Has anyone else experienced a sweet antifreeze odor coming from the hot water tap whether it's running hot water or cold water? Could the flexible-hose internal plumbing absorb the odor of antifreeze over time so that as the hot water runs through, it picks up the antifreeze odor from the plumbing? My Bighorn is totally dewinterized each year so I don't think there would be any antifreeze in the lines and the smell does not improve as more water is run through the system. The sweet odor has been coming from the hot water tap for a couple of years whether it's running hot water or cold. The cold water tap is fine. Any ideas?
Antifreeze odor in hot water.
- Thread starter trekker
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JohnDar
Prolifically Gabby Member
Describe your dewinterizing process. Are you putting antifreeze in the water heater when you winterize? That's a no-no. I use antifreeze every winter and don't have a problem with it after dewinterizing. I also run a mild bleach water solution through the entire system (other than the washer) after draining and blowing out the antifreeze with 40psi air pressure. Once at the CG, I'll run the city water through everything for at least 5 minutes, as well as run a washer cycle empty with soap.
There are also two types of RV antifreeze out there and they're both pink. One contains Ethyl Alcohol and the other does not. You don't want to use the one with alcohol in it, so read the label for the ingredients. Polypropylene Glycol is all you want in there.
There are also two types of RV antifreeze out there and they're both pink. One contains Ethyl Alcohol and the other does not. You don't want to use the one with alcohol in it, so read the label for the ingredients. Polypropylene Glycol is all you want in there.
Hi, John. I don't winterize or dewinterizing myself. I have a local RV place do it. When winterizing, they do drain the water heater and activate the water heater bypass before adding antifreeze, so unless there is a defect in the system, antifreeze should not be in the water heater. When dewinterizing, I've never seen them blow out the lines, though. They do run water through all systems until it's clear. Then, I put a clorox solution in the hose and run it though the lines until I can smell clorox.
I didn't know there were two types of RV antifreeze. I'll have to ask them what type they use.
I didn't know there were two types of RV antifreeze. I'll have to ask them what type they use.
JohnD
Moved on to the next thing...
I did that as well the first two winters we had our previous Heartland Trail Runner . . .
But after paying the dealership $80 to winterize and another $80 to dewinterize, plus the hassle of taking it to the dealership and having to leave it there for a couple of weeks (not to mention about another $20 in gas each trip there = $80 in gas), I started doing it myself.
Cost about $15 bucks for the antifreeze and about 20 minutes of my time . . . and is pretty easy to do.
Now, I have a fitting to blow out the water lines with an air compressor and only pour antifreeze into the sink and shower p-traps and run a little into the water pump to get the water out of it, which doesn't even use a 1/4 gallon of antifreeze..
Oh . . . don't forget to do the outside shower if you have one.
The odor issue is pretty common with the braided hose instead of pex which was used for a number of years. High mineral content, the anode are all partially responsible. The water hose you are using may be part of the problem as well. White hoses are for the most part add a bit of odor to the water. You are much better off with a Blue higher quality hose especially if you use the tap water for coffee. If it only for the bathroom and washing up then not so much of an issue. Adding 16 ounces of 3% hydrogen peroxide to 100 gallons of water really helps get rid of the odor. In ours you can run the water for hours before you get rid of the odor unless you use the peroxide, make sure the anode is in fairly good shape, and use a better quality NSF supply water hose. Been there done that for the past 50 years.
TandT
Founding Utah Chapter Leaders-Retired
On the few occasions where I've had to winterize I do not use antifreeze in the fresh water lines mainly for the reason that you have stated. I drain the hot water heater, all holding tanks and blow out all water lines with a compressor. I do put antifreeze in the P traps. This has always worked well and I've never had any freezing problems. Trace
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TravelTiger
Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Do you have a washer/dryer hooked up? We didn't for a long time. Even after dewinterizing the pipes we use, if we didn't remember to dewinterize the washer connections, we'd get old antifreeze smell in the bathroom faucet from the antifreeze still in the lines past that point to the washer connection. It's a long run of pex from the bath to the front closet, so figure a lot of antifreeze to flush there.
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I think that Erika may have nailed it.
We had the same experience so be sure to flush the washer lines.
I used a short piece of wash machine hose, connected it to the feed lines and ran it right into the washer drain pipe.
Don't forget, if you winterize be sure to run antifreeze through those lines and add some to the P trap.
Peace
Dave
JohnDar
Prolifically Gabby Member
A note on winterizing. If you have a washing machine in your rig, simply blowing out the lines will NOT clear the water from it. It has to be operated with AF in the supply lines. Failure to do it properly will cause you wet grief the next time you use it. DAMHIKT.
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Wow! Thanks for all the info. I'm going to have to look into all of this. I do have washer/dryer connections but no washer/dryer. So maybe there is still antifreeze in there because I don't think they did anything about that line. Probably didn't even know there was a washer/dryer connection because I never mentioned it. I'll also be looking into using compressed air in the future. Odd that the odor only shows up in the hot water and not the cold water, though. Maybe the type of hose used in the tangled mess under there does somehow pick up the odor, especially when it's filled with hot water.
John D., I know about the outside shower because a new guy came out to do the winterizing last year. He failed to add AF to the outside shower, and it was destroyed. Fortunately, they replaced it as it was their fault.
John D., I know about the outside shower because a new guy came out to do the winterizing last year. He failed to add AF to the outside shower, and it was destroyed. Fortunately, they replaced it as it was their fault.
JohnD
Moved on to the next thing...
When we got our new Prowler last year the dealership had dewinterized it before we picked it up.
The whole first half of the summer we kept getting foggy white water from the faucets . . . not only from the fresh water tank, but also when hooked up to city water.
I flushed the whole system several times and still kept getting the foggy water.
However, I couldn't run the outside shower as the quick connect was messed up and wouldn't accept the shower hose.
Once the quick connect was replaced and I was able to run water through the outside shower . . . the foggy water went away!
My guess is that it had antifreeze in that line and it was coming back into the inside water lines.
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