city girl has a well water question!

[watchdogps]

We moved into our house in the country this summer, and our well water is stinky. Its not stinky out of the tap, but when its run a long time like for showers or laundry, the house smells. Its worse with hot. I know what iron smells like, its not that, and it isn't rotteneggs sulfur smell. But its kinda fart-y. Not overwhelming, but noticeable. Problem? Not? Suggestions?

 

[EweSheep]

My grandpa's house was like that...stinky!

Have you had the water tested?

 

[watchdogps]

Quote:
No, I don't know what to test for. I lived in a rental where the well had gone bad a few yrs ago, and that water STUNK and would come out black. When I was trying to get that resolved, the only things the well cos would test for was iron and minerals, or something. Not very helpful. Is there something I can ask them to check?

 

[jerseygirl1]

I have well water - a few things to check - one is have the water tested and see if the well needs to be shocked. The water smelling like that is actually a GOOD thing.
Shocking the well means adding bleach to it. Also, try using a water softener and also, for laundry, use Borax - it will make the clothes smell fresher.
Hope that helps

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Sounds like possibly sulfur water. Take your water sample to most any state university lab, they'll get you a detailed list of everything in your water. Once you know what's causing it, you'll know what to filter for.

 

[cravenchx]

Quote:
We had to shock ours when we did new water lines. And occasionally, I can
still smell that smell. (Thank you Lynard Skynard)
But for the most part, we are good. Weather change
affects also.

 

[chickathon]

Maybe it needs a little sanitizing? We have two wells on our place and about four times a year we dump about a pint of bleach in the well. It keeps any little microscopic boogers away. We give the well a couple of days rest to give the clorine taste time to go.

 

[fuzziebutt]

Ours did that when a snake fell in the well. We used Clorox until the nasty thing stopped stinking.

 

[EweSheep]

Grandpa had a kitten that fell in the well. He could not get it out.

They had the water tested and it consisted a bit of bacteria which they poured bleach down in the well. Then they retested again and it was fine after a couple of treatments. His water was so hard, that when his clothes were washed, it would get some kind of "funk" smell in it. When it rains, it was awful.

They put additional concrete foundation of seven inches thick next to the original foundation and seven inches thick INSIDE basement wall. And overhang on his house. It finally stopped the smell after a while but once in a great while, you would smell very faintly of that "vegetation rot" smell.

 

[watchdogps]

Quote:
Why is it good?
My laundry doesn't smell, actually the clothes smell great, esp when I can line dry them. But the house smells when I do the laundry.