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Old 03-28-2016, 11:36 AM   #1
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2002 22' International
berkeley , California
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 8
Strong Sewer Smell

I have owned a 2001 25' Excella for 5 years. No sewer smells for 5 years. Twice now we have experienced a new situation.

The last two times we parked the trailer in front of the house to ready for a trip, we got a very strong sewer smell from the rig by the next morning. The smell is both outside and in, no leaks to be seen. When it happened this morning I thought the smell seemed stronger towards the front of the trailer.

The first time this happened I put water in all the traps. Then I took the trailer back to storage (with strong sewer smell). When I picked it up a couple of days later the smell was gone.

Yesterday we brought the rig home (no sewer smell at all) and by this morning the smell was back.

I always empty grey and black water tanks after use.

Steve
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Old 03-28-2016, 12:15 PM   #2
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1999 28' Excella
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We started having smells in our trailer but figured out the toilet was original so out it went. No problem with the new one.
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Old 03-28-2016, 12:22 PM   #3
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Check your battery compartment

Had this happen a couple years ago. Thought is was the sewer, but it turned out that it was one of the batteries boiling over. There was a thread on airforums that walked through the steps of how to safely address this. The first step was unplugging and letting the battery cool off for an hour or two before doing anything. Hope this helps
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Old 03-28-2016, 01:26 PM   #4
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2002 22' International
berkeley , California
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Bad Sewer Smell

Thank you for fast replies.
When we are parked at home, the trailer is plugged in which charges the batteries. So, it is possible that overcharging occurs causing the batteries to boil over.
Steve
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Old 03-28-2016, 01:34 PM   #5
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That is what happened to us.
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Old 06-11-2016, 08:57 PM   #6
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Camrose , Alberta
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Could the odor be propane?
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Old 06-29-2016, 08:29 PM   #7
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2010 30' Classic
Tyler , Texas
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Haimo, we had the same issue with our 2010 30 ft. Classic Limited. Ours seemed to smell the worst during the hot summer months especially during the hottest part of the day. I checked all my plumbing and vents (even the one under the galley sink) and found no problems. We finally discovered the source of the smell. It turned out to be the fire retardant in the curtains. I called AS and they confirmed that it most likely was the fire retardant. But they did not recommend dry cleaning or machine washing/drying. So we removed all the curtains and hand washed them in the tub, air dried them now smell is gone. You would also be surprised how dirty your curtains are.
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Old 06-29-2016, 08:36 PM   #8
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We have had that happen a few times. In our case it was the black tank needed to be completely filled after dumping and re-dumped. I had not flushed the black tank with the wash out on the two previous outings. I knew better and will make that Australia do item on our future adventures.
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Old 06-29-2016, 08:59 PM   #9
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It happened with my trailer. I found the dump valve mounting blocks had cracked due to age. Sewage was dripping in the belly.
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Old 06-30-2016, 09:14 PM   #10
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2002 22' International
berkeley , California
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odor

Odor was caused by overcharging the batteries without keeping the batteries filled with water. Batteries had to be replaced.
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Old 07-15-2016, 02:57 PM   #11
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2001 25' Safari
Asheboro , North Carolina
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Same problem here with our 2001 25' Safari. Sewer smell seems to be coming from under / behind kitchen sink when I open the cabinet door it is horrible. Started the second day at campsite. We always clean tanks after each trip and leave 5 gals h20 / chem treatment in it. Just got home and need to get on this! Thanks for any help / suggestions!
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Old 07-15-2016, 03:02 PM   #12
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Kitchen sink? Grey tanks can get quite stinky too. Do you have water in the traps at all times? Do you treat your grey tanks? We use something like Rid-X for RVs.
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Old 07-15-2016, 03:13 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shopie View Post
Same problem here with our 2001 25' Safari. Sewer smell seems to be coming from under / behind kitchen sink when I open the cabinet door it is horrible. Started the second day at campsite. We always clean tanks after each trip and leave 5 gals h20 / chem treatment in it. Just got home and need to get on this! Thanks for any help / suggestions!
I had the same problem with my 2001 Safari 25. There is a cone shaped valve at the top of a pipe in the rear of that cabinet that I understand is supposed to let in air when dumping the gray tank to avoid sucking the water out of the P-trap for the sink. If it is stuck open, odors from the gray tank can permeate the cabinet. In my case, however, it was loose connections. Feel along all your drain lines for dampness and check the tightness of all the compression fittings from the sink on. There was no water on the floor of my cabinet, but the pipes were all damp. When I tightened the compression fittings and cleaned the pipes, the odor went away.

Al
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Old 07-15-2016, 04:20 PM   #14
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2001 25' Safari
Asheboro , North Carolina
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sewer stink behind kitchen sink base

For 2 years previous (since we purchased) there was a swamp smell behind the sink. The PVC pipes were never glued together and the drain water sat on the shrouds under the sink (over the heater?) and I did notice the air vent under there. We cleaned up and disinfected best we could. This new smell is awful and has to be sewer smell. Once we were hooked up we put water in all drains, and once the smell came we kept the drains all plugged up. Left kitchen window opened a bit and bath fan on. We drain when leaving campground, but add a few gallons with enzyme to slosh around. At season end we thoroughly clean out the tanks several times (minimum 3). Before leaving today we filled 1/2 way with clean h20 and hope that letting that sit a few days maybe it will release something? But how is it smelling up the kitchen cabinet? Leads us to believe there is more to it than something stuck somewhere? Our battery is outside the cabin, behind the propane tanks. This is strong sewer. We'll apparently be getting dirty next week when we explore this problem! All your help is great! Thanks in advance and we'll let you know our findings!
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Old 07-26-2016, 03:56 PM   #15
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In my Cruiser was almost new geel battery , she was greatly inflated . Had to be replaced ...
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Old 07-27-2016, 06:34 AM   #16
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2001 25' Safari
Asheboro , North Carolina
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sewer stink behind kitchen sink base

We flushed out our "clean out" (partially filled and enzyme treated) black water tank and refilled to the brim with clean water and more enzyme. There is no smell at the moment. We are hoping for a really deep clean. Letting it sit for several more days. If the problem continues we will first swap out the vent which is located behind the kitchen sink, which is the area we traced to smell from.
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Old 07-27-2016, 08:09 AM   #17
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1966 20' Globetrotter
1966 20' Globetrotter
johnsoncity , Tennessee
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Shopkeepers when you drain your tank. Add one box of baking soda and four regular (365) Bayer aspirins plus one or two gallons of water. No enzymes
Should be good to go
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Old 07-27-2016, 09:58 AM   #18
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I'm glad to see this thread b/c I've been meaning to inquire as well. Pretty much every time we empty our black tanks, we get a horrible sewer smell in the trailer in the vicinity of the bathroom. After we empty the black tank, we typically do a black tank clean out/flush with fresh water to about 70+ % and then empty gray tanks last, but the smell starts as soon as you begin emptying the black tank. It permeates the bathroom & into the bedroom inside the trailer, but then always dissipates so the next time we go to use the trailer, everything smells good and normal inside.

Is this normal? Any ideas? Are we doing something incorrectly that we need to change?

Much appreciate your input!
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Old 07-28-2016, 02:06 PM   #19
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2005 19' Safari
GLENDALE , AZ
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Re: Controlling Black & Grey Tank Odors

Summer heat promotes bacteria growth and outgassing in black and grey tanks. Running FantasticFans and exhaust fans full blast to exhaust the bad odors just sucks more smelly gasses up from the drains and toilet. This is especially evident in the desert southwest heat (currently 110+ degrees).

We use these these products to control waste tank odors:
  • Campa Chem Liquid Holding Tank Deodorant -- Start with 8 ounces in the black tank, and add more as necessary, as the tank fills.

    Note: This is the same blue chemical used in toilets on airliners, boats, trains, etc.

  • Camco TST Orange Power -- When camping, add 2-3 ounces to each sink and shower drain, as necessary. Just before storage, repeat; but leave deodorant in trap (i.e., do not flush drain with water after adding deodorant).
For those who wish to avoid harsh chemicals, there are "greener" versions of these products that work almost as well; although, most are significantly less effective in extreme heat.
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