Why Is There A “Rotten Egg” Smell In My Home?
A “rotten egg” smell in your home is common for a lot of people. But, how does it happen and what can you do to get rid of it? We’ll go over why this issue can occur in your home as well as what you can do to get rid of that smell.
A “rotten egg” smell is sulfur, also known as hydrogen sulfide. Sulfur is a part of nature and most commonly found in all water supplies. With oxygen present, this smell does not occur. But, when oxygen is not present, this is what can cause this “rotten egg” smell to come from your faucet.
This happens because when oxygen is not present, it creates a combined form with hydrogen instead of oxygen. Thus, creating what we know as hydrogen sulfide. This combination gives off that “rotten egg” smell from your faucet.
Is It Safe To Drink The Water?
Yes, it is still safe to drink this water although it’s giving off a bad odor. This is one of the most common myths about this bad sulfur smell. Although the smell is not pleasant, you are still able to drink the water without having to worry about any toxicity.
What If The Cold Water Smells Along With The Hot Water?
Typically, when you stop using the hot water and switch over to cold water, the smell should go away.
What Should I Do To Help Lessen The Odor?
There are quite a few options you have to try and lessen this “rotten egg” odor in your home. One way you can help lessen the odor is have a professional plumber replace the magnesium corrosion rod to an aluminum rod in your water heater. This can help because typically magnesium rods can cause sulfur to bring on a gas and cause that “rotten egg” smell at the faucet.
There are a couple more options. If you find that it is only coming from the hot water side of your faucet, you can turn on all the hot water faucets in your home and let the hot water completely run out until the water is cold. This flushes your water heater from all the hot water and can potentially lessen the odor. You may need to do this several times.
If you find that no matter what temperature of water you’re using, hot or cold, the smell is always present, this might be a harder problem to fix. A professional will most likely need to come and disinfect your home plumbing system. This is typically because certain fixtures in your home have become established with bacteria in them. The smell won’t be resolved until the disinfection process takes place.
What Does My City Do To Reduce The Odor?
When things like hydrogen sulfide occur, the city will typically boost disinfection stations as needed throughout the city. In addition, they also clean the water distribution lines with high speed flushing. These protocols take place in addition to the other standard protocols that are required to run a safe drinking water system.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, the “rotten egg” smell in your home, also known as sulfur, can be very frustrating. There are quite a few options that you have to consider how to take care of the issue or at least lessen the odor. Don’t hesitate to reach out to a professional if you find that there is a bigger issue at hand.
Call 1-Tom-Plumber
Don’t hesitate to contact us here or call us at 1-Tom-Plumber (1-866-758-6237) if you need any help identifying where the odor is coming from, along with any services we can provide to take care of the issue.
1-Tom-Plumber’s certified team of plumbers and drain technicians respond immediately to any emergency plumbing, drain cleaning, or water damage problem. We also handle the excavation of underground water lines and sewer main lines. Our immediate-response team is available every day and night of the year, even on holidays.
