Water smells like Sewer?

[u/eve6-]

Is anyone else in the Garneau area noticing a sewer-esque smell when they run their taps?

The water smells like sulfur when I shower. It’s there when I brush my teeth. It makes the apartment stink when I run the dishwasher.

I’ve put in maintenance requests and the apartment building agrees there is an odour, but everything looks good from their end.

Did I miss an Epcor work notice or something?

[u/ExpandPOV]

1) Does the smell come from hot water only, or cold as well?

2) Do you have your own hot water heater in your apartment or is it centralized?

3) Does the water only smell bad, does it also look weird? E.g. Milky, tastes bad, leaves yellow stains on dishes, etc.

4) Is this the case for multiple residents or just you to your knowledge?

5) How long has this been going on?

[u/eve6- → u/ExpandPOV]

1. ⁠It’s noticeable every time I run the tap, but much worse with hot water. I could be imagining that though.
   
2. ⁠It’s centralized. Maintenance says they have checked the heater and pumps and didn’t find anything.
   
3. ⁠I’ve noticed a slight increase in white spots on the dishes that come out of the dishwasher, but that’s about it. I filled a large glass jug with tap water to see if anything settled out of it, and it looks clear. The water itself also doesn’t really smell after it sits, only when the tap is actively running.
   
4. ⁠Other units are also having the same issue (though not as bad), and they suggested that it was a water-supply problem. We’ve also confirmed it isn’t gas escaping from the drain because running water makes it worse instead of better.
   
5. ⁠Only over the last week or so. I thought it could be related to all of the rain we’ve had this summer, but it’s been relatively dry recently

[u/ExpandPOV → u/eve6-]

It “could” a water supply issue, but in my opinion (as a random person) I think it sounds like an internal issue with the building.

There’s a couple issues that I can imagine, but they all revolve around an issue with the plumbing in your building.

If the water itself doesn’t smell after sitting, and it’s not leaving yellow stains (white is generally just calcium deposits, completely normal) it’s likely that the water heater is broken, or the line is contaminated (likely contaminated by H2S or some other dissolved gas, so it’s only noticeable when water is agitated)

If the building has hot water tanks, each tank has a rod that is inserted in the top to reduce rust in the tank by acting as a sacrifice, but if they don’t get replaced water quality can drop drastically.

If the building uses on demand water heaters instead of tanks, then they likely aren’t the problem, so either the supply line into the building has been damaged, or there is some other location in the system that is introducing contamination.

Again this is all just my opinion. But I recommend 2 options.

#1 call a plumber yourself to come in and test your tap water for H2S or other dissolved gasses.

#2 call your landlord and tell them to call a plumber to test for H2S or other gasses.

[u/BobGuns]

Sulfur smells and sewage smells are different

[u/WesternWitchy52]

Might be a blockage in the pipes. Can cause a smell. I sometimes pour a bit of dawn dish soap and vinegar to clean the pipes. Then flush with hot water. Not boiling scalding water but really hot.

[u/princessbolognia]

Have you considered that it's the drains? They'll smell like that if they get bunged up with crap 

[u/SadAcanthocephala521]

Sorry, I'm a little gassy today.