[xmaystarx]

We recently bought a home which has well water and a whole house filter. I called the filter service company and found that we have a birm filter and that it had not been repacked for 8 years so I had them come out and do that. While he was here the technician changed the recharge cycles to twice a week for 17 minutes, the previous owners had it going 3 times a week for 30 min. Ever since then we have noticed a sulfur smell, mostly while showering or when a lot of water is being used - like when the dishwasher is running and I am handwashing pans. The technician returned and checked the airation and said that it was set as it should be, he turned the recharge times back to 3 times a week for 30 min. He thought that since it had been so long since the filter was serviced that perhaps they had stirred something up or that by reducing the backwashes the sulfur was collecting in the well and by upping the recharge we should be good. It has been 2 days and we are still smelling the sulfur. I am wondering if we just need to wait a week or so for the additional recharges to clean out the system or if this is not going to be a solution at all. Our water quality test from May showed Iron: 0.03 mg/L, TDS: 81.6 mg/L and sulfate: 12.3 mg/L.

From my understanding birm filters are for iron but our iron does not seem too high. Is there another reason for this filter?
Thanks for any help or suggestions!

[Gary Slusser]

They should know that you can not use Birm if there is H2S gas present. You may not have had Birm in the filter to begin with. You may not have Birm in the tank now. Or you a bacteria in the well causing the odor. Either way, it isn't because of a build up in the well.

[Andy CWS]

Originally Posted by xmaystarx

Ever since then we have noticed a sulfur smell, mostly while showering or when a lot of water is being used - like when the dishwasher is running and I am handwashing pans.

Make sure the sulfur smell is coming from the COLD water rather than the hot water. Have you gotten a new water heater?

[xmaystarx]

Actually we do only smell it when the hot water is running. It isn't as bad anymore, since they reverted to cycling the filter 3x a week but I still think I smell it every once in a while. It's bearable so I'm not as eager to figure it out as I was previously.

No new water heater. We have a tankless hot water system and something was replaced in it right before we bought the house in June. But, we have lived here from June-Sept without smelling the sulfur so I don't think this is the problem.

Thanks for the suggestions!

[Andy CWS]

Originally Posted by xmaystarx

Actually we do only smell it when the hot water is running.

That should be the first (or second) question one should be asked when reporting the 'rotten-egg smell". If you have a bacterial problem causing odors in the water heater, there are a few methods to manage, or eliminate them.

Try this link:
http://www.pureintake.com/PI/hydrogen_sulfide_gas.aspx

Andy

[Gary Slusser]

Originally Posted by xmaystarx

Actually we do only smell it when the hot water is running. It isn't as bad anymore, since they reverted to cycling the filter 3x a week but I still think I smell it every once in a while. It's bearable so I'm not as eager to figure it out as I was previously.

No new water heater. We have a tankless hot water system and something was replaced in it right before we bought the house in June. But, we have lived here from June-Sept without smelling the sulfur so I don't think this is the problem.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Then you have a bacteria problem and that is colonizing your filter.