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The title sounds a little ridiculous, doesn’t it? Stinky. Water. But this is a real problem for many homeowners and it’s not one that should just be ignored. Smelly water is usually an indication that there are bacteria in the water which could be hazardous to drink. Plus, it’s just not all that appetizing! You don’t really turn on your faucet and enjoy breathing in the odour of rotten eggs, do you?

What Causes Stinky Water?

Stinky water is usually caused by anaerobic bacteria in your hot water tank. It’s found naturally in a lot of water and by itself is fairly harmless. However, when it reacts with the magnesium and aluminum in the anodes of a water tank, it produces hydrogen sulphide gas-the stinky egg smell. The reason why it’s dangerous is because, if you drink water with these bacteria in it and you have any wounds, sores or lacerations on your body, the bacteria can cause painful, smelly infections. All in all, if you have smelly water, it’s time to fix the problem.

How Do I Get Rid of Stinky Water?

Getting rid of stinky water is mostly a matter of understanding the cause. The bacteria on their own tend to be harmless, though dumping some hydrogen peroxide into your plumbing is a way to get rid of the problem temporarily. In order to do this, turn off the cold water (but leave the hot on to relieve pressure) and dump a few pints of hydrogen peroxide into the plumbing. This usually kills the bacteria and you shouldn’t have stinky water anymore, though as soon as you leave the plumbing alone for a week or two, it will come right back.

A more permanent solution rests in changing the anodes in your water tank. You shouldn’t remove the anodes altogether-they are there for a reason after all-but you can replace them with zinc/aluminum anode and just one at that. Zinc mitigates the influence of aluminum, so there’s nothing for the bacteria to react to. This works pretty well unless you are in the habit of softening your water (many people in Calgary have to do just that), in which case you will probably need powered anode rods. These rods work by creating an electrical reaction inside the water heater. This gets rid of the magnesium and aluminum and is a more permanent solution than the other zinc/aluminum anode because they are more permanent.

Keep in mind that with aluminum/zinc anodes, you will have to run your cold water for a minute or two in order to get rid of the aluminum water so that it’s drinkable again.

Fortunately, stinky water isn’t the most common plumbing problem in the world, but you never know when it will happen to you, so better informed than stuck with the smell! And if you have any other plumbing problems, feel free to contact Clearview Plumbing and Heating for servicing and even emergency repairs at…

Clearview Plumbing and Heating operates as a Calgary-based plumbing services company in Alberta, Canada, providing round-the-clock availability for various plumbing tasks in the Calgary area.

For assistance, contact us at 587-912-1413.

Serving Calgary, AB and surrounding areas

We take immense pride in providing Calgary, AB and surrounding areas with top-notch plumbing, heating, and cooling services, ensuring every home and business operates smoothly year-round. Our team’s expertise and dedication shine through in every project, earning the trust and satisfaction of our valued customers across the city. Serving you isn’t just a job for us; it’s a commitment to excellence and a testament to our passion for keeping our community comfortable and thriving.

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A job well done.

We could not do the water valve replacement because the city could not shut the water off. I was warned ahead of time that this might happen so was not worried. Yamil was courteous and professional and I look forward to his return when the city can fulfill there end of the job. Justin and Sean were great with the furnace install. It went smoothly and Justin explained the new thermostat fully. The walk through on the furnace was useful and timely. Justin and Sean were friendly and professional and great to work with. John who came out for the initial inspection…

Paul Palardy

Clearview was excellent to deal with. Very professional in their approach and the picture sent of the plumber before hand is an excellent idea. Richard was great to deal with. He gave me different options to resolve the problem.

Rick Pultz

I felt the company is oriented on quality of customer service , they send me the track link when dispatch the plumber, and the plumber is super on time too . I really appreciate Richard , he is supper patient to help me find out what is the best solution, focus on customer’s interest . Thank you again , I will definitely use your service again when I having plumbing problems, which I hope it will never happen.

Jing Huang

Arrived on time and did a quick and efficient replacement of my kitchen sink faucet. Also took the time to further explain the operation of the water softener installed on the last visit.
Richard was friendly and knowledgeable. Great service!

Marybeth Marrow

Jon was on time and dispatch team did their best to get him to the property to do an inspection on leaking pipes and backup sewer system. Jon then immediately got another job into the system to have a deeper inspection of the entire system to determine where the blockage was.

David Crawford

John came out to review our heating and AC set-up. He was very knowledgeable and patient as he walked us through the various units and proposed maintenance program. Would highly recommend.

Lucus Tomei

Heinz was professional and honest. He gave me options and the price. The price was the price and there were no extra charges. He worked on a boiler system that was having issues. He flushed and cleaned system and everything is back up and running. When he was finished he asked if I had any question. I look forward to him coming back to service this system again.

Curtis W.

Can’t say enough about the great service I received from Heinz regarding some concerning alerts we got on our Ecobee Smart Thermostat yesterday. I felt cared for and trusted that he was focused on the necessary followup to assure our safety. Heinz is very good at his job.

Kim Koch

Thank you! Your service has always been reliable, professional,and friendly.
Rural folks can depend on you, as We have for more than 30 years, for both our property and others.
If you say you’re coming – you show up- or you promptly let us know of any delays! AND do a fantastic job. We’d asked for certain day & hours, as our neighbour has a B&B, didn’t want to cause issues with septic removal smells for them. YOU DELIVERED! Thank you. The Jackson’s.

Robert Jackson

I had furnace venting replaced. This company is efficient and very professional. You know who is coming to do the work and given notice of when they’ll arrive. Heinz was very knowledgeable, professional, was not bothered by all my questions. He gave full explanations, reasons why, and great advice on maintenance care. He showed that he cared about what he was doing and was very efficient in getting the work done quickly. I highly recommend this company and Heinz.

Elsa Krienke

Barry did a great job in replacing a leaking Hot Water tank. Just a bit shocked at how much the cost of a new tank has increased over the years. We would certainly use ClearView for future jobs.

Ken Stowell

Barry was fantastic. Explained the steps that would be required to detect the leak and then proceeded with the work. He was professional and managed to fix our issue same day. He left our home clean and tidy before leaving. Overall very happy.

Jonathan Wilson

Our hot water tank blew and fortunately we noticed right away. We called Clearview Services late in the evening and we were answered right away. We were kept in the loop throughout the entire experience and Gabe Colpitts was the service technician who visited the next morning. He was very professional and spent the time to explain and educate the different options that were available. We were up and running with hot water the very next day.

Mike Mario

Had them update and install our infloor heating two zones, and add tank less hot water on demand and install a water softener. Our technician was very professional kept his work area tidy, cleaned up after himself. He also wiped down all the equipment used including piping and tubing. He was friendly, kept us informed on his progress. You could tell he enjoys what he does… great job Thank you so much.

Carol Hill

The appointment to come to check my boiler was prompt and early I’m the day so I didn’t have to wait the whole day. I received a call 15mins before the arrival. An email and a text was sent earlier. Gerry introduced himself and told me his purpose. He checked my boiler for a while then explained clear to me what the problem was, it was relief to know that it is nit necessarily a serious one. He made further checks and made some recommendations for change of some worn out parts, the re-glycol – 10yrs overdue and some leak that…

Roland B.

Drake Ahern did an awesome job cleaning the ducts. Was very friendly and professional. Worked hard and paid attention to all the details. I’d definitely have him back next time.

David Dickinson

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