Rotten egg smell

[C powley]

I have been getting a rotten egg smell in my water for some time now. I have well water, a permanganate tank that I was told would cure this, and a Hague "hydroclean" water softener that has two tanks. I was told that when the water softener is regenerating one tank the house was being supplied by the other tank. Every time I get the rotten egg smell in my water I have noticed that the water softener is regenerating, I thought they were seperate? The local plumbers haven't been much help with this. Any suggestions?

[BHD]

I don't know about the two tanks or the design of the softener but apparently in practice it is not removing the sulfur dioxide out of the water when it is regenerating,

why not set the regeneration time to some time in the middle of the night or day when your not using water.

[ralphtheplumber]

Is this smell in the hot water, cold, or both?

It's common to get this smell from a water heater with a bad anode.

[Hondahead]

The smell is most likley hydrogen sulphide. This is a common problem with well water. Water softners do nothing for taste and odour. They remove hardness thats all. Sulphor dioxide is used to treat water, but not normally in house hold applications. The addition of a activated charcol or anthracite filter media will remove taste and odour. Follow BHD's advice and set the regeneration time to the middle of the night or day when your not using water.

[Woussko]

C Powley

Take a sample of water before the softener. Put it in a small pot and heat it. When hot does it smell like rotton eggs? If yes, then see HondHead's post below.

Please post results of above. Thanks

[boytyperanma]

It is a twin tank softner. They regenerate based off usage. When the meter hits the appropriate gallonage it regenerates. Therefor you can't set a time of day for itto regenerate.

My guess would be iron bacteria. Add a couple cups of bleach to the salt tank before it regenerates. Then repeat for the next regeneration.

[C powley]

I don't know about the two tanks or the design of the softener but apparently in practice it is not removing the sulfur dioxide out of the water when it is regenerating,

why not set the regeneration time to some time in the middle of the night or day when your not using water.

This water softener regenerates based on usage, not time. Currently it is set to regenerate every 300 gallons. I was told that while I am using one tank it regenerates the other, however this is when the rotten egg smell comes. Is this an unusual tank design? Thanks for your help.

[C powley]

It is a twin tank softner. They regenerate based off usage. When the meter hits the appropriate gallonage it regenerates. Therefor you can't set a time of day for itto regenerate.

My guess would be iron bacteria. Add a couple cups of bleach to the salt tank before it regenerates. Then repeat for the next regeneration.

Is this an unusual tank design? Shouldn't the tank be isolated from the system during regeneration? Thanks for your help

[BHD]

sorry I got the wrong chemical name there, your right on the hydrogen sulphide. not atempting to miss lead any one,

[boytyperanma]

Is this an unusual tank design? Shouldn't the tank be isolated from the system during regeneration? Thanks for your help

It is not a system I've worked on personaly. I've worked on a number of twin tank systems and install a different brand(mostly fleck)

Twin tank systems in general are less common because they typicaly cost 75% more then single tank softners. Yes the tank being regenerated is almost always isolated from the system. Most twin tank systems are more efficiant because they regenerate based on demand and use softened water(from the other tank) to regenerate

What I suspect is happening is after the used tank regenerates it sits until the other tank requires regeneration. During that time the iron bacteria that produces a sulfur smell is able to multiply. It is not a danger to human health but it makes the water smell. When tank 1 starts regenerating tank 2 that has been sitting is put into service. Your attributing to regeneration I'm guessing its not the regeneration thats causing it is because the tank going into service has been sitting.

My solution would be for the next two regenerations add a few cups of bleach to the salt tank. That way when the softner brines it will also be chlorinating the resin bed. That will wipe out the bacteria. You have to do it twice to get each tank.

[CheekyMonkeyWrench]

could there also be a natural presence of hydrogen sulphide in the well water?

my water too smells, and i'm looking for a solution. the bleach did not remediate the issue.

[Hondahead]

could there also be a natural presence of hydrogen sulphide in the well water?

Yes,it is quite common.

my water too smells, and i'm looking for a solution.

Read my previous post.:)

[CheekyMonkeyWrench]

HH,

Do you have experience with any brands?

[boytyperanma]

could there also be a natural presence of hydrogen sulphide in the well water?

my water too smells, and i'm looking for a solution. the bleach did not remediate the issue.

I think he has a manganese greensand unit that recharges with potasium permangenate which should take out any naturaly occouring hydrogen sulphide.

[Andy CWS]

The Hague HydroClean is NOT a twin tank systems. It is a single tank softener with a separate salt brine drum. I don't know if you misunderstood this or was mislead.

Softeners CAN improve taste and odor but that is usually a by-product of removing elements such as iron, magnesium and hardness minerals. I wouldn't rely on softeners for that purpose, though.

Hague makes multi chamber systems in a simplex configuration. Kinetico and Fleck makes most of the twin-tank systems in a duplex configuration. Kinetico valves are non-electric. Kinetico also makes systems that use four tanks (dual twins).

I don't understand how boiling standing water can be a test for hydrogen sulfide.

Andy Christensen, CWS