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ODORS IN WATER
  The Water Smells Funny!
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How to Identify & Cure Other Smells & Tastes in Drinking Water
InspectAPedia®  -    

  • What are other common odors in drinking water and what causes them?
  • How to get rid of chlorine odors, musty odors, sweet or soapy odors in drinking water
  • Health risks associated with some water odors?
  • How to cure other odors in drinking water
Our site offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest. We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices, false-advertising, or junk science. Our contact info is at InspectAPedia.com/appointment.htm.

This article discusses how to identify, diagnose, and cure common odors that may be present in drinking water. We also discuss which of these odors may warn of unsanitary conditions.

© 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

Other Common Water Smells or Odors

Let's take a closer look at some other reasons why drinking water may be smelly be and what you should do.

  • Chlorine odors in drinking water: While we can't cover all of the possibilities here, we can talk about some different odors and their causes. If your water smells like chlorine, you're most likely on a municipal system and it is chlorine that you smell. Chlorine is quite volatile and doesn't stick around in water - if you run water from a tap into a pitcher and let it sit, the chlorine will dissipate pretty quickly. People who want to avoid chlorine in their water can install a treatment system such as charcoal filtering to remove it.

    If your home water smells like chlorine and you have a chlorinator installed for water disinfection, make sure the equipment is properly adjusted.

    If you have just shocked your water well to try to sanitize the well (WELL CHLORINATION SHOCKING PROCEDURE) it is possible that you have not run enough water to flush out all of that chlorine (bleach).

    If you have just sanitized your water softener it is possible that you have not run enough water to flush out all of that chlorine (bleach).

    See Chlorine - sources in drinking water for details about how chlorine may be appearing in drinking water.
  • A musty, dank, or brackish odor in water is often times attributed to chloride in your water, but it could also be 2-methyl-isoborneal (MIB).
  • A sweet, organic smell in water might indicate m-xylene, and styrene in your water will make you think of model airplane glue.
  • A "greenish -chlorophyll-like" odor in water might be grass in your well, but is probably an algae growth.
  • Soap or rubber odors in water: Some things are just what they smell like, for example soap will smell like soap, and rubber hose will smell like rubber hose!
  • Other sources of odors in water are discussed in our edited EPA article on water pollution: see Where Do Water Pollutants Come From for those details.

Before Buying Water Treatment Equipment

A water treatment company will often be willing to test your water and will recommend just what equipment you need. Just be sure first that the odor source is a problem in your water source and not in the building piping or equipment.

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Technical Reviewers & References

Use links just below at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

ODORS in BUILDINGS
ANIMAL ODORS IN BUILDINGS
BOAT & CAR SMELLS & ODORS
CARBON MONOXIDE & GAS HEAT ODORS
CARPETS & PADDING ODORS IN BUILDINGS
GAS MEASUREMENT TOOLS
HEATING OIL EXPOSURE HAZARDS, LIMITS
HEATING SYSTEM ODORS
HOUSEWRAP AIR & VAPOR BARRIERS
MOLD ODORS, Musty Smells in Buildings
MOLD ODORS in Cars
ODOR DIAGNOSIS CHECKLIST
ODORS, SEPTIC or SEWER
ODORS IN WATER
OIL HEAT ODORS
OIL TANK LEAK ODORS
OZONE for MOLD OR ODORS
PAINTS & COATINGS ODORS IN BUILDINGS
PLASTIC ODORS-SCREENS, SIDING
PLUMBING SYSTEM ODORS
SEPTIC SYSTEM ODORS
SEWER GAS ODORS
SEWER GAS ODORS in COLD WEATHER
VINYL Siding or PLASTIC Window ODORS in Buildings
VINYL CHLORIDE HEALTH INFO
WATER ODORS
  The Water Smells Funny!
  Diagnosing and Correcting Sulphur Odors
  Treatments for Sulphur Odors
  Other Common Water Smells or Odors
  Before Buying Treatment Equipment
WELL WATER CONTAMINANT SOURCES

  • Scott Bradley, author. Scott Bradley is Laboratory Director for Aquacheck Laboratory, Inc. PO Box 87 05151 1-800-263-9596. A more brief version of this article appeared in Aquacheck Laboratory's Water Wisdom Tips and Newsletter, Issue # 6, 2007. www.Aquacheck-VT.com offers other water supply tips in its Water Wisdom section. The laboratory also provides water test kits and offers a free newsletter.
  • Thanks to Arlene Puentes for the photograph of a toilet tank with sulphur bacteria and debris showing as black goop. Arlene Puentes, a licensed home inspector, educator, and building failures researcher in Kingston, NY. Photographs © Arlene Puentes 2006 All Rights Reserved. Text © Daniel Friedman Arlene Puentes 2008 All Rights Reserved

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

  • Our recommended books about building design, inspection, and repair, and about indoor environment testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
  • ...
WATER TESTING ADVICE

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