Gas smell inside!

[SalemSierra]

We have had our TT for less than a year and this is the first I have come across this. Our furnace and water heater run on gas. The camper is plugged in at our home and we keep everything on as we go in there from time to time. I have recently smelled a dead animal smell in the camper. I pulled apart everything to find it and it is very clean. Nothing. Then it almost smelled like propane so I checked the water heater and furnace and couldn't smell it. Everything fires up and works perfectly but I can't find the source. I will try and use some leak detector tomorrow to dig deeper. Anyone have a similar accurance?

[gasman6674]

Make sure all of your traps are full of water or antifreeze as tank can give you a funky smell.

[caper]

I had a propane smell in the trailer and discovered the quick release for the outside BBQ was leaking.

[arpipeliner]

My wife smells the propane if the pilot light is on in the oven and the bottle is getting toward empty. I have a couple of times too. Turn off the pilot light in oven and all is good here.


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[Toby]

First thing I would do is shut the propane off at the bottle(s) and see if the smell goes away. Open the windows for a bit and the close it back up. If it is a propane leak then you don't want appliances firing up anyway. Hopefully the smell doesn't go away and it's something stupid like a dead mouse or the black tank venting. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Pipeman]

I'm thinking it's from one of your holding tanks, maybe black tank.

[asquared]

Originally Posted by Toby

First thing I would do is shut the propane off at the bottle(s) and see if the smell goes away. Open the windows for a bit and the close it back up. If it is a propane leak then you don't want appliances firing up anyway. Hopefully the smell doesn't go away and it's something stupid like a dead mouse or the black tank venting. Just my 2 cents worth.

X2 on this. We actually found a hole in the hose going to our fridge. It had gotten pinched in the slide. Fridge kept trying to fire and couldn't because it wasn't getting propane due to leak. We were lucky not to have an explosion/fire.

[kkhslh]

Wow! Now I have to check on that....we have noticed the smell when our propane tanks are low, it's usually my first hint. But we also think we go through propane insanely fast...maybe we better look for some leaks!

[pappcam]

If it was a propane leak your propane detector would be going off. You do have a functioning detector, don't you?

[caper]

I had a functional detector and when the valve was leaking it did not set the detector off. The detector is in the bedroom area and the propane smell was in the kitchen area near the door.

[Rstrahan]

I am betting hydrogen sulfide from the black water tank (plugged vent pipe) rather than propane.

[Flybob]

You said you leave the heat on and are in it from time to time, I am betting you are not using the toilet or sinks. With the low humidity outside, the water/antifreeze in the "P" traps evaporates and allows the gasses in the black and gray tanks to enter the RV. I would try adding a cup or two of antifreeze in every trap. We have to run the water in our guest bathroom tub at home as it isn't used much during the winter.

[Rcbstuff]

I am having the same problem. Noticed the smell yesterday, open the windows, disconnected the propane and everything appeared to be ok. I hooked the propane back up and the stove is functioning fine as well as the heat. But the smell is there again. The smell appears to be coming from the stove and heat area.

I have been running the heat in the camper while it sits to prevent any issues due to the cold weather. I have let he water out of the water heater, and released the water from the low drain points and got all the water out of the toilet and opened all the faucets including outdoor shower and poured antifreeze down the drains and the holding tanks.

Running the heat was my insurance policy. Hopefully, everything will be ok without the heat.

Thankfully the camper is under warranty.

[R3Jones]

You should try checking for a gas leak using a manometer. It'll quickly tell you if there is a leak in the system. google homemade manometer...it's very simple to test. I had the same issue and systematically plugged each feed of the propane system to isolate the culprit. Ultimately it ended of being the gas control valve on the furnace.

[B and B]

I had a stuck air admittance valve on the Grey Tank, i empty the tank and the valve reseated itself by suction.

[pops p]

Had same problem in new Coachmen this fall. Gas odor but not enough to set off propane alarm. Last placed checked was the stove. Slight leak at the fitting. When I disconnected the hose, found that the cone end of fitting had two deep scores on the face. Replaced the fitting and problem solved.