Every time we take a shower recently, the basement (where the hot water heater is) is putting off a foul odor of rotten eggs. I tried calling the oil people and they keep telling me that there is no way rotten egg smell should be coming from the hot water heater... well it is and who should I call now? Also the neighbor said that black smoke was coming out of the chimney. Any suggestions?

Your burner needs a tune up. Call for service.

You mention calling the “oil people”, is this water heater oil fired? It would help to know make and model of the heater. Do you have well water or city water? Most water heaters have an anode rod that controls corrosion in the tank. If you have well water and the anode rod is made of zinc it can create the rotten egg smell. This smell normally come from the water that comes from the water heater, not the water heater itself. If your heater is oil fired and you are seeing black smoke from the exhaust it is time to have someone service the unit. Call the oil company back up and tell them about the black smoke, I'm sure they will come out to take care of that. Do you have carbon monoxide detectors in your home?

Regards,

Eric D