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Old 06-21-2010, 04:48 AM   #1
NSTS1470
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Tank odor

We are currently on a 6 day trip In MA. We cannot escape the sewer smell in the bathroom. On our first two trips it was fine. It is a lot hotter now though. I use exodor toss in in biopaks. We also leave some water in the toilet. My maxx air vent fan stays on exhaust in the bathroom. I also installed one of those spinning vent pipe exhaust attachments. Any info would be great.
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Old 06-21-2010, 12:04 PM   #2
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Could it have to do with how you store it? in my limited (3 years) TT camping experience I've discovered that if it's "formaldehyde free" it usually doesn't work that well. I'll use the (insert brand) perfume packs while we're camping and they seem to work in between dumps but when I store it for more than a few weeks I use the formaldehyde stuff. In the beginning when I wouldn't use formaldehyde based storage chemicals my toilet would always stink for a couple days when we started using it again but since I switched no smell even after week long trips in the southern heat and humidity.
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Old 06-21-2010, 06:45 PM   #3
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With water in the toilet and a venturi vent on your pipe outlet (roof) you shouldn't be having any problems. If everything is working properly, you shouldn't be smelling ANYTHING! No need to use special chemicals, additives, etc.

That being said there are a few possible causes for your odor.

Check that your toilet is firmly attached to the floor. Sometimes a gas leak can occur if the unit is not securely bolted to the floor.

A submerged vent pipe (inserted too deep into the tank) might cause the gas to back-up through a loose or bad seal on the toilet. In this case you would notice the leak because you would not be able to keep standing water in the toilet for very long.

Along the same line, the vent pipe may be blocked (toilet paper, poo, etc.). To check this run a garden hose down the pipe from the roof. The water should flow into the tank, not backup.

Another cause would be if the vent pipe has a crack, isn't sealed to the tank properly, or has a leak at one of it's junctions (usually they have no junctions).

The last and rarest cause would be if you had a crack in the top of your tank and gas was escaping into the coach.

I see that the unit is a 2010 and should still be on warranty. Take it back and have the dealer fix it!! If for some reason it's not still on warranty, explore the above possibilities yourself or have a dealer do it.
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Old 06-21-2010, 07:10 PM   #4
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I had a similar incident on a prior trip its was either the sewer vent, temporarily plugged with paper or something and/or one of the traps, either the sink or shower was dry. I poured water in all the traps in the bathroom. The toilet was being used often, but eventually the smell went away in a couple hours. I thought it was the shower trap dry, but the smell was incredible.
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Old 06-21-2010, 07:22 PM   #5
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Slimshadie has a good idea!! Often we focus on our toilet or black tank as the culprit when it comes to odors. I can be a trap (no water) or a bad vacuum valve under a sink that lets the gas in.
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Old 07-16-2010, 08:06 PM   #6
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To add to toilet issues.
Can a the black water be left open when staying at a site for a long time?
We are currently keeping our black water closed and then emptying it when it gets 3/4 or so full, flushing the system and then closing and adding chemicals.
Permanent neighbours around us leave black and grey open all the time.
What is the general consensus on this?
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Old 07-16-2010, 08:29 PM   #7
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I think the recommendation is that when you are hooked up to city sewer for a short or medium stay is not to leave your black water valve open. The rational is that if the fluids are allowed to drain straight out of the holding tank, the lining of the tank will become dry and any crud that is on the walls of the tank will solidfy and perhaps cause your electrodes/sensors to give incorrect readings (if they dont do that already).
The same might apply to your gray water holding tanks.
When sewer hookup is available, I wait until leaving before connecting the sewer hose and emptying the tanks. After the tanks are emptied, I dump a couple of buckets of water down the toilet and kitchen sink, add chemicals and away I go.
I think it may also depend upon the length of stay. Permanent campers might not want to be bothered by having to go through this process and just leave all the valves open and have the tank emptying continually.
Not sure if you will get consensus, but this works for me.
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Old 07-16-2010, 08:40 PM   #8
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Personally I would'nt leave my valves open. Think about it. We are on a low pressure, consumption system. How much water flushes the toilet-1/2 quart. Its not like at out house which uses a gallon or more to push it thru the sewer system. It would leave deposits, which could eventually could loosen and become a clog or hefty present later. Its kind of is a hassle but the closed system breaks it down to pass later. Which I like to rinse the gray afterwards for cleanliness. Yes I do dump the gray at least twice as much but I make sure I have of alot of gray to rinse the hose after the black water dump.

Also I think of it as a 2nd trap against sewer gas. If you left your valves open I would think it would build up with sewer gas and every time you flush you are getting the gas coming thru. Not saying it would ignite but wouldn't be kind of flammable also. Just my 2 cents.
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