We are on well system w/ water softener. In upstairs 2 bathrooms cold water from faucets has strong "swampy" smell (probably sulfur, but I'm not sure what sulfur smells like) if faucet wasn't used for couple of hours. Smell goes away after about a minute. Didn't notice smell in downstairs faucets, which leads me to believe it's in pipes? Is there any way to get rid of it? Smell wasn't as bad when we moved it (early spring), but seems to be getting stronger (maybe because of rising temperatures). We also have tankless water heater (part of oil boiler), but smell is mostly in cold water.
Swampy/Sulfur smell from upstairs faucets
- Thread starter Bratan
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hj
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Pour a strong drain cleaner down the sink's overflow opening. Quite often the odor is caused by a buildup in the overflow passage and it is "pushed out" when the water runs.
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Tom Sawyer
In the Trades
If that doesn't work have your water tested. It can be H2S or it might be tannins or organics in the water. Disinfecting the softener isn't a bad idea either. The procedure can be found here on the water filtration threads.
Craigpump
In the Trades
I had a customer complain about an H2S smell. The master bath had his & her sinks, her water stunk, his didn't. We ended up changing the delivery hoses from the shut offs to the faucets on her sink and the smell went away.
Queen50
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We had a similar problem when we added a bath to the basement. The cold water smelled whenever it was first turned on; it disappeared after a bit. Hot water ok. We replaced the braided hose on the cold water side and the problem went away.
Guys replacing braided supply hose completely eliminated smell! I was very skeptical, but it worked! Must be bacteria living on the inside of the hose lining (I'm guessing it's plastic). Gotta be one of the easiest fixes ever!
I had a similar thing happen in Snohomish. The homeowner had been buying bottled water for years. I replaced the water supply flex's and the water tasted great after that.
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