Algae smell in pipe

[samiam1955]

I remodeled my bathroom, and for various reasons, it was a very long time - almost two years - between when I installed the new sink and tub/shower valves and when I finally installed the sink and began using the bathroom. The bath/shower faucet was used occasionally during that time, but not the sink. After I finished the job and started to use the sink, the cold water has an unpleasant smell. The bath/shower does not have the problem. The smell goes away after running a couple of minutes, but comes back the next time it is used. I suspect there was some algae growth in the pipe during that time. I have a well, which otherwise has very good quality water.

The problem is definitely in the pipe, and not in the drain.

If I am right, what is the best way to kill the algae in the pipe? I've heard people talk about shocking the water supply, I assume with chlorine, but don't know how to do it.

 

[journeyman]

if it was the water everything would be affected. are you sure it is not the drain.

 

[samiam1955]

I know it's not the drain because I can smell it in the water, either as it is flowing from the faucet or when I pour a glass. There is no smell with the hot water. I've noticed a similar smell for years from a faucet in my garage. Just like the new bathroom, the smell goes away after a while. That faucet also goes through long periods (the winter) without being used.

 

[speedbump]

Bacteria grows in unused faucets plumbing. If you run it for a while, it will get better, but if you let it sit again for long periods, the smell will come back.

 

[samiam1955]

Thanks for the help. I ran the cold water for about 20 minutes. I'll see how it goes when I run it again.

 

[samiam1955]

After a few hours, I ran the water again, and the smell was back. It probably sounds like a stupid question, but I was wondering if there was a way to run chlorine just through just the pipes (as opposed to putting chlorine in my water tank, which just sounds like a bad idea), letting it sit for a while to kill the bacteria, and then flushing the pipes. Could I maybe shut the water off from the tank, somehow get the chlorine into the cold water pipe, let it drain backward through another drain, and then turn the water back on to flush the pipes?

 

[journeyman]

i think your problem might be in the well. the reason you might not be smelling it on the hot side because the hot water is killing the bacteria. you can put chlorine in the well to help kill the bacteria. it will not hurt anything. there is actually a chlorine dispenser made for wells that drops tabs in well at certain times

 

[speedbump]

Putting the chlorine in the well is the best idea as long as you chase it with fresh water after chlorinating. You don't want to leave the chlorine on the pipes etc.

If you really want to do just one pipe, as much as I despise inline filters, their housing makes it easy to add chlorine. Just take the canister off, add a couple teaspoons of bleach, screw it back on and run that line until you smell bleach. Then let it sit for a while.