smelly tap water

boathousegirl · 12-04-2006, 03:03 PM

Hi all,
I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas or recommendations for my smelly tap water. I had an artesian well installed about ten years ago for my old camp. Three years ago we knocked the camp down and built a house with the well head in the basement. My water smelled perfect when I had the camp. It's so smelly now it can't be drunk. Any ideas?

RLW · 12-04-2006, 03:34 PM

The first thing I'd do is get it tested. Does it smell like rotten eggs and staining the porcelain, if it is it may be to much magnesium, however I am not a professional and get this info from others that have the same symptons. I have been told this condition can come at anytime.
How does one pull out the pipe and pump when it needs servicing with it being in the basement?

Merrymeeting · 12-04-2006, 09:57 PM

Not sure if this matches your symptoms, but it is a common problem with iron in the water in this area. A water softener will usually take care of it.

I'd guess that if this is your problem, the issue is caused by increased usage since converting your camp, or being there at different times of the year.

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/dwg/febact.htm

It also can help to bleach your well on occasion.

http://www.deq.state.ok.us/csdnew/disiwa.htm

But as suggested, I'd start with a water test.

Cobalt · 12-05-2006, 06:49 AM

My neighbor and I had similiar problems with rust and odor. We had Integrated Water Systems on Rt. 25 in Moultonboro analyze the water, and install a water filtration system.

The system requires little maintenance, backwashes automatically, and provides clean odorless water.

Weirs guy · 12-05-2006, 12:14 PM

If your a closet DIY'er (a.k.a. someone to cheap to pay someone else to do it, like I am), Home Depot has both test kits and water softner systems.

Chris Exley · 12-06-2006, 10:39 AM

Several years ago, we were up at the cottage in the fall to close up. We went to take a shower and the water smelled bad. We had never had this in 40 years. We went and looked down in the well and saw a dead mouse. Thank goodness it was the end of the season. Fished the little bugger out, poured a couple of gallons of chlorine into the well. Next spring, everything was ok.

T.H.E. Binz · 12-07-2006, 10:28 AM

Anaerobic bacteria can develop in infrequently used hot water heating tanks. My experience has been that this is especially true where the heating elements have been left on during non-use (for you biologists, I suppose these odiferous bacteria are "thermophilic").

A simple test is to run hot water vs. cold water and see if only the hot water smells. The cure for smelly hot water is to exchange the water in your hot water tank by letting a hot water tap run for several minutes (usually one or two tank exchanges will do the trick).

Weirs guy · 12-07-2006, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T.H.E. Binz

Anaerobic bacteria can develop in infrequently used hot water heating tanks.

Wouldn't running the tank at above 140° F prevent this?

longisland60 · 12-07-2006, 05:34 PM

We've got a filtration system in our home in Moultonborough to eliminate an odor from our well water. Like Cobalt, our system works automatically, backflushing every few days. It works great, although the timer system kicks off the backflushing at 12AM and is noisy (we set the clock off by 12 hours so it flushes at noon).

Call the guys at Gilford Well and they'll set you up.

longisland60

RC246 · 02-09-2007, 09:23 AM

Sounds like you have an iron bacteria problem either in your well or in the pipes of the house. Both can be resolved by shocking the well and pipes with bleach. I have the same problem from time to time. Mostly shows up in the kitchen sink first.

SIKSUKR · 02-09-2007, 03:18 PM

This is a very comman problem with drilled wells in NH.Call a water center and discuss it with them.I'm also wondering about how you service your pump when it's in the basement.That will make it awful difficult to pull a hundred or many hundreds of feet of pipe.

12-04-2006, 03:03 PM	#1
boathousegirl Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Boston and Winnisquam Posts: 44 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	smelly tap water Hi all, I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas or recommendations for my smelly tap water. I had an artesian well installed about ten years ago for my old camp. Three years ago we knocked the camp down and built a house with the well head in the basement. My water smelled perfect when I had the camp. It's so smelly now it can't be drunk. Any ideas?

12-04-2006, 03:34 PM	#2
RLW Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Alton Bay on the mountain by a lake Posts: 2,023 Thanks: 563 Thanked 444 Times in 311 Posts	Bad smell to the water The first thing I'd do is get it tested. Does it smell like rotten eggs and staining the porcelain, if it is it may be to much magnesium, however I am not a professional and get this info from others that have the same symptons. I have been told this condition can come at anytime. How does one pull out the pipe and pump when it needs servicing with it being in the basement? __________________ There is nothing better than living on Alton Mountain & our grand kids visits.

12-05-2006, 06:49 AM	#4
Cobalt Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 130 Thanks: 70 Thanked 33 Times in 25 Posts	Smelly Tap Water My neighbor and I had similiar problems with rust and odor. We had Integrated Water Systems on Rt. 25 in Moultonboro analyze the water, and install a water filtration system. The system requires little maintenance, backwashes automatically, and provides clean odorless water.

12-05-2006, 12:14 PM	#5
Weirs guy Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Weirs Beach, NH Posts: 1,067 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	If your a closet DIY'er (a.k.a. someone to cheap to pay someone else to do it, like I am), Home Depot has both test kits and water softner systems. __________________ Is it bikeweek yet? Now?

12-06-2006, 10:39 AM	#6
Chris Exley Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mirror Lake, NH and Royersford, PA Posts: 134 Thanks: 26 Thanked 15 Times in 7 Posts	Could it be.... Several years ago, we were up at the cottage in the fall to close up. We went to take a shower and the water smelled bad. We had never had this in 40 years. We went and looked down in the well and saw a dead mouse. Thank goodness it was the end of the season. Fished the little bugger out, poured a couple of gallons of chlorine into the well. Next spring, everything was ok.

12-04-2006, 09:57 PM	#3
Merrymeeting Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Merrymeeting Lake, New Durham Posts: 2,217 Thanks: 299 Thanked 795 Times in 365 Posts	Not sure if this matches your symptoms, but it is a common problem with iron in the water in this area. A water softener will usually take care of it. I'd guess that if this is your problem, the issue is caused by increased usage since converting your camp, or being there at different times of the year. http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/dwg/febact.htm It also can help to bleach your well on occasion. http://www.deq.state.ok.us/csdnew/disiwa.htm But as suggested, I'd start with a water test.

12-07-2006, 10:28 AM	#7
T.H.E. Binz Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Meredith & Chadds Ford, PA Posts: 112 Thanks: 0 Thanked 11 Times in 8 Posts	Another Common Cause of Tap Water Odor Anaerobic bacteria can develop in infrequently used hot water heating tanks. My experience has been that this is especially true where the heating elements have been left on during non-use (for you biologists, I suppose these odiferous bacteria are "thermophilic"). A simple test is to run hot water vs. cold water and see if only the hot water smells. The cure for smelly hot water is to exchange the water in your hot water tank by letting a hot water tap run for several minutes (usually one or two tank exchanges will do the trick).

12-07-2006, 05:34 PM	#9
longisland60 Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 27 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Try Gilford Well, too We've got a filtration system in our home in Moultonborough to eliminate an odor from our well water. Like Cobalt, our system works automatically, backflushing every few days. It works great, although the timer system kicks off the backflushing at 12AM and is noisy (we set the clock off by 12 hours so it flushes at noon). Call the guys at Gilford Well and they'll set you up. longisland60

02-09-2007, 09:23 AM	#10
RC246 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Connecticut Posts: 13 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Sounds like you have an iron bacteria problem either in your well or in the pipes of the house. Both can be resolved by shocking the well and pipes with bleach. I have the same problem from time to time. Mostly shows up in the kitchen sink first.

02-09-2007, 03:18 PM	#11
SIKSUKR Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 5,075 Thanks: 215 Thanked 903 Times in 509 Posts	This is a very comman problem with drilled wells in NH.Call a water center and discuss it with them.I'm also wondering about how you service your pump when it's in the basement.That will make it awful difficult to pull a hundred or many hundreds of feet of pipe. __________________ SIKSUKR