Odor
Determining the Source of the Odor:
The first step in determining the source of an odor is to see if the problem exists in the public water supply or in your home’s plumbing.
If the source of odor is in your home’s plumbing, you will experience the odor in only one or several, but not all of the faucets in your home. Also, if the odor goes away after running the water for a few minutes, the cause of the odor is originating somewhere in your home’s plumbing. If your home’s plumbing is the source of the odor, you can try to flush your home’s plumbing system or you can contact a licensed plumber for assistance.
If the odor problem is originating in the public water supply, you will notice the odor in the cold water of all of your home’s faucets and the odor does not go away after the water is left running for a few minutes. Please contact the SLVWD at (831)338-2153 if you suspect the odor is originating from the public water supply.
When an odor is observed in your tap water, we recommend that you perform what has been referred to as a ‘glass test’. The purpose of the glass test is to eliminate interference from atmospheric odors off-gassing from your sink drain that can sometimes be confused with an odor from your tap water. The procedure is as follows:
- Run the cold water tap for 30 seconds
- Obtain a clean glass, fill and dump this glass 3 times with cold water
- Fill the glass and turn off the faucet
- Take the glass of water to another room, or go outside
- Smell the water in the glass and determine if the odor is still present. If the odor is still present, try to characterize the odor and compare to the odors listed below:
Chlorine or Chemical Odor:
The SLVWD uses free chlorine as a residual disinfectant throughout the water distribution system. The concentration of the free chlorine residual in the distribution system can range from 0.5 to 1.3 mg/L (or, parts per million). A free chlorine residual is maintained at all times in the water distribution system to ensure that the water is safe to drink. Chlorine odors become stronger as the water temperature increases. This can especially be noticed in the shower, or on hot days.
Sulfur or Rotten Egg Odor:
Cold Water: If a sulfur or rotten egg odor is not noticed in the ‘glass test’, but the odor is noticed when the cold water is running down the sink drain, the odor is most likely coming from the drain. The source of this odor is easily removed by filling the sink with hot water and pouring a couple ounces of bleach down the drain to disinfect the drain.
Hot Water: If a sulfur or rotten egg odor is noticed in your hot water, the most probably cause is proliferation of anaerobic bacteria. Disinfecting the water heater may eliminate this odor. There are resources online for the procedure to disinfect your water heater, or contact a licensed plumber.
Organic Solvent Odor (i.e., gasoline, turpentine):
If an organic solvent odor is observed in the cold water, please contact SLVWD staff immediately at (831)338-2153. Although this is a rare problem, it is possible that your meter box was exposed to a hazardous substance. Do not use the water as this could be a potentially serious problem.