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Old 09-19-2018, 08:45 PM   #1
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Stinky Hot Water

We have used our "used" Kodiak twice now and both trips we get really foul smelling hot water.
The cold water is ok but when we turn on the hot there is a bad Oder.
Wondering if the HW tank needs maintenance (Anode) ?
Any help please..

Thank you

Steve W.
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Old 09-19-2018, 08:47 PM   #2
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You are probably leaving water in your tank. Drain it every time and that ammonia smell should stop. you may want to check to see if your anode is ok also.
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Old 09-19-2018, 08:58 PM   #3
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Thank you. Where will the drain be located ?
Trailer is three years old and I didnt think the tank should go bad that fast.

Steve W.
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Old 09-19-2018, 09:17 PM   #4
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Which hot water heater do you have? Usually it is a plug near the bottom of the heater. Sometimes, the plug is attached to the anode. Knowing which hot water heater you have will help.



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Old 09-19-2018, 09:52 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steve weston View Post
Thank you. Where will the drain be located ?
Trailer is three years old and I didnt think the tank should go bad that fast.

Steve W.
He didn't say the tank was bad... he said the water that was left in there may be. It calcifies, and the anode (if there is one) may be corroded and needs replacing.

Bottom line.. if the camper hasn't ben used in awhile, and no one drained the tank after the last use... you probably just got some stanky water.
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Old 09-19-2018, 10:01 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by ATCguy View Post
He didn't say the tank was bad... he said the water that was left in there may be. It calcifies, and the anode (if there is one) may be corroded and needs replacing.

Bottom line.. if the camper hasn't ben used in awhile, and no one drained the tank after the last use... you probably just got some stanky water.
almost forgot, get a compressor and blow out the lines, that will help some. and yeah, ATC is correct, the tank is probably OK. You are just leaving the water in there and not draining it.
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Old 09-26-2018, 08:58 PM   #7
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It is quite possible that the previous owners had let RV Antifreeze get into the water heater tank. This will definitely cause foul smelling water. Check to see if a water heater bypass is installed, and use it when winterizing.



Another cause is the water itself. High iron content water can contain concentrations of manganese and sulfur, and this too can cause stinky water. The manganese and sulfur interacts with the anode material, and gives off an odor.



What you will want to do is pour bleach in the FWT and fill with water to a half tank. Flush all the lines until you smell bleach, especially the faucet furthest from the water heater, this will let you know that tank is full of bleached water. Let it set for a day, then drain everything and fill the FWT with water. If you have an outdoor shower, flush the lines with that so you don't fill the gray tanks. Keep flushing until you no longer smell bleach. You may need to fill and drain the FWT a couple times before the smell goes away.


Doing this will not only clean the water heater tank, but disinfect all the lines too, which is recommended to be done occasionally.



I have an electric tank for my kitchen and ran into this problem. If the water softener ran out of salt, then iron water would get in the heater and stink up the place. I wound up installing a filter housing in the cold water line before the heater to clean the tank when it happened. I would pull the housing off, fill it half full of bleach, put it on and let the water run in the kitchen until I smelled bleach. Problem solved.
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