VERY strong sewer odor

[mtofell1]

2016 Keystone Hideout, 2 months old. I've used it twice for a couple days each time and emptied the tanks each time and filled with chemicals and a couple gallons of water. In preparation for leaving tomorrow I went out and flushed the toilet and was overtaken by a ridiculously strong black tank odor. It was so "gassy" I felt like it would explode if I lit a match.

I understand all about plumbing and traps and this is my 5th RV. I visually looked at all sink traps and verified they are holding water. While the odor does seem to be strongest at the fixtures it's kind of just all over. Honestly, it's tough to tell where it's coming from (other than the black tank, of course :)) I'm suspicious of a detached vent pipe in the wall. Does this ever happen? How would anyone find it?

I added another bag of chemicals and another gallon or so of water and will recheck in the morning. I'm 99.99% sure I put chemicals in after last draining but I suppose I could have forgotten - new trailer, new routines, etc. but I really don't think I did.

Has anyone experienced anything like this before?

[leeper]

You may not smell anything inside but people outside do smell your stink when your un treated tank vents outside.

[leeper]

"using chemicals only masks the odor". Is that right. Gee, I thought that was the idea of using the chemicals. That is not septic tank chemicals you are putting in and the tank is not a septic tank. The Black tank is for short term storage of human waste, a holding tank.

[shepstone]

Had one of those high powered vents in the throne room of a previous rv, when the fan was turned on high it would suck air back in through the bedroom vent which was the one closest to the stink pipe exit.....

[TucsonJim]

lanerd wrote:
I'm also a fan of water only...no rv toilet chemicals. When traveling, the only chemicals I'll use is a cup of Oxy-Clean along with a cap full of Calgon water softener and about five gallons of water. The sloshing of the tank during travel will keep the tank as clean as it's gonna get.


Ron

So what is the formula for Oxy-Clean and Calgon that makes them safer for the environment than RV treatment?? :h

[lanerd]

I'm also a fan of water only...no rv toilet chemicals. When traveling, the only chemicals I'll use is a cup of Oxy-Clean along with a cap full of Calgon water softener and about five gallons of water. The sloshing of the tank during travel will keep the tank as clean as it's gonna get.

Once at the rv/camp site, I'll drain and flush with about a half tank of fresh water and leave another five gallons in the tank. We use plenty of water during each flush to insure plenty of water is in the tank at all times. Of course, when boon docking, this does create a problem with the tank filling too soon...so you have to make adjustments.

Using chemicals only "masks" the odor and should only be used when trying to find the source of the problem and fixing it. A normal tank does not need chemicals at all.

As others have mentioned check your AAV valve, and replace if in question....they're cheap and easy to install. Checking the top tank vent pipe is easy by putting a water hose in the opening and turn it on. If the pipe is clear, water will come out the tank's drain pipe. I have never heard of any one's vent pipe that "actually" came loose and slipped down to the bottom of the tank... it does sound feasible however.

good luck and let us know what you found the problem to be so that others may benefit from your experience.

Remember, water is your friend when it comes to keeping your black tank happy. Chemicals are for the most part, just wasted $$ down the proverbial toilet. Pun intended, thank you very much.

Ron

[SkiingSixPack]

Just a thought, but have you checked the battery? We had what we thought was a black or grey tank leak and it ended up being our battery was putting off of very bad sulfur smell. It was due to a faulty charger.

[JD_and_Beastlet]

For years we often noticed a bad smell when we stopped somewhere and we always suspected the toilet. Last year I learned that the P-traps in showers are often very small and can dry out in time or splash out in transit. Our solution is a tight-fitting rubber plug in the drain when the shower is not in use, and to send some water down the drain whenever we stop.

As for chemicals, we've never used them. We're fans of the Geo Method; it's always worked well for us and our 8-year-old tank sensors still work perfectly.

[laknox]

Coach-man wrote:
I at first thought of the AAV, but after reading your reply I have to go with your vent being blocked. I have read that in manufacture, they can sometimes place the vent way to low in the tank, and when you start filling the tank with liquids, it blocks the bottom of the vent pipe in the tank. Run a hose down the vent to see if something was blocking it, if that does not work, then it must be blocked at the bottom.

Or the vent detached and has fallen down. That's a common one, too, given the "normal" construction of RVs these days.

Lyle

[Coach-man]

I at first thought of the AAV, but after reading your reply I have to go with your vent being blocked. I have read that in manufacture, they can sometimes place the vent way to low in the tank, and when you start filling the tank with liquids, it blocks the bottom of the vent pipe in the tank. Run a hose down the vent to see if something was blocking it, if that does not work, then it must be blocked at the bottom.

[avvidclif1]

Some chemicals can smell worse that what they are trying to cover up, especially when aged a bit. Adding chemicals to the tank is a part of our setup routine. Of course we flush the tank very well when leaving from the previous campout. Never had a problem.

[djousma]

leeper wrote:
When I read your post I heard that you went camping, used the toilet with no chemicals in it, then drained the tanks, and then you added chemicals after you where done using it. No wonder it stunk! You first put in the chemicals with water, then use it, then you drain the tank of the chemicals and what ever you put in the toilet! Chemicals first and not last when you are done. When you put the chemicals in with a little water and let it sit for several weeks the chemical lost its potency and things got stinky. Chemicals need to be renewed in order to keep working.

I guess the way I read the OP is that he does what I do. After draining the tank, he "recharges" it with chemicals, and water so that it is ready to go for the next time. I don't think they said they used the tank without chems. I guess we wont know until he/she comes back for sure.

If this is new trailer, then I'm going to go with the roof vent might be partially/fully plugged.

[1ofmany]

The roof vent for our black tank is right beside an air vent...sometimes I believe sewer odors are drawn inside because of this configuration. When we notice this (not often), we turn on the exhaust fan for that roof air vent. Seems to clear the smell.

[dave17352]

Learjet wrote:

leeper wrote:
When I read your post I heard that you went camping, used the toilet with no chemicals in it, then drained the tanks, and then you added chemicals after you where done using it. No wonder it stunk! You first put in the chemicals with water, then use it, then you drain the tank of the chemicals and what ever you put in the toilet! Chemicals first and not last when you are done. When you put the chemicals in with a little water and let it sit for several weeks the chemical lost its potency and things got stinky. Chemicals need to be renewed in order to keep working.

Ditto^^^^ clean well and leave empty if not being used

A lot of people don't use chemicals at all. I charge my tanks up and can leave them for a month with no problems. I will be interested to see what he finds.

[Learjet]

leeper wrote:
When I read your post I heard that you went camping, used the toilet with no chemicals in it, then drained the tanks, and then you added chemicals after you where done using it. No wonder it stunk! You first put in the chemicals with water, then use it, then you drain the tank of the chemicals and what ever you put in the toilet! Chemicals first and not last when you are done. When you put the chemicals in with a little water and let it sit for several weeks the chemical lost its potency and things got stinky. Chemicals need to be renewed in order to keep working.

Ditto^^^^ clean well and leave empty if not being used

[leeper]

When I read your post I heard that you went camping, used the toilet with no chemicals in it, then drained the tanks, and then you added chemicals after you where done using it. No wonder it stunk! You first put in the chemicals with water, then use it, then you drain the tank of the chemicals and what ever you put in the toilet! Chemicals first and not last when you are done. When you put the chemicals in with a little water and let it sit for several weeks the chemical lost its potency and things got stinky. Chemicals need to be renewed in order to keep working.