Need an answer to a question about odd smell on in the water
What would cause the water when you fill your holding tank to have a sulfur smell to it. We added bleach to the tank and sterilized it before feeling it this time and it still has a rotten egg smell to it
You will need to use a more highly concentrated Bleach solution (1/2 cup bleach per 40 gallons), run through ALL your pipes and water heater till you smell bleach at each faucet, and let it soak for at least 24 hours.
Close the winterization valves! (Important step) AND TURN OFF THE AC TO THE WATER HEATER.
Drain all the bleach water out of your fresh water tank, and low point drains.
Fill fresh water tank with water and flush plumbing well (Leave the water heater isolated with the bleach solution for now.)
CAREFULLY open the outside water heater drain and drain from that. This way no sludge will get into your inside pipes.
Replace the drain plug and open the isolation valves.
Fill with fresh water before restoring AC power to the water heater.
You can add Baking Soda (not powder) if the chlorine smell in the water is not to your taste.
Hope this helps
Herk
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
The smell could be from the last fill up. You can never get all the water out of the FW tank when you drain it. If the water that was sitting in the tank has dissolved sulfur, nitrates or minerals, it will react with bacterial and create SO2. When you fill the tank next time, the incoming water will drive the SO2 out the vent. If you want to see what is going on. Fill a glass from the suspect water source. Let it sit in the camper in a dark area for a week or two. Then check to see what it grew. Many camp grounds have wells.
The smell could be from the last fill up. You can never get all the water out of the FW tank when you drain it. If the water that was sitting in the tank has dissolved sulfur, nitrates or minerals, it will react with bacterial and create SO2. When you fill the tank next time, the incoming water will drive the SO2 out the vent. If you want to see what is going on. Fill a glass from the suspect water source. Let it sit in the camper in a dark area for a week or two. Then check to see what it grew. Many camp grounds have wells.
Could be water heater. May be bacteria in there as well. Had that at home in my upstairs water heater as it was turned off for long periods of unuse. Would have to run lots of water through it to flush it out. Decidednto leave it on, problem solved. Heat killed bacteria.
If you have an anode rod in your H2O heater replace the magnum one with an aluminum one. Maganesium and sulfur have a reaction. One of your last fills of H2O probablity had sulphur in it. Please read advise below.
Very often, replacing the standard magnesium or aluminum anode rod with an aluminum/zinc alloy anode will solve the problem. The zinc is a key ingredient, since pure aluminum anodes will also reek to high heaven. Also, some people use the terms aluminum and aluminum/zinc interchangeably. It's important to be specific or you won't solve the problem.
For most folks, an aluminum/zinc anode is the cheapest fix for this problem and we suggest that you to try it first before considering the alternatives -- unless you soften your water.
Two things to try. If you have plumbing to a washer and don't use it, flush the lines occasionally. Not doing so will cause fresh water to smell. Second drain the hot water heater and fill with fresh water. I discovered I needed to drain my water heater after every trip or it caused the water to smell if I left water sitting in it for even a few days.
I had this problem and tried everything mentioned in the previous posts. I finally solved the problem by replacing the anode rod in the water heater. I now replace it regularly as well as sanitize the entire system a couple times a camping season. So far so good. I also found a second low point drain immediately under the residential refrig that I drain frequently.
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