While sulfur bacteria are not harmful, hydrogen sulfide gas in the air can be harmful at high levels. It is important to remove the gas from the water, or vent the gas to the atmosphere. Venting prevents the gas from collecting in low-lying spaces such as well pits and basements or enclosed spaces such as well houses.
Only well professionals should enter a well pit or other enclosed space where hydrogen sulfide gas may be present. In most cases, the rotten egg smell does not relate to the sanitary quality of the water. In rare instances, the gas may be from sewage or other pollution.
To be safe, test your well water for coliform bacteria and nitrate. The first step is to find out what the source of the issue is; that will let you know what treatment option is best.
After you have been away from your home for a few hours, smell the water coming out of the hot and cold water faucets. Unless you are very familiar with water heater operation and maintenance, have a plumber or water system professional to do the work.
Consult with the manufacturer or dealer regarding an operable pressure relief valve, and for other recommendations. Be sure to lower the thermostat setting and make certain the water temperature is reduced following treatment to prevent injury from scalding hot water and to avoid high energy costs.
A water heater can provide an ideal environment for the conversion of sulfate to hydrogen sulfide gas. The water heater can produce hydrogen sulfide gas in two ways - creating a warm environment where sulfur bacteria can live, and sustaining a reaction between sulfate in the water and the water heater anode.
A water heater usually contains a metal rod called an "anode," which is installed to reduce corrosion of the water heater tank. The anode is usually made of magnesium metal, which can supply electrons that aid in the conversion of sulfate to hydrogen sulfide gas. Disinfect the well and plumbing system with a strong chlorine solution. You can hire a licensed well contractor to do this or refer to the Well Disinfection webpage for instructions. Sulfur bacteria can be difficult to remove once established in a well.
Pre-work such as scrubbing the well casing, using special treatment chemicals, and agitating the water before disinfection may be necessary—especially if there are also iron bacteria. Contact a licensed well contractor to do this pre-work. If the bacteria are in the water softener or other treatment devices, contact the installer, manufacturer, or Minnesota Department of Health for disinfection instructions.
Installing home water treatment or drilling a new well in a different formation are both options. Below are types of home water treatment effective at removing hydrogen sulfide gas. Learn more at the Home Water Treatment webpage. Both natural sources and human activities can contaminate well water and cause short-term or long-term health effects.
Testing your well water is the only way to detect most of the common contaminants in Minnesota groundwater; you cannot taste, see, or smell most contaminants. Minnesota Department of Health recommends testing for:. Other contaminants sometimes occur in private water systems but less often than the contaminants listed above.
Consider testing for:. Well Management Section or Fax: health. This gas can occur in wells anywhere and be: Naturally occurring - a result of decay and chemical reactions with soil and rocks.
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See Subscription Options Already a subscriber? Therefore the Colosseum was suffused with a heady brew of spices and saffron boiled in wine, delivered in jets through a myriad of concealed tubes which pierced the stonework. Sulfur specimens, in normal room conditions, give off a mild odor resembling the smell of a lighting match.
However if heated or struck, they will give off a powerful odor like rotten eggs. Many sulfides, such as Pyrite, also give off a rotten-egg odor if heated or struck. Medieval cities likely smelled like a combination of baking bread, roasting meat, human excrement, urine, rotting animal entrails, smoke from woodfires — there were no chimneys so houses were filled with smoke which likely seeped out of them into the streets — along with sweat, human grime, rancid and putrid dairy ….
The reason your water probably smells like rotten eggs is because it contains some traces of hydrogen sulfide.
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