Thanks for all the info.

I'm curious about one thing: The last time this happened, the anode had
been depleted. I called a plumber, who replaced the rod. That solved the
problem -- no more odor. In that case, it was REALLY strong, and replacing
rod fixed the problem.

I've also read that using softened water will hasten the erosion
(consumption?) of the anode, requiring more frequent replacement. I'd
think, though, that a few months is too soon no matter what.

In any event, I can try the bleach trick and hope for the best. I have no
idea how I'd go about chlorinating the cold supply, though, and if there's a
bacteria source upstream of the heater, well, is there any point in
chlorinating just the hot water?

Perhaps a different rod type would be a simpler approach. We'll see.



Where softened water is
fed to certain hot water heaters, this condition has been overcome by
removing the anode element from the heater.

Gary
Quality Water Associates