Unusual odors from your faucet are unsettling. Your water is fine one day, and the next it smells like a rotten egg or a dirty penny. Generally, odors are a sign of specific issues with your water system, but the good news is that most are remediable. Knowing what you need to do and how soon you must do it can have you drinking fresh, clean water from your home in minutes.
Identifying Common Water Odors
Rotten Eggs Smell
That awful egg smell is usually a sign that you have hydrogen sulfide gas in your water. It is a product of bacteria decomposing organic matter or in the case of certain minerals in groundwater coming into your pipes. The smell is most pronounced when you first turn on the water, especially with hot water.
If you smell it when you run hot water, then your water heater is likely the source. Bacteria can form in the tank, particularly if you’ve been away or not been using any hot water at all. Cold water with a sulfur odor most likely indicates there is something amiss with your water supply itself.
Musty or Earthy Smell
Smells that are earthy, musty, or basement-like in water typically owe their presence to organic chemicals. They arise when algae, bacteria, or other microorganisms grow in your water system. A better definition is associated with well water but may be applied to city water as well, especially during summer when algae blooms in reservoirs.
Chlorine Smell
A pungent bleach smell is likely due to chlorine or chloramine put into disinfecting public water supplies. While safe in proper amounts, too much of it can mean your water treatment facility added extra doses of disinfection, often as a result of contamination incidents.
Metallic Smell
Water that tastes pungent and tastes like copper pennies or iron typically contains dissolved metals. Rusted pipes, generally in older homes that are galvanized steel or copper-piped, generally cause the metallic smell and taste. Well water naturally will contain high levels of iron or manganese that result in the odor.
Understanding the Sources
Well Water Problems
Private wells are the most prone to having odor problems because they are getting water directly from the ground. Natural minerals, bacteria, and organic materials will definitely result in unpleasant odors. Cycles of rainfall, heavy rain, or nearby construction can affect your well water.
Urban Water Issues
City treatment plants do their best to give you clean water, but occasionally something goes awry. Seasonal changes in treatment, treatment plant issues, or old pipes are all situations that can affect the odors of your water. Treated water can flow through old pipes in your home or neighborhood and pick up new odors.
Hot Water Heater Problems
Your water heater is the ideal location for bacteria to multiply—hot, dark, and full of water. If odors are emanating from hot faucets and not cold faucets, your heater likely needs maintenance. Sediment, rusty parts, or bacterial growth in the tank are the most likely culprits.
When to Call a Professional
Most water odor issues require professional testing, both to identify the cause and the solution. If it smells for longer than a few days, others in your household can detect it, or you experience health symptoms like nausea or headaches, call a water treatment professional.
Your water can be tested professionally, the problem determined, and treatments such as Nashville water filtration solutions prescribed. As well as the installation of filter systems, this could include a replacement of the anode rod on your water heater or treatment of your well water system.
Restoring Your Water to Normal
Unusual odors in the water are not only undesirable, but also an indicator that something must be altered. If you know what type of odor you have and what is most likely causing it, then you can use remedial action to restore your water to its usual state. Never assume odors will work themselves out over time because they often don’t, and the issues causing them can exacerbate with time.
