Odor from hot water

[nesparky]

Full timing it in a 2014 Avalanche and have started to notice my hot water has an odor to it. I don't notice any odor from the cold water. Would draining the hot water tank any. Or any other suggestions that might help eliminate the odor.

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[JRTJH]

The following is on page 7 in the Suburban Water Heater Owner's Manual:

"ODOR FROM HOT WATER SYSTEM
Odor from the hot water system is not a service problem and many water
supplies contain sufficient amounts of sulphur to produce an odor. The odor is
similar to rotten eggs and is often referred to as "sulphur water". It is not
harmful - only unpleasant to smell. Sulphur water can be caused by a chemical
action or by bacteria. The solution to eliminate is chlorination of the water
system. Add about six (6) ounces of chlorinated common household liquid
bleach to each 10 gallons in the water tank. Then run the chlorinated water
throughout the system."

The above problem is typically seen with units in storage, but organic material in the water can cause odors to occur even with a water heater that is in continuous service.

You might also want to remove and clean (or replace) your anode rod. Once it becomes pitted and starts to deteriorate, any bacteria or chemicals that have deposited will be difficult to clean from the pits in the anode material.

[nesparky]

So how do I get the bleach into my water heater.
I'm as green as grass on 5th wheel ownership, the wife and I bought it, pull it home and left the next day and set up on a mobile home park. Lol

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[chuckster57]

Easy method. Mix up a solution in a clean container. I would use a plastic "gas" can.
Turn off the city water, and after letting the hot water cool off, remove the anode rod and drain the tank. Put the anode rod back in or replace if needed.

Disconnect the city water and using the water pump, draw the solution in through the winterizing hose. Turn on the hot side of any faucet and you will get a little water followed by lots of air. When the air is gone the water will flow again. That's about all there is to it.

[dcg9381]

If you've never done the winterization / suck method, I've also just set the RV for city water, filled part of the hose with a bleach solution, connect the hose to city water, then open a "hot" valve.

Ideally you should be sanitizing your water tank every so often anyway... When you do this, you can just open a hot water valve to pump the solution into your water heater... Let it sit for a day, then drain/refill.

[willy3805]

Sanitize water system with bleach and replace anode rod. Father in law had same issue bleached the first time worked for a few weeks then smell came back . Next time did bleach and anode rod smell never returned all summer.

[dcg9381]

Why replace an anode rod unless it's corroded (by design)? Typically this smell is from sulfates coming from an organic process - bleach should kill it.

[JRTJH]

Why replace an anode rod unless it's corroded (by design)? Typically this smell is from sulfates coming from an organic process - bleach should kill it.

The following is on page 7 in the Suburban Water Heater Owner's Manual:

"ODOR FROM HOT WATER SYSTEM
Odor from the hot water system is not a service problem and many water
supplies contain sufficient amounts of sulphur to produce an odor. The odor is
similar to rotten eggs and is often referred to as "sulphur water". It is not
harmful - only unpleasant to smell. Sulphur water can be caused by a chemical
action or by bacteria. The solution to eliminate is chlorination of the water
system. Add about six (6) ounces of chlorinated common household liquid
bleach to each 10 gallons in the water tank. Then run the chlorinated water
throughout the system."

The above problem is typically seen with units in storage, but organic material in the water can cause odors to occur even with a water heater that is in continuous service.

You might also want to remove and clean (or replace) your anode rod. Once it becomes pitted and starts to deteriorate, any bacteria or chemicals that have deposited will be difficult to clean from the pits in the anode material.

It isn't necessary to replace the anode rod, but if it can't be thoroughly cleaned because of "severe corrosion or pitting" then not doing so will likely lead to repeated problems with odor control.