Why Does My Water Smell Funny

Uttam Saha, Leticia Sonon, Jake Mowrer and David Kissel
UGA Agricultural and Environmental Services Laboratories

• Locating the Source of the Odour
• Drinking Water: Common odor problems, probable causes and suggested corrective measures
• References

Homeowners sometimes feel unpleasant odors in their household h2o. In many cases, the exact cause of the aroma is difficult to determine by water testing; all the same, this publication provides a few full general recommendations for treating some common causes of household water odors.

Locating the Source of the Aroma

If scent occurs in all water faucets, the trouble is probably in the main water supply. If it occurs only in certain faucets, the problem is likely in the fixtures or pipes supplying those specific faucets. If the problem goes away after running the water for a few minutes, the problem is somewhere in the household plumbing arrangement. If the odor is persistent, the problem could exist the h2o source or a combination of both the water source and the plumbing system. Figure 1 outlines the possible sources of odors in water.

Figure 1. A decision tree to help locate household h2o odor sources.

For odors coming from the plumbing system or the well system, corrective measures are suggested. If you lot obtain water from a public h2o supply (PWS) and the scent is suspected to originate from the water source line, contact your water provider. This is peculiarly truthful if your neighbors as well feel the same blazon of odor problem.

Drinking Water: Common odor bug, probable causes and suggested corrective measures

If a item aroma problem in your household water and its cause are not included in this list, discuss the problem with a drinking water professional from your water provider (if you are on a public water supply), county health section or UGA Cooperative Extension agent (1-800-ASK-UGA-1).

a. Bleach, Chemic or Medicinal Odor

Public water suppliers more often than not chlorinate water to prevent bacterial growth. Typical levels of free chlorine in drinking water from PWS are 0.two - ii.0 parts per million (ppm), though levels can be as high as 5.0 ppm. Odors resulting from a chlorine addition commonly go away if the water is exposed to air for several minutes.

Adding chlorine to the water through shock chlorination of a well or plumbing system produces a strong bleach (chlorine) odor. The bleach smell stops when chlorine completely dissipates. This requires turning on exterior faucets and letting the h2o run until the smell is gone.

In some cases, the added chlorine may collaborate with organic materials built up in the plumbing system and add together odor to the water. The olfactory property should disappear subsequently running the water for a few minutes. Utilize Figure one to locate the source of the olfactory property. If water is supplied by your own well and the problem appears to be in your plumbing and/or well systems, so your entire water organisation should be flushed, preferably by a licensed well driller or pump installer. If yous are on a PWS and the problem appears to be the water supply line, contact your h2o supply potency.

b. Rotten Eggs (Sulfurous), Decayed or Sewage-like Smell

By and large, a rotten egg (or sulfurous), decayed or sewage-similar odor in household h2o is a result of bacterial action, which can be due to:

• Bacteria growing in the drain: This is the most common cause of these types of odors. Over fourth dimension, organic matter such as hair, soap and food waste material tin accumulate on the walls of the bleed. These deposits serve as a food for bacteria to grow. The bacteria can produce a gas that smells like rotten eggs or sewage. Accost this trouble past post-obit these 2 steps:

1. Commencement, ensure that both the cold and hot water have the smell and that the smell is coming out of one or several faucets, but not all. Fill a glass with h2o from the sink that has the smell, then step abroad from the sink and swirl the water around inside the glass few times. If the problem is in the bleed, the tap water in the glass should not take an odor.
2. If the water in the glass does non smell, you should disinfect and flush the drain.

• Bacteria growing in the water heater: Leaner growing in the h2o heater can as well produce a rotten egg or sewage smell. Frequently, this occurs if the hot water is unused, if the water heater is turned off for a significant period of fourth dimension or if the thermostat on the heater is set too low. By and large, the bacteria that produce this problem are non a health threat; nevertheless, the gustatory modality and odor can be very unpleasant. To address this problem, the following actions are suggested:

1. Brand sure that hot water smells, but common cold water does not. Often, the scent originates from a magnesium heating rod in the hot water tank.
2. If the heater has a magnesium rod, a licensed plumber tin can supersede it with an acceptable alternative such as an aluminum rod.

• Bacteria growing in the well: If bug with the drain or water heater are ruled out, the odor may be coming from the water source. Practise not use the water because it may contain harmful leaner. To address this problem, the post-obit actions are suggested:

1. If you are on your own well, the natural groundwater chemistry may be supporting bacterial growth in the well. Shock chlorinate the well and pump out water until the chlorine odor disappears. For a stride-by-footstep shock chlorination process, refer to the University of Georgia publication "Disinfecting Your Well Water: Shock Chlorination."
2. A defective or improperly located septic arrangement may be present about your well. Contact your county wellness department.
3. If you lot are on a PWS, contact your h2o supply authority or county health department immediately.

For more information most rotten egg odour, refer to the University of Georgia publication "Your Household Water Quality: Hydrogen Sulfide and Sulfate."

c. Musty, Moldy, Earthy, Grassy or Fishy Odor

Although these odors are harmless, the human senses of taste and smell are extremely sensitive fifty-fifty at a very depression level. These kinds of odors may exist due to:

• Decaying organic matter in the drain
• Pollution of well water from surface drainage

The presence of bacteria is very mutual in both cases. By far, the most common crusade of this type of problem is the decomposable organic thing deposited over time in the bleed. To make sure the problem is not in the well, fill a glass with tap water, then footstep abroad from the sink and swirl the h2o around inside the glass few times. If the problem is in the drain, the tap h2o in the drinking glass should not have an aroma. Disinfecting, cleaning and flushing the drain should eliminate the odour.

The reservoir/pressure tank may also be the source of such an odor. Cleaning and maintaining the reservoir/ force per unit area tank periodically can prevent bacteria from growing to levels that cause odor in the water. Less commonly, certain types of algae, fungi and leaner growing in the water supply, especially during warm weather, can affect the water odor.

If the problem is in the well, shock chlorinate the well and pump out plenty of water until the olfactory property of chlorine disappears. If the problem persists, consider installing:

1. An activated carbon filter OR
2. An automatic chlorinator followed by an activated carbon filter.

If you lot are on a PWS and insufficient chlorine is existence used to disinfect the h2o, certain types of bacteria may grow in the supply line and cause these kinds of odors. Contact your water supply authority or county wellness department.

d. Petroleum, Gasoline, Turpentine, Fuel-like or Solvent-like Odour

Even though these odor problems are rare, they are potentially serious. These odors may be due to:

• A leaking fuel tank or surreptitious fuel storage tank near your well
• Belch from factories or landfills contaminating the water supply
• Run-off from agronomics contaminating the water supply

Stop drinking the water considering it may cause several adverse health consequences, including only not express to:

1. Anemia
2. Increased take chances of cancer
3. Liver and kidney problems

Remedial deportment include:

1. Report the trouble to your county health section
2. Eliminate the source of the problem
3. Install an activated carbon filtration organization after determining the type and source of the chemical contaminant

If yous are on a PWS, contact your water supply authority and county health department immediately.

eastward. Other Odors

Odor	Probable Crusade	Possible Health Effects	Suggested Remedies
Detergent odor or foaming water	Septic tank leakage into water supply.	Gastrointestinal illnesses (diarrhea, airsickness, cramps).	Eliminate source and stupor chlorinate well
Methane gas odor	Naturally decaying organic substances found in shallow wells virtually swamps. Houses built above/near former landfills or aquifers overlying oil fields.	Gas is explosive and toxic to breathe.	A well vent can remove methane from some wells. Contact a certified well contractor in your area to come across if a well vent tin can be installed on your well. Aeration can also be used to remove methane. Install a residential deaeration organization and repump.
Sharp chemical odor	Leaching of pesticides or other contaminants into groundwater.	Anemia or other claret disorders. Nervous system or reproductive disorders. Increased risk of cancer or tummy, liver and kidney problems, etc.	Activated carbon filter OR Reverse osmosis.

References

Color, Taste, and Olfactory property Problems in Drinking Water. Fact Canvas. Washington Section of Health, January, 2011. http://www.doh.wa.gov/portals/1/Documents/pubs/331-286.pdf

Color, Sense of taste, and Odor: What you lot should know. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. http://world wide web.mass.gov/dep/water/drinking/color.htm

Liukkonen, B. 2011. Why Well Water Smells Bad. University of Minnesota Extension. http://www.extension.umn.edu/environment/housing-technology/moisture-management/why-h2o-smells-bad/.

Saha, U., L. Sonon, M. Risse and D. Kissel. 2011. H2o Quality and Common Treatments for Private Drinking Water Systems. Bulletin 939 (Revised July 2011). University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B939

Earth Wellness Organisation. 2008. Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality. Affiliate 10. Acceptability Aspects: Taste, Odor and Advent. WHO Press, Earth Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.

Reviewers: Marker Risse and William Carlan, University of Georgia; Kristine Uhlman, Texas A&M Academy; Beth Thomas, AdEdge H2o Technologies, Inc.

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Status and Revision History
Published on May 15, 2012
Published with Full Review on Mar 28, 2017
Published with Total Review on Sep 13, 2021

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Source: https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C1016&title=Your+Household+Water+Quality%3A+Odors+in+Your+Water

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