Supercab79
Pa
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Joined: 05/28/2006
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I'm going crazy with this problem. We have a Holiday with an Atwood gas/electric hot water heater in it and 90% of the time we use it we have no problem with any water smells. However every once in a while the hot water starts to have a funky odor to it. Now the camper is set up in my driveway at home and I noticed it was starting to smell with my house water which it has never done before. I wonder if it is a bacteria problem in the water heater? Any input as to a solution or possible cause to this problem would be great.
Thanks Marc
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sclark
Minnesota
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Joined: 03/11/2005
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May be time for a new Anode rod. Camping world has them. Good luck.
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swebber
Brunswick , MD
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The newer Atwood's do not have anode rods. Not sure of the 97's.
Have you already sanitized the water system ?
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lv2rom
Kansas City, Missouri
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Joined: 07/12/2006
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Sounds like you've got a little extra activity going on in your water system.
--Drain it all...including fresh water tank and especially the HWH
--Refill it adding about a cup or two of chlorox
--Fill your system with the new mixture
--Make sure your HWH fills properly especially
--Let the system set for a few days
--Flush it all out and refill with fresh water
When your system sits full for a while it is the perfect time for algae to begin a life of it's own, and it usually begins in the HWH. This should take care of it...this is a real good idea annually....Brian
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ryoung
Indiana
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You are probably smelling hydrogen sulfide, similar to a rotten eggs odor. It is caused by the bacterial breakdown of organic matter. Lots of rver's have encountered this smell. I think it comes from certain water supplies as it does not happen all the time.
My solution has been to drain and flush the hot water system. Also I always drain the water heater if the rig is going to set unused for a couple of weeks.
ryoung
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obscure person
Moore, OK 73160
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Joined: 04/17/2004
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The smell you have is caused mainly from well or lake water, but some city water will also cause it. There isn't any simple solution for it but you can try some bleach mix. What I do is drain the water heater after each trip. This can be done by using your bypass valves and isolating the water heater so you don't drain the entire water system. After draining the water heater I rinse it out and leave the drain plug out so it will air out the tank. After I reach my destination and hook up to fresh water it will take a few minutes to fill the water heater and purge the air from the system. It may take a few minutes of flushing the system to get the worst of the odors gone. It may also take you some time to get all the odors gone too. Good luck.OP
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Traveler II
Lindstrom, Minnesota
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About twice a year I use a bleach solution in our water system. I drive with the solution in the tanks to get all around inside the tank. Also I put some of the solution into the traps. We part time in our rig 4-6 months a year and sometimes I need to use the bleach mixture when we get the odor.
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Bandaid
Holcomb, New York USA
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Hi,
Thereare no anode rods in the Attwood systems. Ours is a 2004 model and we experienced a smell last summer. I had our dealer check it out, because the smell had a metallic smell to it. I thought it might be electrolosis, but he assured me it was not. The tanks are glass lined! They did flush the tank and found sediment in the bottom. It was suggested as meny others here have indicated, to drain the hot water tank when the trailer is not in use. I don't know if draining will remove allwater from the tank, but most of it for sure. Many camp grounds have wells, and you can not be sure what the water quality really is.
Most of the camping supply stores sell tablets for purifying water. Proabably would not hurt to use one them a few times a year. The chloine bleach method is alsosuggested, but I would keep the solution weak, as Chlorine can be corrosive to some metals and react with some plastics.
On the drain of my water heater, I screwed in a ball valve pea cock. It makes it a lot easier to drain the water tank.
Bandaid
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