What Is the Cause of Stink in the Water?

Water can have a stench due to various factors.

You're ready for a refreshing ice cold glass of water and start to take a gulp when you smell the most foul odor. Many factors can contribute to stinky water. First of all, try to determine if the water smells as it enters your home. Check the water at the entry point that is closest to your house. If it doesn't smell, this means the problem is inside your home. Water can pick up smells from materials that it contacts as it passes through the air, seeps down through the ground or flows over the ground.

Rotten Eggs

When water smells like rotten eggs, this means hydrogen sulfide is present. The water will taste bad. Hydrogen sulfide is a poisonous gas that is also flammable. This gas appears when underground organic deposits decompose. It is a corrosive agent and will turn silver black. This water will kill aquarium fish. Hydrogen sulfide can be tasted in hot water when there is a chemical reaction that occurs in the water heater. When sulfate salts that are in hot water join with magnesium sacrificial anodes, which are found in most water heaters, the reaction happens and the sulfate is turned into hydrogen sulfide. If you remove the anode rod in the heater, this may solve the issue.

Interactions

Chemical, medicinal or chlorine odors or taste can be the result of an interaction between organic matter in your plumbing system or adding chlorine to the water.

Bacteria

If your water smells fishy, grassy, musty, moldy or earthy, there may be bacteria growing in the sink drain. Or it could be that organic matter, such as bacteria, animals, or plants that are automatically present at certain times of the year in reservoirs and lakes is causing the odor.

Metallic Taste

When minerals, such as copper or iron, leak into water from the pipes, this can cause a metallic taste.

Salty

If your water smells and tastes salty, it may be that seawater is seeping into your fresh water supply. Of course, this only happens if you live on the coast. If there are high concentrations of potassium, magnesium and sodium in your water, this can also make the water taste salty.

Testing

You can test your water by putting some water in a glass that is narrow. Swirl the water around in the container and smell it. If the water doesn't smell, the source of the smell is probably the drain. If the water does smell, there is some kind of organic material in your drinking water.

References

• Water Doctors: What Causes Water to Smell?
• Water-Research: Sulfur
• Department of Health, Washington: Color, Taste and Odor Problems in Drinking Water
• Washington State Department of Health: Environmental Health/Division of Drinking Water Banner