don't mix vinegar and bleach. it creates chlorine gas. it's very toxic, similar to mustard gas.
Smelly Hot Water bad... I can't figure it out.
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Master Plumber Mark
Sensitivity trainer and plumber of mens souls
for the love of god and all that is holy.......
in your situation when you are not sure what you are dealing with...... the simple thing to do is to just have a water softening company come out and professionally test the water....
If they are a large enough company that rents units, then RENT from them whatever they claim will solve your problem... If what you RENT from them for a month or two does not solve the problem then tell them to take it out and give you back your money.
...This experiment will probably cost you 25 bucks a month---maybe 35... let them figure it out and stop trying to re-invent the wheel yourself.....
These guys do this for a living and most likely will solve your problem....
If renting a unit from someone---- who is obligated to service it for free forever because you rent from them, ---- solves your problem, then just fork out the money every month and live happily ever after...
Let them be the on the hook to make things right for you... and when they finally figure out what exactly you need then you can either keep renting from them or buy your own stuff.....
You have water from the bowels of hell coming into your home and I suggest you just RENT because they will have to keep the system working up to speed forever instead of you buying stuff that might break down in a few years.......
This will be cheaper in the long run than constantly changing out filters every few weeks...........
Think about it
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Yes and no. Caution is called for, for sure.
Significant Chlorine is not produced if the pH is not too low. So you want the pH low enough to make the bleach more active. You do not pour bleach and vinegar into a bucket, and then pour the mix. You pour the vinegar into the casing as you recirculate. That dilutes. You pour the bleach in as the water circulates. That dilutes.
See the graph from the bottom of page 3 of https://www.oxy.com/OurBusinesses/Chemicals/Products/Documents/sodiumhypochlorite/bleach.pdf . You want to keep the pH above 4.5. However if a small amount of Cl were generated in the casing as you replenish with more vinegar (pH will rise and need replenishment as the bleach works), it will react, and produce something else, well before the water reaches the pump.
If adjusting pH with muriatic acid, then it is harder to control pH. Vinegar (acetic acid) has a buffering effect that makes the pH more easily controlled.
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yup, I made an appointment yesterday actually. You can’t always DIY I guess haha. But I have learned a lot on the way. Thanks
Master Plumber Mark
Sensitivity trainer and plumber of mens souls
That is Great.....I think that you will be glad that you did....
Now the big question is how much money will it be to rent the system
that you need to tame the beast that is your water???
I really want to know what this is going to cost ..... I have heard some reasonable prices and some sky high estimates over my life time..... It really all depends on whom you call.....
Yea I’m gonna get a few people to come out for testing and quotes. Calling more tomorrow.
weird my neighbors don’t have this problem
Water Water Everywhere
New Member
I’m new to this site.
I’m not a plumber or a water treatment pro.
I’m a homeowner that has learned everything the hard way.
I had a similar problem that I solved on my own after the local guys tried to drain me dry. They sold me a system that said would take care of everything then after the system was in and running they said the smell would go away after I ran enough water thru it. Then they said I would need to buy other stuff from them to fix the problems. So much for their water test. They never darkened my door again.
My solution was the following:
1. Chlorine Injector. (I said Chlorine NOT bleach)
2. Contact / Storage Tank
3. Greensands Backwash Filter. ( would suggest looking at newer media like MagOx or ProOx for extra longevity )
Then to my water softener.
DO NOT USE BLEACH!!!! There are too many additives that can harm you, your system and cause other water quality issues while not solving your problem.
Purchase NSF rated chlorine from a water treatment supply company.
A small kdf-55 filter before your water softener to remove the chlorine. Don’t rely on charcoal to do this. It will shorten the charcoal lifespan.
To “polish” the water a backwashing activated charcoal filter could be added before the water softener.
Tell us more about that. What do you pay for what product?
Water Water Everywhere
New Member
The deposit on a black 5 gallon tote was $20. The 5 gallons of NSF rated chlorine was $20 to $35.
I use 3 gallons of distilled water to 32 oz of chlorine in the injector.
The injection system is set to 30%.
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Following up on this, sorry it took so long. We did get rid of out smelly water. After a local water softener guy came over and talked with me he had me try some stuff.
1. Multiple flushes with Hydrogen Peroxide in the hot water. Not just 1.. I did 5 times. This helped greatly. After the 3rd run the smell was all but gone.
2. I did end up replacing the shower wand in my master shower. I took it out and soaked it in bleach and well that ruined it haha.
3. I installed a big ol UV light filter, got a good one that uses standard Phillips UV bulbs.
4. The Softener guy confirm my softener was working correctly, but we adjusted it to get my hardness down to 0-1. He gave me a test kit to check on it later too.
Now the smell was all but gone, from the water, but oddly could stil be smelled in the master short from time to time. Now, the handle on the shower valve was loose and stripped out. I broke it trying to replace it. That snowballed because I found the valve was leaking and has so much buildup I could not get the insert out to replace it. So I had to take off the tile around it and cut in a new entire valve assembly.
Upon pulling the chrome disk cover around the valve there was a bad nasty egg smell and a bunch of slimy buildup behind it because the leaking valve. It was only leaking when the shower was on btw. Luckily it was leaking down the wall of the shower, and not into the wall. I got a good view with my mechanics scope and its all dry back there, clean wood.
5. Replaced all that nasty valve stuff, re-tiled, good
Smell is 100% gone.
Im now only using the sediment filter, Softener and UV filter. Water is great now. RO at the sink for drinking still.
1. Multiple flushes with Hydrogen Peroxide in the hot water. Not just 1.. I did 5 times. This helped greatly. After the 3rd run the smell was all but gone.
2. I did end up replacing the shower wand in my master shower. I took it out and soaked it in bleach and well that ruined it haha.
3. I installed a big ol UV light filter, got a good one that uses standard Phillips UV bulbs.
4. The Softener guy confirm my softener was working correctly, but we adjusted it to get my hardness down to 0-1. He gave me a test kit to check on it later too.
Now the smell was all but gone, from the water, but oddly could stil be smelled in the master short from time to time. Now, the handle on the shower valve was loose and stripped out. I broke it trying to replace it. That snowballed because I found the valve was leaking and has so much buildup I could not get the insert out to replace it. So I had to take off the tile around it and cut in a new entire valve assembly.
Upon pulling the chrome disk cover around the valve there was a bad nasty egg smell and a bunch of slimy buildup behind it because the leaking valve. It was only leaking when the shower was on btw. Luckily it was leaking down the wall of the shower, and not into the wall. I got a good view with my mechanics scope and its all dry back there, clean wood.
5. Replaced all that nasty valve stuff, re-tiled, good
Smell is 100% gone.
Im now only using the sediment filter, Softener and UV filter. Water is great now. RO at the sink for drinking still.
I did actually sanitize everything, the Well itself, the Tanks, jet pump, pressure tanks, lines up the house filters and UV, and the whole house. Even the hour side non filtered spigots. So far so good!
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