Hi, I'm new to this group, we moved to Canada from the UK a few months ago. The house we bought is on a drilled well. After a couple of months we noticed a rotton egg smell when we ran our cold water (our water was tested prior to buying the house and no problems reported). We called the people who had installed the filter system some years ago and they came and changed the media filter, which they told us it was a year overdue. The water was fine again for a couple of months, but now the smell has come back and we can't understand why, as we were told this filter should last 2 years! Do I need a different filter? Our RO water smells and tastes fine. We also have a softener which I'm not sure if it's working properly as all our stuff comes out really cloudy and dull from our new dishwasher! We were told we have an Iron filter too, but the drawer inside my new washer is orange and all my cutlery is going rusty in the dishwasher too! I'm reluctant to call the company again as I'm not sure if they haven't ripped us off. I'm thinking of calling someone else. Can anyone advice how we deal with this horrible smelling water or recommend a reputable company? Sorry for long post, we don't have well water in the UK, it's all new to us. Many Thanks, Alison.

 

Welcome to the forum.

And welcome to the wonders of well water!!!

Since that "rotten egg" smell is coming from you cold water, it is certainly coming straight from the well and not being formed in, say, the water heater. That is an important distinction.

The smell is a gas: hydrogen sulfide, a by-product of decomposed organic matter that may have existed in the ground for tens-of-thousands of years. Neanderthal droppings?!

Anyway, it is a gas and cannot be removed by the softener. There are numerous ways to deal with it, though.

One way is through some oxidation process. Feeding chlorine, ozone, hydrogen peroxide to the water can have a very effective result. Each is set up a little differently and costs and maintenance procedures may vary.

These also act as an effective disinfection system if adequate contact time is allowed. Moreover, iron can also be removed to some degree in some set ups.

A greesand filter with potassium permanganate brine solution is another traditional (read: not popular with owners or service personnel) method. Greensand can also handle certain amounts of iron at pH levels higher than 7.0.

Aeration (adding air to water or water to air) can be either effective or practical but not often both. Hydrogen sulfide and oxygen can not coexist without a reaction. The hydrogen sulfide (gas) converts to elemental sulfur (hydrogen sulfate - yellowish powder) when combined with O2.

The media filter you are using is most likely a carbon filter. Carbon can be very effective as it removes organic compounds, which sulfur is. If used on drinking water only, they can last a long time. But with whole house use, forget it. Not adequate to handle volume, especially if your H2S is over 1.5ppm.

KDF media can remove H2S for a period of time but is expensive to replace.

If you can get a backwashing carbon filter that uses hydrogen peoxide as its brine solution, it will last a long time depending on the ppm rating of your sulfur. At very high levels, a chem feeder may be recommended.

Naturally, get a detailed water analysis at the well in the early morning (before any water has been used that day). Let the water run until the pressure tank empties and refills and then test. this gives you your highest amount of sulfur.

If you would like a recommendation on a product or company in your area, send me a private message and I will respond.

Take care of your water, so it can take care of you.
Andy

ps.
Beware of running your sulfur through the RO. Yes, it will smell fine, but you are damaging your membrane and exhausting your carbon filter.

 

Thanks Andy for the very helpful advice, how do I email you personally?

Alison.

 

Thanks Shimano, got it.

 

once you get your water problem fixed, run Tang through your dishwasher to reove any staining. depending on how bad your stain is, you may need to do it a few times, but it WILL work. Mine was stained alomst to the point of being orange and it removed 98% of the stain, looked like a brand new machine. make sure you fill both the dispensers with it. works great.