We just moved into an older house that has been mostly unused for the last 50 years. The previous owners only used it for about a month each year. Our water comes from a well and we have a complete water softener system installed. Our water heater is around 14 years old, and we've only started using the water in the last month after servicing the water treatment system. However, we're now noticing a strong sulphur smell when using hot water. I've read that flushing the water tank could help, but I'm unsure if that's something we can do ourselves or if it's better to call a plumber. Given that it might not have been touched for 15 years, I'm worried I could make things worse. I'm eager to learn about home maintenance and understand that regular flushing could be beneficial for such a system. Any advice?
1 Answer
Flushing the tank is pretty straightforward! Just turn off the power, open the drain valve, and let it do its thing. If you need motivation, check out some YouTube videos on it. The sulphur smell isn’t harmful, just unpleasant. Also, consider replacing the sacrificial anode rod with a powered one; it might help with that odor.
Thanks for encouraging us! My husband is a bit hesitant, thinking this should be a pro job, but it sounds achievable!