Here’s the deal: when the faucet in the master bathroom is operated, there is an odor produced. Does not have smell like sewar gas, but rather “rotten” egg — sulfer
this is the only faucet in the house and for that matter the only plumbing fixture that this occurs. The smell only lasts for about 15 seconds during initial use after faucet has not been used for a few hours. The faucet was replaced about five months ago. Aerator is clean and I put a new trap in – the old was filthy and had this same odor.
I put in a bathroom in the basement and ran a new vent stack for it. Drainage is not a problem anywhere in the house, so I don’t think the added vent screwed things up.
Do you think this is a vent issue or a water issue?
Replies
Bet you're on a well!
Dave, does the sink have an overflow hole up near the top. It can get pretty funky in there. You might be able to squirt a bleach / water combo in there and flush it out. Best of luck.
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My votes with calvin. Had the same thing and the wife kept hounding me about why just that sink? I told here to fill it with hot water and then pour bleach in so it all ran through the overflow. Smell is gone. If you really wanted to get funky with it, pop the P trap off and block the tailpiece closed and let the sink & overflow sit and soak in bleach for an hour. (Of course, get a big bucket when you unplug it ) Plus, bleach is a great drain cleaner - and if it's not in the overflow it might kill off whatever you're growing down the line.
Thanks all for the info. I think I'll do the bleach and marinate scenerio first.
I did pour a glass of water and it did not smell - must be the drain.
Thanks again. For all the bathrooms and plumbing I've been around, this is a first.
Pour a glass of water, if the water smells its a water issue. If the water doesn't smell its a drain issue.
I remember someone saying they once found a small frog in a filter.
sometimes board sometimes knot
Dave,
The smell may very well be caused by the presence of sulfate reducing bacteria in your water supply. They can be present on both treated city water or in water from a private well. If you smell this only while running hot water in the bathroom, the situation could be caused by a combination of a magnesium rod in your water heater and the run of the plumbing which could allow the gas created by these bacteria to naturally rise in a greater concentration to that particular faucet.
The simplest possible cure would involve treating the water in your water heater with chlorine bleach for an hour or so. You can get several ounces of bleach in there by removing the anode rod which you'll want to be removing anyway. After treatment, drain the tank and lastly exchange the magnesium anode rod in your water heater for an aluminum anode rod because a magnesium rod creates conditions favorable to the growth of these bacteria.
Sometimes people will simply remove the magnesium rod, but this isn’t really recommended as the absence of an anode rod will decrease the life of your WH tank.
Dave, I suspect a dranage problem. As this is the only sink that has this problem, I do not think it will be the water.
Two potential problems come to mind. The sink overflow might harbour some nasty mould that is causing the smell but I have a hunch your problem lies in the drain itself. You said you replaced the trap that was filthy and had this smell. I think between the trap and the main stack you probably have a blockage. This blockage is not so bad that you notice it when you drain the sink but it is enough that it holds back water and it is not allowing the water in the trap to fully change everytime you drain the sink. A few hours later you run the water which stirs the trap water giving you the smell.
I would try cleaning the drain from the sink to the mainstack. Most likely cause for the blockage is toothpaste and hair.
If your water smells like rotten eggs, that likely indicates the presence of hydrogen sulfide gas. This could be due to a problem with your water heater or naturally occurring sulfur bacteria, especially in well water. These issues can produce hydrogen sulfide, which leaves an unpleasant scent wherever it goes
https://smellproofguide.com/
I recently helped out some friends that had purchased a home with the "rotten egg" smell on the hot water-only side of all the faucets and fixtures. As mentioned by others, usually this occurs when you have well water, and the "rotten egg" hydrogen sulfide smell is due to bacteria that releases the hydrogen sulfide. In this case, the problem pointed to the hot water heater, as the smell did not exist on the cold water side at all. I installed a Corro-Protec powered anode, and the problem was gone in a day or so. Interestingly, the smell returned when I installed a water softener. The solution was a higher current power supply for the powered anode that Corro-Protec provided at no cost, and the smell is gone and has not returned!
For those changing a sacrificial anode rod in a water heater, use an impact wrench. I couldn't budge the hex head on the sacrificial anode with a breaker bar without turning the whole tank. With the impact wrench's instant torque, it loosened easily and instantly. If you change the sacrificial anode every couple of years, you can greatly extend the life of your hot water heater tank...
Since your problem is on one fixture, I agree with the others who think the nasty smell is coming from the drain. Rather than chlorine bleach, I would dump some hydrogen peroxide down the drain after cleaning the trap and snaking the drain line. If you don't have plastic (PVC or ABS) drain lines, the chlorine is particularly harsh with old metal drain lines... You can also dump a quart of hydrogen peroxide in your water heater, or more easily, in the sediment filter, if you have one...
This is going to be lengthy.
I have had this problem with our kitchen faucet - cold water ONLY.
At first I figured maybe it's the well, so I shocked it. Recirculated the water into this well until I could smell chlorine from the hose. Then ran water from every faucet & device until I could smell the chlorine. Let it sit overnight. Used caution with all water use (i.e. not drinking it) until the chlorine smell dissipated. All was good for over a year.
The problem reappeared. Repeated the same procedure and the smell went away.
Got an above ground pool. Filled it from our well. Did the usual shock treatment and the water turned piss yellow.
Okay, time for a water test. Turns out the well water contains a high level of dissolved iron. The pool shock treatment precipitated the iron such that the color went from rather clear to piss yellow. Figured out how to make a filter to remove the precipitated iron, pool water went to perfectly clear.
Fast forward several months. Bought a new fridge with ice & water dispenser. Tapped into the cold water supply to the kitchen and used what appeared to be a quality stainless steel braided supply line (from China though). After a few weeks the water coming out of the fridge smelled God awful (rotten egg kinda). Went back & forth with the manufacturer of the fridge about their water filter as well as the lab I used for water analysis. Removed the filter and replaced the supply line with a plain polypropylene line. Fridge has been fine ever since.
HOWEVER:
One faucet (basement bathroom cold water) is now exhibiting a brief slug of foul smelling water when first turned on. Have a plan to clear it up but haven't yet done it.
After lengthy conversations with the head chemist at the water lab our conclusion is that the dissolved iron in our well water fosters iron bacteria growth in the supply lines when the water flow is stagnant for a period of time. Once it gets established there are apparently enough bacterial colonies remaining after clearing the line (probably in an unused branch off this line) that reestablishes enough bacteria to result in the God awful smell.
There is no easy cure for our situation. Whole house water treatment systems that remove the dissolved iron are expensive. For an infrequent issue my conclusion is that we'll just live with it. I have devised a relatively simple way to shock (disinfect with chlorine) just the water supply to the kitchen & basement bath.
Perhaps my problem will provide some insight to help you solve yours.
DOtto: How have you made out in resolving your issue?
Perhaps an update from you will help others.