Why does the water from my bathroom faucet smell a little bit like rotten eggs?

I've asked a few other people, but they can't smell anything. It still bothers me. The faucet is in the half-bath on the first floor (there's no basement) of a townhouse.

This bathroom sometimes gets used as little as once per week (the upstairs one is used more), but more frequent use doesn't seem to affect the smell. And, what can I do to fix it? Asked by reader645 49 months ago Similar questions: water bathroom faucet smell bit rotten eggs Home > Home Improvement.

Similar questions: water bathroom faucet smell bit rotten eggs.

The smell you describe commonly comes from hydrogen sulfide in well water, but there are other sources. If you are only smelling it from one faucet in the house, then this is probably not the case. The link below has an entry where someone has a similar problem.

They smelled rotten eggs from only one faucet in the house. After consulting plumbers, they discovered a partially clogged drain (children's toys), and the smell was coming from decaying matter in the clog, and not the water itself. They fixed it by clearing the trap at the bottom of the sink, and snaking it with a plumber's tool, and then using a common enzyme that eats away at organic stuff but leaves your pipes alone.

I hope this helps. Sources: URL1 Manimal's Recommendations Rooto Corp. 1061 32Oz Enz Drain Cleaner Amazon List Price: $9.40 3 Pack of DC16 DRAIN CARE ENZYME CLEANER .

Iron bacteria or sulfur dioxide I'm not a plumber, but have had similar experience in my home. Sometimes the smell can come from sulfur dioxide in the water, but more likely it comes from iron bacteria. The bacteria use the small amounts of iron in the water and produce the rotten egg smell as a by product.

If you have well water you can shock the well with chlorine; otherwise you need a filter that usually works in conjunction with your water softener. When I was researching this problem myself I found some useful info at idph.state.il.us/envhealth/factsheets/ir... and continued searching from there. Good Luck!.

Do you TASTE any sulfur in the water if you drink it--pour a glass and carry it out of the room before you taste it to make sure you're not influenced by local smells to find out. Having that kind of contamination in just ONE sink would be pretty uncommon, but a sink that isn't used very much could easily have a crud buildup in the j-joint that would cause an odor, and since the sink isn't used much, it won't change much--when you turn on the tap, the water hits the drain, displacing air and sending it out into the room, so you may be getting a faint whiff of that that others aren't able to pick up on. I'd check the drains first.

If your sink has a built-in stopper, pull it out and see if you get crud and hair hanging off of it. If so, get rid of that, then I would recommend removing the j-joint and scrubbing it out, then replacing it, and running about half a box of baking soda through the drain, with hot water, to scrub it clean. If the smell still persists and if your water tastes sulfurous, I'd seriously consider having the water tested.

If no other water source in your apartment smells or tastes sulfurous, this sink shouldn't, either. Since it's a sink that isn't used much--I'm sure you brush your teeth in the full bath, and you use the kitchen otherwise, you probably don't have anything to worry about, healthwise, if the water checks out with testing. Sources: Personal experience... I write books on Water/Wastewater treatment.

NancyE's Recommendations The Drinking Water Handbook Amazon List Price: $94.95 Used from: $15.00 I co-authored this one...

Sulfur in the water Sulfur in your water can cause a characteristically rotten-egg smell, also rust coloring in your tub, sink, washer, or laundry. Oh my, the nasty reddish water my husband and I had in the otherwise romantic log cabin cottage we rented as newlyweds years ago. It won’t hurt you, I don’t think.

The only solution I know of is to have a filtering unit installed and if you want to look into this, do shop around and get estimates from Culligan as well as any local competitors and also talk to them at your local Lowe’s/Home Depot about options for purchasing one to install yourself. If the problem is mostly in one little-used faucet, there could be something that has settled in the pipes and I suspect those could be flushed out by a plumber. Also, if you're in a townhouse I'd ask the neighbors on either side about their water as well, also definitely contact your water provider if you're on a municipal system!

If you have a private or shared well, a well-drilling business might also be able to shed some light on local water quality situations as well as provide info on getting your water tested. Much luck with that! .

Decomposition Your problem smell could be from decomposing hair and other waste entangled around the sink drain stopper mechanism down inside the drain pipe tailpiece. You will need to pull the drain stopper to clear this as drain cleaner will not be able to disolve this that far up from the trap. This may involve some disassembly..

I just moved into a house and am having a similar issue. My house has a well and a water system. Upon moving in I noticed there was a rotten egg smell in the kitchen sink, and a metallicy smell in the master bath.

I bleached the well and flushed my water heater; this eliminated the smell and even most of the slimy feel of the water. It has been about 2 weeks and the metallicy smell has come back in the master bath sink only. There is no smell in the shower or any other sinks.In addition the water seems to be slimy again.

I understand that softened water will cause that feel because of how it interacts with soap. But even when reducing the amount of soap, the water is still feeling slimier than before. I'm most concerned with the smell in the master bath.

I've tested to see if the water smells when I take it away and the smell is only in the hot water. I had a neighbor that advised me on removing the rod in my hot water heater, but the guy who maintains my water softer says he believes the previous owner has done that already. I've also read that it may be the supply hose for the faucet.

Does anyone have any experience with this type of situation? Thanks!

" "I have a smell of death off and on again in my bathroom" "Rotten egg odor- cold water faucet in kitchen ONLY- first use of day ONLY- clears in 15 secs or so- no odor in winter." "when I got out of my car yesterday I smelled something like rotten eggs. Any ideas? " "I have a bathroom sink that I want to take out and it has pipes that go right up to the faucet.

How do I take it out? " "How do I get rid of the smell from my hot water faucet in the bathroom? " "I am looking for a connector to attach to a cold water faucet and a hot water faucet together (for my bathroom sink).

I have an elk head that has hair and hide on it it is getting a rotten smell what can I do.

I have a smell of death off and on again in my bathroom.

Rotten egg odor- cold water faucet in kitchen ONLY- first use of day ONLY- clears in 15 secs or so- no odor in winter.

When I got out of my car yesterday I smelled something like rotten eggs. Any ideas?

I have a bathroom sink that I want to take out and it has pipes that go right up to the faucet. How do I take it out?

I am looking for a connector to attach to a cold water faucet and a hot water faucet together (for my bathroom sink).

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