Gag! Sulphur in water heater

We just took our third trip in our new class c, purchased new about two months ago. Had the grandkids along, which makes this more amusing.

Hooked up to RV park facilities, and right off the bat, water from kitchen sink made the entire rig smell quite rank. Never had this with our rigs years ago, and first thought we had was did our lines get crossed was the gray or worse, black tank spilling into our fresh lines. Or, the water hook up was rank.

A neighbor was about, and he said his water was fine. He came over to help us find the culprit, (one of the cool things about RVers is how friendly and helpful folks are), and he suggested it could be the water heater. Other than the the fact the rig was fine two weeks ago, that seems reasonable.

We are trying to find a tool to open the drain.  It is plastic, and we are concerned we might damage something using pliers or something. Is there a special tool for this? We are searching online, and haven't found anything yet. Oh, and it is "conveniently" located behind a copper looking feed line of some sort, so very little room to maneuver to open or close it. Any suggestions?

Also, it seems we must have acquired water containing sulphur or something at our last camping site two weeks ago. Has that happened to anyone else? I'd hate to be the first!!

Thanks for any thoughts.

Epiloge... the kids and we enjoyed our trip very much. As long as no one used kitchen sink, or hot water faucet in bathroom, we were fine inside. Mostly, we enjoyed the sites we went to see.?

The sulfur smell comes from microbes in the water that emit a sulfur-like waste. It's not dangerous to humans, but it sure is rank!  The microbes thrive in hot water.  It takes awhile for the colony to grow, so you probably picked a few up at a previous stop and they have been multiplying.  You need to sanitize the entire water system (not just the heater tank). See the RVForum Library article on sanitizing.

The nylon drain plug should be removed with a standard 6 point socket. The plug is usually 7/8" but at one time 15/16th was also used. A 6-pont socket won't chew up the corners of the plug like a 12 point socket, adjustable wrench or pliers will do.

Drain your water heater after each camping trip  and  you shouldn't have that problem

Jack L

I saw a reply real quick...thanks Gary. I told my DH "oh good! This Gary RV Wizard is always quite helpful, he knows his stuff"!  We read the sanitation directions too and will do.

And Jack, I actually thought of that. Glad to know it wouldn't be unusual.

Thanks.  Happy trails!

If your water heater has an anode rod check it too.

He apparently has an Atwood with a nylon plug, so no anode rod.

Any owner of this type of water heater should have a 6 point socket and spare nylon plugs.  One source of plugs: https://www.amazon.com/Atwood-91857-Drain-Plug-Pack/dp/B0007XVWW0

And in a pinch, a standard CPVC 1/2" plug available at hardware and home improvement stores will work as well.

If a sanitize does not work, here is another trick: 
Drain the water heater, replace the plug and fill with 50% white vinegar.  The easiest way is to close the valve between the fresh water tank and the pump and open the "winterize" valve.  For a 10 gal heater, draw 5 gal of vinegar into the system from the winterize hose.  Open a HOT water valve to help this along.  Since all lines are full of water, this incoming water will go into the heater.

Reverse the winterize valves and fill the water heater with water.  Open a hot faucet until the air is expelled.

Turn the heater on - either gas or electric and leave it on for at least an hour.  Turn the heat off and allow to cool.
Drain the tank and thoroughly wash the tank with a devise like this.

https://www.rvupgradestore.com/11691-RV-Water-Heater-Tank-Rinser-p/09-0207.htm

Then rinse the system to get rid of the vinegar,

Thanks to all. We should have it by now!! Hopefully never again, but I wont put money on that!! At least we know what to do if it does.?

Happy trails!!

It's something that can pop up from time to time, probably from campground water spigots or nearby waste water.  It's a very hardy microbe, so it's fortunate that it's not injurious to humans (except maybe the nose  ).  I recall "catching it" 3 times over the course of about two years and then never having a further problem.

So is it normal procedure to drain the HW tank as suggested above or do most just leave it full between trips? I've been trying to camp at least once a month and wonder if I need to start doing this?

I leave mine full year round except when I sanitize my system.

There is no need to drain any part of the water system when not in use between trips. Nor is there anything special about the heater tank as opposed to the rest of the water system. It's just a wide part in one of the water lines.

I bought and use this wrench for my hot water tank drain.
https://www.amazon.com/Camco-11633-Water-Heater-Wrench/dp/B00BMRRZ94/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=rv+water+heater+wrench&qid=1563441522&s=gateway&sr=8-3