How do I get rid of a bad smell in my hot water?

To get rid of the bad odor, you’ll want to contact a plumber to flush and disinfect your tank. Doing so will remove the bacteria and particles that create hydrogen sulfide. During a water heater flush, a plumber can replace your anode rod if it is corroded to prevent the smell in the future.

Why does my hot water stink in my house?

You are most likely on well water, and there is a bacteria, known as SRB (sulfate-reducing bacteria), that gets into water heaters and, although harmless to humans from a pure health perspective, creates the odor by digesting naturally occurring sulfur-based elements in the water, releasing tiny amounts of hydrogen …

Is smelly hot water harmful?

Fortunately the bacteria in the hot water heater should not be harmful to you, but it will need to be eliminated in order to remove the smell from your tap water. This sewage smell can also be the result of hydrogen sulfide.

How do you fix rotten egg smell in water?

1. Shock your well with chlorine bleach or hydrogen peroxide to get temporary relief from sulfur odors. Often keeps odors away for 1 – 2 months.

What causes rotten egg smell in hot water?

Wondering why your hot water smells like rotten eggs? The most common odor problem from water heaters is a rotten egg smell that comes out of your faucets and fixtures when running water. This smell is typically caused by sulfate bacteria that can develop within the tank.

How do I get rid of bacteria in my hot water heater?

Up the thermostat setting as you chlorinate, or while the chlorine is going into the water heater you place a UV-C sanitizer light on the water supply. They cost in the upper $400 range and will kill 99.9 percent of the bacteria that passes it.

What is the smell of stagnant water?

In most cases, standing water smells like rotten eggs. This is caused by the production of hydrogen sulfide as bacteria break down plant or animal matter. If the stagnant water contains sewage, that will make the smell even worse.

Is rotten egg smelling water harmful?

Potential Problems with Hydrogen Sulfide In most cases drinking water that has a strong rotten egg odor, although particularly unpleasant, is perfectly safe to drink. However in some rare occasions the odor may be caused by sewage or other contaminates in a building’s water supply, which could cause health problems.

How do you neutralize hydrogen sulfide?

When dealing with a hydrogen sulfide gas leak, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommends using water to spray down the gas, then adding sodium bicarbonate to neutralize it.

How do I get rid of rotten egg smell in my water?

Chlorine bleach can effectively remove medium to high levels (over 6 mg/l) of hydrogen sulfide. The chlorine in the bleach chemically reacts with (oxi- dizes) the hydrogen sulfide eliminating the “rotten egg” odor. Chlorine bleach also reacts with iron or manganese, and disinfects water supplies.

How do you remove hydrogen sulfide from water?

Hydrogen sulfide may be reduced or removed by shock chlorination, water heater modification, activated carbon filtration, oxidizing filtration or oxidizing chemical injection. Often treatment for hydrogen sulfide is the same as for iron and manganese, allowing the removal of all three contaminants in one process.