Forum Discussion

Zigpep's avatar
Zigpep
Explorer
May 30, 2017

Vent fan and odor from commode

Hello, we have a new to us 2005 31.5 Nuwa discovery America. We are fulltiming in it and are in the process of selling our 27 foot motor home and have been living in the fifth wheel for about 6 weeks. We really love the Nuwa and believe we have a quality fifth wheel however we are having a problem.
The shower is separate from the commode and The vent over the shower does not have a fan. The commode is across from the shower in a small separate room, the commode room has a vent with a fan and we are not having problems with odors in the commode room BUT When I open the vent over the shower to let moist air out of the shower area there is frequently a horrid odor that is obviously septic that comes in thru the open shower vent. I am guessing this is coming from the vent stack pipe that runs from black water tank to roof, it is in the commode area ( again no problem there). The shower vent is probably close to the stack.
I have 2 questions, first is it normal for there to be an odor from the black water vent stack/ pipe, I'm guessing that's a yes since it's purpose is to vent gases from the black water tank.
Second, will putting a fan on the vent in the shower solve this problem? And if so how hard is it to put a fan on the vent. There is no power running to this vent that we can see, no way to power it. We will have to add electrical wiring to it or has anyone heard of a battery powered fan?
Thanks zigpep
  • kerrlakeRoo's avatar
    kerrlakeRoo
    Explorer
    May 30, 2017
    My first thought would be to try a couple of different black tank treatments to find what seems to work best for you. You may find that a different deodorizer is all you need.
    That the odor is not always there may in part be dependent on the toilet room vent fan being on. You may be pushing air out of that room and resupplying from the vent above the shower. Try turning the toilet fan off the next time it happens and see if it starts to disssipate.
  • coolmom42's avatar
    coolmom42
    Explorer II
    May 30, 2017
    First of all IMHO you definitely need a vent fan in the shower room, to control moisture, regardless of odor issues. You could probably get your dealer to steal power off the light fixture in the bathroom and install a vent fan.

    Your black tank is always going to stink. That's the nature of it. Spending a lot of money on chemicals will not keep what comes out the vent from stinking.

    I would try putting a vent extension that makes a right angle, pointed AWAY from the shower.
  • NMDriver's avatar
    NMDriver
    Explorer
    May 30, 2017
    coolmom42 wrote:
    First of all IMHO you definitely need a vent fan in the shower room, to control moisture, regardless of odor issues. You could probably get your dealer to steal power off the light fixture in the bathroom and install a vent fan.

    Your black tank is always going to stink. That's the nature of it. Spending a lot of money on chemicals will not keep what comes out the vent from stinking.

    I would try putting a vent extension that makes a right angle, pointed AWAY from the shower.


    Good advice except I would not put a 90 in the vent just add a foot or so with a pvc coupling and some pipe of the correct size. You will need to remove any vent cap you have.

    Do not glue the pipe extension just dry fit it and you should be able to remove it before you travel and put the vent cap back on, although I do not believe it is needed. A taller pipe will give you better draw and get the gasses up into the wind.
  • Zigpep's avatar
    Zigpep
    Explorer
    May 30, 2017
    Thanks for the replies. We use a pretty good deodorizer so I don't think changing will help. The vent fan in commode room probably is not the problem since the odors are not coming from the room. I guess we are going to have to put a fan in the shower vent. I wish I had done it before we had it delivered to us. Dealer we bought it from was awesome and probably would have done it for free.
    Anyone know of a battery powered option for a vent fan?
    Thanks zigpep
  • stickdog's avatar
    stickdog
    Explorer
    May 30, 2017
    Is there a light in the shower area if so you should be able to pull power from it. We have 04 DA and have a fan in the shower vent and I assume the powercomes from its wireing.

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