Sulfur water guides
Rotten-egg smell is hydrogen sulfide gas. It can come from the well itself, from sulfur bacteria living in the well or plumbing, or from a reaction with the magnesium anode inside your water heater. Each cause has a different fix, and some of them cost almost nothing.
Start with where the smell shows up: hot taps only, every tap, or just one sink. The smell check on the home page walks through it.
- Why your water smells like rotten eggsRotten-egg water means hydrogen sulfide. Where you smell it points to the water heater, the well, bacteria or a drain. Find the cause before buying a filter.
- Hot water smells like rotten eggsIf only your hot water smells like rotten eggs, the water heater is the cause. How to confirm it, swap the anode, flush the tank, and why a filter won't help.
- Is sulfur water safe?Rotten-egg water is usually a nuisance, not a health risk. When the smell can signal contamination, what the gas does in the air, and what to test first.
- How to test for hydrogen sulfideHydrogen sulfide escapes from a sample fast, so testing takes care. The free smell test, lab vs on-site kits, what to ask for, and what your result means.
- Types of sulfur water filtersCarbon, aeration, air-injection, greensand and chemical injection compared by hydrogen sulfide level in mg/L, with where extension sources disagree.
- Air-injection sulfur filtersHow an air-injection oxidizing filter removes hydrogen sulfide without chemicals, what levels it handles, install needs, upkeep, and when chlorine fits better.
- Chlorine injection for sulfur waterWhen chlorine injection is the right fix for rotten-egg well water, how much chlorine it takes, contact tank sizing, carbon after, and the upkeep involved.
- Hydrogen peroxide for sulfur waterPeroxide injection oxidizes hydrogen sulfide without chlorine, but household guidance is thin. What sources say, how it compares, safety, and dealer questions.
- Shock chlorinate for sulfur bacteriaIf your well's rotten-egg smell started suddenly or fades as the tap runs, sulfur bacteria are likely. How much bleach, contact time, flushing and retesting.
- Sulfur and iron in well waterRotten-egg smell plus orange or black stains means hydrogen sulfide and iron together. How to test, which systems treat both, and the order of treatment.
- Sulfur smell in city waterCity water that smells like rotten eggs usually picks it up in your home, from the water heater or a drain. How to tell, and when to call the utility.
- Sulfate vs hydrogen sulfideSulfate is a dissolved mineral; hydrogen sulfide is the rotten-egg gas. How they differ in smell, health, testing and treatment, and how one becomes the other.
- Sulfur water filter costTypical 2026 costs to fix rotten-egg water, from a free smell test and an anode rod to air-injection and chlorine systems, plus running costs and extras.