Odors in drinking water can originate in the water supply—either a well or public supply line—or in your plumbing system. Even if the water is safe to drink, you want to remove distasteful odors. Read to discover things you should do if your water smells bad.
1. Determine the Odor’s Origin
Foul-smelling water often smells like eggs or sewage but can also smell fishy or musty. To fix the problem, first determine if the odor emanates from the water source or from the plumbing. If the smelly water doesn’t come from all the water faucets in your home, the problem lies in the fixtures and pipes that supply those specific faucets.
If the odors occur in all faucets, run the water for a few minutes. If the smell goes away after a few minutes, the cause of the odor is in the plumbing system. But if the smell remains after running for a few minutes, test the hot and cold water separately.
Does only the hot water smell bad? Then the cause of the odor is the magnesium rod in the hot water tank. If both hot and cold water smell, the cause could lie in the water source or both the source and plumbing.
2. Treat Your Plumbing System
The next thing you should do if your water smells bad is treat the origin. Problems that occur with your plumbing system might be in your drain and pipes. If drains aren’t cleaned out, organic matter can accumulate and cause bacteria that produce smelly gas to grow. Treat the problem by disinfecting the drain and flushing it with clean water.
If the problem comes from the hot water tank, contact a licensed plumber. The plumber can replace the magnesium rod, disinfect and flush the water heater, or turn the water heater up to kill bacteria.
3. Treat the Water Source
Finally, if the origin comes from the water source, you’ll need to treat the well or the water somewhere along your supply line. If the smell comes from bacterial growth in your well, treat with shock chlorination. If a septic system near the well is causing the problem, contact your county health department.
If you’re using the public water supply, bacteria might be in the supply line. Contact your municipal water supply authority. You can also contact a water treatment company and let them test the water and apply treatment.
For thorough residential water treatment services, contact the Good Water Company. We’ll first determine the cause of the odor, then apply the right water treatment to restore clean water to your home. Contact us today.