DIY Tip: How to fix a smelly faucet
We have a very strange problem with the faucet in our main bathroom. When you use the cold water, especially in the morning, you get a horrible rotten egg smell. No other water source in the house does this and even the hot water of the same faucet does not do this. Doing a little google research I discovered that this is not an uncommon problem. The smell is caused by sulfur bacteria that release hydrogen sulfide gas. What is unusual is that the problem is limited to a single faucet.
Typically this problem either affects all water sources or just the hot water since the water heater is great environment for this bacteria. Since our smell is confined to such a small area I tried replacing the water supply hose…no luck. I did find a way to get rid of the odor, but it only last 4-6 months before the smell returns. I take the filter out of our whole house filter and fill the cannister with chlorine bleach. Then run the smelly tap for a long time until the bleach smell is gone. Simple solution, but the smell has always come back.
I’m going to do some more brainstorming and googling to try and find a permanent solution, but if all else fails it will be back to the bleach. For information on bleaching your well, check out this link. It sounds like a harsh solution, but it is recommended and safe if you follow instructions. The keys is making sure you flush all your taps until the smell is gone.
Has anyone else encountered this problem? What did you do to fix it?
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I realize your post was a few months ago, but I think I know what it might be. The overflow portion of your bathroom sink has some interesting things growing in it. For some reason this only happens in one of our bathrooms, but it can stink up nearly the whole first floor. I’ve poured bleach in the overflow hole with some success, but I think the best solution was using a foam bathroom cleaner (with bleach). This method gets better coverage of all the gunked up areas. I hope this helps.
We are having the same problem. We had a new faucet installed 8 months ago. We never had this problem before. It is only on this faucet, cold water only. Plumber has replaced water supply line but this did not fix the problem. Help.
The only thing that has worked for us is running bleach through the pipes. We have a whole house filter so I take out the cartridge, pour in about 2 cups of bleach, put the cannister back on and then run water through the smelly tap until the bleach smell is gone. Flush the other taps as well after that. Seems to last about 6 months before we have to do it again.
Wow, I’m glad to hear that their is a solution to my problem. I’m having the exact problem with the cold water in my master bathroom only. Tipycally It occures durring the morning or at diffrent times of the day. While the cold water is not used in that faucet. I am going to try the bleach method, hopefully it works for a while.
Does any one know where to find step by step instruction or videos on how to clean out plastic blue pipeing via bleach the proper why ????
Have the same problem with the kitchen sink. No permanent solution yet…
I think the problem may be related to the materials used inside the newer faucets as I do not have this problem with any of my other faucets. It is not the drain either. Maybe the internal plumbing of the faucet is made of a material that offgases or is more prone to bacteria growth.