Rotten Egg Water Test
The egg freshness test in water is used to test whether your eggs are good or bad to use.
Rotten egg water test. The odor of water with as little as 0 5 ppm of hydrogen sulfide concentration is detectable by most people. An egg that sinks but rests with the large end facing up may be a bit older but is still fine for cooking and eating. This rod often provides a chemical catalyst for the production of hydrogen sulfide from naturally occurring sulfates in the water. Concentrations less than 1 ppm give the water a musty or swampy odor.
Some people say do bad eggs float. If you have well water test your water with a general mineral water analysis that analyzes levels of ph iron manganese hardness total dissolved solids sulfate and hydrogen sulfide. Even if the expiration date on the carton has not. It is better to use a deep one as it makes it easier to check the results.
Fresh eggs typically rest at the bottom of the glass. Fortunately at culligan we offer this service free. Generally hydrogen sulfide levels are less than 10 ppm but have been reported as high as 50 to 75 ppm. With these results you can better understand the source of the rotten egg smell.
So say you have bought some eggs from a local store that have just passed their best before expiration date and you want to find out whether they are still good to use. To perform the test you place the egg in a glass of water. In cases where the rotten egg odor occurs only in the hot water the production of hydrogen sulfide can often be simply treated by removing the magnesium rod from the hot water heater. Some laboratories can test for srb s and field test kits also are available.
If the eggs sink to the bottom and lay flat on their side they re still fresh. At culligan you can find everything you need to get rid of h 2 s and that sulphur rotten egg smell from your water. One of the ways to tell whether an egg is rotten or still good is to use the flotation test. The first step to tell if an egg is rotten is to fill at least half a bowl with water.
However if they sink but stand on one end at the bottom of the glass or bowl they re not as fresh but still edible. In this post we will answer this question. The science behind this is based on. Removal of hydrogen sulfide from hot water.
A 1 2 ppm hydrogen sulfide concentration gives water a rotten egg odor and makes the water very corrosive to plumbing. If the odor hot side only goes away the odor was due to srb s. You can find local state accredited water testing labs by contacting the pennsylvania department of environmental protection. Of course if any eggs float to the top they shouldn t be eaten.
If not it is due to the anode rod reaction. If you have city water contact your water utility plant for an analysis of your water quality. The dates on the cartons are helpful but just because they ve come and gone doesn t mean you need to throw the eggs away if you re not sure whether or not. A relatively easy test to determine if the water heater tank contains srb s is to raise the temperature to 140f or higher for 48 hours which will kill the bacteria.
Treatment would consist of shock. Plop the eggs in a bowl of water. If the egg floats it s old and may be rotten. You can also test your water.
To try the egg water test simply fill a glass or bowl with cold water and submerge the eggs.