Odor When Flushing.....

[PFLOYD75]

Hello to All: I've read all the previous threads on this topic, but I'm still in a quandry.

Every time I flush my toilet--especially if it is the first time on a trip, even knowing there's water in the bowl and I put double to the dose of odor pouches, including Calgon water softener, some Tide detergent (small amount) and even some bleach, yet--I just have a bad odor that wafts up.


I flush the toilet as quickly as possible so as to not have the valve open for very long, but nothing I've tried seems to prevent the smell.


I'm pretty sure its not the seals or any other part of the toilet because I don't smell anything until the toilet is flushed.


So....anyone have any ideas or thoughts on what the issue truly is or how I can prevent any odors from continuing to come out as they are?


Thanks in advance for any help!

[CedarCreekWoody]

Make sure your black tank vent isn't plugged. Don't run a strong vent fan unless you have a window open or something other than the toilet to admit make-up air.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by PFLOYD75

So....anyone have any ideas or thoughts on what the issue truly is or how I can prevent any odors from continuing to come out as they are?


Thanks in advance for any help!

First thing I'd check is the roof vent(s). One on each tank and it's not unusual for the installer to forget to cut off enough of the vent stack before putting on the cover. Could also be a case of "bugs" blocking off the vent with their nests.

Last possibility is that at some time "solids" floated up into the vent pipe when the tank was full and got stuck. If they've dried in place about the only cure is to remove the vent cap and use a hose at the roof to flush the vent.

A tip. Rather than cut all the sealant that is covering vent mounting screws just drill a 1" hole in the center of the cap. Run water down the vent and see if it makes it's way into the tank without backing up. When you're sure the vent is clear then seal off this new hole with a 1" press in rubber plug you can buy at most any good hardware store. This will allow you to repeat in the future should it happen again.

Oh yeah, if the water backs up in the vent it may be necessary to do some poking with a long, stiff, wire, and be sure to wear rubber gloves.


If your vent is totally clear, when you open the valve in the toilet there should be a slight upward flow of air in the vent stack which ideally creates a slight negative pressure at the toilet resulting in little or no odor around the toilet.

[tkmi]

Using to much in your tank. Only use one toss in( orange). I can stand with my foot on peddle and no smell.

[Flybob]

Turn off vent fan when flushing, It can draw the odors out of the black tank.

[PFLOYD75]

Thanks CedarCreekWoody, TitanMike, tkmi and Flybob!



Much appreciate the inputs, ideas, suggestions and all.


I am "fairly" certain (but not positive) that the vent-pipe is pretty clean and clear CedarCreekWoody. I actually removed the vent-cap last year and installed one of the Cyclone Sewer Caps--for this very reason. I looked down as far as light would go and all seemed ok.

I'll try the water test, TitanMike, just to be sure all flows where it should.

I figured, tkmi, that even a bit extra 'ingredients' would help, but it honestly doesn't seem to make a difference.

Honestly, Flybob, I usually don't turn on the vent fan when flushing--for the very reason you indicated.

Well, I'll give it another go this weekend and see if I can make any progress.

I do appreciate everyone chiming in!

Thanks again and Happy Camping, All!

[CedarCreekWoody]

The suggestion to run water and a hose in the vent pipe is a good one. Even a spider web can plug it as there is almost no air pressure when exhausting fumes.

[rick42wood]

You might try this. Fill the black tank about a quarter full of water. Add about two bags of ice cubes (like they sell at grocery stores), add about two quarts of rock salt or water softener salt pellets. Find the curviest bumpiest most up and down road you can and tow your trailer over it until you figure all the ice is melted. Dump your tank and start over with fresh water. The mixture will slosh around and clean all of the tank surfaces. You may have crud that is on the walls of the tank above the water level causing the tank to fill with odor. BTW, do you keep the tank drain closed and dump when it's near full? The water in the tank helps to enclose the odors.

[ben31]

We had odor problems on one of our TTs. We tried many things. Then a friend told us about Siphon 360 vent caps. This supposedly moves the air out of the vent, instead of it just sitting in there, waiting for any other avenue of escape. I didn't quite believe it, but had tried everything else and the cost was rather cheap.

I bought one and put it on the black tank vent. It immediately helped. I even tried to see if it would work, with the exhaust fan on. Yuck, no. You still need to turn off the fan!! However, it worked so well, I added it to my grey water tank, just in case. I have since installed this on the tank vents and have never had a problem, again.

I also told another friend, who was having issues. He installed it with the same results. It worked!

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

[PFLOYD75]

Thanks rick42wood and Ben.



More good points and suggestions.



I'm willing to try any and all of the good ideas folks on this thread have written about--all in hopes that I'll find the right one that truly works!


Much appreciated!

[Scrapper]

There is no need to drill a hole in the vent cap. Most are snap on/snap off or have a screw in the top surface of the cap covered with a blob of sealant.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Scrapper

There is no need to drill a hole in the vent cap. Most are snap on/snap off or have a screw in the top surface of the cap covered with a blob of sealant.

Both my 95 and 2018 were like 3 legged domes with the mounting screws buried in sealant. That was the only way I could get to the pipe on the ones I owned.

I agree others might be different.

BTW, my 95 Fleetwood built unit had too long a vent stack and with cap in place there was about 1/8" of clearance. Ended up cutting a bunch of sealant off, removing cap then sawing off about 1/2". Replaced the cap and resealed.

For the uninitiated, there only needs to be enough cover over the vent stack to keep a heavy rainstorm from filling the tank 😀😀

I see that there is a cap for sale with small solar panel and fan incorporated into it. Brand name Ultra Fab.

That might be a last ditch solution.

I do wonder if better venting like this will just transfer the odor problem to areas outside the tank. Maybe a extra effort cleaning of the tank, a good chemical, and filling the tank totally full with water before dumping might help. Filling the tank like that will make sure even the top is "treated" with the odor controlling chemicals.

[Jwelsh1214]

Originally Posted by PFLOYD75

Hello to All: I've read all the previous threads on this topic, but I'm still in a quandry.

Every time I flush my toilet--especially if it is the first time on a trip, even knowing there's water in the bowl and I put double to the dose of odor pouches, including Calgon water softener, some Tide detergent (small amount) and even some bleach, yet--I just have a bad odor that wafts up.


I flush the toilet as quickly as possible so as to not have the valve open for very long, but nothing I've tried seems to prevent the smell.


I'm pretty sure its not the seals or any other part of the toilet because I don't smell anything until the toilet is flushed.


So....anyone have any ideas or thoughts on what the issue truly is or how I can prevent any odors from continuing to come out as they are?


Thanks in advance for any help!

Had the same issue and could not get rid of it so I pulled the toilet and took it outside. I flipped it over and peeked through the bottom and holy crap. I was surprised by all the wide open space in there to catch old solids and toilet paper. I pressure washed it and reinstalled and no more odors.

[ben31]

Great to know. Thank you!

[Cypressloser]

All good tips.
One more thing you can try is fill the bowl half full with water every time and then flush, especially when going #2. Never let the black tank sit empty, except in the winter. Water is your friend.

[Darmo15]

When was the last time you filled and flushed the black tank? I would suggest you try this. Fill the tank at least three time with fresh water and let it empty at full rate.

[hybridlife]

I agree with Darmo15. I would fill your black tank as full as you can with fresh water and maybe a geo-solution and dump it a few times. Could be old "debris" stuck up high on the sides or top of you tank and it's not getting flushed down. Good luck.

m