Water Stinks up the Trailer

Every time we go out in the trailer, when we first hook up the water supply to the campsite, it stinks up the trailer for a good hour or so. Smells like rotten eggs. Its weird because, it will eventually go away, and it doesn't seem like it the water source that is doing it. I feel like its something in my water lines.

I think I am following the right steps by purging the lines of air when we hook up at the site, and purge the lines of pressure and water when we get ready to go back home.

I smell the water directly from the faucet at the sites, and it doesn't seem to stink.

I understand well water sometimes has a sulfer smell, which I acceptable, but I have never had it this bad.

This is my first trailer, and my first summer out using it. Its a used trailer, and I have had to fix random things on it. Do you think I need to start ripping the water lines out and check for issues?

I would suspect you have iron sulfate in the lines, particularly in the water heater. You are smelling sulfur dioxide, the bad egg smell. There could also be some bacteria that like iron in your system, which would eat the iron and release the sulfur.

The unit probably got iron slime from a bad campground water supply in the past.

First, I would fill the water heater with CLR, and leave the kitchen sink tap open, because CLR will release gas as it reacts with any scale. The CLR should descale the water heater in 30 minutes or so. Rinse out the system very well, then chlorinate it and leave that overnight. Make sure you run water until you smell chlorine at every tap and shower head. You can CLR all the piping, but I think it's the hot side. Wear eye protection and gloves, the stuff is a corrosive.

I don't think you need to start tearing out any plumbing.

how would you fill up just the water heater? Is there an access hole for it? I know I have changed the anode rod, as the original was completely gone. But that would be impossible to used to fill it.

I don't believe it is just the hot water though. The cold water also sinks when we first setup.

How do you chlorinate the system properly?

Originally Posted by SSpeed

how would you fill up just the water heater? Is there an access hole for it? I know I have changed the anode rod, as the original was completely gone. But that would be impossible to used to fill it.

I don't believe it is just the hot water though. The cold water also sinks when we first setup.

How do you chlorinate the system properly?

There are a couple of ways. You can buy winterizing pumps at RV stores for pumping antifreeze into systems. I have a hose bib valve on my hot water tank to drain it. If you put one in you can open a hot tap in the trailer, stand on a ladder with a hose connected to the tank valve and pour it in.

I chlorinate by filling my RV drinking water hose with chlorine bleach, then hooking it up to a water supply and running each tap until I smell it. Leave it a while and rinse with water from a drinking water supply. You might even try bleach first and it might get rid of the smell. Sodium hypochlorite (bleach) is a mild acid and might get rid of the scale.

You will have to bleach the water tank in the trailer if you plan to use it, but getting bleach in there is easy with a funnel.

Hope you can get it straightened out.

I would use the bleach first as it is probably the easiest. Add a half quart of bleach to a full water tank. Open all faucets until you get the bleach smell in the water coming out, especially the hot water. This will allow the bleach water into the water heater. Let it sit for 4 or so hours, then drain the tank, refill with clean water, and purge the lines and hot water heater. Drain the water tank, and repeat the purging steps. Should be clean by now. Some of us have added a marine deck plate to the top of our water tanks to allow them to be thoroughly cleaned periodically, although I doubt if this would help your problem. However, you will be amazed at the amount of stuff which has accumulated in the water tank. And by the way, I assume you thoroughly cleaned the hot water tank when you replaced the anode rod. When the rod deteriorates, a sand-like substance is deposited on the floor of the tank.

Also, make sure your refrigerator is working. A rotten egg smell is a classic indicator that there is a coolant leak and the refrigerator is toast...

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by Scott O

Also, make sure your refrigerator is working. A rotten egg smell is a classic indicator that there is a coolant leak and the refrigerator is toast...

Excellent point!

Dave

[ThePair]

...I thought that leaking ammonia from the fridge would smell more like urine than rotten eggs...

Originally Posted by ThePair

...I thought that leaking ammonia from the fridge would smell more like urine than rotten eggs...

I agree. The refrigerator is an ammonia absorption system, it does not have sulfur dioxide in it.

[ShrimpBurrito]

Yes, the absorption system is ammonia base. In addition to ammonia, it contains hydrogen, and I was also led to believe it contained hydrogen sulfide to protect the tubing from being oxidized by the ammonia. But perhaps I don't have good info, and furthermore, I've never smelled one leak.

In any event, even if the fridge had a leak, I doubt you'd smell it EVERY TIME you turned the fridge on. I would think it would be a one-time event. Again, my speculation.

Dave

I do agree with Dave and doubt if it would be a recurring smell. But having had a refrigerator cooling unit go out, I would certainly characterize the smell as rotten eggs...whatever it is is nasty!