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vjswhippet's avatar
vjswhippet
Explorer
Jun 07, 2016

Hot Water Tank Smell

This is the second time this has happened. It's only with the hot water so I assume the HW tank has something to do with it. The water coming out smells like rotten onions or something? I didn't add any bleach to my Fresh Water tank this time but it's only been a month since I took the trailer out last ... Am I supposed to drain it every time I come home from a trip ? Or is there a magic recipe for the amount of bleach to put in the FW tank every time ?

thanks for any advice
  • rbpru's avatar
    rbpru
    Explorer II
    Jun 07, 2016
    I have never been able to eliminate the odor from our hot water tank. Some water just smells worse than other when heated.

    There is no anode rod but I have flushed and drained often enough to know that does not help.

    About the only thing that did help was continuous usage. When we were on an extended vacation and using the hot water a lot, there was less odor.

    I also found that the heater get the water very hot very quick so I usually shut it down after about a half hour. The waters stays hot all day and is not being re-cooked so to speak. When it is cooled or used up it turn it on again for a bit. There is no temp adjust on our gas/electric model.

    Good luck

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