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The sulphur odor is from sulphur reducing bacteria in the well or water heater. We have a lot of iron bacteria and the sulphur bacteria tends to follow when the iron bacteria gets too bad. The sulphur bacteria can grow in the water heater too as the magnesium anode used for corrosion control in the water heater tends to feed the bacteria.
We shock our well twice a year with bleach and vinegar. I turn off the pump, drain the water heater and then add bleach and vinegar to the well. I run an outside hose back into the well head and run water back into the well until everything is thoroughly mixed and then open every faucet in the house until I smell bleach and then refill the water heater. I let it set overnight and then run all the faucets until the chlorine is gone.
When we first bought the place and moved in here, we found that the previous owner had let the well go for about ten years without any sort of treatment, he said he didn't think that there was anything that could be done with it. The sulphur smell was so bad that nobody wanted to drink the water and it stunk up the entire house anytime somebody took a shower. His wife compensated by burning candles and using plug in air fresheners in every room of the house. It took us a month just to air all of that out of the house. The neighbors said they could smell all the "perfume" just driving by the house.
The sulphur odor is from sulphur reducing bacteria in the well or water heater. We have a lot of iron bacteria and the sulphur bacteria tends to follow when the iron bacteria gets too bad. The sulphur bacteria can grow in the water heater too as the magnesium anode used for corrosion control in the water heater tends to feed the bacteria.
We shock our well twice a year with bleach and vinegar. I turn off the pump, drain the water heater and then add bleach and vinegar to the well. I run an outside hose back into the well head and run water back into the well until everything is thoroughly mixed and then open every faucet in the house until I smell bleach and then refill the water heater. I let it set overnight and then run all the faucets until the chlorine is gone.
When we first bought the place and moved in here, we found that the previous owner had let the well go for about ten years without any sort of treatment, he said he didn't think that there was anything that could be done with it. The sulphur smell was so bad that nobody wanted to drink the water and it stunk up the entire house anytime somebody took a shower. His wife compensated by burning candles and using plug in air fresheners in every room of the house. It took us a month just to air all of that out of the house. The neighbors said they could smell all the "perfume" just driving by the house.
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