Why Does My Water Smell Like Rotten Eggs?

A sewer, or "rotten egg" odor, from your tap water could be the result of several problems in your own home and may not be directly related to the water supply.  If you detect the odor in your kitchen faucet, it could be the result of a partially clogged drain or a dirty garbage disposal.  The easiest way to verify this is to check another faucet in the house.  If the water from the other faucet smells fine, then, more than likely, the bad odor is a result of a dirty garbage disposal or remains in your sink's trap.

Another common cause for a "rotten egg" odor from house tap water can be associated with your hot water heater.  A hot water heater can produce a rotten egg odor when it is initially turned on after a period of no use.  To determine if the odor is from the hot water heater, go the a sink closest to the water heater and fill a glass with water from that hot water faucet and a second glass from the cold water faucet and smell them.  If the offending odor is detected only from the glass of water taken from the hot water faucet, the problem is most likely originating from the water heater. (Newer water heaters are more of a problem due to current technologies)  Flushing the water heater yourself, or contacting a plumber to perform the flushing, and then resetting the water heater to the correct temperature will, in most cases, solve the problem.