Rotten Egg Smell

Hi all, I had posted quite awhile ago about the stench that was driving me nuts in the basement. First thing we had done was to change out the anode rod for one with zinc but the smell persisted. After smoke bombing to no avail and just giving up generally, we finally decided to just pull the anode rod entirely. The hot water didn't smell, but the smell was horrible OUTSIDE the tank. I am loathe to admit it, but Andy was right to start with- pulling the anode rod completely fixed it. Zinc did no good whatsoever.

jmwe29 said:

Hi all, I had posted quite awhile ago about the stench that was driving me nuts in the basement. First thing we had done was to change out the anode rod for one with zinc but the smell persisted. After smoke bombing to no avail and just giving up generally, we finally decided to just pull the anode rod entirely. The hot water didn't smell, but the smell was horrible OUTSIDE the tank. I am loathe to admit it, but Andy was right to start with- pulling the anode rod completely fixed it. Zinc did no good whatsoever.

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You need to source the origin of the smell and treat it accordingly-

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

Pulling the sacrificial anode rod entirely makes the WH sacrificial.

Your not going to replace the anode rod?

Everything I read online said that rods with zinc would fix the problem, so in spite of what my husband wanted to do, I ordered one and he replaced it. The stench continued- we dumped the water heater twice and treated with hydrogen peroxide, pulling that into the lines. I just got tired of fighting it, he pulled the rod, and the odor is gone. Replacing that rod will just start all this back up again. If the water heater rots out sooner, then that's what will have to happen. I can't deal with the odor. Zinc rods did no good whatsoever; just thought I'd post my experience with all this for future reference.

One more point- I can't figure out how that odor managed to vent into the basement- water heaters should be closed systems, but they obviously aren't.

You need to study this-

http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/pa...ooting/stinky-water-in-hot-water-heaters.html

Identifying smells...

http://www.networx.com/article/guide-to-bad-basement-smells

Thanks for all the help, folks, but I'm sure Andy is not going for the powered rod. And we sold the place anyway, so it will be someone else's problem directly. But I will save the links for future reference. Thanks again!

That could backfire. Selling a home with existing problems can come back and bite you.