Community Forums

Digger29 · 04-08-2020, 03:23 PM

Hi, I brought our coach home from winter storage 2 1/2 wks and I un-winterized it the way have it always done it and everything was fine until today when I went out there with my little guy. I was washing my hands and I was getting a rotten egg smell from the hot water and only the hot water. The smell went away if I switched over to the cold and then would come right back when I switched back to the hot. We've been out here multiple times hanging out and cleaning things and we've run quite a bit of water and in the 2 wks since it's been back home and there was no odor until today. I'm confused. Any thoughts on why this is happening guys?

hayward3411 · 04-08-2020, 03:32 PM

You need to flush out your hot water heater, use the wand that's made for flushing it out.

Old Scout · 04-08-2020, 03:36 PM

….some makes of water heaters have anode [sacrifice] rods, others don't...if yours has a rod, it should be checked annually and replace when/if consumed.....good to drain and flush WH annual anyway....some fill the WH with anti-freeze vs using by-pass valve[s] to winterize--by-pass method is probably better....anyway, rod tends to collect some "slim" that need to be removed during annual inspection....

be-happy · 04-09-2020, 10:33 AM

X2 Hayward

When I went to one campground it seemed I always got the rotten egg smell. I have not idea why as it was just this campground. The only way to stop it was to drain the water heater and flush using the wand.

sibe · 04-09-2020, 10:36 AM

this can happen from a micro organism, it likes certain metallic reactions.. I add a ounce or two of chlorine to freeh water now and then.. well water is what does it..

Digger29 · 04-09-2020, 10:58 AM

Thanks for the quick replies everyone. I typed it in a search on this site and I guess based on all the postings on it this is a VERY common problem. This is our 3rd coach and it's never happened to us before. I'm sanitizing the entire system right now, I actually put the chlorine in yesterday afternoon and will be going out later on today to give it a solid 24hrs and will then flush the entire water system and the hot water heater. It doesn't have an anode. I do have the flushing wand so I'll flush the hot water heater with it while draining the remaining water from the coach. Thank you again because you guys are the best!!

hayward3411 · 04-09-2020, 12:46 PM

Mike, invest in a flushing wand, it's about $10.00 or so. The wand will loosen all the crud built up in the bottom of the water heater, below the drain. You will be shocked how much stuff is down there. This process cleared up my problem.

Good luck......Earl

Digger29 · 04-09-2020, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hayward3411

Mike, invest in a flushing wand, it's about $10.00 or so. The wand will loosen all the crud built up in the bottom of the water heater, below the drain. You will be shocked how much stuff is down there. This process cleared up my problem.

Good luck......Earl

I have a wand :-) I flushed everything and refilled the water and let the hot water heater tank heat up and ran the water just now and no more rotten egg smell! Thank God or I should say thanks guys for the help....

Old-Biscuit · 04-09-2020, 05:01 PM

Simple way to flush water heater is to remove the drain plug then turn water source ON.....FULL Blast

Cold water inlet 'dip' tube points downward so as full force water comes in it will stir up scrud/sdiment on bottom of tank and force it out the drain hole.

Wand stuck thru drain hole blocks the drain hole....especially on an Atwood which has a 1/2" drain hole.

**CLIFFTALL** · 04-09-2020, 05:27 PM

Don’t forget to turn off breaker

bigfeather2 · 09-12-2021, 01:37 AM

The drain plug for the hot water tank IS the anode! The odor is ZINC melting away as it is supposed to...but the drain plug is supposed to have the anode made onto the plug. You buy the whole thing as a replacement.

DT4452 · 05-18-2022, 01:57 AM

I had the same smell when I first filled the water this spring, flushed the hot water tank but the smell came back. I had a plastic drain plug in the Atwood water heater and couldn’t find a sacrificial rod on it. After reading up on the subject, it seems that the smell can come from aluminum or magnesium rods but not the zinc rods. I got 1/2 inch zinc rods from Amazon and put one as the drain plug, that solved the problem.

carybosse · 05-18-2022, 07:06 AM

Are all of the drain plugs with the anode the same pipe size? Do I need to know anything special or can I just purchase one?

I do think the next time I have my trailer up at the house, I am going to hook up the water and flush the hot water tank a bit. The anode looks pretty crust even with my minimal use.

I camped at a site in Oklahoma a few years ago, the rotten egg smell from the water the campsite provided had such a strong rotten egg smell, I would never have hooked up a water line to it. Even their restrooms smelled of it. I opted for no shower, had trouble just using their toilets.

TXiceman · 05-18-2022, 07:47 AM

Only the Suburban water heated take a anode rod. Atwood does not and it is useless to put an anode in a non-anode unit. All to many RVers do not know to flush the water heater annually as a minimum...maybe more often depending on the water quality.

When flushing the water heater, be sure and shut off the electric element at the breaker and as a backup at the switch. Also shut off the gas switch as well.

Ken