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woodedareas · 08-03-2007, 06:33 PM

I may have solved my mystery odor.After airing the AS out for several days I began my investigation, and low and behold I found the source of the odor. We forgot but we used 2 deoderant stick-ups. One in the kitchen area and the other in the bathroom. They were supposed to freshen the air but when combined with what others have decribed a an AS fragrance, it produced an unpleasant odor. Hopefully the problem is solved?????

cosmotini · 08-03-2007, 06:47 PM

Hopefully, you found the source of the odor!

I forgot about this until now, but with our first A/S, I bought a cheap broom with a plastic handle that was short enough to keep in the closet.

When the trailer was in storage, that broom must have off-gassed because when I opened the closet, it would bring tears to my eyes, and the smell would quickly permeate the entire trailer.

It took awhile to figure out what the culprit was.

I removed the items we stored in there and by process of elimination was able to determine that it was the broom.

It now resides in my lawn shed.

2airishuman · 08-03-2007, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodedareas

I think the smell may be a poor quality "fragrance" that eminates from the chemical that we toss down the toilet. I am going to flush the entire system again and see if I can find a product that has a neutral odor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodedareas

We forgot but we used 2 deoderant stick-ups... when combined with what others have decribed a an AS fragrance, it produced an unpleasant odor...

i've had both tank treatment fragrances and air fresheners produce very unpleasant odors in a hot/sealed trailer.

the are dozens of smelly threads on holding tank products...

i usually use roebic bacterial granules for the main 'digestive' these are odorless products...

Bacterial Treatments by Roebic Laboratories, Inc. - 203-795-1283

and odorlos as an enzyme treatment, again fragrance free...

ODØRLØS Holding Tank Treatment: Purchase ODØRLØS for your holding tank online here, Best Odor removal product, holding tank chemicals

your olfaction mileage may vary....

cheers
2air'

woodedareas · 08-04-2007, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

i've had both tank treatment fragrances and air fresheners produce very unpleasant odors in a hot/sealed trailer.

the are dozens of smelly threads on holding tank products...

i usually use roebic bacterial granules for the main 'digestive' these are odorless products...

Bacterial Treatments by Roebic Laboratories, Inc. - 203-795-1283

and odorlos as an enzyme treatment, again fragrance free...

ODØRLØS Holding Tank Treatment: Purchase ODØRLØS for your holding tank online here, Best Odor removal product, holding tank chemicals

your olfaction mileage may vary....

cheers
2air'

I noticed that Roebic has products especially for RV's. Have you tried any of these? One appears to be for the black tank and the other for grey water.Your salutation re: "olfaction" is intellectually great!

woodedareas · 08-12-2007, 08:43 AM

Finally after trying everything to identify the annoying odor or fragrance in my AS, I read about the Flush King on the forum.So I purchased one and yesterday spent the entire morning using it. The recommendations suggest 4 flushes, I did it 7 times and I was amazed at what was flushed out.To disgusting to describe. I then used the system that came with the AS and let it run for an hour until the effluent was clear. Simply dumping at a dump station and using the As system does not work. If anyone is really interested in cleaning the tank it will require something like an Flush King and a lot of time.Today I am going to Camperworld to purchase a product that has the type of bacteria to breakdown the seweage as I noticed that the seweage was not decomposed as it should be. THe odor is completely gone. I did have one incident at the very end when I left the tank over fill and I noticed water spilling over from the roof of the AS.I don't understand this but perhaps the water backed up into the air vent pipe??? Unfortunately the tank holding gauges on my AS are worthless.So the only complaint that I have with the Flush King is that I didn't know how much water to run into the tank.

overlander63 · 08-12-2007, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodedareas

I did have one incident at the very end when I left the tank over fill and I noticed water spilling over from the roof of the AS.I don't understand this but perhaps the water backed up into the air vent pipe???

Uhhh... If water is billowing out of the roof vent pipe like Old Faithful, that's a pretty good indicator the tank is full.

I'm guessing you can't look into the 'loo to see how much is in the tank. I've never seen one, but I wonder if there is a meter for the garden hose that will tell you how much water you put in the tank? If you have, say a 40 gallon black tank, you could set the meter at zero, and pump 35 gallons in, and turn it off.

2airishuman · 08-12-2007, 11:11 AM

hi woodedareas...

so you have come up with a new way to wash the a/s roof!

reads like you filled the black tank completely and because the valve was closed IN the toilet,

water backed up 8 feet into the vent tube and out the roof. i sure hope this was clean water.

the f/k is great ( the a/s built in btf is worthless) but there are some cautions...

your sewage plumbing is a low pressure/gravity dependent system.

NONE of the fittings on the grey/black drainage side are high pressure tested or capable.

that means from the outside valve all the way 2 the roof this system isn't designed to be under pressure.

force TOO much water up the f/k, too quickly and something will rupture/leak.

the safest approach is to hold OPEN the toilet valve and occasionally LOOK down as the water level rises....

a flash light and old wood yard stick marked at "FULL" can help.

with a 5/8 in hose and city pressure, it takes 2-5 minutes for the black tanks to approach full, depending on capacity...

but never leave the f/k unattended.

bacteria/enzymes...

yes i've used the roebic rv specific product but it isn't widely available. i prefer carrying their granular bacterial product.

regardless what bacteria/enzyme product selected, you'll need to be careful about what goes into the black tank.

no soaps, no detergents, no chlorine, no ammonia and no dishwater. these things ALL kill the bacteria and defeat the digestive process.

sure the tank can be occasionally cleaned with chemicals like these but then the bacterial seeding must be restarted.

cheers
2air'

cosmotini · 08-12-2007, 01:07 PM

I'm curious about how quickly the enymes break down the solids. If you're camping over a weekend, do they have time to work?

When we setup (full hookup), I try to put 3 to 5 gallons of water with an ounce of this stuff in the black tank before anything else goes in. This seems to help break down the solids and keep them suspended.

When breaking camp, I use the flush king for 2 or 3 cycles and we're good to go.

I've always considerd the holding tanks just that, holding tanks. I don't consider them septic tanks.

2airishuman · 08-12-2007, 03:32 PM

hi cosmo'

i agree this isn't a septic tank and for weekend trips, with tanks filled/flushed at 2-3 day intervals,

really nothing but 3-5 gallons of water is needed, and since this in less than 1 INCH of water in a 35 gallon tank...

if camping with full hook ups or nearby a dump station...

i'd start with 10 gallons of water (4 brim FULL toilet bowls).

but for folks traveling on longer trips or

in situations where the tank isn't agitated, or emptied frequently (full timers parked)...

tank digestion matters.

the correct soup will completely liquify tank contents which reduces the change of blockages at the pipes/valves/drain ...

bacteria that digest tissue (cellulose) isn't in our intestines so this needs to be added...

and adding enzymes to help the bact break down foodstuffs (proteases, amylases, lipases) and tissue (cellulase) is useful

i've gone as long a 6-7 weeks without emptying the black tank without big time odor.

i favor products with a clearly defined ingredient list and a msds.

and don't have a clue what is in the happy camper stuff; their info sheet is cleverly vague.

i suspect it is a borax like agent or sodium hydrate but without enzymes or bacteria...

the old sailing adage...

"never put anything into the toilet that you haven't eaten first"...

is still the best advice.

cheers
2air'

they may be more online info related to the crapper than any other rv topic...

here is a crapper site with it's own forums!

http://www.phasefourindustries.com/

2wired · 08-03-2008, 09:35 PM

I realize this post is late but,,,,, we just saw the posting. Our trailer is garaged and the tanks are clean but ours too has some type of odor. When we take the trailer out and start traveling the odor ceases. My husband feels that it is a gassing off odor.

Dan and Marty
air# 18667

2airishuman · 08-03-2008, 09:56 PM

my unit was done making "new trailer" odors at about 6-9 months of use.

summer storage?

one of the things that can cause odors is evaporation of water in the sink/shower traps...

and the toilet bowl.

i occasionally add the pink rv safe antifreeze to the toilet bowl and traps during the summer...

if now using the trailer for a few weeks.

the antifreeze evaporates too, but MUCH slower than water.

another option is to put the sink/shower DRAIN PLUGS IN to seal the openings and reduce evaporation.

still the best this is to leave the odors behind and go camping!

cheers
2air'

willyd · 08-04-2008, 06:21 AM

Check under the Airstream and look for any small leaks. Could be a small water leak under the bathroom vanity and/or the closets. The small leak could have the carpet wet and this could be the smell. I know for sure because this happened to me. It was just a small leak but the carpet had been wet for a period of time.

n2916s · 08-04-2008, 08:53 AM

We spend 4 -6 months a year on the road in our Sovereign and I swear by bacteria based waste treatment. The best products I have found are Pure Power (also has a breakdown enzyme), Roebic (the RV version works fine) and, maybe best of all, Eco-Save.

Once you have the system up and happy, it takes very little of the product to keep things going. It is also handy if you travel with pets as a little of the product will take the odor out of any "accidents".

mike