Have you noticed a sulfur smell in your water? If you’re not sure, sulfur has the rather unpleasant misfortunate of smelling like rotten eggs. Well, the first thing to note is that you’re not alone. Every day, water treatment companies and plumbing services receive calls about water smelling like sulfur. Today, you’re going to learn five ways to remove this smell from your water (and solutions that will prevent the embarrassment when guests come over and notice the aroma!).
Table of Contents
Concentrated Chlorination Treatment
Firstly, you can try a concentrated chlorination treatment in your well; this is essentially bleach. Although only a temporary solution, it works for many while they find the cause and deal with the problem properly. As the name suggests, you’ll add chlorine to your well before circulating this through the ducts. Soon enough, you’ll notice the chlorine smell in your home, and this is when you run all the taps until it disappears. If you’re planning to use this treatment, make alternative plans for water because you can’t consume the water for at least 24 hours. Since it’s a temporary option, the sulfur smell could come back in a matter of weeks.
Increase the Water Temperature
The reason why the above solution is only temporary is that the bacteria causing the smell comes back again. Another method of removing the sulfur smell from water permanently is increasing the temperature on the water heater. By turning it up to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit, it kills the bacteria. You’ll then flush it through the system, and the smell disappears (you’ll need to do this frequently).
Change the Magnesium Anode
Typically, water heaters have a magnesium anode. In some cases, this needs replacing. However, we recommend speaking to an expert before playing around with the water heater yourself. If you remove the anode completely, this can shorten the lifespan of the unit, so we don’t recommend following this advice, advice that we’ve seen elsewhere on the internet in recent times. Instead, opt to replace the anode to protect against corrosion. The older your current anode, the more likely it is to corrode and contribute to the sulfur smell. If possible, speak with the manufacturer to see if you can switch from magnesium to aluminum since this will also help to remove your sulfur smell problem.
Try the Aeration Removal Method
This time, your goal is to remove as much as possible of the hydrogen sulfide causing the smell. Although this won’t remove all hydrogen sulfide, it often removes enough for homeowners to notice a difference. By installing an aerator between the water storage tank and well, all incoming water is aerated. Some hydrogen sulfide is removed through this oxidation process, and you don’t have to worry about the smell (apart from near the aerator itself).
Use the Iron Removal Filter Method
The fifth tip for sulfur water treatment is to use an iron removal filter. As with the aeration removal method, the idea is to remove hydrogen sulfide from the system. Simultaneously, it also removes manganese and iron. Hydrogen sulfide in the system is oxidized, converted into an insoluble solution, and then removed through the filter. The downside to this system is the difficult recharging process using potassium permanganate.
Summary
You don’t need to live with sulfur smells in your home, and these five tips will help. However, if you don’t know where to start, contact a professional to identify the problem and apply the correct solution!
