We're looking at a house that's got a well. We noticed the house has a complete water purification/filtration system - i.e. Softener, iron filter, reverse osmosis system, etc. It does not appear that salt has been added to the softener in some time, and I can't tell what type of shape the filtration system is in. Either way, when running the faucets, (both cold and hot) we notice that rotten egg smell, but when tasting, it actually tastes like that also. My question is: Shouldn't these systems aleviate the majority of the smells, buildup, etc. We'd plan to have it professionally tested and inspected before finalizing any deal, but was just curious what others know.
Question for people with well water
- Thread starter doospunk
- Start date
exciteable
New member
Rotten
Sometimes, the rotten egg smell can be eliminated with just a simple softener system. This might be the case. Maybe there is no salt in the system to "regenerate" it. The more likely cause is you have a hydrogen sulfide problem that is causing the rotten egg smell and taste. I know there are areas that have this problem, I'm talking whole counties. If the latter is the case, there are treatment systems available and they do work, but they are pricey, and must be maintained which costs. Hydrogen Peroxide is injected in the water to alleviate the hydrogen sulfide smell sometimes.
It would be best to find a reputable H20 lab and have a full workup done on the water. In MI, most labs will do this for anywhere from $20 to $40 bucks.
The lab will test for coliforms, nitrates, nitrites, hardness, e-coli, etc.
Sometimes, the rotten egg smell can be eliminated with just a simple softener system. This might be the case. Maybe there is no salt in the system to "regenerate" it. The more likely cause is you have a hydrogen sulfide problem that is causing the rotten egg smell and taste. I know there are areas that have this problem, I'm talking whole counties. If the latter is the case, there are treatment systems available and they do work, but they are pricey, and must be maintained which costs. Hydrogen Peroxide is injected in the water to alleviate the hydrogen sulfide smell sometimes.
It would be best to find a reputable H20 lab and have a full workup done on the water. In MI, most labs will do this for anywhere from $20 to $40 bucks.
The lab will test for coliforms, nitrates, nitrites, hardness, e-coli, etc.
Water System Issues
You have several things to check. One, the softner doesn't work without salt and would need to be charged (add salt) and cycled. The filters need to be cleaned or they don't work and water heaters have a "rod" in them which evidently needs to be removed if you have a water softner. I have the lousiest water, rotten eggs, orange color and the works but have a softner, charcoal filtration unit(with chlorine backwash-keeps the bad bugs down) and have amazingly good (albeit expensive?) water. My system is Culligan and was well worth the investment. I had a less expensive setup but the outfit went out of business and I wanted someone around for service. I'd get a service rep in to help me figure out the system and see if/how it works. I think good drinking water and showering in odor free water is worth the investment. Good Luck!
You have several things to check. One, the softner doesn't work without salt and would need to be charged (add salt) and cycled. The filters need to be cleaned or they don't work and water heaters have a "rod" in them which evidently needs to be removed if you have a water softner. I have the lousiest water, rotten eggs, orange color and the works but have a softner, charcoal filtration unit(with chlorine backwash-keeps the bad bugs down) and have amazingly good (albeit expensive?) water. My system is Culligan and was well worth the investment. I had a less expensive setup but the outfit went out of business and I wanted someone around for service. I'd get a service rep in to help me figure out the system and see if/how it works. I think good drinking water and showering in odor free water is worth the investment. Good Luck!
dfattack
Well-known member
Rotten egg smell is from Hydrogen Sulfide from what I've been told. I have Hard water, iron, and hydrogen sulfide. I have a water softener and centaur carbon filters (whole house) the carbon filters look like water softeners but contain the carbon. They back wash depending on your usage. they remove the sulfide. The water softeners will remove the iron and hardness if you have any. These systems ran properly and maintained will cure your problems assuming these are in fact your problems. Maintenance is simple. Don't let the salt run out and fill the chlorine solution holding tanks the carbon filters use to regenerate. I'm sure there are even newer systems out there that may be better now. I would recommend calling your closest Hellenbrand dealer, which is:
Finken's Water Centers
3423 County Road 74
Saint Cloud, MN
56301
Phone: 320-258-2005
Fax: 320-258-2006
They should be able to take care of you.
I don't know them, but they are listed as a dealer on the Hellenbrand website for the twin cities, MN area code.
Finken's Water Centers
3423 County Road 74
Saint Cloud, MN
56301
Phone: 320-258-2005
Fax: 320-258-2006
They should be able to take care of you.
I don't know them, but they are listed as a dealer on the Hellenbrand website for the twin cities, MN area code.
Doospunk,
I rented a house that had that problem. It was darn right nasty! Someone recommended a local water treatment company. They came and installed a inline filter. It was shaped like and about the size of a large oxygen tank for a torch. I believe it had charcol in it. They would come once a month and change it. It took care of the smell.
I rented a house that had that problem. It was darn right nasty! Someone recommended a local water treatment company. They came and installed a inline filter. It was shaped like and about the size of a large oxygen tank for a torch. I believe it had charcol in it. They would come once a month and change it. It took care of the smell.
exciteable hit it on the head. Both my brother-in-law and I have wells and fortunately when I had my water tested the problem could be solved with a water softner. My brother-in-law had to get a specific system that got rid of the smell. His system is fairly old so I am sure that there are better systems out there today but they do work. The first thing you will want to do thou is get the water tested.
yamadooed
Active member
Brotha Doospunk:
Ours gets so bad sometimes,... it makes one Gag,...
Just horrible.
We have a Double system,... (Culligan),....
it needs to be Majorly updated. $$$$$$$
But,... if you LOVE the house,... it may be worth it,..
and get a Pro in there to see how much it will cost.
Maybe they will come down on the price to off set this.
Once you have a system in place that WORKS,....
it is just a matter of keeping it running correctly,...
ie: filter changes, regular tests at home, correct salt,....
We have NEVER drank out of the faucet in the 13 years we
have lived here. Have Bottled water delivered once every
2 months. Doesn't seem to be a hassle and it Tastes Great!
My .02 worth
~Vin
Ours gets so bad sometimes,... it makes one Gag,...
Just horrible.
We have a Double system,... (Culligan),....
it needs to be Majorly updated. $$$$$$$
But,... if you LOVE the house,... it may be worth it,..
and get a Pro in there to see how much it will cost.
Maybe they will come down on the price to off set this.
Once you have a system in place that WORKS,....
it is just a matter of keeping it running correctly,...
ie: filter changes, regular tests at home, correct salt,....
We have NEVER drank out of the faucet in the 13 years we
have lived here. Have Bottled water delivered once every
2 months. Doesn't seem to be a hassle and it Tastes Great!
My .02 worth
~Vin
Suggestion
I'd start with adding salt to the softner, cycling it, and cleaning/replacing the filters on the filtration system. I'd throw some Iron Out in the mix too to see if that helps. The anode rod is also a good suggestion. On another thought I would also ask when the last time the well was shocked.
I'd start with adding salt to the softner, cycling it, and cleaning/replacing the filters on the filtration system. I'd throw some Iron Out in the mix too to see if that helps. The anode rod is also a good suggestion. On another thought I would also ask when the last time the well was shocked.
Well I didn't read every response but I would check to see if the systems are in "BYPASS" and if so put them in service, add salt and Iron Out for the 1st cycle of the softener, change any filter in the system as well then after the 1st cycle check things. I would drain the water heater and refill after the cycle and then do it all again. Flush everything out and see what you get.
Just remember ALL of the devices in the system (softener, whole house filter, and reverse osmosis) have their own bypasses (or should have) so make sure they are ALL open and working.
Good Luck
Just remember ALL of the devices in the system (softener, whole house filter, and reverse osmosis) have their own bypasses (or should have) so make sure they are ALL open and working.
Good Luck
As dpd43 says, the Culligan S Filtration system works great. No, I am not a Culligan employee.
I actually live a few miles from a town in Indiana called Sulphur Springs, and there is definitely no question why they named it that. Our well water reeks of rotten eggs (sulphur) and I actually have an extra sensitivity to it. Our cold water had the smell, and even with the magnesium rod removed from our water heater, our hot water was unbearable to me.
After having the unit installed, we turned the water on and purged our pipes and hot water heater of the sulphur water. Then, we turned the water on in the shower for the first time after purging its pipes. What a difference.
For the heck of it, I showered first because I wanted to test how well it was working. I noticed a strange odor, not unpleasant at all, but I couldn't place it at first, but it definitely was NOT sulphur. After thinking about it, it hit me. For the first time since living in that house I was actually smelling the wet ceramic tile of the enclosed shower for the first time!!!!
I think we spent about $1700 on our unit 4 years ago during a total house renovation, and I think that out of all the things we had done to our home, that was our single best investment.
And, all you have to do to maintain it is to get a gallon of bleach once a month (generic cheap bleach works great) and place the open bottle of it next to your system. Then, place the suction tube from the filtration system into the open bleach bottle. Within the next 24 hours, the bleach is automatically suctioned into the filtration system and then automatically flushed. Next month, get another bottle of bleach and replace the empty one.
Keep in mind that this is just a sulphur filtration system, not a softener or a sediment filter. You still need those if you had them before.
If you remove the anode rod then the only thing left to attack is the heater itself. Talk to local plumbing supplier, there is a replacement anode rod made from a different alloy you can put in for well water (hard water) so that the anode rod takes the brunt of the attack from the water. As to purification systems, best to lease from a local dealer. When the water is bad, sometimes can be real bad, the systems will not last very long. Some times as short as a year or 2. Leases range $50-100/month. When the system goes caput under the lease the local dealer will replace when needed. No extra charge to replace entire system. My parents had issues with water smell in their well in south central WI. local well guy set them up with a system that eliminated the problem. dont know for sure what chemical they add, maybe Potassium chloride, but not positive.
tequilamonsta
New member
All the responses above are good. No one mentioned shocking the well. We've done it on various occasions. Seems to break down some of the crud that builds up on the casing, and the main lines running from the pump to all the various service outlets. You do want to bypass all those appliances like softeners, iron removers, etc when shocking. Circulate the chlorine and then purge. Any local well driller should have the chlorine, although pool chlorine is pretty close and they should have test strips for after the process too. You'll need to know casing size and depth for dosing.
You should do the entire system, except the softeners, iron removers, etc, but you can just do from the pump to the pressure tank if there is a spigot right at the start of the system.
You'll know it did something if when you purge you get lots of great looking water shooting out.
After that, if the softener is empty, make sure there isn't grime in there either, it usually stinks, you'll know if it needs a cleaning. I use a hose, bleach and then a shop vac to clean that sucker out twice a year. You don't want the softener to run with any bleach, so make sure its turned off for that process.
Good Luck!
You should do the entire system, except the softeners, iron removers, etc, but you can just do from the pump to the pressure tank if there is a spigot right at the start of the system.
You'll know it did something if when you purge you get lots of great looking water shooting out.
After that, if the softener is empty, make sure there isn't grime in there either, it usually stinks, you'll know if it needs a cleaning. I use a hose, bleach and then a shop vac to clean that sucker out twice a year. You don't want the softener to run with any bleach, so make sure its turned off for that process.
Good Luck!
yamahauler
Active member
I would dump 1 gallon of bleach down the hatch every 2-3 mths and let ALL faucets run for 15 minutes to flush.
I also had a softner and carbon filter. My carbon filter setup was from McMaster car. A LOT cheaper than Culligan. It was just your standard in line filter and I did two of them. The pressure drop across them wasn't too bad.
I also had a softner and carbon filter. My carbon filter setup was from McMaster car. A LOT cheaper than Culligan. It was just your standard in line filter and I did two of them. The pressure drop across them wasn't too bad.
Before you spend money on this, ask the realtor if it is ok to run the water for half a day. If the house has been vacant for a while sometimes this odor will clear up after running it for a while straight. When we go away for 2 weeks or more the water at my house will smell some until we get back into the normal cycle of things. Then call and see if the company that the equipment is through can come out and check things over, sometimes they will do it for no charge. Plus another thing that this will do is test the septic if it has one.
Get several quotes if you do decide to upgrade, spec out exactly what you want.
The spread on the prices will astound you, also this work won't be done by licensed plumbers so inspect and check every thing they do. I saw the drain from an osmosis filter run down into a hole drilled in the SEWER ejector pump pit.
The spread on the prices will astound you, also this work won't be done by licensed plumbers so inspect and check every thing they do. I saw the drain from an osmosis filter run down into a hole drilled in the SEWER ejector pump pit.