Cold Water Smell

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Tymko

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Hi everyone,

This is my first post and I hope I got the right subforum for it (if not, feel free to move it, mods!)

I'm a little perplexed with my situation here, and I've consulted some plumbers and google but to no avail. I'm hoping that someone here could help!

Setup Info
Water source:
I live in a big city with city water
House age: ~35 years
House piping: copper piping throughout
Street type: cul-du-sac (end point for city water)
Water peripherals: Hot water tank (natural gas, 20+ years old)

Situation - I have an annoying smell coming only out of my cold water taps, and only from two washroom sinks faucets. The smell is very similar to rotten eggs (sulfur is what I'd describe it as) and is strongest for the first little bit after I open the tap, and then it dies down to an unoffensive state (but still has a weird taste to it).


What I've tried to remedy the situation.
  1. I've called the city a few times to flush the hydrant (end-point) on our street, in case it was a city water problem. I also asked my neighbours, but none have experienced this smell. (not surprising, as this isn't wide spread through my house, but I wanted to make sure that I covered this base)

  2. I covered the drain and overflow to make sure the smell wasn't coming from there.

  3. I had the water tested for hardness. The result was exactly what the city states (7 grains per US gallon)

  4. I flushed all of my lines in the house for a good 30 min

  5. I shocked my system (cold pipes) with a chlorine water mixture for a few hours (drained all water from the house pipes, then introduced 250ml of 4% bleach to my pipes. I then slowly pressurized my lines and let the mixture sit for about 5 hours. I then flushed my pipes for another 30 min. This left a bleach smell in my line for about a day, and the water smell was then gone for about 45 days... At which point, it began to slowly come back.

  6. I shocked my system (cold pipes) again, but now with 6% bleach and very little water (same steps as my previous step). The Bleach smell lasted about 3 days and then my water was smell free for about 2 months, at which point the smell came back.

Some other info that may be of help is that the faucets in my two washrooms are of no-name brand (or at least I can't find any markings to indicate a brand). The third washroom, along with my kitchen, have moen faucets, where there is no smell present.

That being said, I am currently replacing a faucet to see if it's the cause of the smell, but I'm about ready to just rip apart my drywall and re-pipe that entire section of the house... (obviously I don't want to do this because it will cost $$$ and I may still not know what the cause was!)

So.... any ideas??


And, if it comes down to it and I do have to re-pipe... should I just replace with copper or should I go with PEX?

Thank you in advance, o wise experts!
Tymko
 

Reach4

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I would get a low range test strips to test residual chlorine into your system. If the chlorine has been depleted by the time it gets to your plumbing, something could grow. Do your have a carbon filter on your incoming water? Those can remove chlorine. Do you have any other filters?


You could again sanitize your plumbing with a stronger shock treatment. How do you introduce the chorine to your water pipes? I am envisioning that there was a reservoir of organism still living. Is there an expansion tank or other thank in the system that did not not get chlorine. I suggest a process that involves chlorine bleach and vinegar. By lowering the pH to about 5.5, the chlorine becomes much more effective. Rather than calculating the amounts to add, use test papers. I like to get the sanitizing water down to 5.5 pH and the chlorine to be 200 ppm or above. In a well you recirculate during the process. You will just run the solution until you see 100 to 200 ppm at all faucets, toilet tank bowls (incoming only -- your tank does not need to be filled with that strong). You will want time. I think you may have classic shock arrestors that contain air supposedly after you drain the water. When refilled, I would want a strong chlorine to be up there in the hopes that the vapors could even get there. It may be a false hope. The lower the pH, the more chlorine gas that gets released. When you add the vinegar and chlorine bleach to a well casing, you don't premix. You do them separately letting the mixing happen in the casing. In house plumbing, this would need some special care to handle I think.

Your chlorine sanitizing before proved out the concept. Now you want to get what you missed. You also want to have some low range test strips to ensure that residual chlorine makes it through your system. For low range testing, LAMOTTE 2964LR-G .5 ppm to 10 ppm chlorine
test sensitivity, looks good. I think I would order the low range chlorine test first thing. What that shows will affect your plans I think. The question will be is whether the stinky faucets have any residual chlorine, or was it all consumed or removed before.
http://www.lamotte.com/en/drinking-water/test-strips/2963lr-g.html

For my well sanitizing, I use high-range chlorine test paper: Hydrion Cm-240


http://www.moravecwaterwells.com/index.php/maintainance/disinfection-and-testing has some good info. Some things you could apply to your system.

For my sanitizing, I also use pH test paper: Hydrion (O67) Urine & Saliva pH
Paper 5.5-8.0. I found that it took a few seconds to get the color
I expected rather than the right color being instantaneous. I did
not test against standard solution however. The range is low
enough to tell if you have added enough vinegar, and it is high
enough to check common pH levels after the well has been purged of
the chemicals. You can get by without the test papers, but I think
it greatly improves the confidence that you have the right levels
even reaching through the water heater to the faucets.

I know you will not be making your cistern more acidic, but the pH paper may
still be useful. pH does affect the power of chlorine.

Note vinegar is weak acid. See curve in http://www.chemicool.com/definition/acid_base_titrations.htm
It is not likely to overshoot pH much with vinegar, a weak acid. Without accurate test paper, will be safer than HCl. Discusses buffering effects.

I am not a pro.

PEX or copper? You know that copper has some anti-bacterial properties.
 
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Plumber69

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Hopefully you don't have a cross connection between your sewer and drinking water. Rare but possible. Old Hot water tanks can give you this smell to. And you say it's just your cold. It's possible you even have a cross connection between your hot and cold lines. If you can live with out hot water for a day or two.... turn the the valve feeding your tank off. Run your cold everywhere for 5 minutes. Continue on with life and see if the smell weakens
 

Plumber69

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Hopefully you don't have a cross connection between your sewer and drinking water. Rare but possible. Old Hot water tanks can give you this smell to. And you say it's just your cold. It's possible you even have a cross connection between your hot and cold lines. If you can live with out hot water for a day or two.... turn the the valve feeding your tank off. Run your cold everywhere for 5 minutes. Continue on with life and see if the smell weakens
Then turn your hotwater tank valve back on
 

Craigpump

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How old are the flexible lines from the shut valves at the wall to the faucets?

I've seen some that for some reason harbor a bacteria which will give off an unpleasant smell.
 

Tymko

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Thanks for everyone's advice!

So as I mentioned in my initial post, I ended up swapping in a new faucet for one that had the smell.

The smell is now gone!

Not sure if the bacteria had migrated to the faucet, but the smell was definitely brewing in the braided supply line (cold water). When I removed the line, I took a whiff from one of the ends and the smell was very strong. I replaced not only the faucet but the supply lines and now have my fingers crossed for the smell to stay gone for good. Craigpump, you were right. I've asked many people, including some $100 per hour plumbers, and no one had any clue. I actually don't know how old the lines were, but the rubber gaskets in the ends were breaking apart, so if they weren't old, they may have been of poor quality.

For anyone that stumbles across this, you can find more info that relates to this in the second last paragraph here: https://www.mymanatee.org/home/gove...water-system/water-odor-taste-fact-sheet.html


If the smell does come back, I'll give the other suggestions a try and will report back. Thanks everyone!

Tymko
 
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