rotten egg smell in fresh water

[SEAMATE II]

I can't get rid of the smell in my hot water even after flushing the system. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Sailgunner]

Try refreshing the system. One cup bleach to 10 gallons of water. Fill the water tank and add the appropriate amount of bleach, turn on fauctes until you smell the bleach, let it set over night. Flush it out the next day.

 

[jerseywaters]

I can't get rid of the smell in my hot water even after flushing the system. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I googled "plumbing egg smell in water" and got some hits that would be helpful to you. This seems to be a common plumbing problem. Here is one example from google. You might want to get the best understanding of why the water smells prior to deciding on a solution.

Question: What causes my hot water to smell like rotten eggs? My cold water doesn’t smell, what is the solution for this problem?
Answer: The most common cause of “smelly water” is a non-toxic sulfate reducing bacteria, scientifically termed Divibrio Sulfurcans. This bacteria often enters the water system through construction or a break in ground piping. The bacteria creates the energy it needs to survive by converting sulfate (SO4) to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas you smell in the water. Hydrogen sulfide gas is distinctive because of its rotten egg-like stench. Its presence can severely affect the taste as well as the odor of the water.
The simplest treatment available is the shock-chlorination of the system. This is a surface treatment, and often requires repeated trials in heavily infected systems. The chlorination of a system requires that you follow each step explicitly to avoid an un-treated portion of the piping system from reinfecting another part. Longer lasting solutions include chlorination or aeration of the water supply.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

You are getting way off the proverbial reservation with the sulfur bacteria citation. That applies to a very limited set of circumstances and then only in municipal land-based water systems.
This is almost always NOT a bacterial issue on a boat and although chlorine solution disinfection won't hurt, it will not solve the real problem which is decomposition of the anode material in the tank.

If you are lucky enough to have a high quality water heater which includes a magnesium anode, remove it and replace it with a new one. If, on the other hand, you have the almost ubiquitous galvanized lined tank most production boat builders install, the only real solution to the smell/taste issue is replacement of the water heater.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Don is dead on correct

In fact, there was another extensive thread on this same subject within the last few days, but I can't remember which forum.