Can someone direct me to the SOMD Division of Environmental Health?
Or recommend a local licensed well contractor?
~Thanks!
dee

Our well was put in by Calvert Well Drilling. I'll see if I can find the number.

Here you go:

Calvert Well Drilling Company
Box 304
Prince Frederick, MD 20678
Phone: 410-535-2804
Fax: 410-535-2519

Thanks!
We went over to our new house yesterday, and noticed a STRONG odor of sulfur from the cold water tap. Anyone else near Hollywood dealing with this issue? If so, how?

St. Mary's County Health Department

Telephone 301-475-4330
TTY Service 301-475-4724
FAX 301-475-4350
Hot Line
Information about office hours, bioterrorism, planning for an emergency and the West Nile Virus. Phone: 301-475-4329

Postal address
21580 Peabody Street, Leonardtown, MD 20650
P. O. Box 316, Leonardtown, MD 20650

web site: www.smchd.org

They have an Environmental Health division that you should talk to about the sulfur smell.

Originally posted by happyappygirl
Thanks!
We went over to our new house yesterday, and noticed a STRONG odor of sulfur from the cold water tap. Anyone else near Hollywood dealing with this issue? If so, how?



isn't that just what well water smells like:confused:

NOOOOOOOOO :barf: BLAKKKK

Originally posted by happyappygirl
Thanks!
We went over to our new house yesterday, and noticed a STRONG odor of sulfur from the cold water tap. Anyone else near Hollywood dealing with this issue? If so, how? Britta water filter.

My old house had that problem until we got a new well, then no more rotten eggs.

Well, we hope to have the problem diagnosed correctly before putting in a new well...we just bought the place....i'd hate to think we need to start with a new well right off the bat. <Geesh>:mad:

Anyone have any idea how much a shock chlorination or acid treatment would cost? ~approximation is fine~:confused:

Originally posted by happyappygirl
Thanks!
We went over to our new house yesterday, and noticed a STRONG odor of sulfur from the cold water tap. Anyone else near Hollywood dealing with this issue? If so, how?

It's possible there's something wrong with your water heater. My parents used to have change out some thingamajig once a month because it had magnesium on it... and after awhile the magnesium would react with some of the other minerals in the water and cause a sulfuric smell.

Originally posted by happyappygirl
Anyone have any idea how much a shock chlorination or acid treatment would cost? ~approximation is fine~:confused: You can do it yourself for the cost of a gallon of bleach. Seriously, we had to have ours done right after our house was built. He poured a gallon of Clorox in the well, ran all the taps in the house until they smelled of bleach and told us to let it sit 48 hours, then run the hose for several hours to flush the bleach out.

Originally posted by nomoney
isn't that just what well water smells like:confused:

It only smells like that if something is contaminating the water. Depending on the level of contamination, it may still be safe to use, even with the smell. Or it may not.

Originally posted by Dymphna
You can do it yourself for the cost of a gallon of bleach. Seriously, we had to have ours done right after our house was built. He poured a gallon of Clorox in the well, ran all the taps in the house until they smelled of bleach and told us to let it sit 48 hours, then run the hose for several hours to flush the bleach out.

:yeahthat: We did that every couple of years at our old house. It's exactly what the well companies do anyway, so why pay them to do something you can do yourself?

The water has been tested and is fine. The folks there don't even notice the smell! ICK! The well is only 10 years old, so hopefully it's not that bad. But only ONE gallon of bleach for the whole system doesn't seem like it would be enough.... :confused:

Originally posted by jazz lady
:yeahthat: We did that every couple of years at our old house. It's exactly what the well companies do anyway, so why pay them to do something you can do yourself? Ain't that the truth. I never would've paid for it, it was a brand-new well and they were obligated to get it passed the health dept. inspection. Every house in the neighborhood had to be done, I think.

I've got a friend who puts about a cup of bleach in his well once a month or two months. He was raised on city water though and figures there's something wrong if the water doesn't smell like chlorine. Doing that too much can damage your septic system though.

If this is a new well for a new home they normally let the water run for a couple of days after the well is put in. Yes, a new well will have the sulfur smell. When I had mine dug they did the same thing, they let the water run for a few days. The only time I smell sulfur now is from my garden hose and that's only if the water sits in the hose a few days. After I run the hose for awhile it goes away. Your well water should be tested and has to be within certain standards. Hopefully they put your well deeper than 200 ft.

Originally posted by Vince
If this is a new well for a new home they normally let the water run for a couple of days after the well is put in. Yes, a new well will have the sulfur smell. When I had mine dug they did the same thing, they let the water run for a few days. The only time I smell sulfur now is from my garden hose and that's only if the water sits in the hose a few days. After I run the hose for awhile it goes away. Your well water should be tested and has to be within certain standards. Hopefully they put your well deeper than 200 ft.
Thanks for that useless bit of information.

Originally posted by kwillia
That's easy to explain, when you turn on the hot water faucet, the well pump has to pull the hot water from the deeper part of the artisan well that is closer to the core of the earth where the water is always hot. There is more sulfur and such at the core (hence the extreme heat) and this results in the hot water from the artisan well smelling different than the cold water from the same artisan well. :yay:
:bs: This might be the case if she had a geothermal system but I highly doubt that in this region. The problem here is the build up of mineral deposits within the hot water heater.

In an artesian well the water is trapped under great pressure between layers of rock. When the well is drilled, the pressure forces the water up through the hole. There is no pumping of "hot" water from the same well that provides "cold" water.

Originally posted by Ken King
:bs: This might be the case if she had a geothermal system but I highly doubt that in this region. The problem here is the build up of mineral deposits within the hot water heater.

In an artesian well the water is trapped under great pressure between layers of rock. When the well is drilled, the pressure forces the water up through the hole. There is no pumping of "hot" water from the same well that provides "cold" water.

Pssst...kwillia was pulling appy's leg.

Originally posted by jazz lady
Pssst...kwillia was pulling appy's leg.
Is that what she's doing, pulling? Looked more like blowing smoke to me.

Originally posted by Ken King
Is that what she's doing, pulling? Looked more like blowing smoke to me.


don't get mad because you don't have a sense of humor:huggy:

Originally posted by nomoney
don't get mad because you don't have a sense of humor:huggy:
I've got a sense of humor. Here let me swallow a penny for your copper mining operation.

Originally posted by Ken King
I've got a sense of humor. Here let me swallow a penny for your copper mining operation.


thank you; I'll send you a letter so you can get a tax deduction back.

Originally posted by sleuth
It only smells like that if something is contaminating the water. Depending on the level of contamination, it may still be safe to use, even with the smell. Or it may not.

My mother has a similar problem at her house in California, even with a brand new artesian. She had the water tested, and the lab found small amounts of dissolved sulfer. They said that the water was safe, but would probably continue to stink. She installed a filter for drinking water, and that removes the smell.

OK did a little "real" homework...although I like Kwilla's explanation better! :rolleyes:

3 methods for continuous fix:
Carbon Unit ~ $400.00 installed; controls odor, requires yearly maintenance @ 175.00 per year
Conditioner KDF85 $1,390.00 installed No maintenance, controls iron/sulfur; Needs a drain
Chemical feed $1,150.00 installed, need to add bleach every 3-4 mos...
SO there we have it, spending MO-Money right out the shoot....<sigh> Oh well at least there's a fix that's not gonna cost us a bundle....
~happy:crazy:

remind.... me to bring my bottled water when we come see the big boy, :barf:

the folks who we bought the place from don't even notice it. but we have lots of family come over, and THEY sure would...:biggrin:
does the smell go away if you boil the water? or if it sits out a while?

Originally posted by happyappygirl
remind.... me to bring my bottled water when we come see the big boy, :barf:

the folks who we bought the place from don't even notice it. but we have lots of family come over, and THEY sure would...:biggrin:
does the smell go away if you boil the water? or if it sits out a while?
Sure

I remember my wife was renting a place in Prince Frederick that had the sulfur smell. After you took a shower, you felt like you needed to take another because of the rotten egg smell.

You don't need to add a whole bunch of bleach to get rid of the smell. We get the smell about once a year. What I do is take the top off the well head and dump in about a quart of bleach (I use a 32 oz. soda cup to get the bleach in quickly), and then chase it with about a gallon of straight water (fill a bucket before adding the bleach to the well) to wash the bleach out of the well pump (was told by the well company that it would damage the pump if not washed out). I then run the tap in the master bathroom until I smell bleach out of both the hot and cold sides, and then turn off the water and let it sit for a couple hours. Takes about 5 minutes and costs about $1.00.

Pour one gallon of clorox directly into the well. Run a hose from water tank back to the well and let it circulate for about an hour. Turn off the water tank hose. Open all spigots throughout the house and run them until you smell the strong odor of the clorox. Turn off the spigots and let it sit for a couple of hours. be sure ALL the spigots were run. After it has "cooked" for a couple of hours, run the hose connected to the water tank away from the house until all the Clorox smell is gone. They will tell you 24 hrs. but I usually do it for 8-12. Don't run the hose onto your grass or good shrubs. When the clorox smell is gone from the main water tank then run your other spigots until the clorox smell is gone from them, this should not take long and it won't put too much chlorinated water into the septic system. It's a good idea to use some Ridex or other septic tank bacterea at this time. Unless you have a serious well problem, this treatment should last quite a few years.

For the first time I'm glad I have "city" water.

Originally posted by pixiegirl
For the first time I'm glad I have "city" water.

Isn't it time for your nap yet?

Originally posted by otter
Isn't it time for your nap yet?

Are you going to tuck me in and read me a bed time story?

Originally posted by otter
Isn't it time for your nap yet?

:lmao: Are you saying she's getting a wee bit cranky?

Originally posted by pixiegirl
Are you going to tuck me in and read me a bed time story?

:lmao: No, not even gonna get close to infringing on Chasey's territory.

Originally posted by otter
:lmao: No, not even gonna get close to infringing on Chasey's territory.

MOMMY!!!!

Originally posted by pixiegirl
MOMMY!!!!

I think he'd prefer you call him daddy. :wink: