What are potential causes of smelly water?

Here are some reasons why you may experience a rotten egg smell in your hot water, especially after the installation of a new water heater:

• Sulfates: If the water source contains high levels of sulfates, and or iron bacteria they can react with the anode rod in the water heater tank and produce hydrogen sulfide gas, which has a rotten egg smell.
• Anode Rod: If the standard factory supplied anode rod is not the right type for your water source (water high in sulfides) it can cause the production of hydrogen sulfide gas, which has a rotten egg smell.

It’s important to note that these issues can also happen in older water heaters as well, and not only in new ones. To address this problem, you should have a licensed professional inspect the installation, complete a water quality test, check for the presence of sulfur bacteria or high levels of sulfates, and test the water source. They will also check the anode rod and the plumbing. Based on their findings, they will recommend the necessary steps to eliminate the smell and prevent it from reoccurring.

NOTE: Water quality is a fluid and dynamic state that changes continually. As water quality changes, the needed solutions must also change and adapt if perfect water quality is desired.