If your water smells like rotten eggs, it’s because it’s full of sulfur. Sulfur bacteria produce hydrogen sulfide, which causes the stink. It is a problem that most people with well water face. But several types of filters can help reduce sulfur, like carbon water filters.
Sulfur bacteria from the hydrogen sulfide create slime, which can aid other bacteria, including iron bacteria. The slime can clog irrigation systems, wells, and pipelines.
I’ll express the carbon or charcoal filtration and other filtration systems to remove the sulfur compound contaminations and how to treat them properly. It will help you get odor-free and tasteful water.
Let’s remove the rotten smell!
Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Bacteria & Rotten Eggs Smells in Drinking Water
Water with hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) can have a “rotten egg” flavor or odor. Metals such as iron, steel, copper, and brass corrode when hydrogen sulfide is dissolved in water. It is also known as “black water.”
Large amounts of hydrogen sulfide are produced in drinking water by sulfur bacteria, which use sulfur as an energy source. These bacteria convert naturally occurring sulfates in water to hydrogen sulfide in a nonpathogenic (disease-causing) way.
Sources of Hydrogen Sulfide And Sulfur Bacteria
- Hydrogen sulfide is commonly found in wells drilled
- In shale or sandstone and near coal, peat, and oil resources.
- Insignificant numbers, sulfur-reducing bacteria, which use sulfur as an energy source, are the major hydrogen sulfide producers.
- Underwater heat vents, volcanoes, and hot springs
How To Test Water For Sulfur?
Sulfur Stick, which has the appearance of an old oral thermometer. There is a glass tip on each end that must snap off. Then, draw a glass of water and place the Sulfur Stick in the glass for approximately three (3) minutes. Then you read the level of sulfur under the glass tube.
Effects Of Sulfur In Drinking Water
According to WHO, if the sulfur level in your drinking water isn’t too high, it shouldn’t cause any problems. Too much sulfate, on the other hand, can cause the following issues:
- Dehydration and diarrhea.
- The drinking water with a high sulfate concentration might have a laxative effect, resulting in diarrhea, harmful for the liver, kidneys, and brain.
- Excessive levels of dietary sulfur as sulfate are affected by sulfur-containing substances.
- Elemental sulfur ( 3 to.4%) can have hazardous consequences and, in extreme situations, can be lethal.
How to Remove Sulfur Smell with a Carbon or Charcoal Filter?
Filtration Using Activated Carbon
Here is the best method direction for the people who seek what kills hydrogen sulfide?
If the amount of hydrogen sulfide in the water is modest (less than 1 milligram per liter), an activated charcoal filter may be all that is required. Every activated carbon will remove hydrogen sulfide from biogas to some amount, as is widely known.
In the presence of oxygen, hydrogen sulfide will adsorb on the internal carbon surface, where it becomes saturated and replaced. The elimination of H2S can be accelerated and improved by ash components such as iron oxide.
Considering a whole-house filter decreases hydrogen sulfide and iron in your water through oxidation or the addition of chlorine to the water to eliminate sulfur odor. Contaminants are removed and flushed down the toilet while sulfur-free water flows from the faucets into the washing machine, dishwasher, and other appliances.
- Install carbon cartridges in whole house filters can remove a lot of contaminants. Click on the link to buy a water filter according to your choice.
Other Treatments to Get Rid of Sulfur from Drinking Water
Here are some other cures for sulfur water:
Chlorination
Raw water from rivers, lakes, and groundwater contains microorganisms. While not all bacteria are hazardous to humans, some do have the potential to cause disease. Different disinfection procedures are used to inactivate germs to combat waterborne illnesses.
In combination with other water treatment procedures, including coagulation, sedimentation, and filtering, chlorination produces safe water to drink.
Oxidizing Filtration Systems
The oxidation reaction produces inert sulfur particles that a carbon filter may remove from the water. This system requires frequent maintenance to replenish the oxidizing chemical and backwash or replace the filter, which can become clogged by other contaminants in the water.
An oxidizing filter utilizing manganese greensand, sand-covered with manganese oxide, is a second alternative to handle hydrogen sulfide concentrations up to 6 milligrams per liter. Filterlter converts hydrogen sulfide gas to sulfur. Still, it must regularly recharge by permeating it with potassium permanganate, a time-consuming technique that makes this filtration technology impractical.
Ion-exchange
People think before buying this system, will a softener Filter remove sulfur odor from my well water? Sulfur scents are not removed from water by ordinary household water softeners. It’s better to shock the well with chlorine bleach or hydrogen peroxide when the sulfur emits strong scents. It should keep the odor at bay for up to two months, and for longer-term treatment, activated charcoal filters with peroxide injections use.
But advanced filters such as Ispring whole-house softeners for the tap or the entire house can remove small levels of hydrogen sulfide, making them ideal for safe drinking.
Aeration
Other chemicals oxidize hydrogen sulfide and iron faster than air, such as chlorine bleach. A home aeration filter comprises a closed tube with a compressed air pocket and air charger carbon filter. Water enters the tube as a spray and becomes even more aerated in the oxygen-rich water before exiting the tube’s bottom. The system contains a vent for air changeover and hydrogen sulfide discharge and a compressor to compress the air.
Conclusion
Activated carbon whole house filtration is the best sulfur removal system. Installing carbon whole-house filters that treat both sulfur bacteria and hydrogen sulfide gas is the most effective technique to eliminate rotten eggs odors from your well water and prevent them from recurring.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Some others question’s answers for our readers that might be helpful for reading.
Will changing out my cartridge filter remove a lot of beneficial bacteria?
When you replace just one cartridge, you’re removing nearly all of the beneficial bacteria that have colonized Filterlter. Because the filter filters all of the water in the tank, this is a substantial loss to the aquarium’s ecosystem. Just make sure the media you’re using won’t dissolve in water.
What a 40mm charcoal filter will protect?
Mestel’s filter is one of the most popular and dependable gas mask cartridges available. It may use with all 40mm threads and masks, and it offers active protection against chemical, biological, water heater, radioactive, and nuclear agents.