When well water smells like rotten eggs, the smell is impossible to ignore and hard to describe to anyone who has not stood at the sink. The useful thing to know is what EPA says to test for, and what notes to take so the test and the pro can find the cause.
Water Well Repair Near Me is an independent referral service, not a well contractor, laboratory or water treatment company. When you send the form, your request goes to this site’s operator, who passes it to an independent local well pro or water treatment pro who can contact you and prepare a quote for the work.
What EPA says to test for
EPA publishes a chart of conditions a well owner may notice and the tests to consider for each. For water with an objectionable taste or smell, it lists three: hydrogen sulfide, corrosion and metals.
EPA is careful to note that not everything on its chart is a health problem: some substances affect only quality of life, such as appearance, taste and odor. EPA’s secondary drinking water standards, which cover taste, color and odor, are non-mandatory guidelines that EPA does not enforce. Only a test can tell you what you are dealing with.
Why a new smell means test now
Do not wait for the yearly test. EPA says to test your well immediately if you notice a change in water quality, naming odor, color and taste. CDC gives the same advice: test more often if the water’s taste, color or smell changes, and use a state-certified laboratory.
Mention the smell when you order the test, and say whether it is new or has been there a while. The yearly test EPA recommends covers total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH. Hydrogen sulfide, corrosion and metals are extra tests you ask for.
A different smell
If the water smells of gasoline or fuel oil rather than rotten eggs, EPA’s chart points to a test for volatile organic compounds, especially near a gas station or buried fuel tanks. Say so when you contact the health department or the lab.
Notes to take before the test
Details help both the lab order and the pro. Write down:
- Whether the smell is at every tap or only some
- Whether it is at the hot water taps only, the cold only, or both
- Whether it fades after the water runs for a while
- When you first noticed it, and whether anything changed: a repair, a new water heater, a treatment unit, a flood
- Whether there is also staining, cloudiness or a metallic taste
These are the kinds of questions a well pro or water treatment pro may ask. Where the smell shows up can help them work out whether to look at the well, the water heater or a treatment unit.
Rotten egg smell from the taps? Say what you noticed and give your ZIP code.
Treat what the test finds
TCEQ’s guide to home water treatment starts with the question of what contaminant you want to remove or reduce, and advises choosing a unit certified to remove that contaminant. That order matters here: a treatment chosen for a smell alone may not touch the cause. Once you have a result, the well water treatment page explains how a pro matches equipment to it, and TCEQ suggests getting estimates from a few companies.
If the test also shows corrosion or metals, which EPA lists with hydrogen sulfide for this symptom, mention it. Treatment may need to deal with more than one thing.
Keep up the care
If a treatment unit goes in, TCEQ says to test after installing it to make sure it works, and to follow the maker’s maintenance recommendations. Keep testing the well every year, and keep the reports, so a change in smell can be compared against what the water was like before. The well water testing page has the schedule.
Send what the well is doing and your ZIP code. An independent local pro can contact you.
Questions people ask
Why does my well water smell like rotten eggs?
EPA’s chart lists hydrogen sulfide, corrosion and metals as the tests to consider for an objectionable taste or smell. A test tells you which applies.
Is well water that smells like sulfur safe to drink?
This site cannot say without a test. EPA notes some substances affect only taste and odor while others are health concerns. Test at a certified lab and ask your health department about the result.
Should I test for anything else?
EPA’s yearly tests (total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH) are due anyway, and a change in smell is a reason to test right away.
What is your well doing?