Chemical smell Coming From Bathroom Faucet - Green Balls In Aerator?

Question

Last year we put in a new bathroom and we noticed a few weeks ago a chemical smell coming from the facet. What's weird is that the small ONLY affects the bathroom faucet and no other part of our place. I took off the aerator and noticed a few green granular balls right on the aerator. I removed the balls and the smell drastically improved for a few days, but the smell came back and now it is worse. The smell has a more of chemical smell like grass. The smell comes from both hot or cold water from the bathroom faucet. What makes this unusal is that the faucet is only 1 year old and the bathroom was gutted out a year ago.
Could the smell be coming from a corroded faucet or pipe?
Any ideas appreciated.

Answer 1

Normally there is a smell that comes from the soldering or gluing job the plumbers did on the pipes, and it takes a few weeks to run out of the pipes. But that would have been gone pretty quickly. I've never heard of green balls except when someone has a filtration system that blows out. Why you would have a filtiration system just going to your bathroom, I don't know, but I highly doubt it. Besides, you would know if you had a filtration system. I'm not going to say this couldn't be from a corroded pipe, because it's possible, but corrosion generally doesn't have a smell, especially not a chemical one. This is the strangest plumbing question anyone has ever asked me.

Do they look like this:

http://www.umaine.edu/WaterResearch/FieldGuide/webphotos/nostoc.jpg

If so, you could somehow have an algae growing in your line. That would explain the chemical smell. Here's a description I pulled off a website:

Slimy spheres on the bottom

Gelatinous balls seen on the bottom of lakes, especially in clear lakes where light reaches the bottom or in shallow, calm waters, are colonies of Nostoc, a blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). While they look slimy, the balls are fairly hard and tough, and can range from a fraction of an inch to larger than a golf ball. These algae are not a concern and do not indicate bad water quality. They are also sometimes seen on damp forest floors and in ditches.

Keep in mind, though that this is from a wesite concerned with the water quality of ponds and lakes. How old is your house? It's possible you might have roots growing into your pipes, causing accessibility of plantlife. Let me know what you think.

Answer 2

Do you have a water softener or does your community employ a water softener that uses a sodium for calcium replacement?

If so, the sodium can be aggresive to your copper water pipes and cause a mineral that looks like green balls to form.

It can also cause a chemical type smell.

So- if your older pipes are galvanized or plastic, they would not be affected as your NEW copper pipes that you just installed. (assuming you used copper- but betting you did from the sounds of it)

If you have a water softener- take it offline for a month and see if it improves.
Good luck

Answer 3

Chances are that the odor is from the drain, now not your tap. When the water is became on and runs down the drain, it forces the air within the drain upwards. The odor is stagnant water. Your home tasks has not anything to do with the odor. If it's offensive (which it certainly is), do the vinegar and baking soda periodically.