Hi all.
This happened several months back as well in June. However, at the time, I had an incredibly old water heater that had not been serviced. I replaced it due to its incredibly advanced age (not due to the smell) and the smell eventually went away.
But this week I noticed my water has suddenly developed the same smell again. However, my new water heater is only a few months old. Surely it doesn’t need to be serviced already? It is still outputting very hot water. I have it set to 130F, which is above the temperature that it was set at by default. (I think when I got it, it was set to 120F at first, which I found too cold. So I upped it not long after).
ALL faucets and things with a water supply within the home (ex toilets) exhibit the smell when the water is running. It is not limited to one spigot, floor, or room. Hot water makes it worse (as in showering), but I still notice it with cold water (as in flushing the toilet or room temp water from the tap…I can’t get my water super cold where I live though).
The smell reminds me of when I used to swim in a lake or pond. It doesn’t smell like sewage and it doesn’t smell like fish, but it is not overly pleasant.
Is there a way I can investigate this easily enough without hiring a plumber? And how can I tell if it’s safe to drink.
I have city water, NOT well water.
Thanks all.
I would also be skeptical of this theory - you say your hot water is worse than your cold - if it was your water source, it should be about the same.
Since you said you swapped hot water heaters, I’d be skeptical of the hot water heater. I’ve had a similar problem (mine was a sulfurous smell after not using the hot water for about a month) and you would still notice it in the cold water, but seemingly only because there was some lingering past the mixing valves etc.
Mine was mostly resolved by just running every hot water faucet in the house for about 30 minutes simultaneously. The idea is basically to try to “flush” your hot water heater and to try to “clean it out”. Might be worth a shot, as it’s not too hard and might help.
Hot water could be worse than cold for the same reason that a fart smells worse in the shower.