Jim Rooney On The Level

Q. My house is on well water and I have a water conditioner. I recently replaced my water heater which was 35 years old. Ever since I replaced the old water heater the new one has been putting out a horrible sulfur smell. The old heater never had this problem. I have been told that all new heaters contain an element that causes this smell on well water. Is there anything I can do to get rid of this odor?

A. Wow-- a 35 year service life for a water heater on well water. That’s close to a record. Water heaters on average are listed as having from 7 to 12 years of service life. Well water has a reputation for being hard on water heaters. I routinely see them last longer, depending upon water quality. Municipal water supplies around here are very kind to plumbing fixtures in general and water heaters specifically however when I see a water heater at or above age 20 I recommend replacement be considered almost immediately. Water heaters age from the inside out so you can’t really see them going bad and since they are a large vessel of water under constant pressure of about 55 to 75 PSI they can fail precipitously. You don’t want the experience of going near the water heater only to find yourself wading in warm water.

The element you’ve been told is the culprit is the anode rod and is placed in the tank to act as a sacrificial metal to protect the rest of the tank, working much like the zincs put on boats and wire crab traps to slow down the inevitable water degradation of the ferrous metals. Since your old water heater was 35 years old and I can tell that you probably weren't aware about either the presence or function of the anode, the old anode had probably worn completely away and the new water heater presented a shiny new magnesium source from which the odor could generate.

The odor itself is the product of bacteria that get into the tank called sulfate-reducing bacteria which convert naturally occurring sulfate and other sulfur compounds to hydrogen sulfide gas-- the smell. Since you’ve isolated the source as the water heater, it’s not the well water as a whole which can sometimes happen but the water heater alone.

So what to do? There used to be an old saying about stinky hot water that if the water heater has an anode rod, remove it; and if it doesn’t have an anode, add one. Pulling an anode rod out of any water heater-- or adding or replacing one-- can be quite a chore depending upon the amount of free space above the water heater that you have. Anode rods don’t like to be bent. That’s a job that potentially entails emptying the water heater, disconnecting the pipes and the wiring in order to tilt it on its side to get the job done. Also, with such a new water heater, removing the anode will void the warranty so let’s try something else.

Some recommend shocking the water supply with bleach to kill the bacteria and that too can be a pain in the neck to do. The first thing I recommend to do, and the simplest, is to turn the thermostats at the heating elements up to 160ºF and leave it up that hot overnight. That will usually do the trick. But if you do that make sure everyone in the house is either gone or well warned about the sudden increase in hot water temperature. The normal water heater element setting these days is 120ºF and all sorts of living organisms can thrive in water that relatively cool. If you are uncomfortable opening the heating element plates on the side of the water heater to turn them up-- and you must do both-- call a plumber.

If you’re going to spend the money bringing the plumber back, you might also consider adding a UVC sanitizer to your water supply just past the pressure tank which the plumber can do. That will kill 99.9% of the bacteria that passes it and once the water heater tank’s bacteria have been killed off will prevent a reinfection. They cost about $400. and are in my opinion money well spent.

Keep the mail coming. If you've got a question, tip, or comment let me know. Write "On The Level," c/o The Capital, P.O. Box 3407, Annapolis, MD 21403 or e-mail me at jimrooney@jimrooneyonthelevel.com or inspektor@aol.com.