Here at Vincent Plumbing, this is a common complaint we hear.
If you smell a “rotten egg” odor, this is hydrogen sulfide gas. This is a harmless bacteria that is coming from your water source and reacting to your water heater, if you only smell it on the hot water. Sulfates in water, as well as iron and sulfur bacteria can interact with the anode rod in water heaters. This creates hydrogen sulfide gas which is the rotten egg smell in water. Old school of plumber's thought was to: 1) change out the water heater anode rod to a different material that does not react with your water heater, 2) remove the anode rod (likely negate water heater warranty) or 3) propose an filtration system. None of these options are optimal. Now, our first course of action would be a powered anode rod. This has been an efficient, budget friendly option. Call the experts at Vincent Plumbing to recommend and estimate right over the phone, at no cost to you.
