in the first place. In this guide, Ill be sharing how to test for hydrogen sulfide in your water, and, most importantly, how to remove it. This is a perfectly safe method for septic systems, too. Enter your details below for a chance to win.
