Help, where's that smell coming from

[M&M CAPECOD]

I have been trying to track down the source of an odor in our 2002 Classic since we bought it in September last year. I've cleaned the carpet twice now, reupholstered the couch, changed out the valance fabrics, washed down all interior surfaces to no avail.

The odor hits you when you open the door and seems to be stronger in the lounge area than the mid bath or back bedroom. I've opened cabinets and closets, sniffed the shower and toilet areas, nothing. I can't locate any one area that it's coming from, only that it seems to always be there and the odor is stronger in the kitchen lounge area. I read the other posts on here about leaks in vent pipes, battery issues, dead mice, etc. The odor seemed especially strong yesterday when I went in. The only thing different that we've done in the last couple days was top off the battery water. Please help us locate this unpleasantness. We are taking the trailer to have a few things fixed next week, do you think this is something the rv place can track down?

Thanks for any help you can give.

[Over59]

What does it smell like? Woodsy, metalic, gas, rotten veg, ect. I think we can rule out the fruit odors if you find it unpleasant. If you can find someone with a good nose they can tell you what it is and that will help you find it. We could have a smellathon at the beach if it's still there. Turn off the LPG, air out the trailer, close it up and smell if it's still there. Do you have a propane detector installed?

It may be a family of dead (or living ) things in the belly pan. Good exterminators can tell you what it is with a few sniffs.

[M&M CAPECOD]

Originally Posted by Over59

What does it smell like? Woodsy, metalic, gas, rotten veg, ect. I think we can rule out the fruit odors if you find it unpleasant. If you can find someone with a good nose they can tell you what it is and that will help you find it. We could have a smellathon at the beach if it's still there.

If we can't locate it before the rally I'd welcome a few good noses when we're there. It isn't propane, we have a detector and the tanks are turned off. I thought it was old vinyl smell but it's not that old. My son's girlfriend says it smells like the dentist's office. It's very hard to discribe. The smell was there when we bought it. At first I thought it smelled like it had been stored in a cow barn, the faintest smell of decaying hay and manure. But like I said it's not coming from the bath area although it seems to permeate everywhere. When I reupholstered the end cabinet above the stove where the speaker is, I could smell it in the foam. I guess I'm not ruling anything out except propane, I know it's not that.

[Bob Thompson]

If it is a thick pungent musty smell, it is almost always a water leak. The smell will tend to be more pronounced after a rain, and will nearly disappear after a long dry spell. I've had it in the last two trailers I've owned and in both cases it was leaks.

[bake315]

Heavens, Bob! That's quite a cat in your avatar!

It may be a water leak causing smells from the belly pan. Smells can also get trapped in the carpet pad, no matter how well you clean the carpet they won't ever come out without replacing the pad.

[tincanholiday]

i had the same issue - my problem was a gassy almost Propane but not quite. I tracked mine to a dying electrical problem which still has to be fixed. under my sink on my 73 excella was a electrical unit which I am presuming is a converter and a cooling fan for the thingamagig (as you can see i am not mechanically minded) I unplugged the fan and disconnected the battery and voila the smell stopped. I am in the process of searching this site to see what the exact problem is. That was my smelly issue. I am almost convinced it is a relay that converts the shore power, as only half my electrics work when i plug into the shore. Murray

[overlander63]

Is the battery giving up the ghost? If it is the original, it could well be. A bad battery can either give off an aroma that smells like rotten eggs, or a strange, sort of almost overfresh air smell.
Also, this is a bit macabre, but do you know who the previous owners are, and are they still living? One of them, or both, or their family pet, could have passed away in there. I hope not, but without being able to smell the smell, it is as good a guess as any.
You also can try removing the cushion you said you smelled the odor in, and see if that clears it up.
Good luck with it.

[eubank]

Originally Posted by overlander63

Is the battery giving up the ghost? If it is the original, it could well be. A bad battery can either give off an aroma that smells like rotten eggs, or a strange, sort of almost overfresh air smell.

Yes, do check the battery! Two winters ago we thought we had a major sewer problem: a broken line somewhere. After further nasal investigation, I discovered that the smell was indeed the battery. To make matters worse, I had the rig plugged in while in storage, and the converter was happily cooking that poor bad battery to smithereens.

Lynn

[Pick]

You may want to try using an ozone generator in there for a while. (You may be able to rent one from one of those rental businesses.) If the ozone generator takes the smell out, and it comes back, it could be in the carpet, or carpet pad as others have suggeested.

Another place that I have found in my vintage unit, is the air conditioner condenser coil. Mine is a coleman unit, and it requires going up on the roof, removing the shroud, and disassembling the condenser housing. You might be surprised at what you find in there

[74Argosy24MH]

Got water in all your sink and shower traps?

John

[Rivetedude]

Try attaching the smell to your next post so we know what you're talking about. Hee Hee.

[cosmotini]

Last year, I found a 3/4 size plastic broom that I bought and kept in the trailer because it fit well in the closet. Shortly after getting it, we'd be hit with an unusual strong oder when opening up the trailer if it sat for several days. I finally determined it was the broom and removed it. Funny thing is that if you try smelling the broom, you can't detect the oder. The thing that made me know it was the broom is I forgot to put it in the closet one time and left in in the bedroom. The next time I opened the trailer, the smell was strongest in the bedroom.

Good luck,

Dennis

[denellen]

I would guess that your trailer leaked before you bought it. Mold/mildew does not necessarily smell like a damp basement. Sometimes it does'nt smell at all, and can take on different aromas depending on the contaminated materials involved. Since this is a late model trailer,I suspect the previous owner had a good reason for selling it. I have a 2005 22' CCD Airstream, and it had numerous leaks. The water runs down between the walls saturating the insulation. This is an ideal environment for fungal growth. This can present a VERY SERIOUS HEALTH HAZARD!
Google up " mold/mildew fungus"and read the EPA ( U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) " indoor Air - Mold, and follow some of the other links there. It's a real eye opener (not for the faint of heart).
Airstream does not do any remedial operations after plugging the leaks as this would require extensive dissassembly of the trailer interior; in my case mid-ceiling and all street side interior panels, appliances, cabnetry ,closets, etc. to remove the insulation, clean and seal all surfaces. Reference EPA requirements, ie." if it can't be cleaned within 24-48 hrs.,it must be discarded. This is not just for contaminated flood waters or special materials. this applies to clean water/rain and insulation materials.
In florida we call this the "sick house" syndrome.
I've had to hire an attorney to get Airstream to do the right thing. I hope you don't have to go through this. Caviat emptor.
Dennis

[desi arnaz]

a hay/barn type smell............it's not the carpet as the plastic is still on it.the furniture and wood product have all been removed and half the insulation has been removed........i have sprayed the side wall with pinsol and it still smells.....

[C Johnson]

My smell was in the floor itself. It didn't go away until I replaced the floor. I had everything else out so the floor was the only thing left that could smell. I have the old floor out behind my garage and it still smells, even after being outside for 2 months. My Caravel had a big mouse problem at one point. I am 99% sure that was the root cause of my bad smells.

Chris

[M&M CAPECOD]

Originally Posted by taflocks

a hay/barn type smell............it's not the carpet as the plastic is still on it.the furniture and wood product have all been removed and half the insulation has been removed........i have sprayed the side wall with pinsol and it still smells.....

This past weekend when I took a koozie out of the overhead cabinet to put on my soda it had that smell I've been describing. Now that it's summer and we've had the trailer opened up The smell is stronger in the closed cabinets. When people came in the trailer to see the changes we've made they said they liked the smell of the leather. Since the smell has been there longer than the leather sofa it confirms my previous thoughts of a hay barn like smell (I grew up on a farm....) also since it is concentrated in the closed cabinets I've ruled out the sofa. Could the vinyl in the overhead cabinets be affected by previous cleanser? heat? maybe electrical (since it's stronger in the overhead with the radio?

The previous owners were very nice to us. They sold because she was in the final stages of breast cancer and just this past Easter lost her ten year battle. They were unable to travel anymore since she needed to be near the medical center for her treatments. They were the most upstanding people we've ever met and we believe that if there were a water problem he would have fixed it and told us about it. They were those kind of people. That being said, it is not a musty smell, or mouser smell.

Thanks again for all of your ideas. Now that I know someone else is experiencing the same odor maybe we can get down to the bottom of it.

[desi arnaz]

thing is all the cabinets are out and 50 feet away in the garage. the carpet still has the plastic on it and the toilet has never been used............

[M&M CAPECOD]

Originally Posted by taflocks

thing is all the cabinets are out and 50 feet away in the garage. the carpet still has the plastic on it and the toilet has never been used............

I'm no expert but I do remember someone saying that if you keep the plastic on the carpeting it will trap moisture and can create an odor. Now when we bought our trailer the previous owners had plastic carpet runners down on all of the carpeting which we removed immediately. I have since shampooed the carpet twice. We didn't want to replace it yet since it was barely used but if we can't get to the bottom of the odor we will. We have washed down every surface we can, have removed and replaced all the valance fabrics and reupholstered the couch. The only thing we haven't replaced is the carpeting on the floor and walls (which I don't know how to clean).
I must say, I just went out to the trailer and even though it has been wet and rainy for the past few days I could not find the odor. I think that would rule out any type of wet problem since I would assume the odor would get worse in damp weather.
I know this isn't helping you either and we both appear to be in the same conundrum. I wish I could be of more help but I can only tell you what we've tried and let you know when we finally have success. We have owned the trailer for about ten months now and I do know the smell seems to be getting better or less offensive.

[desi arnaz]

i need to keep the plastic down until i get the inside done.......
smells just like hay,,,,,,,,

[cynthia]

Formaldehyde! It is used in the materials to build alot of TT/RV.As well as some of your treatments for the holding tanks.Also you might want to visit your local Cancer clinic with your (nose).Some of the treatments there also have strange oders,not knock you down stronge just strange & unpleasant.