Why Does My Water Smell Like Sulphur?

Sometimes the lingering smell of rotten eggs taint rural homes. It hovers in the air, clings to the furniture and becomes the accepted odor from tea cups. Homeowners may not be bothered by the smell of their well water, but visitors can be offended by the smell of sulfur.

Cause

• Water in many wells in rural areas can smell like sulfur because of the sulfur content in the ground that ends up in the water. Hydrogen sulfide gas in the water gives off the repulsive smell of sulfur, which is commonly compared to that of rotten eggs.

Natural Sources

• Hydrogen sulfide gas is the chemical reaction that results when organic matter such as vegetation decays and mixes with some minerals containing sulfur in the soil and rocks. This encourages the growth and reproduction sulfur bacteria that change the compounds of the natural organic materials into hydrogen sulfide gas. As water seeps through this matter and the soil, water dissolves these contaminated minerals, resulting in the rotten egg smell.

Health Effects

• Through the natural process, the smell of sulfur in the water normally does not affect the quality of the water. It will have a distinct sulfur taste to it, but otherwise the water is drinkable because the sulfur bacteria are not harmful. However, the exposure of hydrogen sulfide gas in the air can be toxic at high levels which it can reach as it accumulates in low-lying areas such as basements or wells.

Unnatural Sources

• Hydrogen sulfide is not limited to wells and cisterns. It is a prime concern in water heaters because sulfur bacteria can live and grow in the warm temperatures inside the tank. The tank can also create hydrogen sulfide through a reaction between the natural sulfate in the water and the water heater anode, which is a metal rod used to reduce corrosion inside the tank. The smell strengthens as the amount of hydrogen sulfide gas increases.

Treatments Options

• A water specialist should conduct standard sanitary tests for coliform bacteria and nitrate in wells and cisterns regularly. In some cases a treatment can be added to the water and in other cases a venting system might have to be installed to remove the gas from the water and prevent any accumulation. Hot water heater solutions should only be conducted by a water heater specialist who might suggest one of four options. The first is to replace the anode inside the tank. The second option is to flush out the tank and the third is to raise the temperature to 160 degrees Fahrenheit for several hours to destroy the sulfur bacteria and then flush it out. The last option is to replace the tank.