www.iFourWinns.com

The hot water initially comes out foamy and then has a stale bleach smell to it. I flushed the system (twice) but no improvement. Anybody have any ideas? BTW, cold water is fine with no bleach odor.

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2006 348 Vista
"some days you're the bug and some days you're the windshield"

Flushed twice? Both the hot and cold sides? Flushed from tank or from shore water hookup?

And is it foamy from all taps or just the galley or head sink (not the cockpit bar sink)?

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

When I drain the system, i open the taps at the "middle" setting, assuming this provides max water flow. I haven't drained only from the hot side - maybe that's part of my my problem. I flush the system from the tank only - no shore water hookup.

The cockpit bar tap only comes out cold although it seems to me it used to provide hot water. The transom shower has the bleach odor but because of the shower head (i think) it doesn't foam out of there. Galley and head sink definitely have the foam issue.

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2006 348 Vista
"some days you're the bug and some days you're the windshield"

http://www.atwoodmobile.com/manuals/waterheaters/MPD%2093757%20PS%2011.19.07.pdf

It says in the manual that if you haven't used the hot water in 2 weeks there can be a buildup of hydrogen

If you winterize and use rv antifreeze in the tank that will cause a weird smell too. If so turn the water heater off and use a mild bleach water solution to rinse then flush it out really well and try that

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Jeff

'14 Cruisers 380 Express "Simon Sez"
Merc 8.2 Mag MPI 380
DTS B3X, (x2) Axius Premier


(SOLD)
'08 V318
Merc 350 Mag MPI 300
DTS Seacore, B3 (x2)

Excellent tip about the hydrogen from the electric water heater. I keep my hot water heater circuit breaker turned off most of the time. The only time we need hot water is for washing dishes, and that's usually after the engines have been running. So that gives us plenty of hot water.

Are you flushing it while the water heater is turned on or off? Shouldn't matter, but it might be informative.

On our 348 the cockpit sink has only a cold water line, which is shares with the ice maker. The transom shower is both hot and cold.

The middle setting would be good if the flow is even between hot and cold. But when flushing a system I prefer to be sure and do each side individually. I start with the hot side. This pulls cold water from the tank along the gunwale behind the galley and head, then into the water heater tank and back out to the tubing for the hot side. Then I do the cold side.

On yours I'd really give that hot side a more thorough flushing. Any chance of getting a hose hooked up, or into the tank fill?

You may also want to disassemble the spigots and see if there's any mineral deposits in them. Our galley sink was running a lot slower than the rest. I took off the filter screen and there were quite a lot of mineral deposits obstructing the flow.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Thanks to F.A. Kearney and jsimon for the input.

I think, gentlemen, we basically have the most egregious of errors on my part, an RFTM error. I will flush the tank and the system tomorrow.

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2006 348 Vista
"some days you're the bug and some days you're the windshield"

A note of caution, to you and anyone else dealing with the water heater. Make SURE to NEVER, EVER turn on the AC power to it without KNOWING there's water in it. The electrical heating element will burn up in an instant if there's no water in the tank for it to heat. The element itself can be replaced but it's a hassle to do it.

Not that this applies in your particular case, just a warning, especially in light of the RTFM comment!

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Well, the flushing of the tank seemed anti-climactic at best. Once I wriggled my fat ass close enough to grasp the drain valve, the water didn't gush out like I thought it would. It was a steady stream. The water was warm, not hot, because I had the water heater off and hadn't run the engines since yesterday. After about ten minutes, the water temp then changed to cool so I thought I had emptied all the heated water.

After closing the drain valve, I opened the galley faucet and the head faucet and warm water came out! Same with the transom shower. At that point the usual WTF confusion set in. I continued to drain the water and it took quite a while for the temp to change.

So finally, I drained enough water for the water tank indicator to show red. I then added vinegar and refilled the tank. I'll drain the tank again on Sunday. Hopefully, the bleach odor will be vanquished.

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2006 348 Vista
"some days you're the bug and some days you're the windshield"

Heh, I sympathize with the 'fat ass' comment. They put that darned drain about 6 inches too far over.

It helps to release the pressure relief valve on the tank when draining it. This will let air into the top of the tank and cause it to drain much faster. It's that metal elbow looking thing with the thin metal lever sticking out of it. Just push the lever up and it'll release the valve.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

I will use the pressure relief valve the next time I flush the tank. I followed the procedure in the manual which stated to open a hot water tap.

In addition to the RTFM error, it never occurred to me that I needed to drain both the hot and cold sides when flushing the system. Another lesson learned.

Like you, Bill, I think I'll rely on engine heat for hot water. That eliminates one potential problem as far as the electric heater is concerned.

Thanks again to you and jsimon.

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2006 348 Vista
"some days you're the bug and some days you're the windshield"

We use our hot water heater quite a bit but always shut it down when not at boat. We find that we dont get the odor I think primarily by:

1) using a water filter on the hose line that fills water tank (Camco brand: RV section)
2) By always pouring in a water freshener chemical (Camco Brand: can be found in Marine or RV sections) whenever we fill tank
3) doing a good flush and clean at beginning of season (3 times from full water tank to empty, first two with 2 cups chlorine bleach)

This should keep that hydrogen sulfide odor from devleoping.

Our water is so good we can (but dont) drink from tap!

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2006 348 Vista
"Cruisin Home"
Hampton NH