we’ve been manufacturing water softeners and conditioners for more than 27 years. We have thousands upon thousands of customers who are big fans (and repeat customers) of water conditioning system.
Despite all of the wonderful compliments and loyalty (thank you for your many nice letters by the way), we occasionally receive a complaint.
Some years ago, one complaint posted to an online forum claimed that our Reionator created water with a “fishy smell”. We’ve decided to tackle this question head on—and put this claim to rest.
The Reionator is a whole-house water conditioner that goes way beyond water softening. The Reionator’s multi-resin process is designed soften water and reduce chlorine taste and odor in water while also reducing that slippery feel often associated with softened water.
When we heard about this odor claim, worked with resin manufacturers to understand why this claim was made and, if true, what we would do to ensure it wouldn’t happen again. In the process, we identified certain rare circumstances, based on water chemistry, that might create a “fishy smell” in water. Given the information and data we collected, we were able to create slight changes to the system components to ensure this issue would not come up again. And since making the change, our customers and authorized dealers are loving the product as much as ever – with not one complaint of this nature since.
Any water softener tank, regardless of the manufacturer, can begin to smell bad if it becomes infested with sulfur bacteria. Sulfur bacteria is attracted to the sodium in water softener tanks. As the bacteria grows, hydrogen sulfide gas is released as a waste product, hence the rotten egg odor.
This issue is best resolved by a regular, thorough cleaning. We recommend a water treatment professional service and clean your softener and brine tank at least once a year. A professional can take the necessary steps to kill the hydrogen sulfide and rid your tank of the terrible odor.
Even after your water has been treated by a water softener, your water might still have an unpleasant odor. In many cases, we find that the water coming into the home is high in sulfur, iron or hydrogen sulfide (not sulfur bacteria aforementioned) and additional filtration is needed. A pre-filter can be installed in front of the Reionator water conditioner (or other water softener) to properly treat what’s in the water. High levels of sulfur, iron and hydrogen sulfide are fairly common in rural areas.
It is scenarios such as this that make us want to reiterate the importance of having your water properly tested prior to installing a water softener/conditioner. While it may be less costly (up front) to purchase and install a softener from a big box store, you may end up with a headache on your hands because some of the constituents in your water were not properly addressed from the beginning. A water treatment professional can test your water and make recommendations for proper treatment.
