Smelly water?

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>>1137155
oops, hopefully this fixed the image.

What does it smell like?

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>>1137161
Honestly I couldn't tell you. I've read that it could be hydrogen sulfide, in which case it would smell like rotten eggs. But it doesn't smell like rotten eggs exactly. It definitely smells bad, but apparently not even everyone can smell it. So the ability to smell whatever it is may be genetic. Maybe its just a very slight rotten egg smell?

>>1137155
Have you tried emptying it out ?

Certain types of metal give off a really peculiar odor when oxidized. It may sou d weird but, have you ever played a guitar with some really old oxidized strings? If it smells like that maybe something is happening inside to trigger a reaction of some sorts. I'm not a plumber so I have no idea, just trying to zero in on the problem for the more helpful lot.

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This is the text on the sticker in this >>1137163 image.

>>1137164
not yet

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If anyone can find the sacrificial anode in any of these images please let me know. I don't really know anything about water heaters, but aren't all the gas ones supposed to have a sacrificial anode?

>>1137164
yeah, try emptying it out. open the valve fully, maybe theres quite a bit of sediment in there.

i have an electric so i take out the element and use a shop vac to get out (pounds) of sediment every year.

also the anode should be at the top, maybe under a plastic cap.

Also have your water tested for contamination. Get a whole house filter after that based on results.

>>1137178
How do I get it tested exactly? I called the city but they don't seem to know what to do.

>>1137176
Can you point at the valves i should turn in the pictures I uploaded? Also the anode should be in there somewhere as well, but I can't find it.

>>1137183
Google "residential water testing kits"

>>1137187
There's a bunch of different types of tests apparently. What should I be testing for?

>>1137190
I would ask them, but it tends to be organic compounds or sulfur based items.

>>1137191
ask who?

It's bacteria in your water. You need to change your anode.

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/wells/waterquality/hydrosulfide.html

>>1137174
>If anyone can find the sacrificial anode in any of these images please let me know. I don't really know anything about water heaters, but aren't all the gas ones supposed to have a sacrificial anode?


Anode is usually at the top, you'll need to remove the top plate. Make sure you depressurize it before you unscrew it.

>>1137202
So theres an anode if i remove the top plate? How do I depressurize it?

>>1137199
OFFS , find a testing company and contact them. Describe your issue and have tests performed based on the suspected problem.

>>1137203
No offense but I think this issue exceeds your DIY IQ. Call a plumber.

>>1137204
What's OFFS stand for?

>>1137213
Oh for fuck's sake

>>1137216

you're so rude! what's it mean>?

>>1137217
Lol! Not rude, just honest. You seem like you would hurt yourself or flood your home...

WTFLRIH? (Who the fuck let reddit in here?)

>>1137174

Anode is inside the water heater.

>>1137155
Legionella/other bacteria contamination could be cause. Try to heat up to 80C° to kill em

I think I know what you mean.

Its not like rotten eggs but its kinda musty/foosty smelling, like wet muddy shoes that havent fully dried in a cupboard.

Personally I would change the heating rods. I think the rods can cause that smell after time.

I would then drain the system multiple times, keeping the heat up to the highest as that can kill off some bacteria if thats a problem.

On the top of your tank there is a little rod, pull it out. Replace with an aluminum zinc rod.

>>1137356
I'm guessing I have to remove the top to find it?

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There is a whole lot of WTF going on with your tank. Plenty of signs of past/current leaks, galvanic corrosion and the hot mess connected into your tank drain which I don't understand

I work in a sour crude refinery, tons of h2s. You'd know it, it smells more like rank farts than anything. No mistaking it.

Could be bacteria, change the anode. Could be oxidized metal, change your water heater. Your heater looks old anyways, replace it before the bottom gives out and floods everything if it is the metal rotting away

>>1137200
>It's bacteria in your water.

Yes, specifically bacteria that produce hydrogen sulfide from sulfur in the water. They're harmless, but yeah, it smells. Much more common in hot water lines than cold, but can happen in either.
>You need to change your anode.
Has nothing to do with it.

You need to remove the sulfur from the source water. If you've got alkaline water, an aeration system will work. If it's neutral or acidic, you'll need a peroxide injection system.

>>1137371
[assuming of course it's sulfur, but that's just about the only thing in water that smells. At least at concentrations that would not have killed you or made you sick already anyway]
Like others said, go test your fucking water. Any place that specializes in water treatment or home inspection will do it.

I forgot to mention, the smell persists even after distilling the water.

>>1137366
yeah wtf is that

i thought the electrical thing was a inline pump so drain water drain higher, but it seems to go to a cold water spigot...

>>1137384
circulation pump so that the water in the line is always hot
valves on each side for when you need to take it off/apart to replace parts.
Is the recirc pump working, or is there a line full of standing water?

And on your heater, I think that one has the anode attached to one of the nipples coming out the top. It might be part of the dip tube on the cold side, or on its own on the hot side.

You have a recirc pump, so there is a lil more maintenance needed on occasion.
open the drain with a hose attached while the recirc pump is running and see that the water looks like.
Also, since your recirc returns into the low end of the tank, sediment is contantly gettting stirred up, since water is returning into the heater near the bottom of the tank

I also forgot to add that the smell is a gas that diffuses into the atmosphere. When the smelly water is left to air out, the smell is removed, but if you trap the water in a bottle, the smell persists for days.

>>1137168
This

It's probably just rust or zinc or something OP

>>1137410
Which must confirm the bacteria theory. How else could a gas be infused into the water if it were running through a water heater?

We have the hydrogen sulfide smell in water. Had it anyway. We have a stylie water purification system with hydrogen peroxide and a couple filtration units. Either live with it or have purification system installed. We tried the anode swaps and hot water draining and cleaning - didn't work.

>>1137459
isnt hydrogen sulfide toxic?

>>1137155
Do you get your water from a well? Your septic tank might be leaking and going into your potable water. You're drinking poo water.

>>1137169
I just bought a new house and had that same shit happen.

Drained the mofo out and it smelled normal after like 3 hours.

>>1137155

Main thing would probably be the sacrificial Anode. Its either in the top or in one of the lines in the water heater. If the water heater is older it could be the the lining is cracked or corroded. Don't ever flush a water heater that is over 2 years old that was never flushed regularly before(every 4 to 6 months). If you flush an older water heater that was never flushed routinely the water heater will most likely split and leak. When you install a new water heater you also want to make sure to properly ground the hot and cold water lines on the waterheater to prevent electrolysis taking place inside the tank.

>>1137494
Yes, but the concentrations you can smell it at are orders of magnitude smaller than the concentrations where it gets dangerous. Worked in a chem lab, smelled like hell because of the shit. The point where you knew to get out and breathe some fresh air was when you stopped smelling it, because when you're exposed to higher concentrations for some time you stop noticing it.

corroded gal pipes bruh upgrade to copper asap son gg no re yt. plumber

>>1137403

thats supposedly a COLD water line. why the fuck would it have a circulating pump? the hot water exits at the top... where its hotter.

>>1137496

OP stated only HOT water smells not cold
this is not the problem. you are fucking retarded

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Replace waterheater. You probably have gunk built up.

>>1137163
That "rotten egg smell" advice that crops up is all but useless as I'd wager less than 1% of people have ever smelled a rotten egg.

>>1137876
It's a return line
hot line goes all the way to the other end of the house, with all fixtures along the way. Then after the last fixture, instead of ending, the line returns the unused water back to the tank to be reheated

Normally you open the hot on a faucet and it takes a bit because the water in the line has cooled down. The pump makes it so the water never stops moving, and the pipe is always full of water fresh from the water heater.

You return the cooled water back into the bottom of the tank, so it gets reheated before going out through the top again.

That is not a "cold" water line, it's a return line to the pump. the water flows towards the tank from the pump. it's using the hole for the drain as the return for the pump, while still leaving a boiler drain there to drain the system.

And, btw, the cold side of the water heater has what's called a dip tube, basically a pipe from the top of the water heater down to the bottom, so that incoming cold water goes down to the bottom where the burner is, so that it is heated before rising to the top.

>>1137155
time to change your water heater. upgrade to a high efficiency or tankless. and remove all the galvanized pipe to and from it. and that bullshit drain pump nonsense. fucking amateur hour over here

>>1137927
$1200 continuous duty circulation pump providing instant hot water throughout house
>bullshit drain pump
?

also, don't know last time you bought a water heater, but they still come with galvanized nipples

>>1137155
My hot water sometimes smells too. Sweat I wanna say? Not sure.
I rent, and I had the heater replaced once already when it sprung a leak. Smelled before, and with the new heater. It comes and goes, stays for a day or so, then goes away for a few weeks.
We have quality city water, cold water doesnt smell, or taste bad.
But cold water may smell less or not at all because its less aromatic.

OP, if you have not yet, turn off the tank, turn off the water into it, drain it, and then turn the water back on, keep it trained, and let it stir up the sediment, and drain that away until you get clear water coming out.
I dont know if they make addictive to clean heater tanks, but come CLR could help.

>>1137155
the anode rod is connected to the hot side nipple.replace the magnesium anode with an aluminum one.that will take care of the odor.

Thanks for all the answers, everyone. >>1137900 is correct. I forgot to mention the house has a recirculating hot water system. Unfortunately I've been too busy to mess with it lately but I'll see what I can do.

>>1137371
>>You need to change your anode.
>Has nothing to do with it.

"A water heater can provide an ideal environment for the conversion of sulfate to hydrogen sulfide gas. The water heater can produce hydrogen sulfide gas in two ways - creating a warm environment where sulfur bacteria can live, and sustaining a reaction between sulfate in the water and the water heater anode. A water heater usually contains a metal rod called an "anode," which is installed to reduce corrosion of the water heater tank. The anode is usually made of magnesium metal, which can supply electrons that aid in the conversion of sulfate to hydrogen sulfide gas. The anode is 1/2 to 3/4 inches in diameter and 30 to 40 inches long. "

As someone who has dealt with this problem AND solved it by changing their anode to an aluminum anode, I can safely say, go fuck yourself.

If it is a sulfur smell that is only coming from your hot water, this is the best and easiest bet.

Had the same problem here. It's fairly common if you're running off of well water.

Since it's hot water side only that's going to be the anode 95% of the time.

Pull your anode rod first to confirm that it fixes your problem before you go out and buy a zinc-aluminum anode rod.

Also hot water heaters are some of the simplest devices on the planet. It's not really rocket science here.