cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Horrible black tank odor from toilet

pittbull29
Explorer
Explorer
I'm full timing in WI right now. Hadn't been having any trouble with black tank odor. Fiancé (who is in NC) said I should get rubber gasket to put between sewer hose and pipe into ground. I'm in mobile home spot so it doesn't fit tight. Owner of park did it for me. A couple of days ago started having slight dirty odor. Knew I had emptied it recently. Decided to empty then emptied grey tanks. When I walked back inside the stench thru whole trailer almost knocked me down. Now when I flush I am getting horrible odor from toilet. Has 2 small bottles of blue stuff in there. Help!
28 REPLIES 28

cmcdar
Explorer
Explorer
beemerphile1 wrote:
Bad air admittance valve or bad seal under the toilet.

Look under the sinks for this device;


Just an FYI - I have a 2010 Hybrid TT and it does NOT have any Air Admittance Valves.

That said, when connected to full service - Only open your valves to dump tanks when they are mostly full. If you do not dump this way, mostly fluid will flow and the solids are left behind.

Solids left behind are what SMELLS.
HTT: 2007 R-Vision Trail Cruiser c191
TV: 2010 Nissan Titan Pro4X Crew Cab

beemerphile1
Explorer
Explorer
Bad air admittance valve or bad seal under the toilet.

Look under the sinks for this device;
Build a life you don't need a vacation from.

2016 Silverado 3500HD DRW D/A 4x4
2018 Keystone Cougar 26RBS
2006 Weekend Warrior FK1900

Twomed
Explorer
Explorer
Strong winds outside?
Happy Trails 🙂
06 Monaco Dynasty
07 Hummer H3
FMCA 279843

westend
Explorer
Explorer
The vent to your black tank is an open pipe that enters the black tank for a few inches. if that pipe is clogged on the bottom or frozen shut, you will get sewer gas into the RV. You do have your black tank dump valve closed and only open it every so often to dump, correct?
'03 F-250 4x4 CC
'71 Starcraft Wanderstar -- The Cowboy/Hilton

allen8106
Explorer
Explorer
pittbull29 wrote:
Fiancé (who is in NC) said I should get rubber gasket to put between sewer hose and pipe into ground. I'm in mobile home spot so it doesn't fit tight. Owner of park did it for me.


Could be getting sewer gas backed up from sewer since park owner fitted end of hose to sewer drain tighter.
2010 Eagle Super Lite 315RLDS
2018 GMC Sierra 3500HD 6.6L Duramax

2010 Nights 45
2011 Nights 70
2012 Nights 144
2013 Nights 46
2014 Nights 49
2015 Nights 57
2016 Nights 73
2017 Nights 40
2018 Nights 56
2019 Nights 76
2020 Nights 68

pittbull29
Explorer
Explorer
No snow.

Mfan
Explorer
Explorer
Not necessarily clogged, just covered with snow

pittbull29
Explorer
Explorer
No problem staying warm. Have bales of straw around camper, heated fresh water hose, couple of brooder lamps under trailer. Trailer has heated underbody of course. We stayed in Vt in winter many years ago with trailer that didn't have heated underbody. Drain hose is in a piece of gutter tie wrapped to underbody with pink insulation on top and heat tape running along bottom. Have doubled up bubble wrap in windows so light can still come in. 3 big windows and door have a drape over them to help insulate a little. I'm just weirded out because odor occurred suddenly. Odor def not coming from sinks or shower. I just put a couple of gallons of vinegar down those last week. How could I tell if vent is clogged?

2gypsies1
Explorer III
Explorer III
Do you have a ceiling fan running? That will draw in odors. If you have a small amount of water always in the bottom of the toilet bowl, then your toilet is sealed and shouldn't have any odors. If that water doesn't stay in the toilet then your seal needs replacing.
Full-Timed for 16 Years
.... Back in S&B Again
Traveled 8 yr in a 40' 2004 Newmar Dutch Star Motorhome
& 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

cmcdar
Explorer
Explorer
OP, You are tlking about Wisconsin in the WINTER, right?

How are you keeping things from freezing?

If tanks are not being kept warm, I would worry about waste materials freezing. This could cause you tanks from not emptying completely. Or frozen clog in vent stack, etc.
HTT: 2007 R-Vision Trail Cruiser c191
TV: 2010 Nissan Titan Pro4X Crew Cab

CloudDriver
Explorer
Explorer
May have nothing to do with your problem, but here's our "awful toilet smell" story.

On a trip a couple of years back we pulled into our campsite and were greeted with a knock you over smell when we opened the bathroom door. It was easy to determine that the odor was coming from the toilet, which was an all plastic AquaMagic IV. This toilet had two foot pedals on the front to add water or open the flush valve. the odor was coming from the opening where the pedals came out of the base, so something inside the toilet must have broken or cracked to allow black tank odors out. We didn't want to abort the trip, so I put a ziplock bag over the pedals and used masking tape to seal the open end of the bag to the outside of the toilet base. This sealed the opening while keeping the pedals operable. I also taped up the base to floor joint and the opening in the back where the water line entered the toilet base. This stopped the odors and saved our trip.

When we got home I replaced the toilet.
2003 Winnebago Minnie 24F - Ford E-450🙂

the_bear_II
Explorer
Explorer
sch911 wrote:
Have you checked the roof drain vent tube to make sure it's clear?


X-2

sch911
Explorer
Explorer
Have you checked the roof drain vent tube to make sure it's clear?
OEM Auto Engineer- Embedded Software Team
09 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 41SKQ Cummins ISL
2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited Toad

paulcardoza
Explorer
Explorer
At each of your sinks, there is a small air vent on the drain pipes. These can fail and cause the types of odors you are experiencing. They are available for cheap money at Lowes or Home Depot.

They just hand-screw onto the pipe. Just make sure you get the correct pipe size.
Paul & Sandra
Plymouth, MA
2014 Heartland Cyclone 4100 King