Hydrogen Sulphide In Well Water

Hydrogen sulfide in well water.

Hydrogen sulphide in well water.

There is no drinking water quality standard set for hydrogen sulfide in water. One of the most common well water contaminants goes by the name of hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide in drinking water hydrogen sulfide gas can occur in wells anywhere in vermont and gives the water a characteristic rotten egg taste or smell. It is not usually a health risk but even a tiny amount 0 05 mg l can cause the water to smell like rotten eggs discolor bathroom and kitchen fixtures corrode metals such as iron steel copper brass and silver make food taste and look different and foul the resin bed of an ion exchange water softener.

Hydrogen sulfide problems are most common in wells drilled into acidic bedrock such as shale and sandstone. Since bacteria are the most common cause treatment to control them should be tried first. It s a two step process. Hydrogen sulfide is corrosive and can leach metals from plumbing systems into the water.

Hydrogen sulfide gas h2s can give water a rotten egg taste or odor. Sometimes hydrogen sulfide may be noticeable only in the hot water in the home. Hydrogen sulfide gas or sulfur bacteria in your water can cause other problems. Hydrogen sulfide also tends to turn water to a rather unattractive shade of yellow.

Often your water heater can become a source of foul h2s smells. Hydrogen sulfide h2s is a dissolved gas that sometimes is found in well water. This generally harmless gas produces a characteristic unpleasant odor that of rotten eggs. Naturally occurring a result of decay and chemical reactions with soil and rocks.

Produced by certain sulfur bacteria in the groundwater well or plumbing system. There is however a secondary maximum contaminant level smcl set for odor in drinking water which would capture the presence of hydrogen sulfide. This gas can occur in wells anywhere and be. Hydrogen sulfide often occurs naturally in well water or can be caused by the presence of sulphate reducing bacteria in a well or water system.

With this method an oxidizer causes the trapped hydrogen sulfide gas to precipitate to elemental sulfur then the sulfur is trapped in a filter. Therefore another type of treatment known as precipitation filtration is preferred in most areas. Though h2s is normally found in wells it can also enter surface water through springs and quickly escape into the atmosphere. The filter is most often carbon.

Sulfur bacteria produce a slime and can promote the growth of other bacteria such as iron bacteria. Corrosion of metals by hydrogen sulfide and combination with iron in groundwater forms a black precipitate iron sulfide that can stain laundry and bathroom fixtures darken silverware and discolor copper and brass utensils. In this case chemical reactions within the water heater may be the source of the rotten egg odor.