HELP....

[grammynmaggie]

Today I had to take the rig over to get the oil changed....
driving down the road with the windows rolled down the smell was almost unbearable
how much water do you put in the toilet when your flashing it?
Any more ideas about what the problem could be..
I'm sitting here now waiting for them to change the oil...ugh...

[carold]

We had (I hope.. the past tense) that problem. The part of the toilet that closes inside the bowl did not close all the way. I knew that was a problem because water no longer stayed in the bowl. Hopefully that was it. Won't know til we get back on the road. First tried cleaning out tank, putting in various solutions, ice while traveling, etc., to no avail. We will see. It is definitely no fun traveling with that smell.

[grammynmaggie]

I was just going to edit this and say that the water stays in the bowl....i have water in all the traps
even keep the plug in the sinks.... sitting here right this minute with this stink. waiting for the oil change I'm about in tears .....

[brendac]

It may be that the holding tank vent is blocked. Have someone check it out.

[grammynmaggie]

I was thinking maybe it might be the vent also was hoping for some other ideas
going to cost $100 just to check and see if that's what it is... I can't do high places are I'd climb up there myself in check it out...bummer

[MelissaD]

You only need enough water to cover the rubber parts (1/2") while driving. Did the odor show up while driving or was it always there? There are vent covers like the Cyclone Sewer Vent at Camping World that promote better draw to better purge the gasses.

Are you sure it was a sewer smell and not something else like spilt oil burning off engine or you have a brake out of adjustment. If you have a bad seal you could be leaking and burning off engine/transmission fluids. The engine doghouse if not sealed right could let engine smells into the rig. Air coming past the engine would blow smells into the RV if the doghouse was not sealed. Looking at your rig picture I'm pretty sure you have a doghouse, engine access between the driver and passenger seats.

When was the last time you dumped tanks? The additives don't work more than a week or so. I also found if I had 1/2 a tank and added some water softener (not fabric softener) before a drive that it helped scrub the junk off the walls and sensors. Dumped as soon as I got back before things could settle. Gray tanks can also get smelly due to the food bits that end up in them from the kitchen drains.

If toilet is full of water (couple of inches) and you slowly crack the valve open you should not see a bubble come up in the bowl. If you see a bubble, your vent is clogged. Also you might need to make sure the bolts on the toilet are tight and that you have a good seal. Most toilets sit directly on top of the black tank which I suspect your will. When you open the valve you will see into the black tank with a flash light. If you see a pipe through the toilet, the pipe might have a back connection leaking gas into the camper.

Having the bathroom fan on while flushing can also draw gasses from the black tank into the camper.

Hope that helps.

[chalet05]

I keep plugs in the drains when I travel so I know that isn't it, but when come back into the camper, I get a sewer smell. I think it is the roof vent open and coming from vent pipe. Once I get set up, it goes away.

Also, Carolb thought it was her sewer smelling when we were in Arizona last winter. On our 2nd meeting, she mentioned it again. I gave her some grey tank deodarizing liquid. Never did ask if that did the trick.

[grammynmaggie]

Well I am set up at Wickham Park campground...filled the black tank the rest
of the way...now filling the gray and then going to dump...MelissaD
The first time I smelled it about 6 mo. ago it was sitting but got worse when I drove...
it has continue to get worse...not mater sitting or driving and today has been the worse
of all....
It is definitely sewer smell...sometimes it is a long time between dumps...so I am wondering
if that is causing a problem...it sits in this hot Florida sun...maybe I should not use my tanks only when camping ...and not when I am out for day use only...sometimes I am out using it a couple days a week and some times a couple weeks or more will go by with out use...and
not dumped...because it is only me using it and I can only P so much and not near enough to fill the tank up for a long time...
No food bits at this time...
Did you crack test ...no bubble...
No fan on...
Those white plastic things on bolds do they just pop of with a screw driver...? I don't want to do anything to mess up the toilet...if they do I will pop them and check bolts...
I looked down the toilet with flash light and seen no pipe..in fact the bottom of the tank doesn't look that bad...not what I was expecting...lol...so it has been about and hr.. still smell.
So when this is all said and done do you think that me not using the toilet enough and not dumping enough is the problem...would the fluid in the tank evaporate ?? leaving smell from not dumping enough??
I got some the Calgon will put some in how and when do I put it in..???
thanks donna

[JudyJB]

Is this the first time this has happened? I usually try other things before I spend money on something, so you might wait and see if it happens again.

Also, how recently did you dump this tank? Was it empty or full? An empty tank may have dried out and left gunk on the bottom which smelled.

I use a lot of water when I flush. I also add an occasional dishpan full on nice soapy water. That dilutes everything and helps keep the sides of the tank clean.

Also, leaving the windows open while you drive could be sucking in air from the black tank around the rubber seals, causing the smell.

[sharon]

My niece had the same problem, said she had a sewer smell no matter how good she cleaned the tank and what kind of chemical she used. I went out and smelled her rig and it was the grey tank. You have no idea how bad that can smell...way worse than the black tank. She dumped it again, put some chemical in the grey tank, too, and she said she hasn't had any more problems.

[grammynmaggie]

. right now not traveling I have strange use of my tanks... in my above post I tried to explain it I hope I did explain that good enough.... I have only had this rig for one year and this problem started about 6 months ago...

[Bethers]

Dump and clean both tanks. Even cleaning the black by dumping then filling the tank with ice and driving. Empty the grey tank and full with a beach solution, and drive around. Then dump both again. See if that works. Non use can mean they are seeing up on you and letting things smell. After getting them clean, don't let them go so long before dumping.

[grammynmaggie]

What kind of chemicals did you put in the grey tank... If I can get rid of the smell I'm not going to use them only when camping.... the cheapest place here in Melbourne to dump cost $15... Can you put bleach in the black tank also?

[chalet05]

I use Camco's grey water odor control - a yellow liquid - bought at WalMart.

With the heat and your tanks going a long time between empty, I suspect that is the problem.

As far as I know, those caps on the toilet bolts just pop off. I've had some you could just pull off with your fingers.

[Bethers]

No, don't put bleach in the black tank - and don't leave it in the grey - use a bleach to water solution in the grey - not lots of bleach, drive around with it, then dump, fill with fresh and I recommend driving again and dumping it out again, then put water in to use.

In the black, you can buy just about any of the chemicals for rv's at Walmart, etc - but they don't work just sitting for weeks in the tank. Like Anita, I think the problem has been how long things have been sitting without enough liquid in there to keep it smelling fresh.

How about taking a trip every couple weeks for a night to Sebastian Inlet SP - your sp prices are awesome for FL residents! Take advantage. Or just go and dump for possibly the daily fee of $8 and enjoy the place for a day occasionally? That's the closest sp I see listed to you, but there may be others. Just a thought.