Many
environmental factors cause your well's water to develop an
unpleasant odor. While some of the causes can affect your health,
many other issues don't pose a health threat but still make the water
unpleasant for drinking or bathing.
Regardless
of the cause, treatment options are available for all of the various
well water odors. Check this list of the most common odors and their
causes to identify and address your water odor issue.
Fish-like
Odors
A
fishy smell coming off of your well water is usually caused by
organic metals like barium and cadmium. These metals leech out from
bits of buried ore mixed into the soil. Though the fishy smell might
make the water less than palatable, it is not harmful to ingest.
Sometimes
chlorine and ammonia can also combine to make chloramine with a
similar fish-like odor. Since the chemical is present in such small
quantities in the water, it is not usually considered harmful. In
fact, chloramine is used often by municipal water treatment plants to
sanitize water. The odor from the chloramine is still off-putting
even if it's safe, so treatment is suggested.
Musty
and Earthy Smells
If
you have a musty or earthy smell coming off a glass of freshly poured
water, you likely have dissolved minerals like iron, copper, or lead
leaching into the water. The smell doesn't actually come from these
minerals but rather the bacteria that eat them.
Iron-eating
bacteria can not only cause a musty or moldy odor but also leave a
slimy residue in your sink, toilet, or tub. The iron in your water is
not harmful, but dissolved lead and copper are a different story.
The
odor may also come from sulfur created by bacteria in the water.
Sulfur is not directly harmful but is often an indicator that sewage
or other pollution is entering your drinking water supply, which is
definitely bad for your health. Have your water tested any time you
detect an earthy odor since most of these causes can make your water
unsafe to drink and require treatment.
Rotten
Eggs
The
noxious odor of rotten eggs is a definite sign of hydrogen sulfide
gas. This gas develops in a well due to sulfur-emitting bacteria or
chemicals that have leached in reacting to the water. Some
sulfur-producing bacteria and chemical reactions are harmless, while
others may affect your health after long-term consumption.
Treatments
that only remove the sulfur smell will not kill off bacteria. For a
healthier and safer drinking water supply, have the well shocked with
chlorine to kill bacterial colonies and investigate to rule out any
possible sewage contamination.
Fuel
Fumes
If
you notice any hint of gas, diesel, heating oil or other type of fuel
odor from your water, stop using it immediately. These odors indicate
a rare leak from an underground tank. You can also have runoff from
natural gas wells or other drilling operations in your area.
These
contaminants are all very hazardous to your health. The well will
need a new lining installed and treatment after the leak is located
and stopped. In extreme cases, you may need a new well drilled to tap
into a separate and clean underground water table.
Chlorine
Scents
The
smell of chlorine from a private water supply is caused by the use of
an ongoing treatment system or a one-time shocking. The treatment
equipment may have been installed by the previous owner and unknown
to you until you notice the odor one day.
Organic
compounds in the well water may cause the smell to linger and
intensify rather than dissipate. This is not usually a problem for
short-term consumption, but if it bothers you, have the water tested
and any ongoing treatment equipment adjusted properly.
Get
help with any kind of well water odor problem by scheduling a visit
from our team at Action
Well and Pump
.
