How to get rid of rotten egg smell in softwater

If you used to have hard water, and recently switched over to a soft water system using a brine tank, you might have noticed that you are getting a rotten egg smell and you can not get rid of it. Here is how!

The easiest and fastest way to try and solve the issue is to make sure your brine tank (salt tank) is clean. If you are renting a tank, or have had one that was sitting around for a while, there could be bacteria inside the tank from the water. This is very common with well-fed systems vs. city pipe-fed systems. Fill the tank with some salt to the proper level.

Then take a measuring cup and pout 3/4 a cup of bleach into the measuring cup.

Look inside the Brine tank and find the white tube that is open at the top. Use the image attached to this step as a reference point. This is where the float mechanism for the tank sits, and this is also where bacteria can form. Pour the 3/4 cup of bleach down into this white tube.

Wait about 24 hours to see if this has solved your issue. 9 times out of 10 this is the main cause of the odor. If you also have a water pressure tank in your basement next to your system, you could have a bad bladder, which also has bacteria in it. Call a water professional to see if they can replace this. If you still smell the rotten egg water after using bleach in your brine tank, and you do not have a bad water pressure tank bladder, then we have to remove the Anode Rod in your water heater. (see picture)

An Anode Rod in your water heater is made of magnesium or aluminum and is wrapped around a steel core wire. They are placed in your water heater to attract hard-water elements first so that the rod will corrode and not your hot-water heater. The anode rod is "self-sacrificing" to save the tank from rusting out. These normally last 5 years. (see picture of a corroded anode rod)

When you add a water softener to your system, you introduce sodium into your water which can corrode your anode rod as quickly as six months. One of the most commonly over-looked things to do when you add a water softener is to remove your hot-water heater anode. The hot water heater is generally located at the top of the tank, and can be identified as a third plug. All you have to do is unscrew this plug with your channel locks or plumbers pipe-clamp and remove it from the hot water heater. Replace the plug, and you are all set.

If you can not find the plug for the Anode rod, then you probably have an anode rod that is connected to the hot-water exit supply pipe. You will then have to shut off your water, drain your hot water tank (using a garden hose attached to the spicket at the bottom), and unscrew the water supply lines to the water tank. Once you unscrew the water supply lines, you have to cut the anode rod off of the exit supply pipe with a hacksaw or saw-zaw. Try to cut the rod off as close to the plastic connector as you can. Replace the hot-water heater in the same order you disconnected it.

Refill the hot-water tank and run the water for a few minutes to see if the smell has been eliminated. If you still happen to have a foul odor, you may have to call in a water service professional to install a filtration system between your water-supply line and your water softener and heater. You may have a well with bacteria that is releasing hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas into the water supply.