Why does the hot water smell like rotten eggs?
Rheem water heaters TECHNICAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT Technical Service Bulletin 1-800-432-8373 Smelly Water and the Rotten Egg Odor Technical Competence, Product Confidence Page 1 of 2 1206.doc The incidence of rotten egg odor or black water in hot water lines is due to the reaction of sulfates and micro-organisms in the water that create Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S). This is a water chemistry condition, rather than a water heater problem. Although there is very little literature associating odors and sulfate reduction with magnesium, there is reference to sulfate-reducing bacteria known as ‘desulfovibrio’. These bacteria cannot grow in the presence of atmospheric oxygen, which may account for their not being noticed in cold water supplies. When the same water is heated, they odor becomes noticeable. How can H2S be detected? Just take a swift sniff. A simple check for the cause of the odor is to draw enough hot water to notice the odor. H2S is one of the few water contaminants that human senses
