Why does my well water stink?
The smell names the suspect. Rotten eggs is hydrogen sulfide gas from sulfur bacteria in your well, water heater, or pipes. Musty or earthy points at bacteria and organic matter growing in the system. A sewage smell after rain means surface water is getting in, and that calls for a bacteria test. A fuel or chemical smell is the one to treat as urgent: stop drinking the water and get it tested.
Two quick observations narrow it fast: smell a glass from the cold tap and one from the hot tap, and note whether the smell is constant or only at the first draw of the day. Hot-only points at the water heater. Morning-only points at water stagnating overnight. Constant on both sides points at the well itself.
Most stink is a cleaning problem: the bacteria making the gas live in biofilm on the casing, the pressure tank, and the pipes, and a shock treatment that reaches all of it clears the smell at the source. The exceptions are the sewage and chemical smells, which are contamination questions before they are cleaning questions.
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