Hot only or everywhere?
| What you notice | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Hot water only | Water heater anode reaction |
| Strong after months away | Water sitting in the heater and lines |
| Sprinkler area smells | Irrigation well water |
| One drain | Drain or trap, not the water |
Why the city water is rarely the source
West Palm Beach draws surface water from Clear Lake rather than groundwater, and treats it with lime softening, carbon and sand filters, UV, powdered activated carbon for taste and odor, and chloramine. Hydrogen sulfide is mainly a groundwater issue, so a sulfur smell that shows up on hot water only in an island home almost always starts inside the heater.
The city's own monitoring focuses on what lake water can carry, such as algal toxins in season, which it reports on its Safe Water Dashboard. Hydrogen sulfide is simply not a typical lake-water complaint.
Reopening a seasonal home
- Run each hot tap until the water is fresh.
- Flush the water heater tank.
- If the smell returns quickly, have a plumber replace the magnesium anode with a different type.
- Run cold taps too, to refresh water that sat in the lines.
A whole-home filter will not prevent this, because the smell forms after the filter, inside the heater.
Many households give a house manager a short reopening checklist; adding the water heater and a few minutes of running each tap to it prevents most of these calls. If the home has several heaters, for a main house and a guest house, check each one, since they age and react differently.
Pool smell is different
A pool-like chlorine smell, especially in summer, is the city's annual 21-day switch to free chlorine, not sulfur. See chloramine filters.
Irrigation wells
If your property irrigates from a well, groundwater can carry hydrogen sulfide that smells near sprinklers, often alongside iron that stains. Treatment options include aeration or oxidation and filtration on the irrigation line. See aeration vs. filtration and wells in Palm Beach.
What gets tested
- Odor at hot and cold taps.
- Total chlorine, to confirm the disinfectant is present.
- Water heater age and type, by inspection.
- On wells: iron, pH and hardness.
Call, text or WhatsApp (305) 793-5974 for a free test.
https://www.wpb.org/files/assets/city/v/2/public-utilities/documents/water-quality-reports/2025westpalmbeach-webreport.pdf
https://www.wpb.org/Departments/Public-Utilities/UV-System-and-Water-Plant
https://www.wpb.org/Departments/Public-Utilities/Annual-Required-Disinfection-Process
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist