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fallonator22's avatar
fallonator22
Explorer
Sep 13, 2017

What's that smell??

We are first time RV'ers. Not only first time, but also transitioning to full time. We bought a used 2016 Sandpiper and love it, but are having some issues.

First of all, the thing has 2 grey tanks, 2 galley tanks, 2 black tanks, and 1 water tank. How does that make sense for dry camping?

Secondly - the poop tank. It always says 2/3 full on the first tank even after I dump it. We are having an issue with our black flush line being blocked/closed/something, so until we get a gate valve, we are currently dumping it, then filling it with water via the toilet, dumping again, etc. When it is good and 'empty' (even though it still says 2/3 full), I drop in a pod thing, then put water on top of that, and we are good.

HOWEVER. We have been experiencing a sewer type smell within the rv. Our grey and galley valves stay open since we are hooked up, but it seems that there are times when it smells sewery and I have no idea what it could be....??? It MAY be when the AC comes on, but I have only noticed that more recently. Or it may be because I am leaving those two valves open and the 'air' is coming back into the rv??

any ideas??

16 Replies

  • Didn't see you mentioning leaving the black tank valve open but, since you are new, I'll mention...DO NOT leave the black tank valve open!! EVER! You will, if you haven't already, experience the "Pyramid of Poop". You may want to look down the toilet with the valve open to be sure the previous owner hasn't left you a 'present'! RVs are NOT like your house with a nice 1/4" in 12" sewer line slope that insures solid waste is carried away with the liquid. Sewer waste is just dropping into a relatively flat tank. RVs expect a closed black valve that only gets opened when the tank is close to being filled so when draining, the rush of liquids carries the solids out with it. With the black valve left open, the liquids immediately drain away leaving a mass of solid waste directly beneath the toilet opening until it reaches the toilet itself. You will never have a nastier job to deal with. There are hose extensions with right angle bends at the end to help break up the waste but still no walk in the park. The bad reading on the gauge is caused by waste stuck to the sensor. Best way to remedy that is dump some dishwashing soap down the toilet and take a drive with a nearly full black tank to slosh it around with the hope of dislodging the waste on the sensor, then dumping. AGAIN, DO NOT leave your black valve open! Keeping the grey valve closed is also a good idea so that once you dump the black tank, you have some less nasty fluid to flush the sewer hose out with.
  • If your Sandpiper Command center is like ours you have a switch saying 1 and 2 next to your tank indicators. The switch does nothing. You have one grey tank for washer, shower and bath sink and one galley for kitchen sink and outside kitchen sink if you have one along with one black for your toilet.

    Our command center quit working this spring. When toilet starts to burb when you flush it I know it's almost full. Leave your grey and galley tank closed and empty when full. I pour a cup of bleach in the grey and galley tanks a couple times of year to kill the bacteria so they don't smell.

    Congrats on your Sandpiper. We are on our second Sandpiper/Sierra and love them. Have had very little issues. Good luck.
  • OP, you're saying you have 6 waste tanks and the fresh tank as well for a total of 7? That sounds odd.

    The 2/3 reading is pretty common even after dumping. If you know the capacity of the black tank, add "X" quantity of water after dumping (we add 10 gallons), then just kinda keep in mind how much water is going into tank or how often the toilet get's flushed. I agree w/darsben on the "geo" method. May not totally clean the sensors, but will make inside of tank slicker than snot on a door knob.
  • It could be the valves left open but usually the roof vents take care of the sewer smell.The P traps under the sinks are filled with water which makes a seal that stops the intrusion of smells into the rig. However under each sink you will find a little vent
    Looks like this


    They may be bad allowing smells to back up into the rig. They are cheap and easy to replace. Home depot, Lowes etc under $6.00 each.
    To troubleshoot I would take a hose onto the roof and put water down each plumbing vent to make sure they are open. If water goes down okay then I would change out the under sink vent(s).
    As for the 2/3 full problem search for the "geo method" and fill your tank up. Let it sit then dump. You can buy a hose wand to spray the inside of the tank and if you are lucky (very lucky) that may clean off the sensor enough to get it working