Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-02-2012, 01:36 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 22
Sewer Smell In Motion

It seems that when in motion with the black/gray tanks more than 1/3 full, we get a pretty bad smell inside. All the drains are closed, etc, and I can't figure out where it is coming from. One theory I have is that it may be from the washer/dryer unit, which may or may not have a P-trap in its drain, but I haven't figure out a way to test it. Has anyone else had this issue?
__________________
2011 390BH
MotoWood is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2012, 03:47 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
ernest917's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: On Another Adventure
Posts: 2,563
Crack the bathroom vent a little bit and problem solved.... Works for me...
ernest917 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2012, 04:16 PM   #3
Site Team
 
KyDan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 10,518
Check out the recent discussion about this problem here--
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...oad-16417.html

(I found this quickly by typing "sewer smell" into the google search box
at the top of the page.)
Hope this helps!!
__________________
Peace!
Dan & Rita D
2017 Nissan Titan 5.6L King cab 4wd
2016 Evergreen Everlite 242RBS
29' empty nest model. Blue Ox WD hitch
(1 queen bed, large main cabin and huge bathroom)
Camping days 2010-53, 2011-47, 2012-41, 2013-41, 2014-31, 2015-40, 2016-44, 2017-63, 2018-75, 2019-32, 2020-41, 2021-49, 2022-43, 2023-66
KyDan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2012, 06:36 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Mountainmanbob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Lakeside mountains, Calif
Posts: 755
makes the worst tootie fruitie

Quote:
Originally Posted by ernest917 View Post
Crack the bathroom vent a little bit and problem solved.... Works for me...
yes
crack the vent
and add a little
"sweet smell juice"
found at WalMart under a different name

makes the worst tootie fruitie
smell like rose buds

so they claim anyway ???

Mountainman
Mountainmanbob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2012, 06:42 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
amxpress's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Clayton, NC
Posts: 695
Besides cracking open the vent a bit, I installed one of these which really helped.
Camco Mfg Inc - Cyclone Sewer Vent - Vents - Camping World
__________________
2013 Palomino Columbus 320RS
2007 Dodge RAM 2500 6.7 Cummins
Reese 15K manual slider
Prodigy
M.I.L. in Florida for good!!
amxpress is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2012, 04:26 AM   #6
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 22
Quote:
Originally Posted by KyDan View Post
....
(I found this quickly by typing "sewer smell" into the google search box
at the top of the page.)
Hope this helps!!
Too funny - I actually started my search w/Google and then figured I'd search the Berkshire forum directly, to no avail. You found good stuff in 2 seconds! Such is life sometimes.

Great info, everyone. I still suspect the W/D as the entry point, so the negative pressure caps should help. Thanks.
__________________
2011 390BH
MotoWood is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2012, 10:18 AM   #7
flyfishn
 
gtkato's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Aurora, Colorado
Posts: 45
I agree with AMXPRESS,
I installed the cyclone sewer vent and it eliminates all of the smell while traveling. It also works great while camping since the vent rotates with the direction of the wind and seems to eliminate the smell even while camped. One must remove the old sewer vent cap and reseal the cyclone vent with a ton of Dycor lap sealantl, but really only takes about 20 minutes to install.
__________________
Fly Fishn
2011 Mini-Lite 1809S
2008 Dodge Durango Hemi w/Diablo tuner
Prodigy P2 Blue Ox Sway Pro
gtkato is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2012, 10:30 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Brigham QC, Canada
Posts: 193
Send a message via Skype™ to Pedrodasdas
I own a Solera and it happens to me. I solve the problem just by making sure there is always a little water left in the toilet bowl.

After flushing, about an inch of water should stay in the bowl, it acts like a P-Trap.

If water does not stay, you may have something caught in your seal like a piece of toilet paper or beurk...something else. Put a latex glove and feel the seal. Even a very small thing will make the water goes away and the smell to get out of the tank.

I do not recommend using a toilet brush to clean the seal. It may make things worse by scratching the rubber.

Good luck.

Pierrôt
Pedrodasdas is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2012, 10:35 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
MilCop4523's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: In a big child free home - except for me
Posts: 1,682
I had 3 installed on my TT and I can see where they will work perfectly for hauling out the fumes. Last week they were spinning like a windmill on the roof parked in the yard.
__________________
TV 2018 Ford F250, hauling a 2018 KZ 331 TH 12 Sportster 5th wheel, packing a 2015 CF MOTO 800 U-Force SXS
MilCop4523 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2012, 10:44 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Brigham QC, Canada
Posts: 193
Send a message via Skype™ to Pedrodasdas
Here is a link to another Forum talking about that seal problem. Good reading.

Dometic SeaLand toilet bowl doesn't hold water
__________________


Pierrôt and Sylvie D'Astous, Solera 2011
38 on 50 states, 9 on 10 provinces.
Pedrodasdas is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2012, 03:51 PM   #11
2011 Berkshire 390BH
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: NW Ohio
Posts: 36
We have a 2011 390BH that had the exact same problem as well. Had the dealer work on this under warranty. The techs confirmed the excessive smell and pinpointed the problem to the washer/dryer unit. They informed me the drain-pipe from the w/d was not sealed correctly (drain hose from unit was just shoved into line) and they said they had to properly seal it (not sure what they did, exactly).

We've had two short trips since then with no smell so it seems to be OK now. Will know more for sure this spring.
LiteEmUp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2012, 01:13 AM   #12
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 22
I found it. Like another poster, my W/D unit drain hose drapes into the ABS drain like at home, but there was nothing sealing it! So, a nice big gaping hole straight to the smelly gray tank. Doesn't take much negative pressure to pull that awful smell into the coach. The good news is that I was able to get to it through the access panel in the closet and fix it. I used a 2" rubber cap from Ace, cut a hole in the center slightly smaller than the hose, pushed the hose through, and fastened it to the standpipe with a hose clamp. Perfect seal, no smell.
__________________
2011 390BH
MotoWood is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:11 PM.