My friend has a vacation house she uses only every do often, maybe a week every other month. While she is gone, she leaves the water heater turned off at the breaker but full of water. When she gets back, the water in the hot water ( but not the cold) lines smells like rotten eggs (from sulfer?).
So a two part question.
One, other than running and flushing the hot water lines, what gets rid of the smell?
Two, should she drain the water heater ( easy to do where it's located) and risk interior rusting in the high corrosion enviroment the house is in?
Inquiring minds want to know!
2006-12-13 01:11:04 · 9 answers · asked by yankee_sailor 7 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Boy, the experts on this thread are scary.
Your problem is high concentrations of sulfer dioxide in the water. That is what causes the "rotten egg" smell and will not cause you any physical harm. With my well, it tends to be a seasonal problem and does not merit a high priced solution. A water softener will not solve the problem and there is nothing wrong with your water heater. Flushing for ten or 15 minutes will reduce the concentration, and the smell. Sulfer will not cause anything to rust. In extremely high concentrations, it is possible that it could clog pipes. Do you see black specks if you palm the water?
Leave the water heater full with the electricity off for the sake of the water heater (unless it will go below freezing). Otherwise, an aerator is the only solution for your problem.
2006-12-13 12:33:21 · answer #1 · answered by John K 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I would guess the rotten egg smell is from disolved sulpher in the water. A combination of the quantity of water and the heat might be driving it out, causing the problem. One solution would be to install a water treatment system to remove the sulpher in the water. This is typically some activated carbon type system, but check with a water treatment specialist in the area. Another option would be to drain and refill the water heater. If you do that, make sure you turn it off before you drain it or you'll burn out the element. As far as corrosion goes, the heater should be glass lined, so this should not be a big issue.
2006-12-13 01:49:09 · answer #2 · answered by Jeffrey S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well it sounds as if you do not have a water softener, so letting the water (hot) run till it flushes out the rotten egg smell is because the water sat to long in the tank. if the water supply is fed buy a well then you can chlorinate the well buy removing the cap and dumping 1 cup of regular bleach you will need to run the water till the strong smell of bleach is gone. but doing this will kill the bacteria in the pipes and the tank this can be done every year, the more you use the water the better it will be. just remember don't drink the water but after a few days of running the water it should be fine. you can also drain the tank there should be a spicket to put a garden hose on and you can feed the hose farther away and drain the tank.
2006-12-13 01:32:20 · answer #3 · answered by kissybertha 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My parent have a cabin and they used to drain the water heater, but it caused the element to die (even though it was shut off), so I don't recommend it. It puts more stress on the unit.
As for the rotten egg smell, maybe if she had a water filter before the water heater, she could eliminate some of the elements that cause the smell.
2006-12-13 01:20:06 · answer #4 · answered by Phoenix, Wise Guru 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The water heater in question might be old or the water in it has been left to stagnate (due to non-use). If it is an old water heater, replacing it will solve the problem, if the smell comes from stagnant water, then let the water run for a long period of time to flush the system.
2006-12-13 02:08:42 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow! What a bunch of uninformed helpers. The odor is hydrogen sulfide. It is often formed by bacteria that reduce sulphate that is found in most water supplies. Materials in the anode accelerate this process. Magnesium anodes in particular can produce hydrogen gas that may also reduce sulfate even without bacteria. Replacing the anode with an aluminum/zinc/tin anode is said to help. Adding two pints of drug store hydrogen peroxide to the tank will dispel the odor. It is flavorless and non-toxic. Emptying the tank and replacing with fresh water also works. However both are temporary measures that may need to be done every time the tank sits unused for a long time.
2014-10-29 07:18:40 · answer #6 · answered by Edwin F. 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
that they have added sulfur to the water. when i lived in florida we had that all the time and it got so bad that we started buying bottled water and we even had to install a water purifier as i cant stand the smell that it gives off. the water isnt harmful by any means and u can cook and bathe with it but i just dont like to drink something that smells that way. call your water company and ask them if this is going to be the way the water smells permanenty if it is get bottled or purify the water and it will take some of the smell...
2016-05-23 17:36:48 · answer #7 · answered by Carissa 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Anode Rod In Water Heater Needs replaced. Only time they need to drain it is when they are Wintrizing House.
2006-12-13 01:20:28 · answer #8 · answered by bob r 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That sounds dangerous....
I would say you should drain it after turning it off. I know it's bad to leave the burner on while the tank is empty, so maybe it's also bad to leave the tank full when the burner is off?
2006-12-13 01:19:25 · answer #9 · answered by ilovejolie86 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋