Water Smells Like Rotten Eggs in Pembroke Park

Checklist: water or drain?

1. Fill a glass at the sink, step away and smell the glass. If the glass smells, it is the water. If only the sink area smells, it is likely the drain.
2. Repeat with hot and cold water.
3. Try another faucet in the house.

Do this at more than one sink. If only one bathroom smells, the drain or trap there is the likely cause.

Reading the results

The water-heater and softener rows follow the Florida Department of Health's fact sheet on odor and staining.

Water heater options

A plumber can flush the heater, replace the anode with a different type, or adjust settings. A filter is not the fix for a water heater smell, and Jorge will say so.

Do not remove or alter an anode rod yourself without the heater maker's guidance; the rod protects the tank from corrosion.

If it is the county water

Hollywood's plant lime-softens, membrane-filters and RO-treats the water before chloramines are added. A true sulfur smell in cold county water would be unusual. Report it to Broward County WWS at 954-831-3250.

Wells

Sprinklers fed by a well can smell when they run. For a well that supplies a building, aeration, oxidation and carbon are common approaches, chosen by test. See aeration vs. filtration and well water.

After a vacancy or a new heater

Water that sits in a heater for weeks, in a home or business that was closed, often smells on the first draw. Run the hot taps for several minutes. A new heater can also behave differently from the old one. If the smell keeps returning, talk to a plumber about the anode rod type.

Get help

Call, text or WhatsApp (305) 793-5974.

Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist