paint thinner smell around water heater???

[jdrain]

i was flushing the water heater and am noticing the smell of paint thinner.

what causes that?

it doesn't smell like gas, no rotten eggs, but i have turned off the gas to the water heater just in case

was not smelling anything coming from the hot or cold water out of the faucet either.

 

[JoShUaNyCpLuMbEr]

That could be a good thing or a bad thing.....Good because if it's actually coming from your water heater your just cleaning out debris that just accumulates within the system itself. Same thing when your cleaning out your boiler or heating system that's setup in your home.
Bad because it could possibly be a rodent...they like them some heat sometimes and if its not a constant smell then its most likely you doing a good job of keeping up with your unit!
hope the info was helpfull