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woodedareas · 07-31-2007, 05:56 PM

Our AS is new this year and at first there was a smell of new materials. That has given way to what I can best describe as an unpleasant unfresh odor. Our holding tank has been cleaned and recycled and we use a small packet of chemicals (supposedly safe) that is flushed down the toilet. Even with the windows open there is a hint of the odor. I would be interested in what other AS owners use to freshen the air quality, especialy when the trailer is closed.

Melody Ranch · 07-31-2007, 06:11 PM

Check for leaks. There should not be an odor. How about the fridge? Other food?

Silvertwinkie · 07-31-2007, 06:22 PM

There shouldn't be an odor, unless you use the facilities and have the Fantastic vents running or vent in the bathroom when you flush. It can draw air through the vent pipe, into the tank and into the trailer via the head, chemicals added or not and that smell can linger a bit after it happens....ask me how I know....

ScottW · 07-31-2007, 06:55 PM

If it has been really hot and the trailer has been closed up, it could be formaldahyde (spelling?) fumes...or fumes from the upholstery, etc. Just air it out...should be OK.

overlander63 · 07-31-2007, 06:57 PM

Ours had "that smell", it turns out that the toilet gasket was not seated properly (wadded up on one side), and the cap for the plumbing inside the coach was not tight. Both allowed fumes from the black tank to seep into the bathroom.

halimer · 07-31-2007, 07:01 PM

The smell maybe of the coils heating up on the frig. Mine gave off an odor for about a week.

thecatsandi · 07-31-2007, 08:51 PM

Vent stack leak?

mello mike · 07-31-2007, 08:59 PM

You've been given good advice so far. Also make sure you have a little water in the toilet, enough to cover the seal. Odors can seep through there, too.

Harry W · 07-31-2007, 09:31 PM

If the odor persists after you have tried the above suggestions, we had an odor problem with our 78 Sovreign. We replaced the toilet, carpet, mattress, gaucho mattress, and scrubbed the entire interior. Still, the odor persisted.

After the unit was in storage for about 3 months, the odor finally disappeared. I plugged the unit in to charge the battery, and the smell came back. The Univolt was the source all along and a new one cured the problem.

Your unit is new, so this is a long shot. But, stranger things have happened.

HarryW

dscluchfc · 07-31-2007, 10:33 PM

could be the tube from the toilet to the black tank needs a scrubbing....hold the flapper open and brush it good with some soapy cleanser such as Lysol.
then turn on the water and rinse it while brushing all the way up and down the tube.

EweMama · 08-02-2007, 05:37 AM

Putting new bar(s) of Zest in our Airstreams retards that stale smell of a closed up AS. If all those other solutions have been checked, try this.
p.s. Remember to put those Bounce sheets in many places to retard unwanted "visitors" during storage.

yukionna · 08-02-2007, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EweMama

Putting new bar(s) of Zest in our Airstreams retards that stale smell of a closed up AS. If all those other solutions have been checked, try this.
p.s. Remember to put those Bounce sheets in many places to retard unwanted "visitors" during storage.

Zest soap is a great idea! I've tried the bounce sheets myself and found they didn't work -- the mice actually used them as bedding material!

overlander63 · 08-02-2007, 06:49 AM

You can also get a couple of boxes of baking soda, open the tops, and leave them until you are ready to move the trailer. They will absorb odor as well, and are pretty cheap.

Poprivet · 08-02-2007, 07:23 AM

Go for the source - something is causing it - check with your dealer! A new Airstream should not stink. A vent pipe could be plugged or have come apart.

Wabbiteer · 08-02-2007, 09:59 AM

Air pressure changes from wind and vibrations of occupants moving around can cause the water in the traps to migrate from the elbows allowing small burps to constant drafts of air to infiltrate from the pipes, if not the tanks.

Keep the water refreshed in all drains with a cup or so as needed, and use the stabilizers to reduce any rocking motion that can coax water to siphon away from the trap elbows. Gasketed stoppers are in use on mine whenever I am not running water.

My vintage PVC piping above the floor line was much worse than the tanks since they never had been flushed, very annoying to examine as I pulled them out for other repairs. I also found a roof vent pipe had settled and vented into the interior more than vent through the roof. I wonder if the new style foaming drain cleaner would help sanitize the lines.

woodedareas · 08-02-2007, 04:50 PM

I decided to open all windows for the past severaldays as we were not expecting any rain and I keep the AS at my home. Today I entered the AS and noticed no significant odor. 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. Thanks for all of the suggestions. If this doesn't workI will head to the dealer as I have several warranty issues.

Poprivet · 08-02-2007, 06:35 PM

Of course, there are positive things about the smell like keeping company out under the awing

bilby05 · 08-02-2007, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottW

If it has been really hot and the trailer has been closed up, it could be formaldahyde (spelling?) fumes...or fumes from the upholstery, etc. Just air it out...should be OK.

I left a bottle of the green formaldahyde type toilet additive in the shower cabinet and apparantly the lid was loose. After a long drive and quite awhile parked in the sun, when I opened the door the fumes would bring tears to my eyes. I had to scrub the green stuff out of the cabinet and shower/tub and months later we still can smell that smell. I no longer use the green stuff, got some nice orange(non formaldahyde) additive. Smells better, but also try to remember to keep the bottle in a bucket under the kitchen sink so if it leaks, out it goes.
cheers, bill b.

ChicknKathy · 08-03-2007, 09:42 AM

We have had four ASs'. One 63 Trotter twice, 77-27 and a 69-31. They all have had a very distinctive yet non-offensive Airstream fragance(sp). Not a waste smell, not a mildew or mold, nor a smoke smell (wouldn't have bought them if they did). We look at a lot of older ASs, the vast majority of them have the fragrance. We have smelled them from Alaska, where we lived in the 31' for three years, to Texas, and maybe it's just our noses. But it reminds of 'home'