Stinky hot water again!

DixyDoodle · #1 02/08/08, 05:31 AM

Maybe some of you will recall my asking about how to deal with smelly well water not caused by any outside forms of contamination? We had our water tested numberous times and it's fine in that respect.

Well, step #1 in resolving the issue, we tried shocking the whole well. Did a good job while it lasted---a whole week or two maybe. We've narrowed it down to being something in the hot water tank as the smell does not occur with cold water.

Next step: we replaced the anode, which was horribly degraded and covered in deposits (we have since also put a water softener in). No change in water smell. Still there and skanky as ever.

Step #3, we drained the tank, filled it with a bleach mix as per the plumber's instructions......thought we had a winner there, great smelling water for almost 2 months.

And now it's back again! I wonder if doing the tank over one more time will do the trick? Someone also suggested raising the water temperature. Does the temperature have to stay at this forever, or just a few days, or what? I hate the idea of having scalding hot water with kids here, and also, need I say, not very cost effective. What temperature would you recommend and for how long? Should we raise the temperature several times over the year and then drop it back as a preventative?

What we are planning: shock out the hot water tank again, and then reset the temp as higher for a day or two.

Your thoughts?

Shagbarkmtcatle · #2 02/08/08, 05:45 AM

Remove the anode rod altogether. Pull it out,cut the rod off and stick the plug back in. You do not need the rod. This should take care of your problem, it's a normal problem in our area. We have a plumbing business and this is how we take care of this problem.
The minerals in your water are rotting the rod. You could also chlorinate the water heater when you remove the rod to get faster results. But do not put in a new rod.

elkhound · #3 02/08/08, 05:53 AM

are you sure you dont have some sulfur water leaking into your well.??? this will cause a bad odor also.there is some kind of system that will take it out if it is.does it smell like rotten eggs.??just a thought?????????

MELOC · #4 02/08/08, 07:49 AM

my guess is it's the well. have you had lots of rain after you shocked the well? i bet it is in the well water and perhaps it has a chance to grow when the temperature increases in the water heater tank. as a rule of thumb, 40 degrees F to 140 degrees F is the danger zone where things we don't like tend to grow on things we do. maybe increasing the heater temp would help, but i doubt you are able to shock the well clean permanently, so i guess if turning the heater up works, it would have to be permanent. maybe you should consider getting an ultraviolet water purifier and a good filter...maybe a carbon filter.

debd0712 · #5 02/08/08, 07:57 AM

I second removing the anode rod. I had the same problem once with a house I had in northern IL. Once the rod was removed (I did bleach the HWH) the odor was gone. It is certainly easy to try.

Debbie

debd0712 · #6 02/08/08, 08:00 AM

I second removing the anode rod. I had the same problem once with a house I had in northern IL after replacing the HWH. I called the manufacturer and they told me to remove the anode rod, that it should not be used with well water. Once the rod was removed (I did bleach the HWH) the odor was gone. It is certainly easy to try.

Debbie

**Cabin Fever** · #7 02/08/08, 12:26 PM

Shagbarkmtcatle has given you real good advice. If you want to learn more about your problem and its solution go to this webpage sponsored by the Minnesota Dept. of Health: Hydrogen Sulfide and Hot Water Heaters

RiverPines · #8 02/08/08, 12:50 PM

Can some please explain what an anode rod is?
I never heard of this type of prob nor of an anode rod.
I find this interesting and good for that future reference info, if I ever have a similar prob.

morrowsmowers · #9 02/08/08, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RiverPines

Can some please explain what an anode rod is?
I never heard of this type of prob nor of an anode rod.
I find this interesting and good for that future reference info, if I ever have a similar prob.

The anode rod is also called a sacrificial anode. It is a metal rod that is suspended down into the hot water heater. The idea is that the electrolitic reaction that occurs between water and metals will eat away at the rod and not the heater tank and its piping. I would expect that if you remove the rod your life span of the tank will be greatly decreased.

Ken in Glassboro, NJ

RiverPines · #10 02/09/08, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by morrowsmowers

The anode rod is also called a sacrificial anode. It is a metal rod that is suspended down into the hot water heater. The idea is that the electrolitic reaction that occurs between water and metals will eat away at the rod and not the heater tank and its piping. I would expect that if you remove the rod your life span of the tank will be greatly decreased.

Ken in Glassboro, NJ

Thank you.

unregistered29228 · #11 02/09/08, 12:09 PM

My inlaws are on a well in Ohio, and had sulphur smelling water. Their whole house smelled bad, and they tried all the things others have suggested. Finally they raised the temperature in the hot water tank, it all went away. I know the original poster is worried about scalding her children, and wasting energy, but that was the only thing that fixed the problem for them.

DixyDoodle · #12 02/09/08, 02:14 PM

Quote:

are you sure you dont have some sulfur water leaking into your well.???

Quote:

my guess is it's the well. have you had lots of rain after you shocked the well?

Nope, the well was tested by the plumber when he was here before. He suggested changing the anode. We have been here for several years; it's only in the last, what, 4 months we've had a problem. After doing that, the smell went away, but only for a few weeks maybe.

And the water problem ONLY occurs with HOT water use. The cold water is sweet smelling and fine, which suggests the problem is not the well.

What the plumber suggested: turning the water heat up for a bit. Apparently, the possible bacteria offender does not do well under high heat, and any remaining buggies left over from our bleach attempt should be killed off. We'll see! I will also ask him about removing the anode, but I really don't want to be replacing a tank every couple of years.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Rocky Fields · #13 02/09/08, 02:34 PM

Hey.

I wouldn't drink that water until it's analyzed.

Do you have plastic piping?

Any chance of the septic system waste getting into your ground water?

Actually, bacteria will reproduce faster in warm water than cold water. It has to be hot enough to kill them.

RF

DixyDoodle · #14 02/09/08, 04:53 PM

We've had our water checked three times, it's absolutely normal, no coliform or anything. I don't like drinking well water though. I'll stick to the cooler, thanks. One smell of well water and I'm off it for life.

**Cabin Fever** · #15 02/09/08, 06:00 PM

You don't need to have the water analyzed to determine what is causing this problem. What is causing this problem are sulfates. The sulfates are converted to sulfides...specifically, hydrogen sulfide....in the HW heater. This is not an issue about toxicity.

Shagbarkmtcatle · #16 02/09/08, 06:40 PM

The reason why you have stinkin hot water is because your anode rod is actually rotting in the hot water heater because it's dissolving too fast because of the chemical reaction -minerals- in your water. Your water heater will not last any less of amount of time noticably, then if you kept the rod in it.
Water heater life is unpredictable because most water heater tanks are made from recycled metal. Therefore you may have a sandpit in your brand new tank and it won't last as long as your neighbors. So remove the rod if you do not want stinky hot water. It's a cheap fix and a good fix. We deal with this problem on a regular basis. After twenty years of being in business we should have heard back from some customers if this didn't fix their problem.
There is a special rod you can buy to replace this rod, we have never used it but they are supposed to not be attached by the minerals as fast so they last longer. Cant' really verify that though.
If you had sulphor water problems then it would be in your cold water too. But heating the water will make it more noticeable if you have sulphor in your water. There is a sulphor test that any plumber can perform at your house when the water is drawn .