Cold water pipe and egg smell

[greystreet]

Hi there, I have been trying for sometime to ascertain what the problem is with the cold water tap in my bathroom sink. The cold water smells of egg and it is only in this tap and not the hot water on the same tap or the cold water on the bath or in any other room. I don't know how to flush the pipe and I am not competent enough to try and replace the pipe.
Has anybody heard of this before or can anybody offer any advice on what steps i could take to sort this out?

thanks in advance for your advice

 

[BoxBasher]

Yup,

Put some dettol down your drain/plughole!

 

[greystreet]

The smell is not from the plughole it is from the tap so putting dettol down the pulghole won't help

 

[danlightbulb]

Have you tried running it at full pelt for half hour?

Is it plastic pipe or copper leading to the tap?

Edit: Does you bathroom cold water come from the main rising main or a separate header tank?

 

[gasandoilman]

check your cold storage tank in the loft
is there a lid on it?
is the tank clean?
i have seen so many animals dead in the cold storage tanks
once found a mouse blocking a pipe from a tank thats not covered?

 

[greystreet]

Have you tried running it at full pelt for half hour?

Is it plastic pipe or copper leading to the tap?

Edit: Does you bathroom cold water come from the main rising main or a separate header tank?

Yes, I did try running it for a good hour or so and it seemed to solve the problem and then it came back again not long after. The pipe leading to the tap is a plastic one. I am not sure whether the water comes from main rising main or header tank. We do have a water tank in the loft. Sorry if that sounds stupid. I really don't know enough about this topic. How can I check?

 

[greystreet]

check your cold storage tank in the loft
is there a lid on it?
is the tank clean?
i have seen so many animals dead in the cold storage tanks
once found a mouse blocking a pipe from a tank thats not covered?

If there is something in the tank how can I clear it? I did read somewhere about using some kind of cleaning solution in the tank, leaving it for a few hours and then running the tank down so that it flushes through the disinfectant. I would do this but, I don't know what product to use how to ensure that I do it properly. I don't want to end up with dodgy chemical filled water afterwards or damage the tank or pipes.

I really hope it isn't a dead animal in the tank- if it was would it not effect the whole tank and therefore all the water coming out of the taps?

 

[giblets]

TBH unlikely to be a dead animal otherwise the smell would be obvious from all taps (except the kitchen cold). Once had a dead pigeon in a customer's tank but we won't go any further down that route.

I don't suppose the smell is coming from the basin overflow fitting? These can get pretty bunged up over the years as very little water runs down them.

 

[danlightbulb]

You need to get up in the loft and have a look.

You will know if your bathroom tap is fed from this tank by running it, then popping up to the loft to see if the float arm valve is opening.

 

[yerino]

No need to go in the loft.

Just put your thumb over the tap if you can hold the water it is tank fed and if you cant and it spirts out its mains.

My guess is it will be tank fed and you will have a dirty tank, which will need cleaning out.

 

[joe-90]

The bad egg smell is hydrogen sulphide. Does your tap water sit in an old iron pipe before it comes out?

 

[greystreet]

The bad egg smell is hydrogen sulphide. Does your tap water sit in an old iron pipe before it comes out?

hi, the pipes feeding the tap which smells are plastic, from what I can see. The house is only 18months old so the pipes should definitely still be okay.

 

[greystreet]

No need to go in the loft.

Just put your thumb over the tap if you can hold the water it is tank fed and if you cant and it spirts out its mains.

My guess is it will be tank fed and you will have a dirty tank, which will need cleaning out.

I tried putting my finger over the tap and it seems that it is mains fed as it spirts out. I guess that means it could be something in the pipe somewhere? The house is only 18months old so I am wondering if it is something that got left in the pipe by the builders? Is there any way to flush the pipes?