Smell from hot water pipe but only until hot water comes out.

[SergeFlorida]

I have one more question about possible cause and what is the best solution to fix the problem with my hot water line. Here is some background on what was done in an effort to fix it. I bought a house with well water and septic system in Florida. I have installed water softener and chlorination system with backwashed carbon filter. The water is fine now from cold line and I do not have any issues with it. The problem comes from hot water lines in the entire house. It stinks really bad to the point until the hot water begin to flow. It takes about 30-40 second, but it is enough time to stink the entire bathroom and bedroom. The water has no smell while it is still hot but after it cools down in pipes (30-40 min) it smells again. I have replaced water heater with new unit and would like to know what else can be done to eliminate bad odor. I am thinking about adding small chlorination device prior to hot water tank but I am afraid it can cause problem to my septic system. I also did the hot lines purge with chloride and I had no problem for about 1 month then it came back again. Not sure what can be done?

 

[DonL]

What kind of water heater did you install ?

Many people take the anode out.


Good Luck on your project.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

I suggest sanitizing your plumbing better. I would even do the hot water tank. I would get some test paper and shoot for at least 50 ppm of chlorine in all parts of the system. I guess the part that I would worry about damaging from too much chlorine would be the water softener. Don't overdo that.

Perhaps you can get your water heater anode out and use opening that as a place to add more chlorine. (removal is not trivial. If you get the anode out, use teflon tape when closing and use a lot less torque than it took to remove the anode.) If you have a filter housing, that can be a good place to add chlorine. Once your pipes are clean, you might be OK. On the other hand, you might have to raise the water heater temperature to kill stuff that might pass through there.

You can use a hose outside from the water heater to get rid of most of the chlorine. But you do want to see 50 PPM from the faucets and let that sit in the pipes for a few hours or more. It may be overkill, but better longer than needed than shorter.

If your well is deep enough, I would do the well too. http://www.moravecwaterwells.com/disin_test.htm is my favorite method. If you have a shallow well, you may decide to not bother with that since the well will be getting new bacteria regularly anyway-- let the chlorinator deal with it.

 

[FullySprinklered]

Important question here: are you from Florida?

 

[SergeFlorida]

What kind of water heater did you install ?

Many people take the anode out.


Good Luck on your project.

Thank you for reply. The hot water heater is a standard 40 gal electric heater from Lowes. I checked some info about anode, but not sure if it makes significant improvements.

 

[SergeFlorida]

Important question here: are you from Florida?

yes.

 

[Reach4]

I was viewing the anode mounting hole as a possible place to introduce bleach. The job of the anode is to keep the water heater from rusting out. If you pulled the anode to put bleach in, you would also inspect and maybe replace the anode.

 

[SergeFlorida]

I suggest sanitizing your plumbing better. I would even do the hot water tank. I would get some test paper and shoot for at least 50 ppm of chlorine in all parts of the system. I guess the part that I would worry about damaging from too much chlorine would be the water softener. Don't overdo that.

Perhaps you can get your water heater anode out and use opening that as a place to add more chlorine. (removal is not trivial. If you get the anode out, use teflon tape when closing and use a lot less torque than it took to remove the anode.) If you have a filter housing, that can be a good place to add chlorine. Once your pipes are clean, you might be OK. On the other hand, you might have to raise the water heater temperature to kill stuff that might pass through there.

You can use a hose outside from the water heater to get rid of most of the chlorine. But you do want to see 50 PPM from the faucets and let that sit in the pipes for a few hours or more. It may be overkill, but better longer than needed than shorter.

If your well is deep enough, I would do the well too. http://www.moravecwaterwells.com/disin_test.htm is my favorite method. If you have a shallow well, you may decide to not bother with that since the well will be getting new bacteria regularly anyway-- let the chlorinator deal with it.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I did all that already and I had no smell from hot and cold water for about one month. The cold water still fine today but it is hot water that comes with smell. I can repeat the procedure and it will fix it for another month or so, but I am looking for more permanent solution. Plus overexposure of septic to chlorine will kill septic bacteria and can cause much more headache. I heard that stainless hot water heater or on demand heater may partially fix this problem.

 

[Reach4]

Don't know what to suggest, except maybe leaving the chlorine solution sitting in the pipes and faucet longer.

I am presuming that you are describing a musty smell rather than a sulfur smell.

 

[FullySprinklered]

yes.

When I go back to South Georgia and North Florida to visit friends and relatives I find that the sulfur water I grew up with is intolerable now. The hard, irony tasting well water here in N. Ga., I can't take that either. Wine and beer I can tolerate quite well, fortunately.
I remember hunting Easter eggs at the Okefenokee State Park in Fargo, Ga. as a child. They had spigots sticking up everywhere for the campers to use. The sulfur smell from the water would knock you down from twenty feet away when someone would use one of those spigots.
The aquifer doesn't stop at the state line, so you may be just getting what's down there. Hope it's something fixable, though. Good luck.

 

[Reach4]

If it is sulfur rather than musty smell, you could either replace the anode with a powered anode (more expensive in the short term) or you could remove the anode and just put in a plug. The powered anodes seem expensive at first, but they are not a high volume item.

You might compare notes with neighbors.

 

[SergeFlorida]

Don't know what to suggest, except maybe leaving the chlorine solution sitting in the pipes and faucet longer.

I am presuming that you are describing a musty smell rather than a sulfur smell.

It smells like swamp. It does not have very strong sulfur smell, but we did not leave water unused for long time.

 

[SergeFlorida]

If it is sulfur rather than musty smell, you could either replace the anode with a powered anode (more expensive in the short term) or you could remove the anode and just put in a plug. The powered anodes seem expensive at first, but they are not a high volume item.

You might compare notes with neighbors.

Thank you for suggestion. I am thinking about buying power anode, but want to try RUSCO SPIN DOWN FILTER before Hot water tank and use hydro peroxide to see if it can fix this issue. Also, it is safe for septic. If it does not fix the problem then I will try power anode.

 

[Reach4]

That would be unusual to put in front of the water heater. Those usually would be used for the incoming water. Spin down filters are for bigger particles like sand rather than small stuff like clay particles. A popular filter for incoming sand and silt is http://www.twistiiclean.com/

Still, it won't hurt to try in front of the water heater, but I don't see it as a way to beat the smell. However it may be a very convenient way to introduce chlorine bleach before the WH.

Speaking of water heater filtering, you might consider cleaning/flushing out your water heater. For this you would like to be able to drain the tank other than overloading your septic. I circulated water by draining the tank into a tub. Then I pumped water back around with a utility pump. Later I made pump pump via a garden hose and out a window. Turn off water to the tank, vent the tank, draining, turning on the water to the tank fully to blast stuff at the bottom of the tank can do well. I had a bunch of crud that predated my whole-house filters. I don't see that as a smell reduction thing but rather a heating efficiency thing. Plus it gets crud out of the water.

I replaced my water heater drain with a nipple and a ball valve. That gives a more open path than the plastic drain did. I could have just put nipple instead of the plastic drain valve temporarily during the flushing.

 

[SergeFlorida]

That would be unusual to put in front of the water heater. Those usually would be used for the incoming water. Spin down filters are for bigger particles like sand rather than small stuff like clay particles. A popular filter for incoming sand and silt is http://www.twistiiclean.com/

Still, it won't hurt to try in front of the water heater, but I don't see it as a way to beat the smell. However it may be a very convenient way to introduce chlorine bleach before the WH.

Speaking of water heater filtering, you might consider cleaning/flushing out your water heater. For this you would like to be able to drain the tank other than overloading your septic. I circulated water by draining the tank into a tub. Then I pumped water back around with a utility pump. Later I made pump pump via a garden hose and out a window. Turn off water to the tank, vent the tank, draining, turning on the water to the tank fully to blast stuff at the bottom of the tank can do well. I had a bunch of crud that predated my whole-house filters. I don't see that as a smell reduction thing but rather a heating efficiency thing. Plus it gets crud out of the water.

I replaced my water heater drain with a nipple and a ball valve. That gives a more open path than the plastic drain did. I could have just put nipple instead of the plastic drain valve temporarily during the flushing.

I decided to use this particular filter before water heater based on this article:
http://www.cleanwaterstore.com/technical/water-heater-odors.php
We'll go step by step.

 

[DonL]

The filter should be before the softener, not after it.

I think You are stabbing in the dark. Please Forgive me if I am wrong.

What is the PH and Softness of your water, going into the water heater ? Or Hardness. lol

Is your septic north or south of your water supply ?


Good Luck on your project.

 

[Reach4]

I decided to use this particular filter before water heater based on this article:
http://www.cleanwaterstore.com/technical/water-heater-odors.php
We'll go step by step.

Aah... http://www.cleanwaterstore.com/Rusco-Hot-Water-Spin-Down-Filter.html#item=MS010540&tab=tab1 I see now. They are suggesting this not really for use as a filter but as a way to insert hydrogen peroxide or bleach solution into the path to the water heater for a disinfection treatment. That makes some sense. However I think there would be some cheaper ways to accomplish that.

 

[DonL]

Aah... http://www.cleanwaterstore.com/Rusco-Hot-Water-Spin-Down-Filter.html#item=MS010540&tab=tab1 I see now. They are suggesting this not really for use as a filter but as a way to insert hydrogen peroxide or bleach solution into the path to the water heater for a disinfection treatment. That makes some sense. However I think there would be some cheaper ways to accomplish that.

I agree.

Like finding the real problem instead of just masking it.

 

[SergeFlorida]

I agree.

Like finding the real problem instead of just masking it.

Yes, to find a real problem that cause this smell will defiantly help. I did not have chance to work on this problem yet, but I noticed that the smell is much less now. I am not sure if this is because of outside temperature drop or season change or we get use to it and smell does not bother us as much.