Toilet smells bad.

[rpiper]

We have a 2001 Forest River Sierra. We bought it used last year and didn't have any problems. However this year we are having trouble with a very bad odor coming from the toilet. Even with a few inches of water in the toilet it still stinks. I am going out to the lake later this weak and was wondering if anyone had some suggestions. It is a thetford brand. We clean it regularly so that isn't the problem. I also do not dump it until it is full. Thanks for any help.

[KyDan]

Originally Posted by rpiper

However this year we are having trouble with a very bad odor coming from the toilet. Even with a few inches of water in the toilet it still stinks. It is a thetford brand. We clean it regularly so that isn't the problem. I also do not dump it until it is full.

First, you need to know that most all toilets are not air
tight! The smell is not coming up thru the dump valve
in the bottom of the bowl but rather thru the holes in the
back of the toilet where the foot pedal connects to the
water valve. Also thru the holes the seat pivots in.
If there is any negative pressure in the trailer such as
from an exhaust fan running, it will pull odors from
the holding tank past these holes in the toilet.
We usually run our ceiling fan in reverse so it's bringing
air INTO the trailer rather than exhausting. This helps
a lot.
Never run any exhaust fan unless you've got plenty of
windows open.

Hot weather greatly increases the stink factor.
Waiting until your tank is nearly full is another big factor.
Are you using plenty of RV holding tank chemicals???
I usually use double the amount shown on the bottle
if the weather is hot.

No negative air pressure and plenty of chemicals usually
keeps it down to a tolerable level for us. If you're using
plenty of chemical and still have a bad stink, try another
brand. There's lots of different ones out there.
Wally World has a couple in their RV isle.

Good luck!

[chevy02]

Flush it out several time it probably has turned septic and that is nasty and dont wait till it full to dump it. I would dump it every few days or more if you can since it getting hot that speeds up the stink factor

[blue eyes]

we installed a Lil Stanker and love it, we had one on our other trailer and it seems to do the trick, seems to work well even when the heat kicks up, It has 2 speeds to choose from. Still use the chemical too...

[rpiper]

Thanks for the help. I will try these helpful hints and hope it clears up.

[NDJollyMon]

you could also check the roof vent to make sure it's not plugged by something.
Some people use a new venturi type stack cover with some success.

Dan is probably right...negative pressure.
I'd also dump before full...and use tons of water in the tank.

When I had tanks, I'd sometimes dump CALGON water softener into the water when I flushed/rinsed. After it was clean, I'd add some liquid TIDE or other brand soap to the water before using the toilet again. Didn't even need the chemical with enough water and soap in there.

[georgetown50]

Can you run bleach through it to solve this same problem?

[08flagvlite]

Try the Calgon. That's what we do, and the smells are minimal to none. I do use the deodorizers as directed, also. The Calgon keeps unwanted debris from sticking to the inside of the tank. Before leaving to go camp, put in an EMPTY tank one cap full of Calgon, some deodorizer, and a gallon or so of water. That way, driving your rig to the campground will slosh the mix around in the black tank, and that should alleviate your problem. Hope this helps you! Randy

[rpiper]

I poured some water down the vent on top of the trailer before I dumped it. I then rinsed it out good and added Calgon. We have not had a problem since.
Thanks for all the great advice.

[derekrit]

I found that the Flush King, that I purchased at Camping World, is a great way to backfill and empty my tanks. Really keeps the odor down. Absolutely love it. Here's the link: http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...ush-king/20522

[redtang02]

You have to watch mixing chemicals witht the Calgon water softener. I mixed a capful of Calgon and an orange RV waste treatment chemical I bought at Wally World and Mr. Wizard would have been proud of the chemical reaction. It turned into a gooey crystalline substance that stuck to the side of the bucket. Of course when you read the direction on treatment bottle it says "do not mix with any other chemical".

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by derekrit

I found that the Flush King, that I purchased at Camping World, is a great way to backfill and empty my tanks. Really keeps the odor down. Absolutely love it. Here's the link: http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...ush-king/20522

I have something similar, but without the extra blade valve. Similar to (but not exactly) like this: http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...dro-flush/2096

What is the purpose with the extra blade valve ?? Seems like that would hamper the connection when twisting on the Flush King ??

1 thing that has developed on my flush kit is that the anti-syphon valve has started to leak when dumping the tank, resulting in some black water leaking to my driveway. I remedy that by cutting a small flow on the fresh water hose while dumping.....just enough to put some pressure on the anti-syphon valve.

The Flush King and similar products like mine probably don't do a lot for an entire tank rinse, but should help with buildup and blockage around the discharge line.