Water Heater Combustion Smell

Dick · 2005-12-31T14:52:10+00:00

We had a new GE Profile Performance gas water heater installed inApril 2000. It works perfectly. However, for the last few monthsevery time it comes on there is a putrid smell coming out of theburner. It's only bad because it is right next to the living room.I had the gas company come out and check it for carbon monoxide, etc.The technician could find no evidence of CO or a clogged vent pipe.He did point out some debris that looks like chunks of ash on thebottom under the burner. He said that might be the source of thesmell. Before I crawl on my belly like a reptile to try to clean itout, does this sound like the problem? Or could it be something else?

Dec 31, 2005 23 Replies

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George E. Cawthon 20 years ago

I have a Nighthawk too, and it is a good product compared to other CO detector. My wife insisted on it when we got a gas water heater and furnace about 5 years ago. It has never measured anything but zero except when it when bonkers when the power went off for a while and the battery ran down. It is probably the most useless too in my house. Way, way down the line from a blow torch which I haven't used in 25 years.

Sorry, this isn't helping. If you really want to know what is happening you will have to look at and in the burner when it is off and if you see no cause of the smell, you will need to look at it when the burner is on.

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Bob 20 years ago

If it was a reputable gas company, you can assume that he was using something like the Bacharach CO detector, but don't assume that it was working properly, or that the technician knew how to use it. You obviously have something wrong, and that guy didn't find the problem. Call another service company.

It's not hard to find a good company. If they return your calls in a timely manner, that's a real good start. If the technician can explain things to you in layman's terms that you understand, it's a good bet that he also understands what the problem is. If he's thorough in both his checks and his explanations, it's a good be that he wants a satisfied customer.

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Dick 20 years ago

Our town has a population of 35,000. The nearest city is 100 miles away. We don't have the choice of service companies that someone in a metropolitan area would have. Our gas company is the largest in the state, and I trust them much more than I would Joe's fix it shop. If I can't figure this out, I will just have another water heater installed, although this one still seems like new and works perfectly.

The next thing I will try is to hire a plumber I trust to check out the entire flue system.

Dick

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