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There could be food stuck in the gears or, worse, bacteria could be growing. Left unchecked, a single room’s stinky problem could permeate your entire home. Here’s a list—though not exhaustive—of common reasons why there's a bad smell in your house, and what to do to fix it, as well as stop it from happening again. Homes in a municipal system without treated water may have sulfur compound buildup due to the high moisture. Besides, hydrogen sulfide can quickly build up in well water due to decayed vegetation. Washing your clothes, dishes, or even bathing with this water could cause the unappetizing house scent.
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Because gas leaks change the amount of oxygen available in your home, you might start to develop sudden and unexplained symptoms. Carbon monoxide is a potentially deadly byproduct of natural gas combustion. Natural gas, which is extremely flammable, can be ignited by the slightest spark. Turning on a light, flicking a match, or using the phone may be enough to trigger an explosion, so leave your home immediately and call for help if you suspect a gas leak in the home. The smell is hydrogen sulfide, which comes from sewage and indicates a potential issue with your plumbing. Prolonged exposure of even low levels of hydrogen sulfide can cause health issues such as headaches, fatigue, dizziness and loss of appetite.
Potential Problem #3: Clogged Plumbing Vent
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These are some of the easiest, most common methods for taking care of the problem. You can tell that the water heater is the problem if your rotten egg smell only appears in hot water. You still need to enlist a boiler inspector to know for sure if that is the problem, but it likely is.
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You can flush out hydrogen sulfide by increasing your water heater temperature to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise, you may simply need to infuse your water with a chlorine solution to remove contaminants. Let’s explore the possible causes of the rotten egg smell in your water, and what you can do about it. There are a few, mostly plumbing-related, reasons why your home smells like rotten eggs.
How to Remove the Rotten Egg Smell From Your Home
Once you’ve completely ruled out the possibility of a gas leak, know that there are other potential causes for the sulfur smell in the house. You can remedy some yourself; others require the assistance of a professional. Experts recommend checking the copper coils in your fridge and air conditioning units. If you’re noticing black ash, it’s likely the result of corrosion caused by off-gassing. The only real fix here is to replace your drywall, which is a major bummer. Check your homeowner’s policy to see if you can offset some of the costs.
Understanding the Role of Sulfur in the Rotten Egg Odor Outdoors
It appears when you run the water in most cases, and it is difficult to ignore. You can count on hydrogen sulfide in the water being the problem if it smells like rotten eggs even if it is room temperature water. But if you often smell gas throughout your home, the heating unit may be leaking. If you smell rotten eggs, turn off the furnace and call your local HVAC contractor immediately. You may be at risk of carbon monoxide exposure, especially if you have an old furnace, it hasn’t been properly maintained, or there’s poor or blocked ventilation.
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Humidity in the air can cause sulfur in the drywall to give off a gas that can cause health problems and corrode exposed copper pipes or wiring in your home. No, you don’t usually need to call a plumber if your water smells like rotten eggs – but it’s situational. In this scenario, you might need to replace pipes if they’re badly corroded. Your water can smell like rotten eggs for different reasons depending on when the odor appears. For example, if your water only smells that bad when you use hot water, it points to the water heater.
How can I prevent the rotten egg smell from returning?
Oxidizing media filters are another great option, particularly ones with manganese greensand. The manganese greensand removes high levels of hydrogen sulfide to protect your drinking water. Both options are great, but the carbon filter is the best option for lasting results. Carbon filters are a great option because they last several years before you need to replace them.
In the interim, enlist the help of an air diffuser, candles, or cleaning products to lift the air. Even if you can smell a strong rotten egg smell in your water, hydrogen sulfide gas might not be present in dangerous amounts. A Texas A&M University study found that humans can detect the taste or smell of as little as 0.1 milligrams of sulfur in a water supply. When a P-trap runs dry, it’s no longer able to block sewer gasses from escaping the shower drainpipe.
Your utility company technician can verify whether or not the rotten egg smell is indeed a natural gas leak. If a natural gas leak isn't the source of the smell, you can then investigate other possible causes. Unused bathrooms can cause your house to smell like rotten eggs at any time.
However, if a drain remains unused, the water eventually evaporates, removing the barrier, and allowing the gas and its stench to enter your home. As experts in recognizing smells as a warning sign for a possible problem, we share some of the reasons why your house smells like this. According to a 2004 article in Wine & Vines magazine, canned beer first appeared in the US in 1935, and three US wineries tried to follow suit for the next three years.
But the only way to truly stop odors in their tracks is to seek out their source. Rotting food has a distinctive sickly-sweet smell that tells our animal brains to stay far, far away. If you notice a rotten smell in your home, it could be that an old potato has fallen into the back of a cabinet. Otherwise, it could be that a mouse, rat, or other animal may have perished inside your home’s walls, ductwork, attic, crawl space, or chimney. Have a professional come and check your ductwork and plumbing as soon as possible to remove the deceased intruder. If the water in the sink has a distinct sulfur smell, it’s probably caused by hydrogen sulfide.
Downdrafts can explain why your house smells like rotten eggs when it rains if you don’t have a septic tank. Cold air and wind often accompany rain causing downdrafts that stir up sewer gases. Unfortunately, this is often unavoidable as long as you have a traditional roof vent. If your plumber has assured you it is not a natural gas leak or sewer gas leak but you still smell of rotten eggs, there could be an issue with your drywall.
You can easily distinguish the smell of rotten eggs, and it is definitely not a smell that you would want to be stuck in your house. Ideally, you should follow up with a backwashing catalytic carbon filter to further improve water’s smell and remove chlorine residues in your water before drinking. When sulfate-reducing bacteria feed off sulfate, it reduces sulfate into sulfide, which creates hydrogen sulfide gas as a byproduct.
This is most common in guest bathrooms that aren’t used often, as without a fresh shower to refill the trap, the water in the trap will evaporate. The purpose of storing water in this portion of the trap is to prevent sewer gasses from traveling back up the drain system and out of the shower or sink. Without a P-trap, nothing is stopping those gasses, which not only smell awful but could also be dangerous. This simple device solves that issue, and it’s required by building code.
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