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Author:
waukeshaplumbing (WI)
got a customer call to complain about black water coming out of their water heater(i installed 1 month ago---rheem)....also a smell.....told me its always had darkish water, but after being gone for 3 days he came home and its all black coming out of the hot
my guess is its a bacteria thats growing in there......ive heard of a smell from the anode rod, but i asked him if he had replaced his old anode rod on the previous heater...answer was no
my advice was to call a water specialist and get his water tested...i told him not to drink his water until its tested....i figure its something nasty and the heat it making it grow/multiply more...its probably in the cold too
seemed like he wanted to blame me for the issue.....5:30 on a friday and he asked if i could come and fix it now for him......something ive never run into and explained it was not going to be fixed instantly by me.....i called my local rheem repair guy and the bacteria idea is all he had
any advice?
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Author:
KCRoto (MO)
My old hometown had a problem with the water in the summertime. The treatment plant could kill the algae that was in the water, but their filtration system really didn't get the job done and you could taste the dead algae in the water in the summer. On occasion, the hot water had a funky smell as well. I personally would go flush the tank on the heater and have the customer see how to change the temperature and set it on high for at least a week. Any water that hot will kill any bacteria in the tank, flushing it should remove anode debris from the initial destruction. If there is a softener, shut it down for at least 3 weeks and try to let the tank build up some calcium on the interior surfaces of the tank. You may not be at fault, but if you can remedy the problem, you can inform your customer and that should buy you some credibility. In the long run, the water quality is going to be the determining factor, but it may just be the initial break-in of the tank causing the funk too.
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Author:
m & m (MD)
smellywater.com
For starters, have the h/o treat and flush the WH with hydrogen peroxide.
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Author:
waukeshaplumbing (WI)
are we all in agreement that he has some sort of bacteria growing in his water heater?
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Author:
m & m (MD)
Yes, something (bacteria, algae, etc.) in the water is finding a growing/breeding ground. It could simply be iron bacteria.
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Author:
waukeshaplumbing (WI)
customer now admits to changing some sediment filter and thinks it got all washed into the water heater....so now he is just blaming me for the smell
how do you determine if the smell is the anode rod?
i dont want to charge him $250 and still have the smell...can your water be tested for this?
thanks!
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Author:
KCRoto (MO)
You can pull the anode and you should be able to tell immediately. If the anode looks trashed, I would replace it anyhow and flush out the heater regardless. chances are that the anode is full of crap now anyway, so changing it will eliminate all the hidden bacteria hiding in all the crevices and pitting. Once the tank is clean and anode is replaced, there shouldn't be anything left to smell anyhow.
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Author:
m & m (MD)
Water can be tested for anything and everything.
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