Propane water heater?

   / Propane water heater? #1  

N80

Super Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2005
Messages
6,819
Location
SC
Tractor
Kubota L4400 4wd w/LA 703 FEL
I've got several problems with the electric water heater down at my cabin. The first is that it makes the water stink like rotten eggs when water stands in the tank. We go down there about three times a month. I've tried all the remedies. Some work, like the special rod you put it, but not for long. Some don't work at all. The bigger problem is that our well water (hard?, soft?, I have no idea) leaves giant calcium looking clumps of crystalized stuff in the bottom of the tank and all over the heating elements. Sometimes its so bad I have to cut the element off at the base with a bolt cutter to get it out to replace it. The current heater is fairly new.

Recently we replaced a cheap electric stove (not so cheap really) that was an absolute piece of junk with a modestly priced gas stove using propane from the local LP service. (Cooking is a hobby so the gas is nice.) Their smallest tank is quite large and plenty large enough to run a water heater according to them.

So I have a few questions: 1) Will an LP gas heater solve the rotten egg smell? I'm assuming that is an electric heater problem. 2) Will this solve the buildup of deposits in the bottom of the tank as well? 3) Is is safe to leave a pilot light running under an LP water heater for weeks and occasionally months at a time? 4) Are there downsides to an LP water heater?

Thanks for any insight into this.
 
   / Propane water heater? #2  
1) no
2) no
3) depends. Some don't have pilot lights ('power vent')
4) see 1 & 2

If your well needs chlorinated the smell will be more noticeable when using hot vs cold water. Calcium carbonate is endemic to shallow wells if that's what you have. (I do)

There are scale-reducing accessories. I use "aqua pure" on the CW inlet. (Nat gas ) It works passively as water is drawn & might help the calcium buildup in the tank or on fixtures. Amazon.com: 3M Aqua-Pure Whole House Scale Inhibition Inline Water System AP430SS, Helps Prevent Scale Build Up On Hot Water Heaters and Boilers: Industrial & Scientific
 
   / Propane water heater? #3  
I've got several problems with the electric water heater down at my cabin. The first is that it makes the water stink like rotten eggs when water stands in the tank. We go down there about three times a month. I've tried all the remedies. Some work, like the special rod you put it, but not for long. Some don't work at all. The bigger problem is that our well water (hard?, soft?, I have no idea) leaves giant calcium looking clumps of crystalized stuff in the bottom of the tank and all over the heating elements. Sometimes its so bad I have to cut the element off at the base with a bolt cutter to get it out to replace it. The current heater is fairly new.

Recently we replaced a cheap electric stove (not so cheap really) that was an absolute piece of junk with a modestly priced gas stove using propane from the local LP service. (Cooking is a hobby so the gas is nice.) Their smallest tank is quite large and plenty large enough to run a water heater according to them.

So I have a few questions: 1) Will an LP gas heater solve the rotten egg smell? I'm assuming that is an electric heater problem. 2) Will this solve the buildup of deposits in the bottom of the tank as well? 3) Is is safe to leave a pilot light running under an LP water heater for weeks and occasionally months at a time? 4) Are there downsides to an LP water heater?

Thanks for any insight into this.


I agree with Mr. Grind. The smell is from your water, not the water heater. You'll have the same problem with an LP heater -- except for needing to replace the elements.

As to the pilot light issue, there's no danger at all of letting a pilot burn continuously. Units with a standing pilot are designed to be lit, and stay lit, constantly. This is not a safety issue. Be very sure that you're not storing flammables like gasoline (or similar) near the water heater.

However, I'd be tempted to just turn the control valve off and save the propane if I'm not going to be there. You can just light it when you arrive. If you want to leave the pilot on, prevent the main burner from cylcling by turning the control valve to PILOT, instead of ON, or turn the thermostat knob down to VACATION setting when you leave your cabin. Not for safety, but to keep the burner from cycling on and off to keep the water in the tank hot. No sense in maintaining 30 or 40 gallons of water at bath temperature if you're not going to be there. Propane costs too much. Just set it back to NORMAL when you arrive and you'll have hot water in a half hour.

Our water stinks when it's not treated. (Like when we run out of salt in our softener.) The hot water always smells worse than cold. You'll really help your entire plumbing system, fixtures, and water heater by installing filters and appropriate softener. We have everything running through a whole-house iron filter, then a basic ion-exchange water softener. For cooking and ice a Reverse Osmosis unit is piped to the fridge and kitchen sink.

You'll need to figure out exactly what you need. I found a lot of good info online years ago at Budget Water. They're very helpful. Also bought the equipment from them and installed it myself. Well worth the investment to avoid the kind of damage and inconvenience that you're describing. I'm sure there are plenty of similar sites on the web. You can also get LOTS of free advice by having local water treatment people come out and give you a free estimate and water test. Expect the sales pitch.

Good luck with it.
 
   / Propane water heater? #4  
I agree with the old grind, the water heater has nothing to do with the smell...that's coming from your water and needs to be dealt with as such.
As for the pilot, our present house was a vacation home for a couple years before we moved here, we'd only light the pilot when we were there...no sense wasting gas (and risking an explosion if there was some sort of problem) running it when we weren't there...it only takes a minute to light.

Keep venting in mind if you're going with a gas heater. We kind of sleazed by with a horizontal vent and a "standard" propane heater, but it is against code and may cause CO problems. Technically, it has to be vertical thru the roof. Last time we replaced it we went with a power vent model. They're not easy to find, and cost almost twice as much as a regular one...had to special order it.
 
   / Propane water heater? #5  
As others have pointed out, the smell, and clumps are a water issue, not a water heater issue.

In addition to softening or treating the water, which should reduce the smell and the clumps, you might want to consider a powered anode, instead of an anode rod, which will help even more with the smell.

As another alternative for a cabin, have you thought about a demand (tankless) water heater?

Finally, if it were me, I would turn the propane off at the tank at a cabin when I am not there. There are too many ways it could go sideways. Just my $0.02

All the best,

Peter
 
   / Propane water heater?
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Thanks guys.

I don't know if my well is deep or shallow. It is 300 feet which seems deep to me. Especially when I was paying for it. ;-)

If the propane heater will not help with the smell or the build up of deposits there is no compelling reason to switch.
 
   / Propane water heater? #7  
Thanks guys.

I don't know if my well is deep or shallow. It is 300 feet which seems deep to me. Especially when I was paying for it. ;-)

If the propane heater will not help with the smell or the build up of deposits there is no compelling reason to switch.

That's deep! and expensive!

For the same money as switching the water heater I bet you can install some inline filtration / treatment. Good luck.
 
  • Good Post
Reactions: N80
   / Propane water heater? #8  
It isn't whether your well is deep or shallow, it is whether your water source has sulfates in it. The chemistry of the anode rod is such that it reduces the sulfate (accelerated by bacteria) to form hydrogen sulfide, which is the stink. It happens faster in the absence of oxygen, so unused tanks are worse than those in use.

If you have a shallow well, the water is often rich in bacteria, so they reduce any sulfate quickly in the water heater. Chlorinating or ozonating shallow well water can slow the process, but it won't stop it. Leaving a sealed tank, like your water heater, for long periods of time is a recipe for stink. You could drain it each time you leave and it would really help the problem, but the stink happens even to folks who continuously use their water heaters.

The clumps are the anode metal, either magnesium or aluminum, oxidizing to protect the steel in the water heater tank. You may have additional clumps from hard water depositing on the heating tube, but that is a different issue.

My well is close to 200', with lots of sulfate in it. We have a water softener because the well water includes lots of calcium, magnesium, and carbonates, in addition to the sulfates in the water which deposit hard water deposits everywhere without a softener. The softener swaps out the calcium and magnesium for sodium, which helps with washing as sodium sulfate and sodium carbonate are both very soluble so they don't form hard water deposits.

Probably more than you wanted, or needed to know...

All the best,

Peter
 
   / Propane water heater? #9  
Bleaching your well will help a lot with the water stink. The rotten egg smell is decaying bacteria that the bleach will kill if you do it annually and leave bleach in the well casing and system overnight at least. Then install whole house filter then softener before water heater. We use a water boss demand softener that is use based for regen. No use no salt used. It can be programmed based on water test kit that comes with it. Costs about $400 as a dyi at Menards here.
 
   / Propane water heater? #10  
I have a spring that was found/developed by the original homesteader in 1892. I upgraded the entire arrangement when we moved onto the property. It now has a submersible pump in the well and pressure tank in the basement.

I do not treat this water in any way. It's pretty hard water. It goes thru seasonal changes that will cause the hot water to smell very slightly "earthy". I've been here since 1982 and learned to live with it. Life in the country.
 
 
Top