Bathroom smell ... no, not that.

[Treehouser]

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?

[GMandJM]

It quieted down around here when I went back to work.

[azrving]

GMandJM wrote:
X2 on starting a new game ....ermmm....I mean a new thread of "What's That Smell", outdoorK9lady.

This is an older topic and if you start a new thread you will likely get more replies.

Let me know if you would like me to post it as new for you. Apparently it annoys 2gypsies when I do that. (Which makes me want to do it as often as possible! :B)

It has been a little slow in here. 🙂

[GMandJM]

X2 on starting a new game ....ermmm....I mean a new thread of "What's That Smell", outdoorK9lady.

This is an older topic and if you start a new thread you will likely get more replies.

Let me know if you would like me to post it as new for you. Apparently it annoys 2gypsies when I do that. (Which makes me want to do it as often as possible! :B)

[Old-Biscuit]

outdoork9lady wrote:
Sorry if I hijacked, I thought we were on smells in an RV and I was reading up on what people were doing to locate and handle them. Very new to this. If there is a thread for this I will go there.

Just start YOUR own thread.......indicating your issue. Click on 'Post New Topic'
Then folks replying will be in response to your problem and not the OPs /yours/something else.

Just helps keep responses about the original issue vs several different things. Gets confusing (more confusing---cause it can get confusing regardless) :B

[outdoork9lady]

Sorry if I hijacked, I thought we were on smells in an RV and I was reading up on what people were doing to locate and handle them. Very new to this. If there is a thread for this I will go there.

[Old-Biscuit]

outdoork9lady wrote:
Lots of good information here. Very very very new to all of this. My 3rd trip in a travel trailer was with one I just bought. 2008 Everything but the electric water heater worked well. I put on the propane water heater, Yay, a hot shower. Now with all of this, we did use the toilet and I noticed we filled up the grey water tank. This trailer had been used very rarely but when I used it, no smells.

Got home after a very bumpy ride, and boy oh boy, eyes watered from smell. I opened up windows and put on the bathroom fan. It barely did anything while I unloaded. I emptied the grey tank in the morning, and opened up the trailer, whew finally smell went away. Back again after driving it home from a 5 minute commute from work. Took it up to empty the black tank and rinsed the heck out of it from the toilet, until I saw clear water thru the hose. Put in the blue and some water, thought I had it licked...nope.

Bought me and now I'm waiting for one of those turbo vents to replace regular vent up on top of the travel trailer but still thinking there is something else going on.

I will try the garbage bag trick to see about that. I will put some bleach down the grey tank thru the sink and shower holes.

Before I go up on the roof to replace the vent....are the turbo vents a gimmick or do they work?

What does this have to do with OPs issue :H

Might what to have 'moderator' move your post to NEW Topic so YOUR problem can be addressed vs hijacking OPs thread.

[outdoork9lady]

It's a 2008 Keystone RV Outback lite 21RS trailer. It has the Propane tanks up front on the tongue, vertical vs the normal horizontal placement. When the water didn't heat up with the electrical heater, I went to the propane. I did just go home and dump some febreeze into the sinks and bathtub, then I could close the bathroom sink and tub. I really think it's my grey tank as I know I overfilled it, by accidently overfilling the fresh water tank.

[RICKIM]

Here's a shot in the dark.....where is the outside propane storage location?

Is it located in a outside compartment space in the area of the sink?

I know I have a different TC but sometimes I get the faint smell of propane because my outside
propane compartment is under my bathroom vanity.

Does it smell similar to propane?

Good luck,
Rick

[outdoork9lady]

Lots of good information here. Very very very new to all of this. My 3rd trip in a travel trailer was with one I just bought. 2008 Everything but the electric water heater worked well. I put on the propane water heater, Yay, a hot shower. Now with all of this, we did use the toilet and I noticed we filled up the grey water tank. This trailer had been used very rarely but when I used it, no smells.

Got home after a very bumpy ride, and boy oh boy, eyes watered from smell. I opened up windows and put on the bathroom fan. It barely did anything while I unloaded. I emptied the grey tank in the morning, and opened up the trailer, whew finally smell went away. Back again after driving it home from a 5 minute commute from work. Took it up to empty the black tank and rinsed the heck out of it from the toilet, until I saw clear water thru the hose. Put in the blue and some water, thought I had it licked...nope.

Bought me and now I'm waiting for one of those turbo vents to replace regular vent up on top of the travel trailer but still thinking there is something else going on.

I will try the garbage bag trick to see about that. I will put some bleach down the grey tank thru the sink and shower holes.

Before I go up on the roof to replace the vent....are the turbo vents a gimmick or do they work?

[GMandJM]

He already did the "bag the toilet" thing. No love.

[Vulcan_Rider]

rjxj wrote:
Could you put a big plastic bag over the toilet and tape it at the floor and see if that helps isolate it.

I think that is a brilliant suggestion.

I also thing you might be on to something with that "yellow goo".

[GMandJM]

Treehouser wrote:
"Plastic" might not be quite right, either. Sour plastic. Clearly I'll never make a living selling wine. 🙂

So my wife just took her super nose out there, might be a red herring but she thinks it's strongest right at the flush handles. I mean, I had my head down around there the better part of the day today, so maybe my nose is burned out, but that's what she says.

Which got me thinking. When I had the toilet apart, there was what I assumed was some kind of lubricant around and underneath those flush handles, a yellow stuff. I didn't think much of it at the time, and it was all in the driveway so nothing stunk in particular. I wonder if that has something to do with anything.

Spraying a gallon of rubbing alcohol sounds like fun. Wheee! 🙂

Flush handles? Plural? Your toilet isn't like this one? Is there a seam in that area, by chance?

When you say "sour plastic" I'm thinking some sort of petroleum-based product.

[Naio]

Yes, I have definitely encountered oil-based paints, construction adhesives, etc. that have a powerful smell for weeks or months.

So, you two just got the rig? Is there any chance some work was done on it right before it was put up for sale? If so, the smell will go away eventually.

Plastic smelling because it is OLD -- I have never encountered that.

[westend]

If the smell is off-gassing from plastic or the scent from some factory lubricant, it should dissipate with time. For the immediate time, I'd suggest to spray everything with Febreze, ventilate, and use an odor absorbent to catch the offensive smells. I've used those small "butter tub" odor absorbers with good success. They emit a light odor too.

I've learned that some folks are very sensitive to certain odors. I painted a bedroom in one house where the owner said she couldn't use the room for two weeks following the paint job. She had also quit her job because of "sick building syndrome" (the odors from carpets, paint, and construction materials).