When it becomes urgent
If the smell is in the air near a gas appliance, not in the water, treat it as a gas leak. Leave the house and call from outside.
What you can safely check first
Two quick checks tell you whether it's the heater, and one of them may fix it.
- Smell the cold water at the same faucet. If only the hot water smells, the cause is in the heater.
- If you've been away, run the hot water at a tub for a few minutes to bring in fresh water.
- If the smell is at a drain rather than in the water, run water for a minute to refill the drain trap.
What might be behind it
More than one thing can cause this, which is why the plumber finds the cause first.
The anode rod reacting with the water. The anode rod inside the tank can react with minerals and bacteria in the water and make a sulfur smell. Replacing the rod with a different type usually fixes it.
A heater that sat unused. Water left in a tank for a while, like after a trip, can pick up the smell. It often clears once fresh water runs through.
An older tank with heavy sediment. Sediment gives bacteria a place to grow. On an older heater that also pops or runs out early, replacement may be the better fix.
How we fix it
We check whether the odor affects hot water only and inspect the heater, anode and sediment condition. The recommendation depends on what we find. We discuss suitable maintenance or repair before considering replacement.
Depending on the cause, the relevant services are water heater repair, water heater flush and tune-up or water heater replacement.
Where we fix it
Our plumbing shop is at 910 Cable St in Conroe. We also serve the surrounding towns. Check our plumbing service area and ZIP codesbefore requesting a visit.