Water help needed - Sulfur smell, bad taste, black sediment

[Mckeand13]

Water help needed please.

When we moved into the new house we quickly found out that the well water was absolutely terrible. It's got a submersible well pump and Challenger bladder tank. Not sure how deep or anything about the well really. I'm located in Orono, MN. I'm probably lacking a bunch of valuable information in order to get this answered and resolved but I figured I would start with what I do know.

There was a non operational (but still valved in) softener installed when we moved in. An old Autotrol and the date code was from '73. When I pulled the original softener out, I noticed something interesting (not in a good way) in the piping. Coming into the softener the piping looked ok (not that good) without much buildup. Coming out of the softener (longer piece shown in the pic) has all sorts of black garbage built up on the inside of the copper. I have to believe that is contributing to the poor "metallic" or "rotten" taste in the cold water, but i have no idea what it is.

I'm guessing the fact that it was unoccupied for 2 or 3 years while it was remodeled may have something to do with it. Huge amounts of sulfur smell, and sediment. I pulled the softener out and put my 9100 in which helped (a lot, but not completely) on the cold side. Hot water heater I'm sure still has a lot of sediment in it and is horrible. Nobody wants to bathe in it and it's almost choking while in the shower.

New HW heater is supposed to be installed in the next couple of days. Hopefully that takes care of the problem at least for the current HW issue.

System goes like this: Sediment BB/Carbon BB /9100/UV. I think all of the crap in the piping after the equipment is adding bad flavor back in after I just took it out.

Any thoughts or help on what I can do to get this stuff out of the piping? What is it?

 

[Smooky]

Black deposits in piping and on the plumbing fixtures are caused by hydrogen sulfide in the presence of soluble iron.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Mckeand13]

Black deposits in piping and on the plumbing fixtures are caused by hydrogen sulfide in the presence of soluble iron.

Any suggestions on what to do about that? Do I need to have some place test my water to determine levels in order to have direction on dealing with it?

Is there any way, or anything, that can get that junk out of the piping now that it's in there?

 

[Mckeand13]

I was just reading up on hydrogen sulfide in water.

Seems like I've got a couple things to do.
- New water heater
- Remove anode rod, or replace with a different material
- Shock/Sanitize the well and plumbing
- Cross my fingers

What alternate material could/should be used for the anode rod? Looks like a Bradford White A420 is suggested, by Bradford White anyway.

If I remove the anode rod all together, what sort of life expectancy will the (electric) hot water heater have?

Just curious, do gas hot water heaters have the same issues or are electric more prone to it for some reason?

Thanks.

 

[Reach4]

How deep is your well, and is the well casing above ground? Normally you would not need a UV sanitizer with a deep well.

Yes, a well test is good. I is unlikely that the test you get will test for H2S, but it may test for sulfate. Do test for iron and hardness and manganese. http://watercheck.com/

Regarding sanitizing, yes. Do that. http://www.moravecwaterwells.com/index.php/maintainance/disinfection-and-testing is the procedure I like. I would also sanitize your inside plumbing and water heater.

I got a powered anode... does not produce H2S but does protect the water heater. I would flush your water heater.

I have an iron and sulfur backwashing filter that is effective. Mine uses Centaur Carbon media. Katalox Light is a newer media that has good reports.

 

[FullySprinklered]

Pour some vodka in it and give it a cute name.

 

[Mckeand13]

Pour some vodka in it and give it a cute name.

Thanks for the help.

Anybody else have some further suggestions that are useful?

 

[FullySprinklered]

All humor aside, your best source of useful information would likely be a local well man. I'm on a well here in N. Georgia and have been drinking jug water from the grocery for the last five years. The well water is hard and has an irony taste to it at best. Mine also has rust in it and I'm not sure of the source. Some component in the system no doubt. I'm renting these days, so there you go. Not fixed.

Last house I owned had a well and I had to do work on it from time to time, but though I can plumb a house and troubleshoot plumbing issues, someone who works in that trade daily in your locale would be the better contact person.

 

[FullySprinklered]

I did clear the rust out of the waterlines for a lady a couple of years ago, by shooting bursts of compressed air into the system while she went around opening faucets. It seemed to get good results.