Okay, this one’s a doozy. If your water smells like sewage or dirty socks, you’ve got a different guest: sulfate-reducing bacteria having a party in your plumbing. They love hanging out in dark, warm places—like your water heater or pipes with low flow.
Don’t freak out yet. It could also be a dry P-trap in a basement floor drain. That’s the little curved pipe under sinks that’s supposed to hold water. If it’s dry, sewer gas from the ground creeps right into your glass. Just pour a bucket of water down that drain and say “bye-bye, stink!”
If the smell lingers, your well itself might have a bacterial infection. A pro can test it and do a “shock chlorination” scrub. It’s like giving your well a bubble bath, but with bleach. Your water will thank you with a nice, clean hug.
