Ikk smell after traveling

[GrandpaKip]

Upon opening the camper after traveling between campsites this winter, there was a nasty odor. It didn't smell like the black tank, so I wondered if it was the grey. There are no leaks around the drains, so I thought it might be that the traps emptied while on the road. After running some water in each drain, the smell did abate. Before doing that, I sniffed around each drain, but the smell didn't seem any stronger. It was totally gone in about fifteen minutes or so with door and vents open. Anything I might have overlooked?

[TucsonJim]

"Damn near killed both me and the dogs while I sat there waiting for repair. Thank god I opened all the windows and didn't light up a cigarette."

Same thing happens to me on "chili night".

[rockhillmanor]

GrandpaKip wrote:

rockhillmanor wrote:
Check the knobs on your stove and make sure they are all tightly in the off position.

Thanks, but it definitely isn't propane.

I'll just add my obligatory story.
I thought a smell in my RV was the gray tank, CG manager came out and confirmed it, RV Mobile Repair was called out to change the air valve.

I have never traveled out of Wisconsin and a few of the great lakes states. I "know" what propane smells like also. It did not smell like propane.

I was traveling south for the first time and filled up with propane in Kentucky and then on to another CG.

Real long story short it WAS propane and from a bumped stove knob.

If you read the gov regs for propane it states they must add a smell but it is up to each state what smell they add.

The Kentucky propane did NOT smell ANYTHING like what I had been accustom to up North. Smelled like a stinky holding tank.

Damn near killed both me and the dogs while I sat there waiting for repair. Thank god I opened all the windows and didn't light up a cigarette.:(

[opnspaces]

I'm with TusconJim on this. I've seen many posts on here about the funny smell caused by faulty Air Admittance Valve (AAV) or cheater vents.
Link

Look under each sink for a vertical stub sticking up near the P trap. The AAV just unscrews from the top of the stub.

[Executive45]

Check too, the P trap to the washer/dryer if you have one...often, that's the culprit....Dennis

[wrenchbender]

Dump 3lbs of baking soda into the grey tank thru the kitchen sink,wait a day.Drain and flush.Flush out the water tank to be safe.

[bguy]

What road speed did you achieve? I had a similar occurrence when I towed once and neglected to close the rearmost roof vent.

[GrandpaKip]

Jim,
Thanks, I hadn't thought of the valve for the sink in the head. I will put it on the list of things to do before the next trip.

[GrandpaKip]

beemerphile1 wrote:

Executive wrote:
You missed that mouse that crawled into one of the cabinets and died.....Dennis

Nah, it was the dog, it is always the dog! Repeat after me men, "It was the dog".

Hahahahahaha.

[GrandpaKip]

rockhillmanor wrote:
Check the knobs on your stove and make sure they are all tightly in the off position.

Thanks, but it definitely isn't propane.

[rockhillmanor]

.

[rockhillmanor]

Check the knobs on your stove and make sure they are all tightly in the off position.

[beemerphile1]

Executive wrote:
You missed that mouse that crawled into one of the cabinets and died.....Dennis

Nah, it was the dog, it is always the dog! Repeat after me men, "It was the dog".

[Executive45]

You missed that mouse that crawled into one of the cabinets and died.....Dennis

[TucsonJim]

Many RV sink drains are not vented to the roof. They use an item called an "Air Admittance Valve". There have been quite a few posts on this forum about AAVs failing and causing a bad odor in the coach. In fact, the AAV for our bathroom sink failed when it was only six months old.

I was able to "sniff" the problem out by opening the cabinet door. It was very easy to replace. Replacements can be purchased at any hardware or home improvement store. If yours is bad, just unscrew the old one, put a little Teflon tape on the threads of the new one and screw it back in. It takes just a few minutes to do it.

The picture below shows my original AAV on the right, and the replacement that I purchased at Lowes on the left:



Jim