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If I was a dealer I would be telling you to take them out also. It's kinda strange the water heaters I have go out that never have the anode rod changed....managed to make it about 5.5 to 6 years.....with a 5 year warranty that's not really all that good.
IMO you have never had the experience of the smell of this. It is bad!!!! Draining the tank will help, for about one hour.
I'm just telling you what I was given as a means to extend the life of the water heater straight from Rheem. It's your water heater and you can do as you wish. By the way I have smelled the rotten egg smell before and solved it by flushing and replacing the anode rod. Just giving you the information I was given from the mfg. def. not trying to tell anyone what to do.
First thing I would look at is the vent pipe on the roof. There is a good chance a birds nest is in there.
The sewer gas (from the municipal lines) flows into all vent pipes. When you flush or run a shower, that drain HAS to have a vent. If the vent is blocked, another drain will provide the ventilation required. To do this, the water plug in another drain gets sucked into the drain leaving an open pipe for the gas to escape. With the sewer gas permeating the vent pipes, and methane being heavier than air, it tends to flow back down into the other sinks and drains.
Thanks everyone. I have a water heater guy coming to look at it this afternoon. I think he feels really bad for me after having two plumbers out as he is not charging me the usual fee to come look, lol! So...he will look at the rod and a possible pipe/vent leak that he thinks it could be. If he doesn't figure it out from that, I will ask about the vent on the roof.
Thanks again!
I guess you first have to determine if the smell is coming from the water from the faucets, OR from a drain.
If it is coming from the faucets, then you have to determine if it is coming from the HOT side or the COLD side.
If it is from the supply, and the HOT side, changing the anode rod (and flushing the tank) will probably take care of it.
If you are on a well, the smell could be coming from your water supply (if the smell if in the COLD side). Then you will have to treat the well, etc.
If it is NOT the supply pipes, then it's a vent problem or septic problem.
You can try this. Instead of running water from the faucets during your normal routine (when it smells), use water from a bucket and pour it down the drains you typically use (using about the same amount of water).
If you get a smell, then you know it is your waste pipes and probably the venting part of the system.
Do you have S traps under your sinks, or P traps? THAT also could be a source of sewer gas.
If possible, post photos of the drains under the sinks that are used to produce the smell.
Another thing, make sure you have at least one plumbing vent pipe going through the roof.
So I just read the other thread where the person is getting a foul odor from a seldom used bathroom. We are sort of having the same problem, but here is the deal...
Every night when my husband comes home from walking the dog he goes up to our master bath (which we use DAILY, several times a day) and washed his hands, takes his contacts out, etc. While I am in the family room I am rushed with the foul, rotten egg smell. This also happens when someone takes a shower. I have had two plumbers out (from different companies) and each time the odor didn't happen. It mostly happens at night...It's almost like it builds up all day and then bam-stink. (B/c we use it in the AM and in the PM and during the day it doesn't really get used) The plumbers have never done anything, they just try and smell and when they don't smell anything, they leave...
This smell is AWFUL. Gross. ANyone have any ideas? We went and bought a drain cleaner that the one plumber recommended, but that didn't help. They both said maybe the hot water heater was bad b/c that can produce that type of odor, but then they both said they doubt it as ours is fairly new. Do you think the stink pipe in the roof could be clogged? I am at my wits end!
Have you done a sniff test on your husband and the dogs? Knowing the way a guy's mind can work... "Do dee do dee do, just got back from a long walk, I'm tired, B-R-A-A-P, ahh that feels better, do dee do, do dee do." Dogs can do the same thing. Don't ask me more.
Next idea - is the family room next to the laundry room? If so, tell the plumber.
Next idea - have the sewer lines in the neighborhood ever been jetted out? Or is there a pump station for the sewage? If the smell only happens in the evenings, that is when a lot of people are using sinks to make and clean up supper, taking baths and showers, etc. The sewage could be backing up in the pipes enough to block off the air access to the vent pipe, then drain overnight and be fine during the day. You could get a similar effect if your line to the street was partly clogged.
I guess you first have to determine if the smell is coming from the water from the faucets, OR from a drain.
If it is coming from the faucets, then you have to determine if it is coming from the HOT side or the COLD side.
If it is from the supply, and the HOT side, changing the anode rod (and flushing the tank) will probably take care of it.
If you are on a well, the smell could be coming from your water supply (if the smell if in the COLD side). Then you will have to treat the well, etc.
If it is NOT the supply pipes, then it's a vent problem or septic problem.
You can try this. Instead of running water from the faucets during your normal routine (when it smells), use water from a bucket and pour it down the drains you typically use (using about the same amount of water).
If you get a smell, then you know it is your waste pipes and probably the venting part of the system.
Do you have S traps under your sinks, or P traps? THAT also could be a source of sewer gas.
If possible, post photos of the drains under the sinks that are used to produce the smell.
Another thing, make sure you have at least one plumbing vent pipe going through the roof.
If it's in a bath room that isn't used the water in the toilet could also not be primed. It really doesn't take very long in dry weather for a toilet to evaporate the water fast enough over a week or more of no use.
I would think if the vent was clogged there would be a difficult time with draining and flushing.
UPdate
The water heater fuy just left. He doesn't think it has to do with the adnode or whatever it is called. He said they do remove them but that 90% of the time it is from homes with well water. He thinks mine is fine. (Rheem by the way)
He thinks it has to do with pipes that are the rough in for a bath in the basement. We have a finished basement and previous owners did put a rough-in. BUT not knowing anything about it, we just learned that they COVERED UP THE TWO PIPES that go with the rough in with drywall! Yes, they dry walled over these two pipes, so he thinks they are either leaking or not capped or capped incorrectly. (The previous owners may not have been the ones to do it...we are the 4th owners) Another thoery is one owner did the drywall and the next owners didn't know it (like us) and they then drilled in shelving and he thinks it could have gone through the pipe! We did have a dead animal smell for about a week a few months ago and he really thinks this is the issue. (he said the vent probably evaporated and then filled back up at one point making the dead animal smell go away...but we still get the rotten egg smell, which is attributes to this pipe and that our ac probably vents that smell into the family room)
He wants to charge $500 to cut the drywall and look at the pipes...but I think my husband should be able to do that. We do have a 1 year warrenty on the home, so we are going to try and make a claim.
Does anyone understand what I am saying? I am not sure I do, just repeating what he said, lol!
UPdate
The water heater fuy just left. He doesn't think it has to do with the adnode or whatever it is called. He said they do remove them but that 90% of the time it is from homes with well water. He thinks mine is fine. (Rheem by the way)
He thinks it has to do with pipes that are the rough in for a bath in the basement. We have a finished basement and previous owners did put a rough-in. BUT not knowing anything about it, we just learned that they COVERED UP THE TWO PIPES that go with the rough in with drywall! Yes, they dry walled over these two pipes, so he thinks they are either leaking or not capped or capped incorrectly. (The previous owners may not have been the ones to do it...we are the 4th owners) Another thoery is one owner did the drywall and the next owners didn't know it (like us) and they then drilled in shelving and he thinks it could have gone through the pipe! We did have a dead animal smell for about a week a few months ago and he really thinks this is the issue. (he said the vent probably evaporated and then filled back up at one point making the dead animal smell go away...but we still get the rotten egg smell, which is attributes to this pipe and that our ac probably vents that smell into the family room)
He wants to charge $500 to cut the drywall and look at the pipes...but I think my husband should be able to do that. We do have a 1 year warrenty on the home, so we are going to try and make a claim.
Does anyone understand what I am saying? I am not sure I do, just repeating what he said, lol!
Sounds like progress!!!
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Knowing the way a guy's mind can work... "Do dee do dee do, just got back from a long walk, I'm tired, B-R-A-A-P, ahh that feels better, do dee do, do dee do." Dogs can do the same thing. Don't ask me more. 
