Getting rid of Sulfur Smell ? Well and Septic

[CalvertNewb]

The sulfur smell of my water seems to be getting stronger. I don't know if it changes with seasons or other factors effect it.

Does anyone have any experience with treating the water or any other techniques to reduce the smell? are there companies that provide this service?

any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.

I am on well water and have a septic system.

Thanks in advance

 

[DEEKAYPEE8569]

The sulfur smell of my water seems to be getting stronger. I don't know if it changes with seasons or other factors effect it.

Does anyone have any experience with treating the water or any other techniques to reduce the smell? are there companies that provide this service?

any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.

I am on well water and have a septic system.

Thanks in advance

Sounds like you need to plumb in a water filter, between the pump and the cold water tank.

 

[calvcopf]

The sulfur smell of my water seems to be getting stronger. I don't know if it changes with seasons or other factors effect it.

Does anyone have any experience with treating the water or any other techniques to reduce the smell? are there companies that provide this service?

any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.

I am on well water and have a septic system.

Thanks in advance

Add bleach to the well. You can disinfect your well with household chlorine bleach such as Clorox. The chlorine in the bleach kills bacteria. The recommended minimum dosage is 1 gallon of bleach per 100 feet of well depth.

 

[GeorgiaCorgi]

Add bleach to the well. You can disinfect your well with household chlorine bleach such as Clorox. The chlorine in the bleach kills bacteria. The recommended minimum dosage is 1 gallon of bleach per 100 feet of well depth.

Is that legal? To put bleach into ground water? Honest question, I have never been on a well.

 

[calvcopf]

Is that legal? To put bleach into ground water? Honest question, I have never been on a well.

Yes.
http://www.clallam.net/hhs/EnvironmentalHealth/water_disinfecting.html

 

[DEEKAYPEE8569]

The sulfur smell of my water seems to be getting stronger. I don't know if it changes with seasons or other factors effect it.

Does anyone have any experience with treating the water or any other techniques to reduce the smell? are there companies that provide this service?

any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.

I am on well water and have a septic system.

Thanks in advance

Sounds like you need to plumb in a water filter, between the pump and the cold water tank.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=in+line+water+filter&*

 

[glhs837]

http://www.culligan.com/home/soluti...o-treat-sulfur-water-and-reduce-the-rotten-eg

Nice sort of trouble tree here using the time and duration of the smell to help narrow down the cause and offer treatments. Me I only get that smell one place in the house. Which has eight sinks and three and a half baths. The only place I ever get that smell is from the sink sprayer, and it goes away fast.

Odor in the cold water that goes away after water flows. In this scenario, the most likely source of the hydrogen sulfide is Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria (SRB’s). The bacteria are not considered pathogenic, but the “breathe in” sulfate ions and “breathe out” hydrogen sulfide, just like we breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Just like an un-ventilated room full of people can get stuffy after awhile, a section of plumbing where there is no flow can get stinky after a while when SRB’s are present. Therefore, a characteristic of a rotten-egg odor due to SRB’s would be a strong odor in the cold water at first draw (for example, filling the pot for morning coffee), with the odor decreasing as the cold water flows.

thanks, I had been leaning towards replacing just the sprayer, but simply had never heard of this. Looks like that plastic feed line is infected with SRBs. Non-pathological, harmless, but if that simple mitigation nails it, well worth it.

 

[PsyOps]

The sulfur smell of my water seems to be getting stronger. I don't know if it changes with seasons or other factors effect it.

Does anyone have any experience with treating the water or any other techniques to reduce the smell? are there companies that provide this service?

any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.

I am on well water and have a septic system.

Thanks in advance

I installed a whole-house filter. It's a simple carbon filter that lasts about a month. I buy a years-worth of filters.

http://www.omnifilterstore.com/comp...?cgid=whole_house_filters&openedfrom=Category

 

[steppinthrax]

The sulfur smell of my water seems to be getting stronger. I don't know if it changes with seasons or other factors effect it.

Does anyone have any experience with treating the water or any other techniques to reduce the smell? are there companies that provide this service?

any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.

I am on well water and have a septic system.

Thanks in advance

You have bacteria within your well.

The sulfur smell you are getting is Hydrogen sulfide by-product that is coming from bacteria that feeds off iron within the well. You have iron in your well right??? Most do, I live off Mt. Harmony.

Pour about 1 - 2 gallons within your well. Run your water till you smell bleach and your hands get slippery within the water. Cut off that faucet, then run the faucet for each bathroom etc till you smell bleach.

Let it sit for 24 - 48 hours.

You can either run the well till the bleach goes away or you can let the bleach lower in conc. I prefer to run it a bit till the bleach is bearable to shower. But you will need to have jugs of water by the faucet etc...

 

[Chris0nllyn]

I installed a whole-house filter. It's a simple carbon filter that lasts about a month. I buy a years-worth of filters.

http://www.omnifilterstore.com/comp...?cgid=whole_house_filters&openedfrom=Category

They work well if the sulfur concentrations are low (i.e. 1ppm). For higher concentrations, the bleach method, or manganese dioxide filters work well.

 

[CalvertNewb]

Good tips. Sounds like I need to try the bleach method and then lnstall a whole house filter. Someone else mentioned that it might be an issue with a certain rod in my water heater that is reacting. I need to check and see if it's both the cold and hot water or just the hot water.

 

[getbent]

http://www.culligan.com/home/soluti...o-treat-sulfur-water-and-reduce-the-rotten-eg

Nice sort of trouble tree here using the time and duration of the smell to help narrow down the cause and offer treatments. Me I only get that smell one place in the house. Which has eight sinks and three and a half baths. The only place I ever get that smell is from the sink sprayer, and it goes away fast.



thanks, I had been leaning towards replacing just the sprayer, but simply had never heard of this. Looks like that plastic feed line is infected with SRBs. Non-pathological, harmless, but if that simple mitigation nails it, well worth it.

I get the same smell from my sprayer too. It was new about 4 years ago and never went away.

 

[glhs837]

Good tips. Sounds like I need to try the bleach method and then lnstall a whole house filter. Someone else mentioned that it might be an issue with a certain rod in my water heater that is reacting. I need to check and see if it's both the cold and hot water or just the hot water.

Please read the link I posted and follow that diagnostic flow first.

1. Smell, both hot and cold water?

2. Smell continuous or does it fade after the water runs?

3. Smell in all plumbing of just specific location?

A little diagnosis can save a lot of time and money.

I recently installed a whole house filter, one that back flushes itself so it does not require new carbon every so often. Did not affect my sulfur smell, but now I know that's because it's apparently that one line that feeds the sink sprayer. Of course, I bought it for other reasons also, so it wasn't wasted money.

 

[glhs837]

I get the same smell from my sprayer too. It was new about 4 years ago and never went away.

So does it go away after a couple of seconds like mine does?

 

[Chris0nllyn]

Good tips. Sounds like I need to try the bleach method and then lnstall a whole house filter. Someone else mentioned that it might be an issue with a certain rod in my water heater that is reacting. I need to check and see if it's both the cold and hot water or just the hot water.

Anode rod.

They should be replaced every year or so. It's used as a sacrificial piece so that bacteria eats away at that rather than the metal tank or heating elements.

 

[CalvertNewb]

Anode rod.

They should be replaced every year or so. It's used as a sacrificial piece so that bacteria eats away at that rather than the metal tank or heating elements.

Intersting. I am new to homeownership and not overly handy. I'll talk to my plumber. I've owned the house about a year so that makes sense

 

[glhs837]

Anode rod.

They should be replaced every year or so. It's used as a sacrificial piece so that bacteria eats away at that rather than the metal tank or heating elements.

Bacteria? Anodes are there to provide a sacrificial metal against corrosion, just like those found on a boat, not for bacteria. I'm not saying that the anode isn't a place that harobrs them, but bacteria generally don't eat metal.

http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/Longevity/water-heater-anodes.html

 

[getbent]

So does it go away after a couple of seconds like mine does?

Hmm, I want to say yes but it's a few seconds and the smell is mostly with hot water.

 

[softtouch]

Back in the 60's I lived in a house in northern Calvert that was built in the 20's.
It had a shallow brick lined well. When tree roots got into the well it developed the sulfur smell.
I had to put a ladder in the well and go down and cut the roots out. Man I hated that job.
I wonder if you can even reach water anymore with a shallow well.

 

[NextJen]

Intersting. I am new to homeownership and not overly handy. I'll talk to my plumber. I've owned the house about a year so that makes sense

Just a word of caution, if you go the route of adding bleach to your well, make sure you only do white laundry for a time or two in your washing machine. We ended up with some clothes discolored because there was still bleach in the line going to the washing machine (or something). Live and learn.