Knowledgebase
sulfur smell in rural household with well water #873911
Asked June 20, 2024, 11:16 AM EDT
Washington County Oregon
Expert Response
Hydrogen sulfide is very common in well water. It and the other mineral buildup that you mentioned do not have any health effects. https://extension.psu.edu/hydrogen-sulfide-rotten-egg-odor-in-water-wells is my favorite publication and discusses treatment options. Unfortunately, most of them are fairly expensive.
If the sulfide is coming from the well, you should also smell it from cold water faucets, and outside hose spigots. The hot water heater can accentuate the smell. Even when you have you tank replaced, well owners with high mineral content should replace the anode rod each year. The rod which is placed through a hole on the top of the tank and screwed down is sacrificial attracting the minerals and breaks down to help reduce mineral buildup on the heating element - which can cause early failure.
Most folks live with the smell as part of the joys of well ownership, it is typically slightly less in the winter when we have more water entering the aquifer, and the peak is typically the last months of fall before the rains start.
Hi Chrissy –
Thank you so much for your helpful reply with reference to some very useful information. This helps tremendously. We’ll go through it and send another reply if there are any follow-up questions.
Kind regards,
Kevin
From: ask=<personal data hidden> <ask=<personal data hidden>> On Behalf Of Ask Extension
Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2024 12:21 PM
To: Moe, Kevin R <<personal data hidden>>
Subject: Re: sulfur smell in rural household with well water (#0143829)