Posted: September 01 2008 at 19:13 | IP Logged

Good day Gentlemen,

I just received Pete's letter and am glad to join.  I have an '86 460.  Just so happens that I am doing one of those projects that others of you might have done and have some insight on.  My hot water was giving off a nasty odor.  Someone suggested taking out the annode.  I tried to do that and in the midst of things found alot of gunk in the bottom of the hot water heater.  Then I tried to get it out and replace it.  Best I could determine it must have been installed as the boat was built.  Has anyone replaced their hot water heater, and, if so, have you any suggestions on getting the old out and what to replace it with?

Posted: November 06 2008 at 12:17 | IP Logged

Frank,

Smelly water means dacaying organic material. Question is: is the material in the water heater, water tank, in the lines or all of the above. Flush all hot and cold water lines by first draining water tank, add a potent amount of lemon scented Clorox to a tank refill.  Fire up the old water heater. Purge the water tank by progressively using all the faucets aboard starting with the closest and ending with the farthest away from the supply... at least 3 times using the lemon scented Clorox mixture. This may tax the water pump, so you may want to have a new or spare one ready to swap out. Flush tank 2xs at least.

Taste test water tank at the tank.... If foul taste still there, flush again or there is a trick, but it must be done right: With the vessel water lines disconnected at the tank- plug tank outlets. Fill tank 3/4 full and Mix in a 2% mixture of sulpheric acid into the tank and agitate 5 minutes only . Drain/flush 2xs with fresh water only- no clorox!  A 2 % acid mixture will dilude into a drain and will not cause a pollution issue- use no more that this percentage. Taste test.  If good taste, hook up water lines and without heating up the water heater. Taste test at progresively outbound faucets. If taste is present at closest faucet to water heater, replace hot water heater. Charge up system again with water heater on. Taste test again. 

This is a process of elimination. Using logic as above should solve the problem. First consider environmental conditions and how much the heater is left on.  Factor this consideration first so the problem does not reappear later.

Diver 

Posted: November 07 2008 at 10:46 | IP Logged

Another acid to use is hydrocloric acid at the same 2 %. This process literely burns off whatever residue there is inside the tank.  Do this procedure only in the fresh water tank, There are cravases in the water system where the cleaning solution could get trapped.

Diver