Sulphur smell - well water
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Green Creek
Well-known member
About the only way is to aerate it. My grandmother always set out their drinking water in big jars at least 24 hours to disperse the odor. They used it as is for other purposes. It's a stinky problem, for sure.
NamVet_Farmer44
Well-known member
was the smell already there when the well was dug? If not then it's probably just bacteria in your water, the bacteria causing the smell is not harmful though, but if odor producing bacteria is in your water then there is a chance that disease causing bacteria may also be in there. I'd have a water sample checked and ask a professional about chlorination...that should be able to remove the odor if it is coming from bacteria
If the smell is coming from the rock that the well was dug in, then there isn't much you can do about that
If the smell is coming from the rock that the well was dug in, then there isn't much you can do about that
Jogeephus
Well-known member
We drill deeper or learn to live with it.
Herefordcross
Well-known member
I read this and it helped us out: Sulfer is a by product of decomposing iron in the ground, using Iron out salt products will do more to aleviate this problem than most any other method.
I don't remember where I read it but, it does work because we have the same problem here at the house. We just use the iron out salt and it takes care of the iron and the sulfer.
I don't remember where I read it but, it does work because we have the same problem here at the house. We just use the iron out salt and it takes care of the iron and the sulfer.
EIEIO
Well-known member
If you got a good well service place around give them a call. When in Arkansas we had real hard water and it also had a sulphur smell. Had a filter system added and an in-line thing that let air into the water and I guess it also let the sulphur smell out and it worked great, the well guy said that is what took out the sulphur smell. Wish I could remember what it was called, if I think of it I'll post it for you. You might want to do a google search.
J
J
ccs
New member
The sulpher smell is most likely a result of Hydrogen-sulfide gas in the water. The gas is usually present in deeper wells, but can occur anywhere really. This gas is toxic in large amounts, but is really just a nuisance in drinking water. It can be eliminated several ways, the cheapest and easiest is to expose the water to the atmosphere (air). The gas will "flash" off rapidly. To eliminate from the house altogether, you'll need to purchase a carbon or chemical oxidant tank from a "Culligan" type buisiness. I usually dump about 4~6 gallons of bleach down my well and let sit overnight. This helps, but the carbon filter is best.
Thanks all. There IS a filtration system in place...not sure exactly what kind, since it's not at my house. We changed the filter last weekend... the smell is just a nuisance, that's all. They don't use the water for cooking or drinking, just laundry and showers and stuff.
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
If you get a 1000 gallon holding tank and pump the water into it, that helps. You'll need a secondary booster pump to pump the water with pressure to your house. This works somewhat for the "7-up effect" of the gasses being suspended within water. The problem is with iron sulfide in that the release is over time so all you get is the big initial relief.
There is a system called an ozonator that works pretty well.
The latest is a hydrogen peroxide induction system. It virtually wipes out all iron sulfide and hydrogen sulfide both. You can have it installed right now turn key for about $1900 initial cost. After that, maintenance costs are trivial.
Where I live we have sulfur at 180 foot and at 650 foot plus everywhere in between. No matter what basin you drill to, you get sulfur. A neighbor went with the peroxide induction system and his water is just as good as the water I have at the farm. So we are going to have one installed ourselves.
Sulfur gas in your house will cause copper to corrode. The A-Frame in your hvac unit will leak freon within 5 years in my neighborhood. Ice boxes and freezers will corrode coils too.
Since I putting in my 4th air handling unit in 17 years, I think it might be cheaper to put in the new tech induction system.
I am not a chemical engineer so I cannot tell you exactly how the induction system works. But I have seen the results. I will use my current 1200 gallon poly tank (poly gets you out of corrosion problems) and the tank will settle the solids out, as well as let gasses escape. The remaining suspended gasses will be removed by induction.
If you PM me, I can give you a name a number for induction installation, pamphlets etc. You can probably google the info yourself.
There is a system called an ozonator that works pretty well.
The latest is a hydrogen peroxide induction system. It virtually wipes out all iron sulfide and hydrogen sulfide both. You can have it installed right now turn key for about $1900 initial cost. After that, maintenance costs are trivial.
Where I live we have sulfur at 180 foot and at 650 foot plus everywhere in between. No matter what basin you drill to, you get sulfur. A neighbor went with the peroxide induction system and his water is just as good as the water I have at the farm. So we are going to have one installed ourselves.
Sulfur gas in your house will cause copper to corrode. The A-Frame in your hvac unit will leak freon within 5 years in my neighborhood. Ice boxes and freezers will corrode coils too.
Since I putting in my 4th air handling unit in 17 years, I think it might be cheaper to put in the new tech induction system.
I am not a chemical engineer so I cannot tell you exactly how the induction system works. But I have seen the results. I will use my current 1200 gallon poly tank (poly gets you out of corrosion problems) and the tank will settle the solids out, as well as let gasses escape. The remaining suspended gasses will be removed by induction.
If you PM me, I can give you a name a number for induction installation, pamphlets etc. You can probably google the info yourself.
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
Name of the company is "OXY BLAST". This is the company with hydrogen peroxide induction systems. It is considered USDA Organic. They have all kinds of data on livestock and poultry improvement. There is individual data on each of the following: swine, poultry, dairy, beef cattle improvement, as well as algae reduction. There is data on human health. No sales pitches here, I don't sell the systems. I simply am impressed with it.
There is a local vendor rep in Granbury, TX and I can pm his name and phone number to anyone interested.
There is a local vendor rep in Granbury, TX and I can pm his name and phone number to anyone interested.
In other words your water smells like rotten eggs...
Lived in Riverdale, CA for a period of time and when family came they would not even brush their teeth, drink coffee and some even shower. You can get use to it and refrigerating the water takes the smell out. It was not a private well but city water that stunk that bad.
We had a coal type filter that we backwashed and it only took the color out..did not really help the smell. We have a well here and the water has so much lime build up...think I could live with the sulfer better. Only important thing to check with the well is the nitrates. Donna
Lived in Riverdale, CA for a period of time and when family came they would not even brush their teeth, drink coffee and some even shower. You can get use to it and refrigerating the water takes the smell out. It was not a private well but city water that stunk that bad.
We had a coal type filter that we backwashed and it only took the color out..did not really help the smell. We have a well here and the water has so much lime build up...think I could live with the sulfer better. Only important thing to check with the well is the nitrates. Donna
