# Water heater smells



## TheSkinnyGuy (Sep 15, 2009)

alrighty, I've got a water heater that needs some attention. It was replaced in april of 2009, and now all of a sudden they're complaining that their hot water smells like rotten eggs. I turned the temp up to 160, let it sit for 6 hrs, and flushed it. That abated the problem for about 2 months, but now the smell is back. So I pulled the annode to replace the magnesium annode with an aluminum anode. That stopped the problem for about 2 more months. Now the smell is back. Is there something I can treat the water heater with to eliminate the bacteria? (one old timer suggested muratic acid, followed by a chlorine bath, followed by a good flush... but I don't know) anyone ever run into anything like this?


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

TheSkinnyGuy said:


> alrighty, I've got a water heater that needs some attention. It was replaced in april of 2009, and now all of a sudden they're complaining that their hot water smells like rotten eggs. I turned the temp up to 160, let it sit for 6 hrs, and flushed it. That abated the problem for about 2 months, but now the smell is back. So I pulled the annode to replace the magnesium annode with an aluminum anode. That stopped the problem for about 2 more months. Now the smell is back. Is there something I can treat the water heater with to eliminate the bacteria? (one old timer suggested muratic acid, followed by a chlorine bath, followed by a good flush... but I don't know) anyone ever run into anything like this?


2 pints for 40 gal. 3% Hydrogen Peroxide and you dont have to flush. It is a good oxidant for h2s..( They say) It is what I went to. So far so good! Could it be a under use issue? Whole house or just a fixture or two? We fight it a lot around here. We had one that was the same way, before new heater no problem. That one turned out to be some kind of reaction between well water and vinyl supply lines? Actually had that happen twice. Protech would have to explain that one..


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## hulihan (Aug 11, 2009)

New anode rod


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## hulihan (Aug 11, 2009)

Put a new heater in, still under warranty, throw it out, get a new one .


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## tnoisaw (Jun 16, 2009)

Are they on a well?


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## TheSkinnyGuy (Sep 15, 2009)

40 gal. tall, just supplies 3 lavs, its a maintenace outfit that's only open 8 hrs a day, but most techs are out of the shop most of the day (under-use is certainly an issue). Not on a well, its city water.


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

TheSkinnyGuy said:


> 40 gal. tall, just supplies 3 lavs, its a maintenace outfit that's only open 8 hrs a day, but most techs are out of the shop most of the day (under-use is certainly an issue). Not on a well, its city water.


Very good chance!
You did the right thing on the anode, treatment might take care of it now.
If you could sell them point of use w/h, that would be good! I know it is a smelly situation to be in..


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

Lack of chlorination. check the chlorine ppms


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

Maybe suggest a small electric tankless. Not saying I like them but it would be a solution.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

It could be a reaction with the anodes but already swapped to aluminum. You can try a zinc/tin/aluminum alloy anode to. if your chlorine is between 2-4 ppm and you tried the alloy rod, the only thing left is to go with an anodeless heater (rheam marathon, tankless, SS tANK)


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

Go "Old School" and try to treat it first. That was what was on your mind. It can work!


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## stillaround (Mar 11, 2009)

Ive treated and the problems have solved...one time a different anode rod...well water, not a proper chlorination, sits in tank early in construction phase and bacteria produces the hydrogen sulfide. Theres a lot online with this issue. Ive drained and bleached and solved more than one that way.


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## Pipedoc (Jun 14, 2009)

Have you tested the sulfer level in the water yet? There are many different ways to treat the problem depending on the severity. We have a lot of areas around here where this is a big issue. Treatment ranges from as simple as some of the things already mentioned to the addition of a manganese greensand filter or even a chlorinator if the problem is severe enough.


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## TheSkinnyGuy (Sep 15, 2009)

I think I'll lay out a progressive plan for them to choose from. First peroxide, then the acid/bleach bath and flush, then if that doesn't work we'll get them to test the water, and depending on what we find I'll sell them on a 10 gal. point of use... thanx for the input yall


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## Pipedoc (Jun 14, 2009)

SkinnyGuy, if your gonna do a one time treatment as opposed to equipment, don't forget to treat the well and after treating the well and heater draw your solution to each of the fixtures to treat the sulfer reducing bacteria that is present in the bio-film in the water distribution lines. Let it stand as long as possible (24 hrs if you can) before flushing to maximize the benefit and reduce the time before it reappears.

Just a suggestion.


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## piercekiltoff (Jul 22, 2009)

I'd look at the anode issue again. If it temporarily fixed the problem prior to this, why would you assume that there's bacteria? Maybe there's something in the tank internals that is causing a problem similar to the anode? Is the water particularly corrosive, or is there an electrolysis issue (bad grounding)?

If the anodes don't solve it, then I guess you can assume the periodic sulfur smell has to be coming from an iron or manganese reducing bacteria.

The one person that said 'warranty the tank' is probably right - if you set a tank, and it fouls due to iron bacteria, and you're on a chlorinated city water system, I'd suspect that the wh manufacturer isn't cleaning their tanks out prior to shipping them. If you're not on a chlorinated system, which most municipal systems are, then you have other issues to contend with, and you should be getting the odor in both the hot & cold lines.

If there's no noticeable slime in the output line coming from the heater, then you might just try a cheap/easy carbon filter to get rid of the odor. It'll foul out eventually, so make sure you let the owners know that. Alternatively, Water Right has a water conditioner that generates and back washes itself with a small concentration of chlorine. Those systems will soften, reduce iron/manganese, and reduce h2s odor to a certain degree, and then you'll have to follow with carbon to get the last of the odor out if it's pretty strong.

Oh, and they are iron/manganese reducing bacterias....If they reduced sulfur, we wouldn't have these problems


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## Pipedoc (Jun 14, 2009)

piercekiltoff said:


> ....... If you're not on a chlorinated system, which most municipal systems are, then you have other issues to contend with, and you should be getting the odor in both the hot & cold lines.......


I don't undertand piercekiltoff. Could you explain please?


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## piercekiltoff (Jul 22, 2009)

It's funny that I wrote all of the below, then re-read what I wrote in the first post and said 'oh...there's the confusion'. What I was trying to say was: Most municipal systems have chlorine in the water, typically in a range that is barely detectable to most people.


It's kind of a two part sentence. One, I wasn't clear if the odor is for sure only out of the hot water side. 

If the odor is only out of the hot water side, the type of water system is irrelevant - unless the delivered chemistry is weird. If they're on a municipal system, and the source of the smell is not the anodes, and the odor is coming out of both the hot & cold side, that means that there exists a bacterial infection in the municipal lines.

However, if they're on a well or a non-chlorinated municipal system (say a 200 party system or small community water system), then having h2s because of bacteria in the delivery system is very possible. Again, this would cause the smell to show up in both the hot AND cold.


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## stillaround (Mar 11, 2009)

Sulfur Bacteria
It is possible to have the characteristic "rotten egg" odor in water even when laboratory tests show the absence of hydrogen sulfide. In this case, the odor is caused by harmless bacteria that chemically change sulfate in the water to hydrogen sulfide. These bacteria live on the hot water side of the home water distribution system. 

Shock chlorination of the entire water system, including storage, hot water tanks, and distribution lines, kills the bacteria. This process introduces very high concentrations of chlorine into the water system. Chlorine should remain in the system for several hours, preferably overnight. If the situation persists, continuous chlorination may be required. 

This is just one method...the web is full of this topic....I see you have a plan..just wanted to add this for typical issues in my area.


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## user2091 (Sep 27, 2009)

TheSkinnyGuy said:


> alrighty, I've got a water heater that needs some attention. It was replaced in april of 2009, and now all of a sudden they're complaining that their hot water smells like rotten eggs. I turned the temp up to 160, let it sit for 6 hrs, and flushed it. That abated the problem for about 2 months, but now the smell is back. So I pulled the annode to replace the magnesium annode with an aluminum anode. That stopped the problem for about 2 more months. Now the smell is back. Is there something I can treat the water heater with to eliminate the bacteria? (one old timer suggested muratic acid, followed by a chlorine bath, followed by a good flush... but I don't know) anyone ever run into anything like this?


 get zinc anode rod. flush heater :thumbup:


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## piercekiltoff (Jul 22, 2009)

Or, remove the rod. It'll void warranty, but it doesn't HAVE to be there. 

And I stand corrected on the 'sulfur-reducing bacteria' term.


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

piercekiltoff said:


> Or, remove the rod. It'll void warranty, but it doesn't HAVE to be there.


That's what we want to do, void the warranty.


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## TheSkinnyGuy (Sep 15, 2009)

ok... so that smell was only present on the hot side, and they are on city water. There's no well to treat in this case, but thanx for the well info it might come in handy in the future. When I pulled the anode the first time it was COVERED in black slimey stinky stuff.

What I did, and it seems to have taken care of it was to treat it first with peroxide, then with bleach, then with acid, flushing really really well after each treatment. I've informed the customer that the next option is going to start getting a lot more complicated. We're going to a) replace your UNDERUSED 40. gal tall with either a 3 gal. point of use, or a 10 gal. heater to eliminate make sure you get the most usage out of your heater B) test your water, and come up with a custom filtration/treatment plan, c) get you an anodeless water heater (which won't eliminate the UDERUSE issue). Or we can eliminate the hot water heater or d) we can just put up a sign "non potable water do not drink" and call it good. But it is pretty clear to me that their main problem is stagnation from under use.


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

You covered it all! :thumbsup:


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## JK949 (Mar 18, 2009)

TheSkinnyGuy said:


> Or we can eliminate the hot water heater



hot water heater?:blink:

Use of Pet Peeve terminology -5 pts. :whistling2:


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## stillaround (Mar 11, 2009)

JK949 said:


> hot water heater?:blink:
> 
> Use of Pet Peeve terminology -5 pts. :whistling2:


Hot water heaters are more efficient.


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## TheSkinnyGuy (Sep 15, 2009)

fine... cold water heater then. better?


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## stillaround (Mar 11, 2009)

TheSkinnyGuy said:


> fine... cold water heater then. better?


Do you worsh your clothes? I think your hesitancy to be absorbed in the obsequious use of that particular vernacular has been sufficiently challenged to cause such aquiescence.
Besides, cold water heaters need repair.


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## TheSkinnyGuy (Sep 15, 2009)

then again... a rose by any other name is still a rose...


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

and a turd by any other name is still a turd...............


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

It's sulfate reducing bacteria, I believe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfate-reducing_bacteria


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## keithplumber (Dec 8, 2010)

Most likely it is hydrogen sulfide. You can take care of this with an NSF certified product called SeaFresh. It will control the odor caused by heating the bacteria along with iron stains.


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## keithplumber (Dec 8, 2010)

Since I have been warned about product promotion I will just say that there is an oxidizing, chelating product that will control the odor without flushing. It is injected @ 2-3ppm on flow demand. 
I have installed green sand, chlorine (which precipitates minerals ), softeners, manganes, UV, electro and magnetic gadgets to no avail. 
Anodes used in this are considered sacrificial as their properties delete. Heating this bacteria will kill it but is not cost effective and does not help the cold water.


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