Mysterious. Perhaps use a siphon to fill the hose and reel with a strong bleach solution, turn the nozzle off and leave the solution in hose for a week. There has to be something dead inside to create a bad smell, surely....
whatever it is that makes it smell can get back into your drinking water if you don't have a non return valve between the hose and tap water conection! take care.
Thanks DD, thankfully the tap does have a nrv. If you search this on the net it seems something Americans come across but not common here. Going by the stuff on the net it is bacteria in the pipe, but all I can say is it must be very strong to have survived Jeyes and Bleach so far.😞
Hi @Flynn73. This may or may not have something to do with the problem you have but I read an article some time ago which has stayed with me. My hose has its own tap in the allotment and it sounds as though yours is connected to the water you use in the house. To cut a story short and if it's only when you first use the hose that it smells, do you empty the hose of water once the tap has been turned off? The problem would arise if you switched the tap off and didn't empty the hose of water and it was left in the sun it would produce the bacteria Legionella which causes Legionnaires Disease. Then the next time you use the hose the initial water coming out is infected and to breathe in any of the mist could cause serious problems. Whether there is a smell or not I don't know. Since reading the article I have always made sure my hose is completely empty after use. It is probably a very rare case but it has caused a fatality. Do hope this makes sense to anyone who reads it and any contradictions I will gladly take on board.
... out of interest, how do make sure a hose is completely empty after use? Surely if you are using every day, bacterial load wouldn't be a huge problem, esp if washed out with bleach.
Thanks Fran, noted, although it's been going on for such a long time hopefully I would have noticed any side effects.
When you search the web people have had the issue in their household hot water tanks too.
When i finish with the hose I make sure the nozzle is on and when unplugged from the tap I make sure both ends point downwards. Some water does come out but when the hoze is 20 to 30m then a fair bit must remain in the pipe. How you would empty it entirely lord only knows.😞
I can't be sure it's completely empty but after switching off the tap I use what water is left in it until no more will come out. My hose is left on the ground and is probably in full sun most of the day in this weather. Could bacteria build up during 24 hours? Not something I have knowledge of. I just follow what was suggested to be on the safe side.
Could it be the water itself, somehow, rather than the hose. Where does your water supply come from for the hose? Rotten eggs suggests sulphur, hydrogen sulfide. Are you on mains water? Do you have a sceptic tank? Some groundwater is naturally high in hydrogen sulfide.
I guess you could test your hose water to see if there are any high readings of anything that shouldn't be there.
Just checking that the smell isn't coming from some associated place. Like you have to open a shed door to get to the tap and the smell is actually emanating from the shed.
Could something be peeing on the hose or the reel or near it, corner of the shed? Fox marking territory, tom cat, neighbour? Is your compost bin near your hose tap?
Do you have any drywall installed anywhere?
Check that you are not smelling a vent from elsewhere, such as gasses from when the boiler is being used.
What did you change in your garden/house one year ago?
I can't imagine that anything small enough to not be noticed, would take over a year to decompose.
Vulcaniser rubber contains sulphur to link the carbon chains together and thereby make it stronger. If it is wet then certain bacteria can feed on the rubber, which explains where the sulphur smell comes from. Firemen always let their hoses drain and dry out after use to prevent the rubber from being attacked by these bacteria, but it would not be so easy with domestic hose.
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Since reading the article I have always made sure my hose is completely empty after use. It is probably a very rare case but it has caused a fatality. Do hope this makes sense to anyone who reads it and any contradictions I will gladly take on board.
When you search the web people have had the issue in their household hot water tanks too.
When i finish with the hose I make sure the nozzle is on and when unplugged from the tap I make sure both ends point downwards. Some water does come out but when the hoze is 20 to 30m then a fair bit must remain in the pipe. How you would empty it entirely lord only knows.😞