I installed 4 new bathroom sink faucets (American Standard Cadet 4 In. Single Handle) last October. By November or December, we noticed that at one faucet the water was very stinky at first, but the stink would go away within 5 seconds. The same problem happened, with less stink, at 2 of the other new faucets. Before putting in these new faucets, we had never had this problem.

The whole problem seemed to go away by itself around March, but it just started up again a few weeks ago (July).

We know the stink is not coming from the drain because the water leaves a foul odor on our hands if we touch it within the first few seconds of turning the faucet on. It doesn't seem to be specific to cold or hot water. It's just the first cup or so that comes out of the faucet.

The odor is a foul, stale, spunk-water odor. I sometimes smell this smell when I turn on my garden hose that's been unused but full of water for several days. I smelled this same smell in the tap water on a friend's boat once. (The water had likely been sitting in a tank for months.)

I unscrewed the aerators of the faucets and inspected and smelled them, but they seem fine.
I'm guessing that bacteria is somehow growing inside these faucets, but I can't understand why. They are used frequently (several times each morning and evening), but the stink is there whenever they haven't been used for a few hours.

Any ideas or suggestions? Thank you very much.

Do you have a well or is your source of water from the town?
If your own well have you recently had it tested for coliform bacteria?
Do you have a water softner?
Is this the hot or cold water with the smell or both?

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Retired after 50 years of plumbing and heating.



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Brand, style and type of supply lines used?

Thanks for your reply.

My water is from a municipal supply. Water at other faucets in the house has no problem, so I don't think it's the water supply.

I do not have a water softener or anything special in my supply line. (Between the municipal meter and the faucet in question is only a shut-off valve, a pressure reducer, and generic 1/2" CPVC piping.)

The smelly water comes out of the faucet regardless of whether I have the faucet valve pushed all the way hot or all the way cold.



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Matt ??how long was the hot water stagnant in the tank?you would need to have noted the smell hot to cold side .often hot water tanks off gas and this is a temporary problem from the water storage without use.Let us know how you make out.

Hi,

I only mentioned the tank on my friend's boat (from many years ago) to describe the smell of the water coming from my bathroom faucet.

As I've said a couple of times, the stinky water at my faucet occurs on both the hot and cold sides. I tried this experiment last night:
1. Turned the faucet valve handle all the way to cold, then turned it on, and got stinky water for about the first 1/2 cup.
2. Let it run for a minute, and water was clean.
3. Turned the faucet handle to off, then all the way to hot, then back on: Got stinky water for about the first 1/2 cup.
4. Let it run for a minute, and water was clean again.

So, it seems that stinky water forms in the supply tubes for the faucet. I can't understand why. Should I try to flush with chlorine or something?

Replace them with PEX supply tubes. I had asked you earlier what type supplies you had used as I felt sure this was the source of the odor.

Sorry for the incomplete information earlier.
The water comes up through the bathroom floor in a 1/2" CPVC pipe, then goes through a 1/4 turn straight valve(*), then to a 16" braided flexible PVC supply(**), then to the faucet (***).
All three of these things were brand new and installed at the same time (last October).

* BrassCraft 1/2 in. NOM PushConnect x 3/8 in. OD Comp Outlet Chrome Plated Brass 1/4-Turn Straight Valve Model # G2PC14 C1

** BrassCraft 3/8 in. Compression x 1/2 in. FIP x 16 in. Polymer Braid Faucet Water Connector
Model # B1-16AF

*** [www.americanstandard-us.com]

Do you still think the flexible supply between the stop and the faucet is the problem and needs to be replaced? Flushing with chlorine wouldn't work?

Thanks again for your thoughts.

THe supply lines you have are constructed with a PVC tube. I would at least replace the supply lines at one sink to see if the problem goes away. I would bet that it will.

What chlorine is provided as served?You seem to be describing a ferrous iron problem.But it is way along the tubing if the hot side is effected.

Water source: Well water with a water softener

About a year ago I purchased new faucets for our kitchen and one of our bathrooms. I installed braided stainless steel supply lines (which utilize a plastic flexible tubing core) on both new faucets, which previously had used solid copper supply lines. About 3 months after the install, we got a strange odor when we first turned on the water (hot or cold) at both replaced faucets. All other faucets in the house which still have original solid copper supply lines didn't and still do not have any odor issues. I removed the flexible lines on the faucets, chlorinated them and reinstalled. This resolved the issue for a while but approx 3 mos later the issue returned. I suspected the plastic flexible tubing was allowing iron bacteria to get a stronger foothold in the plastic line so I switched the supply line on the bathroom faucet back to rigid copper lines and the odor problem completely went away. No issues in the past 2 years on that faucet.

REMAING PROBLEM:
The kitchen faucet is a Delta Pullout Uptown faucet (Model 16928) which has a braided stainless steel flexible line on the spout which allows you to pull out the spout to wash out the sink basin. So even if I replace the braided stainless steel supply lines, I will still have flexible plastic tubing on the spout which will continue to be prone to harboring the odor causing bacteria.

My question is whether the PEX line of supply lines would be prone to the same bacteria issue. Do the Delta pullout style faucets with braided stainless steel utilize PEX supply lines?

I am having the exact same problem right now with a kohler pull out faucet. Were you able to find a solution?

OMG, that sounds like my problem and I've always thought it had something to do with iron bacteria reacting with the plastic in the braided pipe on my pull-down faucet. But none of the plumbers I talked to had ever heard of such a thing. Did anybody find a solution to this? I have thought about putting copper pipes back in but would PEX also work? Would they be as safe as copper? And what in the world would you replace the tubing to the pull-down faucet with? Thanks for any help.

I have well water and it's been tested for nitrates and coliform. It's beginning to sound like I should at least try changing the supply line in the bathroom to PEX or copper but I'm still wondering why the problem is just with the cold water (which is softened in the bathroom, not softened in kitchen -- the only two places I'm having trouble) and no problems with hot water. I have the same question as several others: if that doesn't fix it in the kitchen, then it might be the plastic in the pull down faucet (it's a braided line, I presume lined with plastic). Can that be replaced with PEX in some way that it would still fit the spigot? I have a pull out faucet in a bathtub but it's just metal, not the braided stuff, and there's no problem with the smell of the water from it. Really, really, really hoping someone can help!



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Yippee! PEX line was installed in place of the new metal braided line to cold in one sink (I may use copper instead but he didn't have the right fitting so he hooked up the PEX). No stink! We opened the metal braided line and it was lined with nylon or plastic or something (we couldn't tell what it was) and the inside of that liner was slimy as all get out. I'm planning on replacing all the new metal braided lines, even the hot water even though there's no stink with it as well as in a downstairs faucet that doesn't stink (yet). I have well water and did read somewhere that the harmless bacteria in well water may react with some of the linings used nowadays. I suppose there wasn't a problem with the hot because the bacteria was killed by the heat but I don't know for sure. I just know that I don't want anything bringing water to my spigots, especially drinking water, to be slimy. Thanks so much for your response. Any idea why so many overflow drains now have stuff living in them when they didn't used to? I've been in my house 15 years and had been using sinks for about 65 years prior to that and have never had a problem with nasty stuff living in the overflow (the new sink has never nearly overflowed so I don't know that the overflow drain has even been used). Why do you suppose it would start being a problem now? Could it be related to the stinky water? Thanks again sooooooooooo much!

See my post below.

North Carolina Plumber solved the problem with suggesting PEX lines. Thanks! Now I'm worried because I need new washing machine lines. I would like to get ones that don't leak or burst like the braided metal ones but I don't want to have the same stinky water problem in my washing machine. I don't know what the braided metal ones were lined with that I had to replace with PEX. I have braided metal ones now going to the washing machine and no problem with them but they're old and need to be replaced. What kind should I get so I don't have the same stinky water problem again? Thanks again!