Source of Odor in Drinking Water: There many are contaminants that can cause drinking water to smell bad, so there is not one universal solution. Chemical compounds, minerals, biological growth, and industrial waste pollution can all contribute to foul smelling water. Even disinfectants used to treat the water can cause bad odors. These contaminants may be introduced in the water treatment plant or the distribution pipes.
Symptoms of Odor in Water: Generally, for those with municipal water, bad taste or odor will not have dangerous health affects. Well-owners, however, could have bad smelling water along with other dangerous contaminants. Because there can be different causes, there may also be different smells. For example, hydrogen sulfide can give water a rotten egg smell, and chlorine can have a sharp, irritating odor. The presence of algae in the water can cause a grassy,musty or spicy odor. Large quantities can cause the water to have a rotten, septic, fishy, or medicinal odor. Decaying vegetation and natural gasses like sulfide can also cause foul smells.
Water Treatment Solutions for Odor in Water: Since there can be different causes for the odor, there may be different filtration solutions as well. Contact our water specialists if you need help finding the right water filtration system to solve your taste or odor problem. Odor can be removed from water by oxidation-reduction and by activated carbon adsorption. Aeration can be utilized if the contaminant is in the form of a gas, such as H2S (hydrogen sulfide). Activated carbon block water filters have an excellent history treating taste and odor problems. Water distillation and reverse osmosis systems can also remove many troublesome contaminants.