My drinking water has Sulphur in it.Should I pay for this? Is this safe to drink?

mogrady14

I am not provided with water by the council so I had to drill for water. The water in the drilled well smells like gone off eggs. I do not know whether this is safe.

I now heard that geological maps indicate that the area where I live would have sulphur at that depth of 500ft which my well is at.
Would the drilling contractor have known about these geological maps?
Should I pay for the drilling of water that I don't feel safe drinking?

dirtyden

Where do you live?

You can probably employ filters to clean up your water at your own cost though.

This may not have anything to do with your water and may just be bacterial contamination in your hot water tank or plumbing producing hydrogen sulphide which is easily cleared either by bleach flushing or running hot water through your system. Your best bet is to get a drainage contractor to diagnose.

I would be surprised if it was your well.

Cian92

I wouldn't worry about it! It's fine.

Thatnastyboy

dirtyden wrote: »

Where do you live?

You can probably employ filters to clean up your water at your own cost though.

This may not have anything to do with your water and may just be bacterial contamination in your hot water tank or plumbing producing hydrogen sulphide which is easily cleared either by bleach flushing or running hot water through your system. Your best bet is to get a drainage contractor to diagnose.

I would be surprised if it was your well.

Drinking water doesnt come through the hot water tank :eek:

Biggins

mogrady14 wrote: »

...Would the drilling contractor have known about these geological maps?

If the drilling contractor was hired to not just drill but also fully, a water system, he surely if he was doing his job right, should have been doing his research with the authorities and checking on site for such things!

You might have a case for claiming a partial or full refund!

Ghandee

It'll be ok next year, we're set to pay for water then. (directly by meter)

That'll be the answer to all our problems and will really get our water issues in order.

Midnight Sundance

I wouldn't recommend that you drink the water. I can't imagine it would taste too good, never mind the fact it has sulphur in it .
Also you asked the contractor to dig you up water which is what he did , the quality of the water would be your problem.

You can get filters to clean the water. Will be expensive but worth it.

dirtyden

Thatnastyboy wrote: »

Drinking water doesnt come through the hot water tank :eek:

Thanks, but i knew that.

But your hot water does! And something in there would get in your plumbing giving you the smell. It may not be his well gving the smell is all I was saying.

The same hot water tank does also get filled from the well you know?

cml387

People go to a health spa to bathe in water that smells of rotten eggs.

Open a health spa.

Thatnastyboy

dirtyden wrote: »

Thanks, but i knew that.

But your hot water does! And something in there would get in your plumbing giving you the smell. It may not be his well gving the smell is all I was saying.

The same hot water tank does also get filled from the well you know?

A conquer with all your points,

but the op was asking if their water is ok to drink, which, (if plumbed any way correctly) would be coming from a main directly from the lift pump, and would not travel through a lphw system before reaching the kitchen c/w tap which is coming from a well in a known sulphur deposit at 500ft, that smells like sulphur.

OP did you go through all the relevant processes and authorities before you got your well drilled?

mogrady14

The water coming out of the cold tap in the kitchen smells of rotten eggs. I live in Clare.

dirtyden

Thatnastyboy wrote: »

A conquer with all your points,

but the op was asking if their water is ok to drink, which, (if plumbed any way correctly) would be coming from a main directly from the lift pump, and would not travel through a lphw system before reaching the kitchen c/w tap which is coming from a well in a known sulphur deposit at 500ft, that smells like sulphur.

OP did you go through all the relevant processes and authorities before you got your well drilled?

It is just that sulphur deposits at 500 ft would most likely not be hydrogen sulphide which gives the smell. Elemental sulphur, the yellow stuff usually entrained in streams of volcanic rock does not smell. Hydrogen sulphide is usually formed from bacteria breaking down sulphur containing stuff.

Thatnastyboy

I would contact the company who drilled the well, they should have provided you with certificates for yield and quality of the water from when it was tested.

dirtyden

Definitely do not drink prior to getting tested. One other problem which happened to neighbour of mine with quite a deep well was agri contamination, especially with all rain of late, I am not sure if there was a smell off his water though, but that would be quite dangerous to drink.

Hope you get sorted quickly.

Krispie

Unless the drilling Co. was specifically asked to provide additional testing, no they do not test for contaminates in the well water. They bore the hole and lay the piping down and most then provide you the pump & assoc. items. Thats it. Up to you after that.
Have you not sent a sample for testing OP. Until you do, boil any water you need to drink. Could be the drains that stink?
If it is a new system you should "shock" the well. No not go Boo, but pour Chloride down and flush the system.
Joys of living in the sticks........

Biggins

Thatnastyboy wrote: »

I would contact the company who drilled the well, they should have provided you with certificates for yield and quality of the water from when it was tested.

If they were reputable they should/would have.
Sounds like they weren't possibly up to for the job or if they were, didn't bother to mention about possible sulphur deposits in case they would not be hired further.

Gandhi

My in-law's beach house (in the States) had sulphur-smelling water for a while. The local water company maintained it was safe to drink, though they switched to bottled water anyway. The smell was head-wrecking, though. Especially taking a shower, or running the hot tap to get water for shaving.

It does not smell anymore, but they completely upgraded the water scheme in the development, including building a water tower.

Akrasia

mogrady14 wrote: »

The water coming out of the cold tap in the kitchen smells of rotten eggs. I live in Clare.

near lisdoonvarna? people swear by the sulphur water as a tonic though i dont know what the science has to say about it

Krieg

We have a saying in Galway...
If its brown, drink it down
If its black, send it back

Biggins

Krieg wrote: »

We have a saying in Galway...
If its brown, drink it down
If its black, send it back

Guinness sales in Galway must be crap then!

Pataman

No big deal just get a filter, i think its activated carbon we use, then test the output.

jesscr

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