The RV life, isn’t it great? Yes it is, right up to the time when it starts to stink. You’re out in nature, enjoying the trees, flowers, babbling brooks and singing birds. You return to your RV, open the door and, what on earth is that smell and where did it come from? It smells like rotten eggs, but before you scream for the cook, or attack the refrigerator, try running some hot water and take a sniff. Most likely you have found the source of your odor.
It isn’t rotten eggs, it’s hydrogen sulfide gas. Anaerobic bacteria exists in most well water and some small town water systems. When you stop at that out-of-the-way campground/RV park and tank-up or hook-up to the local water system, well there you go.
As long as you use it cold, the water tastes and smells fine. But heat the water and open a faucet or wash some clothes, and you better start looking for some Glade candles. Inside your hot water heater, you have what are called sacrificial anodes. These anodes are there to prevent or slow down the formation of rust in the hot water tank. These anodes are usually made of aluminum or magnesium, and on a chemical/electrical level the anodes react with the chemicals released by heating water. It’s during this process that the anaerobic bacteria and the aluminum/magnesium anodes create the hydrogen sulfide gas that smells like rotten eggs. You can remove the anodes, but your hot water tank will rust out two to three times faster. And you’ll wind up with rust stains in your sinks and washing machine.
The Fix: In most cases, replacing an aluminum or magnesium anode with an aluminum/zinc anode will fix the problem, and it works better and longer than a Glade candle. The zinc is the key to the fix. Some hot water heaters have two anodes. I would replace just one with the aluminum/zinc anode and remove the other one. Now if you don’t have a smelly problem, but you do have rust stains in your sink, washing machine or on your shower drain, you may want to replace those sacrificial anodes anyway.
Final Touch Coach Works is located at 28532 Livingston Avenue in Valencia. For more information, please call 661-775-8375 or visit www.finaltouch-usa.com .