Getting Rid of Water That Smells Bad

There are a lot of places that have a distinct smell. When someone goes to a gas station to fill up their car, the smell of gas hits the driver as soon as they pull into the lot. But when it comes to water, water really shouldn’t have a scent to it.

So if the water starts to smell bad at home, it’s a sign that something is not working properly within the plumbing system. There are many things that could be causing the smelly water.

Whether it smells like rotten eggs because of bacterial growth in the pipes or it smells musty because of decaying matter in the drains, foul-smelling water should be taken care of immediately before it leads to other health concerns. Here are a few ways to keep smelly water away from the house.

Use Water Softeners

People talk about hard water a lot. So what is hard water exactly and how can it cause water to smell bad? Essentially, hard water is water with high levels of mineral content and is formed when water filters through limestone, chalk, or gypsum and picks up pieces of these deposits along the way.

This is what causes the water to be rougher on a person’s hair and skin, and this is what causes white buildup on the walls of the shower. Hard water can also carry bacteria, which is why it can smell like sulfur or rotten eggs.

Installing and using a water softener can help eliminate this bad smell. A water softener uses ion exchange technology to grab ahold of the mineral ions and remove them from the water to turn hard water into soft water.

Disinfect the Sinks

When it’s not the water itself, sometimes it can be the sink or the sink drain that’s causing the bad smell. When the sink isn’t disinfected regularly it can start to smell. Which makes total sense! If someone wore the same shirt every day and never washed it, that shirt would start to stink from a mile away.

The same is true with the bathroom or kitchen sink. It gets used on a daily basis, so there’s going to be some level of dirt and bacteria sitting in the sink that could eventually cause it to smell. Regularly disinfecting the sink with soap and warm water, scrubbing off any buildup that exists, and cleaning out the drain can help prevent the sink and faucets from developing that nasty smell.

Beware When the Hot Water Stinks

Sometimes the water only smells when the hot water is turned on. When this happens, it’s likely that there’s an issue with the water heater. Water heaters can experience a buildup of bacteria. When the bacteria from the water heater mixes in with the water itself and starts traveling through the rest of the home’s pipes and sinks, it can start to smell like rotten eggs.

When this happens, be sure to call a professional plumber so they can clean or fix the water heater in a safe and effective way. In many cases, this is as simple as draining and cleaning the tank. If, however, the water heater is old and has a large amount of buildup inside, a replacement may be needed.

About Falcon Plumbing

Falcon Plumbing treats their clients the way they would want to be treated themselves by always showing respect and being honest. All of their services are performed with their customers’ best interests in mind, including kitchen plumbing services and water softener installations. There is no job too small or too tough for Falcon Plumbing to handle.

• 
  +
• 
  +
• 
  +
• 
  +