NMB Water's test for where an odor comes from
NMB Water's website suggests starting by working out whether the smell is from the public supply or your plumbing. If it comes from the supply, you would notice it at every faucet and it would persist. If it is only at one or a few faucets, it is in your plumbing. Its guidance also notes that sink drains are a common source of odors from bacterial growth, and that if only hot water smells, you should flush the hot water until it runs cold or no longer smells.
The returning-owner smell
Many Sunny Isles Beach owners spend part of the year elsewhere. When a unit sits closed, water stands in the water heater and pipes for weeks. In a tank heater, bacteria can react with the sacrificial anode rod, often magnesium, and give off hydrogen sulfide, the rotten-egg gas. The first hot shower back is when people notice it. What helps:
- Run hot and cold taps for several minutes on arrival.
- If the smell persists on hot water, have a plumber flush the heater or discuss a different anode type, following the manufacturer's warranty terms.
- Ask about the heater before you leave next time; some owners have it drained or set to vacation mode on a plumber's advice.
Match the smell to the cause
| Pattern | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Hot water only, worst after time away | Water heater and anode rod |
| One sink, near the drain | Drain bacteria; smell a glass of water in another room to confirm |
| Pool smell, not eggs | Chloramine, or NMB's yearly free-chlorine period |
| Every tap, constantly, suddenly | Call NMB Water at 305-948-2960 |
| Every tap, from a private well | Hydrogen sulfide in groundwater |
Building water heaters
Some towers heat water centrally rather than in each unit. If your building does, a hot-water odor affecting many units is a matter for management and the building's engineer, not an individual filter. If your unit has its own heater, it is usually your responsibility under the association's rules.
Wells and sulfur
Private drinking wells are uncommon in a city served entirely by NMB Water, but where any property draws groundwater for irrigation or other uses, hydrogen sulfide can come with it. Treatment is chosen from a test, often aeration or oxidation followed by filtration. See aeration vs. filtration and well water in Sunny Isles Beach.
What Jorge checks
Hot and cold at several taps, chloramine, pH and iron, and the heater's type and age. If the heater or a drain is the cause, he tells you plainly, and you may not need a filter at all. Call, text or WhatsApp (305) 793-5974.
https://www.citynmb.com/915/Source-of-Odor
https://www.citynmb.com/918/Odor-from-My-Tap
https://www.citynmb.com/DocumentCenter/View/14691/2025-CCR-ENGLISH-web-version
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist