So apparently water heaters such as the one in my apartment contain magnesium anode rods to prevent corrosion, and when the water in the heater contains a lot of sulfates, very little oxygen, and sulfate-reducing bacteria the hydrogen produced by the anode rods combines with the sulfur to create hydrogen sulfide, giving the hot water throughout the apartment the delightful odor of rotten eggs.
August 27, 2007
7 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post.
A good conversation starter, for when you have company over.
Comment by The Modesto Kid — August 27, 2007 @ 9:59 am
Did you not notice this when viewing? was it somehow concealed?
Comment by idontpay — August 27, 2007 @ 10:31 am
It’s the sort of thing that doesn’t really become noticeable until the water’s been running for a minute or so. I ran the taps when I was viewing it, but apparently not long enough.
Comment by teofilo — August 27, 2007 @ 10:45 am
Your link suggests this is easily fixed. I presume each unit has its own w/h. Price the non-reactive anode and prepare to talk to the agent about it. Who pays for the water? Do you have access to the heater, in a closet or something?
Comment by idontpay — August 27, 2007 @ 12:59 pm
Yeah, it’s easily fixable. The complex pays for the water, I pay for the (electric) heat. I’m going to call the manager about it today; I think they’ll just fix it for me.
Comment by teofilo — August 27, 2007 @ 1:04 pm
shivbunny’s dad’s house has well water like that. It’s amazing for your hair but smells nasty. The cure is to replace the rods.
Comment by Cala — August 27, 2007 @ 9:15 pm
Yeah, this seems to usually be associated with well water, which is weird because I’m pretty sure my urban apartment complex doesn’t get its water from a well.
Comment by teofilo — August 28, 2007 @ 9:18 am