Odours

The treatment options for odours vary with the source and the concentration of the odour. Aside from chlorine compounds, most odours reported to us from clients on municipally treated water, are a result of decaying organic material, from decaying distribution lines, or from water heaters in the home. The most common odours we have encountered from private water systems we serve are typically the result of microbial activity, or compounds of iron, manganese or sulfur.

Identify whether the odour is in the source water, or whether it is being created in your piping or water heater by microbial action. Is the odour in the cold water outside the house, (run a hose bib)? If this is the case, your source water may actually contain the odour, and depending on the situation, you may be able to filter the water as it flows in to your house or building.

If you are on chlorinated city water and your water from an outside hose bib has a strong odour, then an activated carbon system may remove the odour. If you are on your own private water system, then you may need to aerate the water in a holding tank, and in many cases chlorinate or ozonate the water before filtration to properly treat for odour.

If the odour is in the cold water inside your house or building only, then you likely have iron or old galavanized piping, or some part of your plumbing contains iron piping. Various strains of iron bacteria live in iron piping and give off methane and hydrogen sulphide gas as they decay, causing the odour. These same bacteria often thrive only in water heaters (yes even new water heaters!) regardless of the type of piping you have. For this type of problem, you can have a plumber add a couple of cups of bleach to the water heater. Let the hot water run until you smell the bleacn. Let the water heater sit for several hours. This will usually eliminate the odour. If the odour returns in a few days or few weeks, then one would have to have a plumber replace the magnesium anode rod inside the water heater with an aluminum anode rod.

Since water containing small amounts of iron and manganese can cause odours to develop, often the best first step in determining what is causing the odour, especially if you are on your own private well or water source, is to get an accurate water analysis.

If you suspect your water may suffer from this problem you should purchase a water test pack. You can also fill out our online query form and we'll get back to you very shortly.

Collection of Samples for Bacterial Analysis- Information Sheet