My new 3yr old house well water started smelling like sulfur on the hot water side in the basement only. Upstairs and all cold water is fine so far. The house has an in-law apartment which my 16yr old step daughter stays in. She came up the other day saying it smelled. We had all that rain lately so I thought it was from that? It has it's own hot water heater and find it hard to believe it's the 3 yrs old water heater already. The house doesn't have any type of water conditioner system either. This is my first house with well water, so I'm in the dark about how it all works.

My father-in-law is on well water up the street and doesn't have any type of conditioner system either and it smells fine.

try calling Johnson's Well Service
301-481-2660
great guy to deal with

My new 3yr old house well water started smelling like sulfur on the hot water side in the basement only. Upstairs and all cold water is fine so far. The house has an in-law apartment which my 16yr old step daughter stays in. She came up the other day saying it smelled. We had all that rain lately so I thought it was from that? It has it's own hot water heater and find it hard to believe it's the 3 yrs old water heater already. The house doesn't have any type of water conditioner system either. This is my first house with well water, so I'm in the dark about how it all works.

My father-in-law is on well water up the street and doesn't have any type of conditioner system either and it smells fine.

When that happened to us, it turned out to be an issue with the heating elements inside the hot water heater.

When that happened to us, it turned out to be an issue with the heating elements inside the hot water heater.

:yeahthat:

Especially if was just the hot water side. The magnesium anodes(they are metal rods that are inside the take that will sacrificially be "eaten" before rotting your hot water tank out. They sometimes can be replaced with alumiunum anodes to keep from getting this sulfur smell.

:yeahthat:

Especially if was just the hot water side. The magnesium anodes(they are metal rods that are inside the take that will sacrificially be "eaten" before rotting your hot water tank out. They sometimes can be replaced with alumiunum anodes to keep from getting this sulfur smell.

Yep! Mine got replaced and the problem went away.

I wonder if you can get anode rods at Lowes? I just find it hard to believe it only lasted 3yrs! I guess I should get one for the other larger hot water heater then while I'm at it.

I wonder if you can get anode rods at Lowes? I just find it hard to believe it only lasted 3yrs! I guess I should get one for the other larger hot water heater then while I'm at it.

We have two hot water heaters and it was only the new one that gave us a problem.

My new 3yr old house well water started smelling like sulfur on the hot water side in the basement only. Upstairs and all cold water is fine so far. The house has an in-law apartment which my 16yr old step daughter stays in. She came up the other day saying it smelled. We had all that rain lately so I thought it was from that? It has it's own hot water heater and find it hard to believe it's the 3 yrs old water heater already. The house doesn't have any type of water conditioner system either. This is my first house with well water, so I'm in the dark about how it all works.

My father-in-law is on well water up the street and doesn't have any type of conditioner system either and it smells fine.

If you can plumb a cotton filter canister between the water tank and the hot water heater, the smell will go away, and you won't have to replace the heating elements in the hot water heater as often.
( Said Captain Obvious (Me) ) /:-\

I wonder if you can get anode rods at Lowes? I just find it hard to believe it only lasted 3yrs! I guess I should get one for the other larger hot water heater then while I'm at it.

Yes.....well you used to be able to.....

here is what happens.
and, I bet you smell it the most with the hot water.

Ironsulphate is what is coming up from your well.
You have a salt conditioner right?
it works by charging screens inside with the brine, and that charge attracts the iron.
problem here is that the sulphide breaks loose and goes on with the water to your faucets.
when it hits the hot water mostly, it comes up in the steam and will smell like sulfer, or rotten eggs, nasty fart etc...

to fix it you need to add a chemical mixer that adds a very small amount of chlorine to the water, after the conditioner but before distribution.

now you have a sulferchoride, and that is heavy enough not to smell.

there is nothing harmful in the water, but the smell can be pretty bad.

Chances are if you smell the sulfer, and the water feels soft to you (as in the soap lathers up properly) your conditioner is doing its job just fine, but you might want to think about adding the chem tank and mixing valve.

just read that you dont have a conditioner.
think about the chemical mixing tank, that you put the chlorine in, and an ultraviolet filter to run it through afterwards.

My new 3yr old house well water started smelling like sulfur on the hot water side in the basement only. Upstairs and all cold water is fine so far. The house has an in-law apartment which my 16yr old step daughter stays in. She came up the other day saying it smelled. We had all that rain lately so I thought it was from that? It has it's own hot water heater and find it hard to believe it's the 3 yrs old water heater already. The house doesn't have any type of water conditioner system either. This is my first house with well water, so I'm in the dark about how it all works.

My father-in-law is on well water up the street and doesn't have any type of conditioner system either and it smells fine.

If it's three yrs. old......yeah, I know what you meant. "New" as in 'not 60-something yrs old....like MY place.

If it's three yrs. old......yeah, I know what you meant. "New" as in 'not 60-something yrs old....like MY place.
Pffft,
60 would be new to me.
Mine was registered as a house in 31, people were living in it before that.
the property was originally a nursery for plants that were used in the landscaping of annapolis back in the cave days.
rumor has it (from the grandson of the original dwellers) that when he structure was converted from the barn that it started as into a house, it was done with stolen wood from annapolis building projects.

wish someone would come take their damn wood back.