primitives discuss sulphuric-scented water

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=268x3514

Oh my.

japple  (1000+ posts)       Thu May-13-10 12:22 PM
Original message
 
Sulphur smell from well water

I have well water in my home and have lately noticed a sulphur smell whenever I turn on the tap. Can anyone tell me what this might mean?

Botany  (1000+ posts)      Thu May-13-10 12:25 PM
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Response to Original message

1. means nothing in most cases 

lots of ground water formations have that "rotten eggs" smell water still good for showers, toilet, garden, and so on ...... you might have to get a water softener for cooking and drinking or buy big jugs of drinking water.

SujiwanKenobee (208 posts)      Thu May-13-10 12:25 PM
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Response to Original message

2. Well water weirdness

I can't tell you why it is appearing *now*, but my grandparents well water always had a sulphury egg scent to it--something about the well location as my great grandmother one house down didn't have that same issue. However, no one ever got ill from the water. It did make for some weird tasting koolaide though!

Frosty1  (1000+ posts)      Thu May-13-10 12:26 PM
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Response to Original message

3. Does both the hot and cold water smell?

Raine1967  (1000+ posts)      Thu May-13-10 12:39 PM
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Response to Original message

6. I had a sulfur well in my home in NY --It could mean a few things. 

In my family home the water from was a Sulfurous vein of water. We always had it -- it got MUCH worse when the water table dropped. (and it got couldy)

In our case it was a natural occurrence as Everyone on our hill used the same aquifer and had the same water. Mostly we didn't drink the water because it just was gross, but as far as bathing, it was really quite spectacular. I was able to use a fraction of detergent to wash clothes and dishes. So I found it to be a good/bad thing. The key is, why is this happening now, how old is your well and how long have you been residing there? Does it go away after you run the water for a bit?

This might help answer some of your questions: http://www.pureintake.com/PI/hydrogen_sulfide_gas.aspx It really depends on a lot of things -- Do your neighbors have sulfur water as well?

Question from franksolich.

What is "couldy"?

sharp_stick  (1000+ posts)        Thu May-13-10 12:45 PM
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Response to Original message

7. We had that on the farm when I was growing up. It smelled and tasted terrible but it wasn't to a level where it was bad for you. It was finally solved with a filtration system and chlorination.

It wasn't a cheap alternative then but I think the prices may have come down since. Most water treatment, well drilling companies should be able to check and offer you options.

Saturday  (1000+ posts)      Thu May-13-10 12:51 PM
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Response to Original message

8. After having the same problem for 20 plus years....we read online that our well probably needed to be chlorinated to kill bacteria. We were told to "shock" it. We did that but the smell continued not long after the shocking. We now chlorinate our well every week. By doing this we have eliminated the smell completely. We do not drink the water but we probably could. After all, municipalities chlorinate their drinking water.

ETA - I wanted to add we chlorinate by just pouring x amount of Clorox bleach in the well weekly. The amount would be determined by how bad your well is.

japple  (1000+ posts)       Thu May-13-10 02:02 PM
Response to Original message
 
9. I think it's just with the hot water, but I'm still trying the sniff test. I have been living here 6 yrs, my parents 30 years before. The well has been here for 30+/- years. A new pump was installed about 8 yrs. ago, and a new hot water heater about 5 yrs. ago. The water tastes fine, which probably means (from what I've read above and following the links provided)that it's a problem with the hot water heater. I filter all of my drinking water through a Brita charcoal filter. It tastes great. Most of my neighbors have city water.

conscious evolution  (1000+ posts)      Thu May-13-10 04:43 PM
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Response to Reply #9

11. My parents have that problem

Try this-it works for them.

Shut off power/gas to water heater.
Shut off water supply.
Drain the tank then close drain valve
remove one of the water lines
Pour a one liter bottle of hydrogen peroxide into water heater and let sit for a couple of hours.
Drain the peroxide.
reconnect water lines and refill with water.
turn power/gas back on.

They have to do this every couple of months.

TxRider (1000+ posts)      Sun Aug-08-10 01:10 PM
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Response to Reply #12

17. If it's only in the hot water

And you just put in a new water heater not long ago..

It could well be the corrosion protection rod in the water heater, it's a sacrificial anode placed there to corrode instead of the water tank corroding.

They come made of two things, either a magnesium alloy, or aluminum.

The magnesium type can put off a sulphur odor as they corrode, the aluminum type does not. You can either pull it and plug the hole, or pull it and go buy an aluminum anode.

The rod generally is hanging from what looks like a 1" hex head usually on the top of the water heater, or on the side for small water heaters like in an RV.

efhmc (1000+ posts)        Fri May-14-10 12:27 AM
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Response to Original message

13. Happens when taps not on for a while but then goes away quickly, at least where I am.

lizziegrace  (1000+ posts)        Fri May-14-10 12:39 PM
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Response to Original message

14. I have the same problem

it's intermittent, but mainly occurs when the weather warms up.

I bought a filter for the shower head since I hate having my hair smell like sulfur. You can find them at Home Depot and the filter cartridges are replaced every six months. Time to replace mine. Sulfur smell is back again...

newfie11 (1000+ posts)      Sat May-15-10 07:19 AM
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Response to Original message

15. All my relatives near Sulfur OKlahoma had this in years past. I have no idea now but with the town named that I think it was normal for that area.

TxRider (1000+ posts)      Sun Aug-08-10 01:05 PM
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Response to Original message

16. It means there is a little hydrogen sulfide down in the water table, common.

It's harmless just unpleasant.

The way to remove it is exposure to oxygen.

Put it in a pitcher and a few hours later the smell will have gone from just oxygenating with air.

If it isn't very strong, using a galvanized steel tank on your well, and keeping a proper air head in it using an air control valve system will allow the air in the tank in contact with the water to remove the smell before it gets to the house.

The smell is very very common when using a tank on your well with an air bladder in it as the water does not contact any air before it come out of your faucet. They are usually blue metal tanks with an air fitting on the top, I would never use one on my well as I like having the water contact the air in the tank and letting it oxygenate.

If it is very strong, you can buy a chlorine injector that can be set to inject just enough into your well tank to oxidize the sulphur.

This is standard water well stuff.

[JohnnyReb]

Congradulations DUmmie...you have gone green...you are now recycling water from the septic tank .

[zeitgeist]

My guess is he meant to say "and the water got cloudy".

Best answer?

TxRider (1000+ posts)      Sun Aug-08-10 01:10 PM
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Response to Reply #12

17. If it's only in the hot water

And you just put in a new water heater not long ago..

It could well be the corrosion protection rod in the water heater, it's a sacrificial anode placed there to corrode instead of the water tank corroding.

They come made of two things, either a magnesium alloy, or aluminum.

The magnesium type can put off a sulphur odor as they corrode, the aluminum type does not. You can either pull it and plug the hole, or pull it and go buy an aluminum anode.

The rod generally is hanging from what looks like a 1" hex head usually on the top of the water heater, or on the side for small water heaters like in an RV.

However that is not to say a water purification expert won't sell you a very expensive solution to what may be a non existent (or simply solved) problem as described above.  


The other problems described would require a filtration system and yes those can get pricy.

I have been down this road years ago with my mother's house.  Her old dug well was no problem save it would go dry.  Her new 'drilled' well went through ledge and ended up needing a filtration system.  The house also needed the hot water heater flushed and a new anode, the house had been closed up for a long time.

[JohnnyReb]

My guess is he meant to say "and the water got cloudy".

Best answer?

However that is not to say a water purification expert won't sell you a very expensive solution to what may be a non existent ( or simply solved) problem as described above. 

Awh man! Don't give the DUmmies simple answers...they don't have simple problems. Use the John Edwards lawsuit approach, "You blow it up."

[zeitgeist]

Congradulations DUmmie...you have gone green...you are now recycling water from the septic tank .

Yup that can happen too.  And it might not even belong to the dummy.

[Godot showed up]

Liberals---Sulfur is healthy. Drink as much of it as you can.

[JohnnyReb]

Liberals---Sulfur is healthy. Drink as much of it as you can.

Hey wait a minute...isn't the air supposed to smell of sulfur when satan's around?

[Godot showed up]

Look, see the pretty rock? Good, good rock, nice rock, it's good for you. It's only stupid conservatives who avoid the stuff. You'd be dead without disulfide bonds folding and conforming your enzymes and other proteins properly. The more sulfur you ingest the better you'll be. Eat at least 10 ounces of sulfur powder a day.

[Godot showed up]

Hey wait a minute...isn't the air supposed to smell of sulfur when satan's around?

And why do you think he's in such good health? Immortal, too.

[crockspot]

Anyone around here with a deep well has egg water. I have a shallow well, no egg water, but pretty frickin hard. My hot water was smelling a bit eggy, but that went away when i replaced my water heater.

[AllosaursRus]

Move the outhouse farther away from the well, DUmmie hippy!! Someone in the commune has some really stinky feces!