New water heater- sulphur smell

[goaliedad]

Had a water conditioner installed, and put in a new water heater about 6 weeks ago. Now I have a sulphur smell in the hot water

Talked to water conditioner guy- he said to chlorinate the water heater and not put the anode back in. He is saying the new anodes are a real problem

Your thoughts?

[Large Wooden Badger]

when i was a kid we always sawed off the anode for the smell.  We had really hard water.

[blackhat]

I’d like to hear his reasoning. Magnesium anodes can react with some semi common water contaminates and produce a sulfer smell. Not sure how that relates to a new softener unless it replaced a different class of machine. The old heater may have had an aluminum anode and the new has magnesium. An aluminum anode or no anode will likely clear the smell but it’s odd it appeared now.

[goaliedad]

Previously we had no Softner. Water was hard with lots of iron staining.
The water heater I replaced was older than dirt. I assume the anode was totally gone.
I am going to chlorinate the water heater and replace the anode with an aluminum one.
I appreciate your insight

[frule]

(04-07-2021, 12:29 PM)goaliedad Wrote: Had a water conditioner installed, and put in a new water heater about 6 weeks ago. Now I have a sulphur smell in the hot water

Talked to water conditioner guy- he said to chlorinate the water heater and not put the anode back in. He is saying the new anodes are a real problem

Your thoughts?

Not having an anode rod will shorten the life of the water heater considerably. An Aluminum anode MAY work. A powered anode is a way typically used to treat the smell. And it will mean never replacing the anode...... and the longest life for the water heater.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H459TAK/?co..._lig_dp_it

[carwashguy]

i heard a guy talking about this subject on the radio a few weeks ago. He stated that operating a water heater at 120 degrees will promote bacterial growth that will produce a sulfur smell. He recommended setting the water temp to 140 to kill the bacteria. You would need to use a tempering valve to bring the usable temp to the recommended 120 or less.

i can't say that the guy is correct but you may want to investigate the subject.
FYI, I have my heat pump water heater set to 120 and have NEVER experienced a sulfur smell or any other issues that I am aware of.

[Snipe Hunter]

I've had luck with Aluminum anodes to reduce the smell. If the water conditioner is to reduce iron, maybe it isn't working or it's the wrong system. Rotten egg smell can be from bacteria eating decomposing iron in the tank. If the water treatment system is working properly, there should be very little if any iron passing into the water heater tank.

[aquaticjim]

(04-07-2021, 12:29 PM)goaliedad Wrote: Had a water conditioner installed, and put in a new water heater about 6 weeks ago. Now I have a sulphur smell in the hot water

Talked to water conditioner guy- he said to chlorinate the water heater and not put the anode back in. He is saying the new anodes are a real problem

Your thoughts?

What do you mean by water conditioner?  That is a very broad term.  Are you referring to a softener that regenerates with salt?

[Snipe Hunter]

BTW, the anode protects the water heater from corrosion. I'd look for another plumber who understands how and why things are done the way they are done. There are fixes. Voiding the water heater warranty isn't one of them.

[goaliedad]

The water conditioner is a basic salt based water Softner.
When I am here alone the smell is obvious. With my wife here, and doing laundry the smell goes away. I picked up an aluminum anode- will install it tomorrow and report back