BAC Forum

General Boards => Technical Support => Topic started by: Darrell Terry on November 28, 2013, 08:46:33 PM

Title: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: Darrell Terry on November 28, 2013, 08:46:33 PM
Recently stayed at Riverbend RV Park in Harrisburg,OR while having coach serviced.
The HydroHot system was serviced as part of the maintenance.
 I now have a foul odor and taste when using Hot water from HH system.
Cold water does not give off the odor/taste.
I either fouled my inline water filter from connecting to Riverbend's water source or I am getting
antifreeze from HH system into water supply.
Has anyone else experienced foul odors/taste with water after staying at Riverbend?

Darrell Terry
2004 Beaver/Monterey
Title: Re: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: Ron Langdon on November 30, 2013, 05:54:22 AM
Darrell, have not stayed at Riverbend, but noticed an odor in bathroom hot water. Only in bath and only with hot water.
Title: Re: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: Roy C Tyler on November 30, 2013, 07:25:43 AM
 Ron
If you have a Surburban hot water heater, change the anode rod.  The foul smell can be noticed when the rod expires and needs changing.
Title: Re: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: Ron Langdon on November 30, 2013, 07:19:46 PM
Thanks, Chuck, but why would this be specific to the bathroom sink? Unless the ht water is "activating" something stuck in the drain? The aroma would be coming up rather than out of the faucet?
Title: Re: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: Joel Ashley on November 30, 2013, 09:18:11 PM
I'd put hot water from the bath sink in a cup where you can take it from the room and isolate if it smells or not, Ron.  If so, unscrew and check the screen on the faucet tip as a first easy step;  after that, your guess is as good as mine.  Darrell, I'd think contaminate from AquaHot fluid would provide a unique smell.  I'd certainly hope it wasn't an exchanger perforation, but others more familiar with AquaHot internal engineering would have to speak to whether fluid could actually find its way into a hot water line.  

If the water in the cup doesn't smell or taste, Ron, I'd remove and clean both the P trap under the sink and the drain plug core.

Joel
Title: Re: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: Tom and Pam Brown on November 30, 2013, 09:45:33 PM
Drains would not cause water out of the faucet to taste bad.  It has to be either contamination from aqua hot or the lines.

I do not have an aqua hot so limited knowledge on its function. Is the water discolored?
Title: Re: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: Dick Simonis on November 30, 2013, 11:38:16 PM
If the problem is hot water specific and it's true with all the taps than either the HW heater got contaminated or a containment is in the water that possibly out-gasses with temp.  Take a large pan of cold water and heat it on the stove top and give it a sniff test as it getting hot.  If it passes the sniff test than look at flushing/cleaning the the HW heater and lines with a bit of vinegar followed by a light dose chlorine.

If the problem is tap specific than you know where the problem is.
Title: Re: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: Orman Claxton on December 15, 2013, 01:16:32 AM
Darrell
Check your filter,
I see no reason the smell could be coming from the HH.
I have had a strong odor and taste that went away after changing the carbon filter
Title: Re: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: neil omalley on December 15, 2013, 03:19:30 AM
Orman: what carbon filter?
Title: Re: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: Orman Claxton on December 15, 2013, 06:39:38 PM
Sorry, Guess I should have explained, I have a carbon filter installed in my water system.
A system we have not discussed...yet.
Title: Re: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: Bill Sprague on December 15, 2013, 11:37:21 PM
Many of us have some sort of canister filter system.  The cartridge can be selected for a variety of purposes.  Carbon is used in some to remove city water supplied chlorine.  I prefer not to use carbon filters because I think the chlorine has a purpose.  It should stop, or at least slow down, things that may grow in the on board water tank.  I do have a self installed 3M Filtrete system at the kitchen sink for drinking water.  Although I bought mine at Lowe's, this is what it looks like at Amazon.  http://www.amazon.com/Filtrete-Under-Sink-Standard-Filtration-3US-AS01/dp/B001DVWAVW/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_text_y
Title: Re: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: Darrell Terry on December 18, 2013, 03:37:28 PM
Thanks for the comments, Not sure if I picked up bad water at Riverbend or if freezing temps caused my issue. I noticed that the instructions for the Hydro Life filter stated to "NOT" allow the filter to freeze.
While at Riverbend the temps dropped to 18 degrees and everything froze. The filter was only 1 week old but I replaced and no longer have the odor/taste issue.
Title: Re: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: Edward Buker on December 18, 2013, 04:03:41 PM
My guess is that when the filter froze the filter element was destroyed. The pore size in the element were probably enlarged or torn and the carbon containment portion could have possibly cracked. I think the result was that you were getting essentially unfiltered water and the new one corrected that.

If you have that situation again perhaps you can add a valved Y coupling to your incoming water hose assembly inside the bay door with a short section of hose leading back outside. You could leave that extra y valve outlet cracked open enough to create a small trickle to keep things from freezing up.  This Y arrangement and draining the water back outside keeps you from worrying about filling your grey tanks.

Later Ed
Title: Re: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: Lee Welbanks on December 29, 2013, 02:25:46 AM
I have just left the water bay faucet trickle on real cold nights, added a 3 ft piece of a washing machine hose to the outlet and just let'er run.
Title: Re: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: Gerald Farris on December 29, 2013, 03:21:45 PM
Lee,
That bay is heated if your Aqua Hot is running. Therefore, if you leave the bay open enough to let the faucet drip, you are increasing your chances of freeze damage.

Gerald
Title: Re: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: Edward Buker on December 29, 2013, 10:25:12 PM
I would assume that the three foot hose is fed back out one of the feed holes for incoming plumbing and wiring connections and the door is kept shut...

Later Ed
Title: Re: Foul odor & taste in water
Post by: Lee Welbanks on January 03, 2014, 09:52:05 PM
Gerald, I don't leave the bay door open, I installed a piece of washing machine hose with one end cut off to the outdoor faucet and run the hose out one of the access ports in the floor of the bay. slightly turn on the faucet and close the big bay door.
We had a foul smell out of the faucet in the bathroom one time and I discovered that one of the two inlet filters was slimed up. I had forgot all about the inlet filters as they are behind the SS Door in the water bay cabinet. Now when I park the coach for the winter here in Az I remove the filters and drain the water out.