Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Fleet | Keystone RV Models > Fifth Wheels
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 06-06-2021, 04:28 PM   #1
hylasw
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Hurricane
Posts: 40
Hot water heater smells like rotten eggs how to fix it ?

Hi,
I have a 2012 High Country Cougar with a 6 gallon RV hot water heater when we turn on hot water it smells like rotten eggs How do you fix it I do have a hose for winterize camper can I run vinegar through that ?
hylasw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-2021, 04:43 PM   #2
chuckster57
Site Team
 
chuckster57's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,235
I would drain the water heater, flush it out real good and check the water supply for contamination.
__________________

2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.

Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
chuckster57 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-2021, 04:46 PM   #3
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,841
There is a procedure in the water heater owner's manual explaining why that happens and how to eliminate the smell. Essentially, it's a buildup of organic material (bacteria) that process hydrogen into hydrogen sulfide. Kill the bacteria and you eliminate the problem.

Here's the "copy and paste" from 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, opening each faucet one at a time until you smell the chlorine. Let the RV sit for a few days and the chlorine should take care of the problem . Then you will need to take care of the chlorine. Rem ove the chlorine by flushing the system with fresh water. This may take several attempts. You may consider adding a filtering system that removes chlorine and prevents sulphur water. If the sulphur or rotten egg smell continues, flush the system once again as described above and replace anode rod as necessary."
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-2021, 04:47 PM   #4
flybouy
Site Team
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Joppa, MD
Posts: 11,714
Quote:
Originally Posted by hylasw View Post
Hi,
I have a 2012 High Country Cougar with a 6 gallon RV hot water heater when we turn on hot water it smells like rotten eggs How do you fix it I do have a hose for winterize camper can I run vinegar through that ?
Turn it off, let it cool down, then remove the electrode or plug and drain it. Then replace the electrode or drain plug and add some bleach to the fresh water tank, about a 1/4 cup for every 5 gals of water. Run that through the all the fuacets then follow with freah water until the bleach smell dissipates.
__________________
Marshall
2012 Laredo 303 TG
2010 F250 LT Super Cab, long bed, 4X4, 6.4 Turbo Diesel
flybouy is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2021, 11:18 AM   #5
Oldgreymayor
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2021
Location: Mesa
Posts: 5
I have a sulfur smell that only occurs when I run the kitchen hot water faucet. Not any other faucet or shower in bathroom. I’ve drained and sanitized my water heater twice and put in new anode. Can the faucet be the cause?
Oldgreymayor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2021, 11:28 AM   #6
wiredgeorge
Senior Member
 
wiredgeorge's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Mico, TX
Posts: 7,392
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldgreymayor View Post
I have a sulfur smell that only occurs when I run the kitchen hot water faucet. Not any other faucet or shower in bathroom. I’ve drained and sanitized my water heater twice and put in new anode. Can the faucet be the cause?

Could be your water supply has quite a bit of sulpher and heating makes the water stink. This can happen to us country folks with sulpher wells. Find you a good water filter for the city water inlet and give that a shot.
__________________
wiredgeorge Mico TX
2006 F350 CC 4WD 6.0L
2002 Keystone Cougar 278
2006 GL1800 Roadsmith Trike
wiredgeorge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2021, 12:21 PM   #7
flybouy
Site Team
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Joppa, MD
Posts: 11,714
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldgreymayor View Post
I have a sulfur smell that only occurs when I run the kitchen hot water faucet. Not any other faucet or shower in bathroom. I’ve drained and sanitized my water heater twice and put in new anode. Can the faucet be the cause?
Have you sanitized the water lines from the WH to the faucet?
__________________
Marshall
2012 Laredo 303 TG
2010 F250 LT Super Cab, long bed, 4X4, 6.4 Turbo Diesel
flybouy is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2021, 01:59 PM   #8
Javi
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Waco, Tx
Posts: 5,456
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldgreymayor View Post
I have a sulfur smell that only occurs when I run the kitchen hot water faucet. Not any other faucet or shower in bathroom. I’ve drained and sanitized my water heater twice and put in new anode. Can the faucet be the cause?
Under the sink..
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Studor (2).jpg
Views:	86
Size:	53.2 KB
ID:	37469  
Javi is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2021, 03:00 PM   #9
snoobler
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Mesa
Posts: 176
I "shock" my water supply via:

https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and...drinking-water

"Granular calcium hypochlorite. The first step is to make a chlorine solution that you will use to disinfect your water. For your safety, do it in a ventilated area and wear eye protection. Add one heaping teaspoon (approximately ¼ ounce) of high-test granular calcium hypochlorite (HTH) to two gallons of water and stir until the particles have dissolved. The mixture will produce a chlorine solution of approximately 500 milligrams per liter. To disinfect water, add one part of the chlorine solution to each 100 parts of water you are treating. This is about the same as adding 1 pint (16 ounces) of the chlorine solution to 12.5 gallons of water. If the chlorine taste is too strong, pour the water from one clean container to another and let it stand for a few hours before use. CAUTION: HTH is a very powerful oxidant. Follow the instructions on the label for safe handling and storage of this chemical."

If I did my math right, 1 heaping tablespoon (3tsp) is a bit more than they recommend and enough to treat our water tank (separate from 5th wheel). There is a very noticeable chlorine smell. I then fill the entire RV with fresh water from this tank and run it through all the lines/fixtures. I tend to do this about twice per year as that's about how often we have to sanitize the tanks.

This takes care of the water heater stink, and the chlorine dissipates fairly quickly. It's hardly noticeable after a few days, and we filter anything we drink.
snoobler is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
heat, heater, hot water heater, water, water heater

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 02:09 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.