There is a bad smell in the area my electric hot water tank is in. I can't pinpoint exactly where it is coming from.The tank is in a small enclosed area.

It is unlikely to be the hot water heater causing the smell, it is more likely the input (the well water) having excess sulfur, bacteria and/or organic material

Because it sits in the tank longer, the smell accumulates. If it is a bacterial source, the hot water tank may be a breeding ground for anerobic bacteria. Draining and doing a disinfect with Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) is the easiest and safest step

http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/Troubleshooting/stinky-water-in-hot-water-heaters.html

https://www.stevejenkins.com/blog/2015/02/fix-rotten-egg-smell-in-your-water/

most electric hot water systems use a heat transfer process where the element is in one tank and the house water is in another
the house water is what is being drawn off when you turn on a tap
there is a regulator valve at the top of the tank with a small lever that you open up to let water in and air out of the system
another point is that there may be a hot/cold mixer on the hot water outlet which limits the temperature of hot water to prevent scalding injuries in the bath and shower or sink
If you have one fitted they are known to malfunction and cut the hot water temperature down as, they mix too much cold water into the hot water pipe.
have a plumber check it out

Clean the tank with hydrogen peroxide as outlined in following link.
You may also need well company to shock-treat the well with clorox, or whatever procedure they recommend for local area.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Replace-anode-rod.html#H2O2

If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/gene_9f0ef4df2f9897e7

Immediate danger!
You have a gas leak.
Propane is heavier than air and will settle on the floor.
The floor can be covered and ignite and you will not smell it while standing or sitting or laying in bed.
Absolutely open the door and leave trailer. Turn off the gas to the heater if the shut-off is outside.
Possibly you have a bad gas control valve. This should be repaired professionally.

If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/gene_9f0ef4df2f9897e7

I had this same EXACT problem. I replaced both elements, and STILL no hot water. Power to everything, but no hot water. So, I got online, and got educated.

THEN what I did was to replace the Thermostats, both the top (master) and the bottom. Cost was reasonable, I think all told it was 24.00 for both elements, and about 40.00 for both thermos. Got the thermos at the same plumbing supply store where I got the elements.

This fixed my problem, I now have great hot water.

The way the water heater works is that the top thermo is the master, and when the water needs to be heated, it turns on the bottom one first. This is because that when you turn on a tap, the hot water is taken from the TOP of the tank, and the new water coming into the tank comes in to the BOTTOM. This means that during normal operation, the water in the top of the tank will pretty much stay hot, and only the water in the bottom will need to be heated. Your bad Thermostats are not reading the temperature any more, so it isn't sending power, (or rather grounding) the circuit to the elements. Since the entire tank is cold, it is probably the top one that is bad, since it turns on the the lower element (or, I should say, the lower thermostat) FIRST. The elements always have power, the switch in the thermos just works by grounding, and thereby completing, the circuit.

Either one of your thermos could be bad, or both. I thought for myself that if one went bad, then it won't be long till the other goes bad too, so I just replaced them both. On mine, they just snapped out, and snapped back in, they just kind of sit against the tank, and there is only 4 or 5 wires to hook back up.

I am assuming that you are competent to do it, since you already know how to replace the elements, and obviously have a voltage tester to see if you have power everywhere you supposed to have it. One thing, too, make sure that both of the Temperature Stettings on the thermostats are exactly the same. You do not want one to read 125, and the other to read 150, or whatever. Set them both to the same temp.

This should fix ya, and it is a heck of a lot cheaper than a whole new water heater. The only reason to completely replace an electric hot water heater is if the tank has rusted through and is leaking, or if it has filled up with sediment. Or physically damaged in some irrepairable way. Other than that, this cheap repair should do it.

Good Luck To You.

Water pressure is blowing everyting loose with new heater,give your system a good flush,it will work it self out. RichieRich

The smell is from bacteria. The high temperature kills the bacteria. Some regions require water heater temp to be set at 135 because of bacteria.

A test to determine if only the water heater is causing problem: Turn off water to water heater. Smell water coming out of cold tap. Turn on water to heater, smell water from hot tap. If only hot tap smells, then water heater is suspect.

Another way to handle the problem long-term, is to reconfigure cold water pipes so you can regularly pour in 2 bottles of hydrogen peroxide during your flushing procedure. Pour in the hydrogen peroxide and let it work for a while. And then flush tank as you have been doing.

You should read up on anode rods also. Many people replace anode rods when tank begins to get odor.
http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/pages/WHRpages/English/Longevity/water-heater-anodes.html
http://waterheatertimer.org/Replace-anode-rod.html

For images and product information
For manual


You checked ohms, did you check for 240V across lower element when lower element is turned on?

Energy smart electric water heater has a control box on top of unit. Water heater does not have typical thermostats that can be tested and replaced. Temperature sensors located above each element send information to control box through small black and red wires. Temperature sensor sells for about $40, but there is no test listed that shows how to determine when sensors fail.

Potential problems:
-Temperature sensor is not reading correct temp
-Control box not processing correct temperature information
-Selector on control box set to 2, 3 or 4
-Thermostat temp on control box set lower than 120 degrees F
-Sediment build-up starting to surround lower element so water doesn't circulate (see if drain valve runs full-open

You'll have to disconnect the water lines from the top to pull the rod up out from within the tank. If you don't have enough clearance above the tank, you'll have to drain the tank, remove the venting and tilt it or lay it down to remove it. The sacrificial rods usually go bad prematurely on well water systems with hard water and causes a sulfur stench in your water. Here's a quick test to try before you do this: Go to the nearest faucet to the water heater and fill a glass full of cold water and another glass full of hot water and smell them. If the hot water is the only glass that smells like rotten eggs, it's most likely coming from your water heater due to your anode rod. Douglas

seems to be a leak in the inner shell of the water heater, the outer shell is holding the stagnent water