Foul Smell in Water

M

Madifonzo

New Member
Sep 30, 2013
716
Boston, Ma
Boat Info
2005 280
Zodiac Zoom 310 9.9 Honda
Engines
Twin 5.0 MPI with Bravo III Drives
I know there are several threads on foul water but the solutions in those threads seem to not be helping me.
during recommission I filled the water tank several times to flush the west marine antifreeze several times. The final fill yielded clean and non-smelly water. The last 24 hours the water has started to smell putrid. Very sour and pungent. I have flushed system with bleach water mixture followed by vinegar water mixture. Smell still persists. Any tricks that I can try? I should also mention that the smell is strongest at the galley sink and least noticeable at the cocktail sink on deck.

I appreciate any experiences with this.
 
Clean the screen filter, it's located inline before the pump.
 
Didn't know about the screen. Where is the pump located?
 
Yes...I poured bleach in the tank prior to fill then bleed through all faucets. I can smell the bleach but also the pungent odor.
 
Madifonzo said:
Didn't know about the screen. Where is the pump located?
Click to expand...

Im not sure about yours, but mine is on top of the water heater. There is two quick connect snap rings you will need to release then pull out the filter housing. Once you have it out you can open it and clean it.
 
Does the water have a "vomit like odor"? west marine sells a 2 part cleansing/purification kit,,,works well..follw directions,,,,on fute fills .then use baking soda (1/2 box} next few fills to sweeten...ok to drink...gook luck
 
Vomit would be an accurate description. I was looking at the west products. My wife says fix it or buy a new boat. So on my way to the dealership I will pick up some shock at west marine.
 
Did you "cook" pink in your hot water heater? In other words, did you turn on your hot water heater without flushing the pink out?
 
No. I was careful about that. Never ran engines while water system was winterized since I did not do the bypass procedure. Winterized engines then water system. However lets for moment assume I did cook pink in the heater...what is the corrective measure?

As a point of clarification, the smell comes from hot and cold taps. Was first noticed on he cold side.
 
If you turned on the element with pink in the hot water heater, that would create a foul odor to your water. The corrective measure is to fill the hot water heater with vinegar and let it sit for a couple of hours, then flush, replace the anode (with magnesium if you can find it), treat and flush your water tank as previously noted, and keep a capful or two in your full water tank every time. The acid in the vinegar is what does the trick. I know, that's a lot of vinegar. I believe you can use a diluted solution of oxalic acid or muriatic acid.
 
I plan to try all the steps mentioned today. My only question is the anode part. My engine is FWC so is that step relevant to me since saltwater is not introduced the system or is the anode in the freshwater storage part that gets filled by the tank?
 
Madifonzo said:
I plan to try all the steps mentioned today. My only question is the anode part. My engine is FWC so is that step relevant to me since saltwater is not introduced the system or is the anode in the freshwater storage part that gets filled by the tank?
Click to expand...

Most electric hot water heaters have anodes, unless you have a stainless steel unit with an aluminum tank. Check your manual to see if you have one. The engine hookup is not relevant to this. If you don't regularly replace the anode, the tank becomes the anode and you'll be replacing the whole unit. The aluminum anodes that are commonly used can produce a rotten egg smell as it neutralizes the acids in the water. The other annoying feature of the aluminum anode is that it swells, which makes removal difficult sometimes. Magnesium is a better choice if you can find it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKg0R9oiMP0

Addendum:
I just met with Henry Boyd, the boating and all things mechanical guru. He said no anode in the Atwood hot water heaters.
 
Last edited:
I ran a gallon of West Water System flush and sanitizer twice. Drained and refilled several times to thoroughly rinse system. Then added Aquabon. The smell seems to have dissipated but now the water is sudsy...but I suspect that will go away with a few more flushes. I looked closely at the water heater and could indentify the anode location. On the front panel I have a water inlet, outlet, pressure relief valve and a spigot.

Here is a quote from the Attwood service site regarding construction:
The casing of every Atwood electric water heater is constructed from corrosion resistant materials and the non stainless steel models are carefully painted to stand up against the most corrosive marine environments. Special attention to detail on edges and corners helps assure greater handling safety. The Atwood tank is constructed of high strength aluminum core with a bonded corrosion fighting cladding material on the interior surface to assure a long life. This eliminates the need for an anode and it's annual replacement.

Since I could not find it I am assuming I don't have an anode.
here is direct link to exactly what my water heater looks like.
http://www.atwoodmobile.com/marine-products/water-heaters.asp
 
I do the same process every year after winterizing
1. Add 1 pint of cheap rot gut vodka to an empty tank
2. Add 3 - 5 gal H2O to tank and clear pink
3. Let stand for a week
4. Open all outlets for about 5 minutes
5.Add 1 pint of cheap rot gut vodka to tank
6. Fill tank and use
 
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