unusual smell

I finally was able to check my batteries for any smell as I had prefiously. I did not see any bulges in the sides of the batteries, nor any moisture on top, no moisture in the battery plate and no smell around lthe batterie. I would have posted this earlier but problems in this park with the internet has been very bad lately. Still no solution. So will post as soon as I have something.

William

Thanks John & Joey, your idea could have been the case, I guess as well as some others. I do thank all of the posters for their ideas or suggestions. Your idea of the ferral cat could have been since I have seen some cats in the parks. I do check my smoke detectors as well as the others often and replace the batteries. I did not get the chance today to check the batteries in the coach since other things came up but will do so. I have not smelled the scent but once since the original and that was in the same park. The scent is one I will look out for and let this forum know should I detect it again. So thanks again to all who posted for your suggestions and I do apologize again for not letting the posters know what the results of the odor was. Since I have not detected the smell anymore, I really don't have a solution at this point, but thanks for all the help that I have received from this forum.


William

Thanks for posting back. Without a doubt there are a lot of jokers on this forum, but there is also a lot that treat it like a family.

I mentioned the feral cat with a little tongue in cheek, but there is a certain amount of truth in it also. Some parks have a lot of cats that roam around and like to spray new rigs. Cat pee smells just like ammonia. Maybe even the prior owner of your rig had a cat and with the dampness that smell is coming back.

The only thing that uses ammonia is your RV fridge and there has been issues with them catching on fire recently. So that is why everyone is telling you to keep an eye on yours. While you're at it, check your smoke detector to make sure the battery is good. Many disconnect them because they go off every time you cook, make sure yours isn't one of them. :)

It could also be a battery. I had a similar experience and found one of my batteries was about to explode and the smell had come through to the inside. Check the batteries as well as the fridge.

Check front axle oil seals. Our left fron was leaking onto the brake shoes and it stunk like that. Required new seal and brakes and drum.

I am in a small campground at Zolfo Springs, Fl. near the big Thousand Trails campground and will be there in seven days. Yes, I did smell the water heater area, refrigerator opening and could not detect any smell. The gray in the water heater is on the outside of the water heater area after the cover has been unfastened and let hang. Its like there might be a leak and ran out of the area and down the side under the panel. I was in this very campground when my neighbor had his propane tank filled. I wondered if it had anything to do with that, but the smell just did not smell like propane. I will check the batteries tomorrow, but at the moment, we are having a thunder storm go thru and its raining pretty hard. I am pretty sure that I checked the batteries before I left home the first week of Jan. I did not detect any unusual smell at that time, but I do realize that things could have changed since that time. I have not had the smell since we left this campground. My wife did say thaat on one ocassion, she smelled something bad smell of water. She has a better sense of smell than I do. Thanks for all of the help, but I will check the batteries tomorrow.

William

AS a former owner of an 04 Southwind to get to the batteries just undo the two large screws set into the top step. Lift up and remove the step. The batteries are in plain view. On my unit, after 7 years much of the support material for the batteries was corroded and I was in there at least once a month checking water levels in the batteries.

That is a place to start even if there is no evidence of smell.

Thanks for checkin' back in!

One thing:

Batteries located under the door steps usually have a lid that can be readily removed for easy inspection- do at least take a look. No need to fiddle with the connections etc. just to do that...if they've been boiling at all there should be evidence of same.

If left unattended to, that kind of thing can lead to big trouble!

Williamh wrote:
To all who tried to help me after I posted this post, I do want you to know that I truly do appreaciate it and am sorry for not posting back. I still do not know the cause of the smell. The refrigerator is working perfectly. I cools with no problem, I keep the thermostat on the number 4 and have always used the same setting. I have only smelled the odor about once since I posted. l have been in Fla since the posting and the two campground I have been in does not have wifi that works very well. Since I have not had the contact with wifi, I have just read many of the post that some of you posted. Someone mentioned it could have been the batteries overheatinng, I will check that, but we are suppose to have thunderstorms shortly as I under stand the weather report. I have not smelled the smell for sometime, but will check the batteries as soon as I can without taking a chance with the thunderstorms. I have noticed a gray coloring that appears below the water heater. I don't know if the water heater has overheated or not. I don/t know of any problem with it. It puzzled me that the smell was near the refrigerator and the curio cabinet which is near the refrigerator and the batteries are under the door steps. The coach is a 2004 southwind. I have had the recalls done on the ref. If it should be the refrig. I cannot tell any differerence in the operation. Thanks for all the input. I wish I could tell all of you what the cause was but I can't. Take care and again I do apologize for not posting this earlier.

William

Did you remove outside vent to fridge and smell inside/look for signs of yellow residue?

Did you smell this odor in just one CG or at other CGS?

As for the WH.....where is this 'gray coloring' that has appeared below WH? Inside under WH, outside, side of rig??

William,

Where are you in FL-- one of us may be nearby and be able to offer another "nose".