Hi all.
This happened several months back as well in June. However, at the time, I had an incredibly old water heater that had not been serviced. I replaced it due to its incredibly advanced age (not due to the smell) and the smell eventually went away.
But this week I noticed my water has suddenly developed the same smell again. However, my new water heater is only a few months old. Surely it doesn’t need to be serviced already? It is still outputting very hot water. I have it set to 130F, which is above the temperature that it was set at by default. (I think when I got it, it was set to 120F at first, which I found too cold. So I upped it not long after).
ALL faucets and things with a water supply within the home (ex toilets) exhibit the smell when the water is running. It is not limited to one spigot, floor, or room. Hot water makes it worse (as in showering), but I still notice it with cold water (as in flushing the toilet or room temp water from the tap…I can’t get my water super cold where I live though).
The smell reminds me of when I used to swim in a lake or pond. It doesn’t smell like sewage and it doesn’t smell like fish, but it is not overly pleasant.
Is there a way I can investigate this easily enough without hiring a plumber? And how can I tell if it’s safe to drink.
I have city water, NOT well water.
Thanks all.
I don’t know how common this is, but where I live (PNW), our city water has more than one source, and based on a number of factors, the water running to our house may have its source changed for short periods of time. Have you talked to any of your neighbors to see if they’ve experienced something similar? You might try reaching out to the city water department and see if they have any idea what it might be as well, they may even have free (or cheap) water testing you can do on water from your house.
Unfortunately I don’t have any real answers for whether your water is safe to drink or not, but hopefully something here will be of some help to you.
I recall seeing free home water testing kits in home depot a while back. Not sure what those kits tested for but they were a means to sell you home filtration systems and plumbing stuff. But they were free. Maybe start there?
Afaik it’s just a way to invite a sales call. @dingus@lemmy.world, just get an inexpensive water test kit from Amazon or wherever. Also, you should be able to get water quality reports and other information about your water supply from the municipality.
You might need to change out the anode in that hot water heater if it’s electric. They sell aluminum ones at home improvement stores. The ones that come with today’s water heaters are generally made of magnesium, and can react with your water chemistry. It won’t be free but you can do the replacement with a big socket and a breaker bar. Total should be less than $100.
Warm your water to the highest temperature your boiler allows (must be at least 70C iirc) and when the water warms up, run all hot water faucets at full-open for 2 minutes. That should kill the smelly bacteria.
Source: instruction manual of my boiler. They recommend to do it a few times a year.
lake turnover – in spring and fall, water temperatures equalize enough that water near the bottom moves up to the top taking the smells of algae along with it – usually only lasts a week or two each time
EDIT: safety issue – keep your water heater at 140°F or higher to prevent Legionnaires’ disease
What about those faucet filters? I have a brita faucet filter, and never drink hot water from the faucet. Am I okay, or should I be doing something else?
I live in a very warm climate (very southern US). I have lived in the region for several years and have not experienced this yet. It has only been after moving into my current place which I did earlier this year. Do you think there’s a way I could test your theory? And does that mean it’s safe to drink?
- you get it more often in temperate climates, with hot climates, there’s usually not enough temperature shifts to push turnover
- the algae or “pond water” smell is distinctive, if you haven’t noticed it before, then likely something else happening this time
- agree with the other answers, pick up a testing kit off Amazon – your body can handle a lot of mineral content, but you don’t want to risk biological contamination
