Where is the black tank vent?

[mike2016]

Every time I walk by the van I smell some sewage.

The black tank is almost empty. Only used it 3 times for #1....

Is there a sewage pipe vent on the car somewhere ?

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by mike2016

Every time I walk by the van I smell some sewage.

The black tank is almost empty. Only used it 3 times for #1....

Is there a sewage pipe vent on the car somewhere ?

In your photo there are two 360 Siphon vent caps on either side of the bath vent near the awning - like these. . .

https://www.lci1.com/360-siphon

The one forward is for the black tank. Looking closer at your photo there is solar wiring wrapped around the black tank vent. That might be interfering with the function of the vent.

But if you are smelling sewer outside the van it is more likely a small leak in the plumbing under the van.

[Passin Thru]

On my 2013 Interstate Ext the black tank vent is the first black vent on the right side. The second black vent is to the grey water. The top of your coach looks like it has the same set up.

I had to repair both of my vents as the pipes did not extend far enough into the vent to create a seal. They had not sealed the roof around the pipe either. I had rain water leakage from the front vent.

[mike2016]

Yea I thought those black things are just for wrapping the solar cables.

I’ll take a look.

It’s a brand new unit so leaking underneath shouldn’t be happening yet?

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by Passin Thru

On my 2013 Interstate Ext . . .

I had to repair both of my vents as the pipes did not extend far enough into the vent to create a seal. They had not sealed the roof around the pipe either. I had rain water leakage from the front vent.

I had to do the same thing on my 2013 AI. Airstream quality control has a long history of leaving errors on new units. So - it is possible for a new coach to have problems.

Mike2016 - since you have a new unit get the dealer to identify and fix the problem. There should be no noticeable odor if it is built right.

[mike2016]

i looked around the underside of the coach and found the black tank, there's no smell around that area....

the smell is usually towards the back of the coach when i walk by it.

but it's not always there. is it possible that it's just the wind carrying the smell over from the vent?

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by mike2016

. . .
. . . is it possible that it's just the wind carrying the smell over from the vent?

Yes, especially if the ambient air temp is high, and the black tank has been "cooking" in the high heat. Does your coach sit in the sun, there in Walnut near Pasdena? That'll do it.

Even a small amount of the odoriferous gas can be noticeable to some folks who have a sensitive ability to smell things.

If possible . . . the nest time you notice it, get up on a ladder and put your nose as close as possible to the down-wind side of the vent(s).



You could add some black tank treatment chemicals and some water to control things, but the best solution is to dump ASAP.

PS -- Good advice to have the dealer "deal" with this. If the installation is defective, it should be corrected right away!

Good luck,

[mike2016]

Yea it had been 100+ during the day for the past 2 weeks here... just started to cool down yesterday.

dont have the balls to get near that vent lol.

i'm trying to find a place to dump, but the closest one is an hour away.

i tried to look for a cleanout near my house, but there isn't one, besides the giant sewage manhole in the middle of the street.

where do you guys normally dump the black besides at RV parks?

[Pahaska]

The cleanout on my septic tank feed. I can't reach it with the macerator hose, so I use my blue wheeled tank and empty it into the opening.

[SYC2Vette]

Once you verify everything is installed correctly, if you still have occasional odors try something like this. We had activated carbon filters on both our houses on septic and completely eliminated odors. https://www.septicsolutions.com/sept...or-2-pvc-vents

[Mansderm161]

Wow...not sure you should smell sewage in that case. Are you sure it's not a propane leak?

[mike2016]

Originally Posted by Mansderm161

Wow...not sure you should smell sewage in that case. Are you sure it's not a propane leak?

at first i thought it was propane, the switch was turned off, and i've been observing the propane tank level gauge, nothing changed for a week.

now it smells more and more like 100% raw sewage as the heat cooks it ... lol

the black tank was empty when we started using it for #1, and i didn't add any water to it, and no chemical. we used it on the very first trip out and wasn't really prepared. it was just a one day trip out to the beach, just to test things out... used it for 3x #1s

[OTRA15]

As you may already know . . . . [measure twice, cut once] . . . when you are ready to dump the black tank, be sure to add lots of water and chemicals first, and then drive long enough to agitate the contents very well. Even #1 can stink the place up when it simmers in the heat . . . especially without adding chemicals first!



This lesson probably only needs to be learned once . . .

[mike2016]

Did my first dump today! before i went to the dump site (RV park 10 mile away), i added another drop of "smell good" chemical, that looks like dishwasher detergent. filled up the black tank to 75% as used the rest of the fresh water for grey.

dumped it all, was easier than i thought and no mess.

no more smell

[OTRA15]

Nothing like a good dump!

[wachuko]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Nothing like a good dump!