RV HOT WATER --- STINKS

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
A

AREVEE

New member
Joined
May 12, 2010
Posts
3
My RV has a chemical smell & taste coming out of the hot water faucets. Is there a way to get this funk out? The cold water is fine and clear as the river rain but the hot water is just foul.

Perhaps, the previous owner winterized the tanks.  :-\

Should I just run the hot water until the smell & taste goes away?
 
I would drain and flush the water heater tank.  I would guess someone put antifreeze in the tank.  There is no need to do that as the tank can be drained and doesn't need any antifreeze if there is a bypass valve for it.
 
There is  a bacteria that thrives in hot water and gives off hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg odor). You need to sanitize the water system, including the water heater itself. See the santizing instructions in the Forum Library.
 
Take the relief valve out and use a mixture of white vinegar and water 50/50.  Heat the solution, drain and rinse.  Repeat as needed.

Russ
 
Call me stupid; but how do you direct water into the HW tank?? I know how to drain it; but I can't fill it through there.
 
You don't have to do anything - it fills whenever there is water in the plumbing. Just turn on the pump or connect to city water and cold water will flow into the heater tank. Open a hot faucet somewhere to let the air out as it fills.
 
RV Roamer said:
You don't have to do anything - it fills whenever there is water in the plumbing. Just turn on the pump or connect to city water and cold water will flow into the heater tank. Open a hot faucet somewhere to let the air out as it fills.
Click to expand...

pump or city water?  city i guess is strong enough that you ....don't need pump on?
 
Either one, the HW tank will fill regardless the same of the water source.  Usually you don't need the pump activated with city water, but occasionally you may run into really weak water pressure at a campground or elsewhere.  Then you can run the pump and supplement the city water with the supply in your fresh water tank.
 
so your fresh water tank is bypass if pump is off?

typically you're only using the pump when boondocking?
 
On MY rig, yes.  If I have the pump turned off and city water hooked up, the city water becomes the automatic supply to the inside faucets.  Even with my pump turned on, it would probably still pull from city water because the pressure is already there.  But not all plumbing systems are exactly the same between makes/models.  Yours may have some kind of selector switch or valve to choose fresh/city/both for the water supply.
 
mdbass said:
Call me stupid; but how do you direct water into the HW tank?? I know how to drain it; but I can't fill it through there.
Click to expand...


If you are referring to putting vinegar in take the relief valve out.  Pour you solution in and replace the relief valve.

russ
 
crosscountry said:
If you are referring to putting vinegar in take the relief valve out.  Pour you solution in and replace the relief valve.

russ
Click to expand...

Thanks-I KNEW how to fill my water-but I guess I'll have to look at the refief valve. If I can figure that out, then maybe I can give it a good cleaning for the sediment and deposits that surely must be in there.
edit: Fixed quote.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 894 (members: 26, guests: 868)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,915
Posts
1,387,345
Members
137,667
Latest member
awiltzius
Back
Top Bottom