If you turned your water on only to be blasted with a smell of rotten eggs, or sulfur, it can be quite alarming. It’s nothing to panic over, you’re more than likely safe and fine; just turn off the water faucet. Next, you’ll need to figure out what is causing the egg-smelling water and fix the issue. Here is more on why your water smells like eggs.
Why Does my Water Smell like Eggs?
First, the “egg smell” is commonly caused by sulfur or hydrogen sulfide. These contaminants are brought on, most commonly, by a chemical reaction occurring inside your hot water heater. If the smell only happens when you use the hot water, it is most likely a hot water heater problem.
Sometimes, the sulfur smell can also be caused by bacteria located in part of your water system such as a water softener or bacteria in the well. If the smell happens with either the hot or cold water, this is probably the culprit and the more potent the smell and the longer it sticks around after running the water, the more serious the problem.
Is the Sulfur in my Water Dangerous?
Hydrogen sulfide or sulfur can cause damage to your plumbing pipes as it is fairly corrosive, so that’s one reason it needs to be checked out. It’s not dangerous to drink the water, and usually it’s not something we worry about because the smell and taste is so foul people won’t go near it. That said, in rare instances the odor is caused by more dangerous contaminates in the water supply brought on by sewage—so if you smell eggs, it’s best to call in a local Eldersburg plumber for help.
How Can I Get Rid of Sulfur in my Water?
Now that we know the most likely culprit of the smell, and that it needs to be fixed, how best can we go about it? Well if the issue is coming from a water softening unit you could simply change the softening solution and that could do the trick. If that doesn’t work, you’ll need to contact a local Eldersburg plumbing company to have them assess your water systems as they have the specialized tools to find the root cause of the smell.
Michael Runk Plumbing is an Eldersburg plumbing company with the skill and experience to help you fix your foul-smelling water and return your home’s plumbing back to normal. To schedule an appointment, give Michael Runk a call today at 410-781-6791 or fill out the form on our website.