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Over the last 2 weeks our shower has started to smell. My "google-foo" says it's Hydrogen Sulfide gas, and since it's only smellable in the hot water, not cold, that it's probably being created and not vented in the hot water heater.

Water system is a well and hot water heater is new. We are renting the house, so my hands are somewhat tied on a path forward. Google says possibly replacing a heating rod in the water heater.

Any experience with this? Costs, solutions etc. ?

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De-calcify and flush your water heater.

It'll go away.


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Change hot water tank anode to zink/aluminum , use a carbon whole house pre filter, that's about all I can think of. Both are pretty cheap and easy to do. I'm not sure without a really high end pre filter you will ever get it 100% out.


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So what, does H2S disassociate when heated?


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Originally Posted by Bob_H_in_NH
......hot water heater is new.


Why would you heat hot water?


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Originally Posted by Stormin_Norman
Change hot water tank anode to zink/aluminum , use a carbon whole house pre filter, that's about all I can think of. Both are pretty cheap and easy to do. I'm not sure without a really high end pre filter you will ever get it 100% out.


Spot on. Had the same problem at my house when I changed the water heater.

Link to Anode Rod.


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H2S is produced by anaerobic bacteria in the water. They grow in hot water. It's harmless but the smell can be pretty rank. It's most common in wells since most city water is treated.

An aluminum rod can help but it's not guaranteed. The real fix is a powered rod but they're more expensive, like 3 to 4x more. Since it's a rental, you probably wouldn't want to go that way unless you can talk your landlord into paying for it.


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Well water around here does the same thing. Used to be places where you could send a water sample and they would/could tell you which anode rod would be suitable. Tried it once and same smell. Don't know if there is still places that do that. Installed water heaters here in our small town and all over the country side. Before we delivered and hooked up a water heater we removed the anode and hacksawed off everything below the threads and reinstall. Eliminated the rotten egg smell 100% of the time. Did this to dozens of heaters. Anode is to protect the tank from electroless' (sp?) but tanks usually only lasted 8-10yrs in these parts with the water we have. However there are some that went 25+. Just replaced mine 3wks ago, wasn't leaking but it was down in a crawl space with no drain so I did it again before it started. It was in use for 12 or 13yrs. Depends I think on how good of a job manufacturer did at their glass coating? Code here is using dialectric (sp? again) unions on top of w/h between it and piping if copper.

Different places, different codes, I would notify landlord and either have him do it or hire someone as any mods to plumbing etc could affect your lease??

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Pour bleach in the hot water heater. Purge that water to all your faucets/taps and let it sit for a while to let the bleach work.

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Worry if you can't smell it anymore...

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Originally Posted by Jcubed
Worry if you can't smell it anymore...

When I was in the business IDLH number was 350 ppm. H2S killed the sense of smell at a much lower number.
Actual number for knocking you unconscious is around 700 ppm. Hasbeen


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Anode rode bad, if heater is very old, get a new one

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Important point: do you fart in the shower? H2S is also an abdominal byproduct.


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I had same issue with my new water heater, asked a couple locals and all said pull anode rod. I did, all is well. Apparently with the water we have here it's pretty much standard practice to yank the rod immediately.

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The 1st time we took the camp trailer out this spring, we got a bad sulfur smell from the water heater when we turned it on. I flushed it with clean water and haven't had a problem since. I can only assume that we got some bugs in it over the winter that are now gone.


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My water guy had me put a small chlorine pill in my water filter, Got a temporary chlorine smell, but no more rotten egg smell.

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Originally Posted by hanco
Anode rode bad, if heater is very old, get a new one


Water heater is new. We moved in March 8th. Water heater went in just before that. Prior to that the house sat empty for about a year and the water/well was turned off and the house winterized.

Thanks everyone, this has been VERY helpful. Now to see if the landlord will take action or give us permission to do so.

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The well being unused could be part of the problem. In '99 I bought a homestead that hadn't been lived on for 20 years or so. When I dropped a pump in the well to check it, the water was literally black and stunk horribly of hydrogen sulfide (the black was probably oxidized manganese, of which the water contains a lot). After running hundreds of gallons down the hill, the water cleared up completely, but still smelled and tasted somewhat of hydrogen sulfide (still does directly out of the well).

In my case, because the well is low-producing, I put a holding tank in to supply the house I built. I didn't know it at the time, but the aeration from the water being sprayed into the side of the top of the tank helped remove all of the hydrogen sulfide, so I've never had any in my domestic water. If possible, a holding tank is probably the easiest way to completely get rid of the hydrogen sulfide in the water. The magnesium in the hot water anode may act like the manganese in my water. If that's the case, yeah, it would make a pretty nasty combination.

Edit to add: Last week I was staying at someone's house that had a lot of Hydrogen Sulfide in the water to the point that they only drink bottled water. I don't care that much about it, so I'd drink right out of the hose in the yard if that's where I was. I noticed that the water sitting the hose wouldn't taste of H2S; I'd only notice it if I drank until I was getting water out of the spigot. Apparently even sitting in an open hose overnight is enough to outgas the H2S.

Last edited by Thegman; 07/22/19.
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Originally Posted by Rock Chuck
H2S is produced by anaerobic bacteria in the water. They grow in hot water. It's harmless but the smell can be pretty rank. It's most common in wells since most city water is treated.

An aluminum rod can help but it's not guaranteed. The real fix is a powered rod but they're more expensive, like 3 to 4x more. Since it's a rental, you probably wouldn't want to go that way unless you can talk your landlord into paying for it.


Or see if he would take all / most of the cost off of your rent. You both break even.


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