Why Her Kitchen Tap Started Smelling Like Sewage After a Rainy Week

 “It smells like a drain every time I open the kitchen tap.”

That’s how the call started. A working professional from HSR Layout, Bangalore, had just returned from a long trip and was shocked by the foul smell in her kitchen water.

“At first, I thought it was coming from the sink drain,” she said. “But then I realised—it’s the tap itself. And only the kitchen one. Not the bathroom.”

The smell was strongest in the morning and right after it rained. Her cook had also complained that the water had a strange, muddy taste when used for washing vegetables.

She even called her plumber, who cleaned the pipeline. But the smell came back within two days.

Why Only the Kitchen Tap? And Why After Rain?

We asked her two quick questions:

“Do you use separate pipelines for drinking and utility?”

“Where is your water source located?”

She replied: “Yes, separate pipelines. And the source is in the front yard—completely covered, but yes, it’s very close to the rainwater drain.”

That gave us a clue.

During the rains, runoff often carries organic matter, bacteria, and soil contaminants into the water source. If that water travels unfiltered to the kitchen tap, it can pick up gases like hydrogen sulfide — the same gas that causes a rotten egg or sewage smell.

Because the kitchen tap was on a direct, unfiltered line, it became the first place where the smell surfaced.

Our Recommendation: Odour Removal Filtration System

We recommended installing a dual-stage odour removal system right after the motor and before the kitchen tap.

This included:

• A backwashable media filter to trap suspended solids and decomposing particles
  
  

• An activated carbon filter to remove the unpleasant smell, taste, and discoloration
  
  

We also advised flushing the kitchen pipeline to remove any trapped gases or residue inside the pipe.

“Will it stop the smell immediately?” she asked.

“Give it 24 hours,” we told her. “Once the filters are in place and the pipeline is flushed, the smell should disappear.”

The Result: No More Drain Smell from the Tap

She called us two days later.

“It’s gone. I actually bent down to smell the tap water—and it just smells like water now,” she laughed.

Her cook also noticed the change. The water was visibly clearer, and the strange taste was completely gone.

The Takeaway: If Your Water Smells Bad, It’s Not Always the Drain

Smelly tap water—especially after rains—is a warning sign. Whether it’s a new home or an old one, bacteria buildup, organic contamination, or stagnant water in the line can all lead to foul odours.

If your tap water smells like:

• Rotten eggs
  
  

• Muddy soil
  
  

• Metallic or sewage-like gas
  
  

…it’s time to stop using fresheners or blaming the kitchen sink.

At Water Sparks, we provide kitchen-specific odour removal filters for independent houses, villas, and apartments. Whether the problem is caused by iron, sulphur, or organic contaminants, our filtration systems remove the source of the smell—not just mask it.

No more drain-like smells. Just clean, fresh water from your tap—every time.