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Old 08-10-2018, 09:58 AM   #1
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Sewer smell from sink

2015 CC 34 RLSA sewer smell comes from bathroom and kitchen sink and shower when I turn the water on. Vent is open on top of trailer. Any suggestions? It just started 3 days ago. Before that no problems.
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Old 08-10-2018, 10:24 AM   #2
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1. It could be one or all of the air admittance valves under the sink(s) are worn out and need to be replaced.
2. Reverse air flow from the the campground septic. Keep your dump valves closed or as a minimum lay out your dump hose so that it droops down in one place and forms a 'P-Trap'.
3. Install a better vent cap that aids with drawing air up and doesn't allow for reverse airflow down into the tanks.
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Old 08-10-2018, 04:21 PM   #3
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Any smell with the water turned off? Are your exhaust fans running?
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Old 08-10-2018, 04:40 PM   #4
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No smell with the water turned off. Exhaust fans are off. Only stinks when you first turn the water on and only lasts about one minute then goes away. The smell is coming from the drain
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Old 08-10-2018, 04:52 PM   #5
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Highly possible you have sludge buildup in the gray tank, which usually smells worse than the black tank!

Might need to do a power flush of the tank to clean it out, plus, I've got a video for you to watch.

Only 5 minutes long, but must watch it all:



Plus, there is a Camco product that has a lemon scent that you can get in the RV section at Walmart, Camping World or any other RV supply store, plus several other products to help eliminate gray tank odors.



Hope this helps!
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Old 08-10-2018, 04:55 PM   #6
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As noted above the air admittance valve is stuck open. Put a baggie and rubber band over it until you can clean or replace it. Many photos online here if you do a search.
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Old 08-10-2018, 04:59 PM   #7
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Could also be hot water heater. If it has rotten egg smell might need to flush it out if water has been sitting there too long
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Old 08-11-2018, 01:25 PM   #8
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Could be fresh water tank

I had this problem last year. I didn't dump my old fresh water and it smelled like a sewer. Added a few teaspoons of Clorox to the fresh water tank and it cleared up.
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Old 08-11-2018, 01:33 PM   #9
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Hi,

I cured part of my problem by replacing the admittance valve in the bath sink. But l can find no such valve in the kitchen -- only a standard P trap.

So I still get bad odors when dumping. I have tried adding water in the sink and shower as soon as I was done dumping, under the theory that suction might have pulled the water from the traps there. But still no cure...

It's not sulphur smell; I have that pretty well solved with the way I drain my water heater between trips. It clearly is funky sewery and pretty vile.

So I am hoping for some additional ideas that may relate to the original post here.


FWIW.

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Old 08-11-2018, 01:45 PM   #10
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I have the same problem. The sinks have p traps and shouldnt let in any order, but i still have it. going to remove p traps and clean them out and replace stock roof vents with the 360 vents. Hope it helps.
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Old 08-11-2018, 01:58 PM   #11
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I have the same problem. The sinks have p traps and shouldnt let in any order, but i still have it. going to remove p traps and clean them out and replace stock roof vents with the 360 vents. Hope it helps.
Yes, p-traps are designed to stop tank odors, but they must be vented to work properly. The vent is located behind the p-trap and in homes it would be vented thru the roof, but in RVs an air admittance valve is used. The valve can fail in two ways, it could stick open allowing tank odor to escape under the sink, or it could stick closed and then the water in the p-trap would be sucked out allowing tank odor up into the sink from the drain.
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Old 08-11-2018, 02:18 PM   #12
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I use a liquid treatment for the grey water holding tanks which I add after dumping with a gallon or two of water. I'll do the same with black tank treatment. Not saying you haven't got a vent problem, just a good practice.
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Old 08-11-2018, 02:31 PM   #13
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Hi fobagbob,

I have searched high and low for an admittance valve in my kitchen sink area. Unless they buried behind the wall, I have concluded I do not have one.

But if anyone can point me in a different direction to look, I am open to suggestions.

Still puzzled...

Rich Phillips
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Old 08-11-2018, 02:49 PM   #14
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It's possible that you don't have one. Do you have a P-trap in the plumbing under the sink cabinet? If you don't you may have a Hepvo drain. If you do, then it doesn't require a vent. It's possible that the Hepvo drain has something holding it open and allowing the gases to escape the tank.
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Old 08-11-2018, 02:54 PM   #15
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Hi Bama,

I have a perfectly normal looking P trap arrangement under the kitchen sink, with the outlet pipe going out through the wall. There is nothing that looks like the admittance valve I replaced in the bathroom sink.

This is my fifth trailer (fourth fifth wheel over 20 years), and I have never encountered this odor problem before. Color me perplexed.

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Old 08-11-2018, 03:41 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by richp View Post
Hi fobagbob,

I have searched high and low for an admittance valve in my kitchen sink area. Unless they buried behind the wall, I have concluded I do not have one.

But if anyone can point me in a different direction to look, I am open to suggestions.

Still puzzled...

Rich Phillips
Yours may be like mine, the p-trap outlet under the kitchen sink goes thru the wall into the bathroom and ties into the bath sink drain and there is one air admittance valve under the bath sink serving both p-traps.
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Old 08-11-2018, 04:19 PM   #17
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Hi fobagbob,

Well in that case, my new valve in the bathroom didn't solve the problem.

At one point, I also theorized that somehow fumes from the roof vent were being sucked in. But for our recent trip all three vents were closed and plugged with insulating pads because of the Texas heat. So no go on that idea...

FWIW.

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Old 08-11-2018, 04:19 PM   #18
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Where is the air admittance valve for the shower?
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Old 08-11-2018, 04:52 PM   #19
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Rich,

To make sure the smell is not from the water itself, have you tried filling a container and taking it outside and smelling it?

Bob
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Old 08-11-2018, 04:59 PM   #20
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Where is the air admittance valve for the shower?
If I recall correctly on my unit, the shower p-trap outlet runs to the tank vent line right where the vent leaves the top of the tank.
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