WOW! What a stench - almost gassed us out!

[Mike_LeClair]

Hello All!

Admittedly, I am not the sharpest knife in the kitchen drawer. Also, the entire topic of back flow prevention valves and the mysteries of the poop/holding tank stacks completely escape me. If some of you would care to 'splain all of these things to me I would be grateful. Please type really slow cause I can't read too fast!:B

Here is the need for my query:
Last week the black tank back flusher crapped out and does not spin at all - at least AFAIK. I used the search function and found a couple of solutions that seemed to revolve around a anti-drain back "thingy" under the sink in the bathroom?

Tonight we had water back up the pipe under the galley sink and when I looked under there it was evident that the water was coming up through the vertical black stand pipe just behind the actual sink drains. There was a cap on this stand that was apparently loose and when I examined it I found that it had a spring loaded rubber stopper in the top portion of the cap. I screwed this cap thing back into the stand pipe, hand tight, yet tight. I then went out and pulled the drain for the galley tank.

Then into the bathroom to search for the ambiguous anti drain back thingy. I found this funky looking device with two pex pipes running into it which I assumed was the thingy that I was looking for. I removed it from the two pex pipes supplying it, examined it, scratched my head and other anatomical parts and immediately put it back together because I didn't have a clue what it was or did.

By the time I got back into the galley to finish cleaning up the mess on the floor from the standing pipe spill over the stench was enough to almost knock both the bride and I out cold. The dog was at the exit door scratching for all he was worth to get out. I opened windows and turned on the fan in the bathroom and the stench eventually dissipated although even now there is a residual odor that is not very pleasant.

So, then, can y'all please explain to me, in simple language, how all of this works? What did I do wrong, or to cause this most foul odor event and how do we prevent the smell and the water overflow in the future? Also, how does all of this internal plumbing somehow relate to the black tank back flusher?

Thanks for reading and hopefully responding!

Cheers!

Mike and Carol

[Cuffs054]

So, does no one wonder what happened to the poor dog? Did he manage to get out before the evil gas overtook him? Was he able to get to Timmy and explain the problem by lifting his tail and pooting and running back to the trailer?? Stay turned next week for the thrilling climax!

[Coach-man]

Clean your dirty dishes at the kitchen sink? Then food waste flushed into grey tank, rotten food waste smells really bad, (but isn't that what poop is? Undigested ((food waste)), with a little bacteria mixed in?) As with both the toilet and sinks allways run plenty of water, so the "stuff" stays swiming until you dump the tanks, also with p,enty of water you will have to dump the tanks more often, keeping them cleaner. Just saying!!

[Mike_LeClair]

Hello again everyone! Just a quick follow up for you all. We seem to have solved the lingering smells from the galley cabinet under the sink. We used some Lysol deodorizer and it smells "normal" now. I had to fly Carol home last night to deal with a family emergency involving one of our daughters and I will be packing up the RV and heading home to the frozen turd called Alberta on Sunday. I hope things warm up soon there!

Thank you all for the education and better understanding of the flow of things in our RV's plumbing system. As always, this is an outstanding forum of like-minded RVers!

Cheers!

Mike

[1rrraider]

I know I'll get disagreement, but the best solution is to do away with the valve. The valves are notorious for failing. Backflow into city water (which the valve is supposed to prevent) is virtually impossible to occur; far less than your odds of winning the lottery alone and also having the mega-plyer or whatever that thing is. After the first time I had leakage there when using the flush system I removed mine, and will never have any more problems.

[JohnBoyToo]

FYI,
we use both black and grey tank chemicals just in case...

from the voice of experience if those s traps or toilets EVER dry out, WATCH out !!!

We are fortunate to have many more BR's and baths in our S&B house than necessary and the back BR's bath was not used for a very long time...

one evening while watching tv SOMETHING came crawling up the hall that almost made us pass out !!!
Seems the dry climate allowed the traps to dry out and let the fumes back up - EEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwww 🙂

[DennisG9]

Nope - no chain jerking of any kind. I have never played the "bait" game. Nor have I ever smelled such a bad smell as yesterdays adventure. There is still a bit of a foul odor under the sink, maybe from the water that spilled in there. We will clean and scrub really well and see if it clears up.

Our thanks again to Ole-Biscuit for his time and effort in answering our shout for help.

Cheers!

Mike and Carol

Mike,

Your galley tank could be like mine as the drain and vent pipes enter the top of the tank they are just a slip fit. My tank has 2 in ID flanges and the pipes are 1 1/2 in and they are not sealed going into the top of the tank. Not any way to get at them when installing the grey tank. Just a 2 in deep slip fit. Both of my flanges had cracks in them the main problem being the drain line leaking on top of the tank and soaking up the floor from underneath. Don't know for sure if yours is designed this way but it might be worth looking at.

Might try loosening the grey tank to see if it is attached to drain lines. Watch for any stinky water standing on top of grey tank. That is if yours isn't covered with bottom board or fabric.

I have new flanges ordered so I will be dropping the tank again in a week or two. I'll get some photos then if you haven't found your problem.

[greatwhitenort1]

Dave H M wrote:
I don't know if Mike is jerking our chain or not. :h

But Ole-Biscuit sure went to great lengths to explain that stuff in plain English. Good job there.

What part of his post or reply's lead you to believe he's "yanking anyones chain"!!

[Mike_LeClair]

Dave H M wrote:
I don't know if Mike is jerking our chain or not. :h

But Ole-Biscuit sure went to great lengths to explain that stuff in plain English. Good job there.

Nope - no chain jerking of any kind. I have never played the "bait" game. Nor have I ever smelled such a bad smell as yesterdays adventure. There is still a bit of a foul odor under the sink, maybe from the water that spilled in there. We will clean and scrub really well and see if it clears up.

Our thanks again to Ole-Biscuit for his time and effort in answering our shout for help.

Cheers!

Mike and Carol

[Fire5er]

I wish more people would post pictures when they post answers, and for that matter questions too. Thanks Old-Biscuit for the great info here. I have known about the Air Admittance Valve and their locations in my 5er, and the black tank flush anti-siphon backflow preventer under my bathroom sink...but your pictures are worth the proverbial 1000 words. Also great to know the approximate cost and where to acquire them. Thanks again for a very informative post for all the readers of this great forum.

[kennethwooster]

Great story but I''m also learning from this story. When my Cameo was new the thingy under the bathroom sink began to just let clean water drain. Dealer changed it right out but sure got the basement wet.

[Dave_H_M]

I don't know if Mike is jerking our chain or not. :h

But Ole-Biscuit sure went to great lengths to explain that stuff in plain English. Good job there.

[FlatBroke]

Our prior trailer had an odor around the sink and I could never figure it out. Found that same valve under the kitchen sink. I unscrewed it and was hit with the stench you were talking about. Now I don't know what rotton skunk poop smells like but this had to be ten times worse then that. Was so bad it must have come trough the components. I started doing thant bleach thing as regular maintenance and the stink never came back. I also found out some off those vales are so cheap that they don't have the return spring and rely on the rubber diaphram to do its job. Mine did not have the spring so I replaced it wth one that did.

[Mike_LeClair]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
The 'thingy' you found under the kitchen sink is call an 'Air Admittance Valve'

[snipped and shortened for brevity]

You, Sir, are a Demi-God and I thank you for your concise and clear input!

[Posted By: byronlj on 04/14/14 11:25pm

Your gray water tank hooked to your galley drain is not part of the black tank system, so it never gets flushed. Make sure you keep it drained so it won't back up. I've also found if this tank starts smelling badly, a half cup of bleach sloshing around in some water clears it right up.
Dave]

You, Sir, are pretty kewl and I thank you for your input!

[Posted By: dtappy3353 on 04/14/14 11:40pm

I love this story!

What a visual.

Laughing so hard my stomach hurts. Almost wet my pants.]

You, I'm not too sure about but thanks for reading my story!

Cheers All

Mike

[dtappy3353]

I love this story!

What a visual.

Laughing so hard my stomach hurts. Almost wet my pants.