Sulfur smell in fresh water - Fiberglass RV
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Old 08-24-2020, 09:52 AM   #1
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Sulfur smell in fresh water

A general plumbing question (not my Scamp, rather my son's iCamp):



Anybody has had problems with sulfur smell in the drinking water? What could be the source of it? How to get rid of it?



Thank you all in advance.
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Old 08-24-2020, 10:20 AM   #2
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At the risk of being overly simplistic, I assume you've ruled out the fresh water source? Obviously some water is just sulphury, so if it's a different water source than you normally use, that could do it.

Beyond that, it's not an issue I've ever experienced, so I'm out of ideas.
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Old 08-24-2020, 11:36 AM   #3
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Allot of places have this problem in the fresh water and the home owners install mitigation systems. This one reason that we carry bottled water so we do not have to worry about this in the campgrounds. We also have our water tank full for taking showers.

https://www.cleanwaterstore.com/odor...RoCcNIQAvD_BwE
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Old 08-24-2020, 04:47 PM   #4
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You were in the RV park from hell?
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Old 08-24-2020, 04:53 PM   #5
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Bacteria in the fresh water system can cause that, particularly in the hot water heater. Has happened to us twice. Unfortunately most water filters don’t catch bacteria unless you spend the really big bucks. Do a bleach sanitize of the system and you should be fresh as a daisy.
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Old 08-24-2020, 07:22 PM   #6
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Common problem with water around areas where there is coal.
Sometimes a similar smell can come from a water heater when water is stored for an extended period.
Drain first then rinse the system with a quarter cup of bleach in about 6 gallons of water by simply allowing the heater to fill, then sit a few minutes, then pump it out through the sink.
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Old 08-25-2020, 10:25 AM   #7
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Water

Smelly water happened to me after antifreeze accidentally pumped into hot water heater. To help that I was hooked to city water at home, turned on hot water(with no heat in heater) and let it run for a good long while. I had the grey water open with hose attached and let it drain into the grass.
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Old 08-25-2020, 02:23 PM   #8
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Thank you all. I think flushing will be the first action.
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Old 08-25-2020, 08:28 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Paul O. View Post
A general plumbing question (not my Scamp, rather my son's iCamp):



Anybody has had problems with sulfur smell in the drinking water? What could be the source of it? How to get rid of it?



Thank you all in advance.
First flush real good. Then put about a half cup of bleach mixed with water into the water tank. Mix it so that pure bleach is not eating at the fill tube. Fill tank with water, run water with bleach through the lines. By pass the hot water heater first. Let it sit for a few hours then drain and rinse. You could put a little of the bleach water in the hot water tank but I'd be careful doing that so the tank doesn't get bleachy. Drain both tanks completely. Rinse hot water tank and fresh water tank real good. That should do the trick and the water would be drinkable again. Just rinsing may not do it so the bleach is necessary most of the time.
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Old 08-26-2020, 11:40 AM   #10
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Another source for "sulfur smell" can also be tracked down to a badly deteriorated anode in the water heater. You just may want to check your anode and flush out the reservoir tank of the water heater itself.
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Old 08-29-2020, 11:34 AM   #11
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If it is only from the hot water your water heater may have magnesium anode rods. Often switching to aluminum anode rods fixes the problem. Magnesium can smell like Sulphur.
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Old 08-29-2020, 11:44 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by Paul O. View Post
A general plumbing question (not my Scamp, rather my son's iCamp):



Anybody has had problems with sulfur smell in the drinking water? What could be the source of it? How to get rid of it?



Thank you all in advance.
Check to see if it is the cold water or hot water. If it is the hot water there is an element it the hot water heater that can cause this. It is a easy fix and not expensive.
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Old 08-30-2020, 01:35 PM   #13
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As several people have alluded to the most common cause of sulfur smell is a result of suffer reducing bacteria. It is common that small amounts of sulfates are in ground water, the bacteria consumes this and that causes the sulfur smell. flushing with a Bleach solution will get rid of it. If that doesn't work, investigate some of the other ideas.
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Old 08-30-2020, 03:00 PM   #14
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If it is only from the hot water your water heater may have magnesium anode rods. Often switching to aluminum anode rods fixes the problem. Magnesium can smell like Sulphur.
That is true. However, magnesium is more reactive than aluminum and actually provides superior protection. I would find it preferable to flush the water heater if the source of the smell is the hot water, and would use a bleach solution to do it, thereby keeping the greater protection a magnesium anode provides. YMMV.
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Old 08-31-2020, 08:57 AM   #15
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It's algae or bacteria in the water. A simple fix is to dump your fresh and hot water tanks, hook up to city water, open the faucets/gray water dump and flush the whole system with clean water for 5-10 minutes. From that point on when you fill your fresh water tank use a little "Water Freshener", which is basically a diluted bleach. It kills the bacteria/algae and eliminates the odor. You can find Water Freshener in Walmart, Menards and pretty much anywhere else you can purchase RV supplies.

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-40206-T...8885627&sr=8-1

More than likely the odor is coming from the hot water side as the hot water tank is the perfect breeding ground for algae/bacteria as it's not used nearly as much and generally remains a little warmer.
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