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    lelula's Avatar
    lelula Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Nov 9, 2009, 12:43 PM
    Water in kitchen faucet smells like mildew
    Hi. We bought a 15 year old house in Falls Church, VA this summer. I have noticed that when we turn on the kitchen faucet, the water smells mildewed. If the water runs for 30 seconds to a minute, the smell eventually goes away. If the smell has gone and you turn the faucet off, and then immediately back on, the smell is not there. It comes back after maybe 30 minutes to an hour of disuse of the faucet. The smell is so powerful, that if you wash your hands in the mildewy water and use soap, your hands will smell mildewed afterward. This is the only faucet the odor occurs with. Not even the basement faucet has this odor. It's not coming from the drain or anything like that; it is the water. How can I fix this?
    Thank you!
    plumbing smells's Avatar
    plumbing smells Posts: 5, Reputation: 1
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    #2

    Jan 15, 2010, 07:25 AM

    We have this same problem. I was looking to post this question, when I came upon yours. We did an extensive remodel 2 years ago. The only faucets with this problem are the 2, new, identical Kohler kitchen faucets. It's horrible, exactly as you explained, including the timetable, and ruins rags, towels, and makes dishes smell, if they get a quick rinse with that water.

    We thought it might be the hose (our faucet heads come out of the stand, instead of having an extra spayer) Our plumber ordered new hoses from Kohler and replaced one hose to see--and after about 4 months, it smells but minimally, and doesn't seem to affect anything like the unrepaired faucet does. Maybe it was a bad supply of hoses?

    We really think it has to do with the plastics used. So, we'll probably have the other hose replaced and hopefully it isn't the sprayer head which is also a plastic.

    If you've had a better solution, can you post it? Thanks!
    lelula's Avatar
    lelula Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
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    #3

    Jan 17, 2010, 11:20 AM
    We replaced our faucet and the problem went away. I remember reading somewhere that most likely there is stinky bacteria either in the faucet (apparently our problem) or that the bacteria could be down in the hoses or even the supply pipes, which may be why yours is improved with a new hose on one side. I suppose the bacteria could have contaminated the valve the hose connects to, which is why there's still a faint smell. It was just terrible to have this issue and I'm so glad our problem is resolved, so I wish you the best of luck in getting your resolved as well. Good luck!
    lelula's Avatar
    lelula Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #4

    Jan 17, 2010, 11:20 AM
    We replaced our faucet and the problem went away. I remember reading somewhere that most likely there is stinky bacteria either in the faucet (apparently our problem) or that the bacteria could be down in the hoses or even the supply pipes, which may be why yours is improved with a new hose on one side. I suppose the bacteria could have contaminated the valve the hose connects to, which is why there's still a faint smell. It was just terrible to have this issue and I'm so glad our problem is resolved, so I wish you the best of luck in getting your resolved as well. Good luck!
    jfrasca55's Avatar
    jfrasca55 Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #5

    Apr 20, 2010, 02:29 AM

    We have this problem too. I think it started after we installed an ice maker. Does anybody know if this could contribute to this problem?
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
    		  
    #6

    Apr 20, 2010, 05:25 AM

    Remove 5the aerator from the spout. Run the water. Does it still smell? If not then soak the aerator in bleach if the water still has odor click on back and tell me about it. Good luck, Tom
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