Well water with sulfur taste and smell

[jkk]

We have a well on our property that is 28ft. deep to the basin and holding a pool depth about 10ft. deep. the bad part is the water tastes and smells like sulfur.
Anyone have any ideas on how to remove the sulfur from my well?

 

[Egon]

Have you had the water tested?

What is the surrounding terrain like?

 

[techman]

Sulfur is not uncommon in various parts of the country. Assuming everything else checks out, the sulfur poses no harm or risk. The two common ways of eliminating it is a sulfur filter and a chlorinating filter. The sulfur filter looks like a water softener. It removes the sulfur through oxidation. Most use potassium permanganate for regenerating the media. Works well but requires some maintenance and replenishment of the potassium permanganate, which is somewhat costly.

The simpler systems use a 50 gallon or larger tank as a holding/pass through for incoming water. Liquid chlorine (bleach) is metered into the tank based on water flow. The chlorine oxidizes the sulfur, which is released as sulfur dioxide gas, which is burped out of the tank. Works, not as well, but is lower cost to install and operate.

paul

 

[groundcover]

You may have sulfer bacteria in the well, happens to me in the spring. I dump a gallon or two of Chlorox bleach down the well and run the hose from the pressure tank back down the well to mix it up till you smell it going through the hose. Then let the hose run outside till the smell goes away. Might be worth a try.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

You may have sulfer bacteria in the well, happens to me in the spring. I dump a gallon or two of Chlorox bleach down the well and run the hose from the pressure tank back down the well to mix it up till you smell it going through the hose. Then let the hose run outside till the smell goes away. Might be worth a try.

That's a reasonable explanation. Sulfur, in its elemental form (yellow sulfur) has no odor at all. It's the oxidized and/or metabolized gaseous forms that form the odor(s).

 

[Western]

I "shock treat" mine, last about a month. I only notice the smell in the hot water supply though.

I second getting your water tested, but that can get expensive depending on what test you get done. You can contact your local AG agent, or any water purification company, or your county health dept for info on water testing and procedures.

Here is a good site sort of close to you I believe, that explains "shocking" your well, about the same as recommended here in Texas.

http://aesl.ces.uga.edu/publications/watercirc/ShockChlorination.pdf

 

[Scooby074]

Iron in your water?

Have your water checked.

My water is quite sulfur-y and hard with a bit of iron. Our water softener removes probably 90% of the smell and taste, and the iron. We're right at the limits of what a softener can remove when it comes to iron. Im glad too, because a iron removal system would be $$$.

Right now, we buy drinking water, but I'm going to add a reverse osmosis unit with carbon filters under the sink to generate drinking water.

 

[Lou66]

I have had a well for over 30 years.. I put in a soft water treatment center about 20 years ago,, made the water super soft.. glad I had copper piping,, anyway replaced a hot water heater,, in about two weels I started to get this sulfur smell,, I found the new water heater had zine anodes in it.. had a chemical reaction with the soft water and zine anodes,, I removed the anodes from the hot water heater.. the smell and taste went away in day after flushing the line for a few minutes.. this maybe your problem also.. worth checking out.. Lou

 

[creekbend]

Some of the Counties in Florida use aeration before running the water through a Filtration system. There are a large number of homes in Southwest Florida that have Sulphur water. The water stains sinks, bathtubs, toilets; etc. A lot of homeowners use Lime Away. We used to call it "Slime Away". You can tell the homeowners that have a lawn watering system, because of the smell and the stains on the Stucco.

 

[pacerron]

I "shock treat" mine, last about a month. I only notice the smell in the hot water supply though.

I second getting your water tested, but that can get expensive depending on what test you get done. You can contact your local AG agent, or any water purification company, or your county health dept for info on water testing and procedures.

Here is a good site sort of close to you I believe, that explains "shocking" your well, about the same as recommended here in Texas.

http://aesl.ces.uga.edu/publications/watercirc/ShockChlorination.pdf

Dennis,
Have you checked the sacrificial anode in your water heater?