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Treehouser's avatar
Treehouser
Explorer
Sep 05, 2015

Bathroom smell ... no, not that.

We've got a strange smell in the bathroom of our new-to-us 2000-year truck camper; I've searched the archives and can't find anyone complaining of quite what we've got, perhaps someone's got some ideas....

First of all, it's a smell that builds up in the bathroom. When you first open the door after it's been closed for a while, the smell is there -- it can be aired out, but returns and increases in intensity over time. I'd describe the smell as "chemical", if that sparks any thoughts for anyone.

Second, it's not a "waste" smell. It's not sour like urine or horrid like feces. I recently rinsed the living heck out of both gray and black tanks, and can confirm there is a markedly different smell that comes from the black tank while that flush valve is open ... and the smell from the gray tanks while draining was different than our culprit smell as well.

I had a notion it might be antifreeze or some such left in the shower or bathroom sink drain traps from the previous owner, and ran a bunch of water through them. The smell returned after I'd left the bathroom door closed for about an hour.

The bath is clean -- well scrubbed. The shower drain drains well enough. The toilet holds water in the bowl when the valve is closed, and the seal around the base looks solid.

I'm all out of ideas. Anyone?
  • Yeah, I hadn't thought of that. With the OP's camper being a 2000 model year, would that be a concern?

    The Biscuit posted a link recently about Katrina trailers (c2005) still testing at higher-than-recommended formaldehyde levels even after this long, so apparently there is a way to test.
  • GMandJM wrote:
    Is it possibly formaldehyde? Septic chemicals almost all contained it back in the day. Some still do.

    Sometimes it has no discernable smell at all, but if you've ever dissected a frog in a science class you never quite forget that formaldehyde "aroma".

    Formaldehyde toilet chemicals smelled like a dissected frog plus a toilet freshener cake.


    Not only chemicals. But RVs of that vintage had Formaldehyde in the walls. that it builds up while closed is a sign it could be out gassing of Formaldehyde. If strong enough, It can make your eyes water.
  • Does the bowl hold a little water after sitting for awhile? Is the roof vent open and causing a "draw" on the bathroom? Is there water in the shower and sink traps? I had an old TT with a bad seal ring between the toilet and tank. Replaced the toilet with a Dometic 310. At the time CW had the best price.
  • Is it possibly formaldehyde? Septic chemicals almost all contained it back in the day. Some still do.

    Sometimes it has no discernable smell at all, but if you've ever dissected a frog in a science class you never quite forget that formaldehyde "aroma".

    Formaldehyde toilet chemicals smelled like a dissected frog plus a toilet freshener cake.
  • Look on the backside (wall side) of the toilet between the bowl and base. Might be some liquid that has been there for a while. You need a mirror or a camera to see if anything is there. We had a bad toilet (was fixed under warranty)with bad smell took a week to find where it was coming from. Check this area to rule it out.
  • Could be mold growing in the floor or walls due to water infiltration or leakage.

    Outside chance that it's dangerous.

    Then again, it could have been something a previous owner spilled in there that soaked into the floor or walls......like Listerine; that stuff smells pretty nasty.

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