I smell rotten eggs.

[Robert D. Bracewell]

My question is that I inspected a home today and the hot water from the kitchen smells like rotten eggs, is this an aeration problem or simply that the water heater has been sitting for a long period of time,and will it clear up on it's own. Teh waterheater is a 45 gal (electric)whirlpool and the house is 3200 s.f.

[Brian E. Kelly]

Is it on a well? If not then it is probably the water heater.






Dougs article was better.

[Doug Edwards]

Print them a copy of this and include it in your report package. Impress the thaw out of them
www.rheem.com/Documents/ResourceLibrary/TSB_Common/1206.pdf

[Joseph Hagarty, CMI]

Hydrogen Sulfide.

Well water is most likely. If a Well is the primary source, recommend further review and water conditioning as needed.

If the source is a Municipal Water supply, recommend replacement of the anode rod and/or water heater dependant upon the age of the equipment...

[John Onofrey]

Doug,

Great document. I'm sending it to my HomeHints eNews editor to do a story on in an upcoming issue. Thanks!

[Doug Edwards]

John,
Welcome. Glad to hear yer buddy is okay. Close one though.

[rwand1]

Hot water tanks supplied from a well are prone to Sulphite Reducing Bacteria. It is an anerobic bacteria which thrives in hot water. Chlorination will rid the bacteria, but eventually it will return.

[twasion]

If you are just smelling this on the hot side then most likely the anode rod in the water heater is causing it. The anode rod can be replaced with another type of material or removed completely. By removing it you will void the warrantee and may shorten the life span of the water heater.

[Brian E. Kelly]

Originally Posted by bkelly2

Is it on a well? If not then it is probably the water heater.









Dougs article was better.

Fine John, I link to an ASHI CMI and nothing.

[gporter]

Originally Posted by dedwards

Print them a copy of this and include it in your report package. Impress the thaw out of them
www.rheem.com/Documents/ResourceLibrary/TSB_Common/1206.pdf

Doug the link does not work anymore. Does anybody have it in their hard drive

[Tab M. Wilcox]

Try this one!

http://waterheating.rheem.com/Docume...ommon/1206.pdf

[Charley L. Bottger]

Guys I just experienced the very same smell on a brand new electric water heater that I had installed in my elderly sisters home. She went to Montana over Xmas and I was looking after the home. I entered the home approximately 1 week after no one had been using the hot water and I opened a hot water faucet and the smell was so bad I almost puked It would have ran a bulldog off of a gut wagon. The smell goes away after running water for a while. I do not have a clue as why the smell this home is on rural water treated with chlorine but it is supplied from numerous wells and then pumped to a water tower for
distribution.

[rwand1]

Charley

I believe what the water source contains is a sulphite reducing bacteria thrives in an anerobic state. A hot water heater is an ideal host. As such the hot water will give off sulphur/rotten egg smell. As you mention chlorination is a solution. But it will revently come back fwiw.

[phinsperger]

If the water heater has been treated with chlorine and there is a UV light on the incoming supply, won't this prevent the bacteria from coming back as opposed to a continuous chlorine feeder?

[Charley L. Bottger]

Originally Posted by rwand1

Charley

I believe what the water source contains is a sulphite reducing bacteria thrives in an anerobic state. A hot water heater is an ideal host. As such the hot water will give off sulphur/rotten egg smell. As you mention chlorination is a solution. But it will revently come back fwiw.

Da Me
I just read the post above to Rheem and my light came on. H2S He!! I have smelled it all of my life. I must have had my head in some dark hole. I worked in a refinery for 22 years and smelled it every day??? I just did a search on H2S and yes it does occur naturally in water heaters and can be treated with Bleach as indicated in the article by Rheem

I once observed a picture on the web that was taken in a Military housing Div where the front door of a dishwasher had been blown off by an exposion that some engineer had determined was caused by excessive buildup in the hot water line with H2S from the water not being used in a vacant house and when the military inspector tried to operate the dishwasher he just turned the unit on and it exploded. The military posted a article advising all inspectors to first run the hot water into the sink before starting the dishwasher if the home had been vacant for an extended period.

I don't know how true this article was but I just remember reading it and seeing the picture and it stuck with me as I always run the hot water on a vacant home before I start the dishwasher.