Noticed when running the shower tonight an oily or WD40 type smell.
It's only when the hot water is running. We have a Rheen instant hot water unit, and no one has worked on it.
Anyone know what this could be?
Hot water from taps smells like WD40? Or Oil?
fedwood on 23/06/2022 - 21:58
Last edited 23/06/2022 - 21:58
Last edited 23/06/2022 - 21:58
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Not sure. It's just a generic gas continuous flow water heaters that's wall mounted.
So no digital temperature adjusters mounted in the kitchen or bathroom?
There is a little LCD panel on the unit and it just says ON when it is running
Hot water from taps smells like WD40?
Have you done a COVID test?
No I haven't but shouldn't I not be smelling anything if covid was to blame?
I and a few people I know never completely lost our sense of smell or taste, things just smelt or tasted either wrong or like entirely different things.
things just smelt or tasted either wrong or like entirely different things.
like water smelling of WD40?
@jv: It's not just me that can smell it. And it's only when it is hot and coming through the tap that it smells
@jv: The closest I got to anything like that was tea tree oil smelling like some kind of petrochemical.
@mapax: I don't know if this is even possible - but given there's burning gas involved, maybe exhaust somehow getting into the water supply? damaged boiler/heat exchanger in the water heater (?).
Having no idea myself, that's where my guess goes.
I have lost my sense of smell after 1/2 year of changing nappies ….. never came back ( second kid's nappies were a breeze )
Early days of covid some smell can be wild. Ie food smells gross
does it smell from other taps?
does the cold smell?
if you put some shower/hot into a glass, can you "see" anything, or does it have an oily film?
what if you run the kitchen tap (as that shouldn't have the safety temp thingy on it) full bore on hot for say 5 mins?
safety temp thingy
Tempering valve
Both shower and kitchen tap smell and only when it is on hot, not cold.
So it must be coming from the hot water heater I'm guessing.
Can't see anything in the water. Taken it away into a cup in another room and it smells normal so I guess it could be gas coming through? Running kitchen tap and it still smelling. Hopefully this flushes whatever it is? Maybe the burning process isn't working properly and gas is coming thru the water pipes?
if the heat exchanger was leaking (ie allowing "gas" into the water "tubes") then the heater would be leaking water…
what if you use the pressure relief valve (if it has one) on the heater - does that water smell?
I don't think it has one? Not that I know of anyway.
I just ran the cold water for a while and that sme is there too now. Kind of makes me feel better thinking maybe there was some Sydney Water works that may have taken place?
And it is definitely not a gas smell. Smells exactly like after you smell WD40
@fedwood: report it to your water supplier, they might even have an emergency number for suspected contamination.
Disappointed. I wasn't expecting a useful message from JV and that too without any bold characters
WD40 smells kinda nice tho
Can you set fire to it? Thank god for fracking :P
I think you need to go ‘Erin Brockovich’ on the water company dude, you might score a big settlement.
Insert USA invasion meme "did someone say Oil?"
Probably just bacteria in your HWS that just happens to smell like WD40.
What is the temperature set at?