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Old 08-14-2016, 12:00 PM   #1
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Motorhome STINKS

Wife took the motorhome for a trip, got back on Wednesday. Today I went put there and there is a massive stink that has developed while parked and plugged into shore power. She dumped both tanks and the smell doesn't seem to be coming from toliet or sink...help??
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Old 08-14-2016, 12:16 PM   #2
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A critter could have gotten in there and died. Might have to look for that. I would also check to make sure there is a water seal in the toilet. If the water wasn't turn on when the holding tanks were flushed, if some one checked the toilet no water would have been there to seal the valve on the toilet. It might be is simple is adding a cup of water into the toilet. Make sure the toilet valve isn't stuck slightly open. I have had that happen.
If that wasn't it You might have food going bad somewhere. Maybe something spilled in one of the storage places inside or even under the RV.
Good luck.
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Old 08-14-2016, 12:19 PM   #3
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Could it be the battery charging? They do seem warm to touch
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Old 08-14-2016, 12:26 PM   #4
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If it is a sulphur smell then it more than likely is the batteries overcharging. Be sure to check the water level.
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Old 08-14-2016, 12:33 PM   #5
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If it is a sulphur smell then it more than likely is the batteries overcharging. Be sure to check the water level.
It is a sulphur smell. I bet they need water
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Old 08-14-2016, 02:39 PM   #6
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It is a sulphur smell. I bet they need water
If that's the case you might be thinking about new batteries.
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Old 08-15-2016, 07:52 AM   #7
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So it is definitely the battery, smell is beyond strong. So I've unplugged the shore power and I've been doing some research and I'm not sure on somethings. Can the battery be saved by adding water or are they useless at this point? Do you think this would be covered by warranty? I only got the RV in June.

Sorry, newbie here and learning...
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Old 08-15-2016, 08:25 AM   #8
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The battery should be under warranty. However, save yourself the trip to the shop and just ad some water to the battery first. Just do some homework before you go prying the caps/ lid of your battery off, you don't want to over fill it and some cheaper batteries the entire top comes off making it difficult to put back on and seal. Most good quality rv batteries have either round or square caps that you can pop off with easily.
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Old 08-15-2016, 08:28 AM   #9
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Ok thanks, I'll try adding water first. The battery does have caps that come off but I can't see the level unless I take it out (I'm assuming). The batteries are under the stairs going into the motorhome from the main door
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Old 08-15-2016, 08:41 AM   #10
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Dunno, but aluminum anode in WH can smell like sulphur. Check the battery like was mentioned
Make sure the P traps are full as well... shower?
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Old 08-15-2016, 08:43 AM   #11
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Dunno, but aluminum anode in WH can smell like sulphur. Check the battery like was mentioned
Make sure the P traps are full as well... shower?
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For a while we had a big stink in our TT after it was moved. We suspected the toilet but eventually learned it was the shower. The P-traps are often small and can dry out. Even flushed grey tanks stink - REALLY stink - so we learned to keep the plug in the shower when it was not in use.
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Old 08-15-2016, 08:51 AM   #12
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Ok thanks, I'll try adding water first. The battery does have caps that come off but I can't see the level unless I take it out (I'm assuming). The batteries are under the stairs going into the motorhome from the main door
If I remember right, on my old MH on the coach batteries there was a line on the outside of the batter that was marked full, then you use a flash light and just kind of eye ball the level inside. When it's close to the same level as indicated on the outside your good, it's not an exact science when it comes to filling them, just don't fill them to the top.
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Old 08-15-2016, 08:52 AM   #13
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Thanks will do, would rather not take them out if possible, have a busy night ahead of me.
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Old 08-16-2016, 09:09 AM   #14
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Just a quick update for the record...was really easy to top up the water levels, one battery was obviously dry. But it didn't matter, this morning the sulphur smell had returned with a vengeance. I hope this is under warranty, I've only had this thing for 2 and a half months!
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Old 08-16-2016, 09:16 AM   #15
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Just a quick update for the record...was really easy to top up the water levels, one battery was obviously dry. But it didn't matter, this morning the sulphur smell had returned with a vengeance. I hope this is under warranty, I've only had this thing for 2 and a half months!
You filled the p-traps including the shower? Is all the faucets closed? Could you have left some kind of food product in a space you forgot about?
Could it be chlorine smell because of the vinyl or materials in the new camper? I went into a closed up trailer at a dealer several month back and the chlorine (or whatever) gases burned my eyes and I had to make a hasty exit.
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Old 08-16-2016, 09:27 AM   #16
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If I understand you correctly, the smell was reduced when you disconnected the batteries and returned when you reconnected shore power. This would indicate a 12V problem. If the one battery was dry, it most likely shorted one or more cells and is causing the electrolyte to boil ( emitting sulfur smell). Take the battery out and take it to an automotive parts store to be load tested. If it is good then you could have a defective converter which is over charging. House batteries are usually installed by the dealer and if they were not properly filled to begin with, it could have caused the battery tp fail prematurely. Don't waste your time trying to charge a bad battery. It may show charged however once you put a load on it, it will fail.
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Old 08-16-2016, 09:58 AM   #17
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You filled the p-traps including the shower? Is all the faucets closed? Could you have left some kind of food product in a space you forgot about?
Could it be chlorine smell because of the vinyl or materials in the new camper? I went into a closed up trailer at a dealer several month back and the chlorine (or whatever) gases burned my eyes and I had to make a hasty exit.
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Pretty sure it is the battery, the smell is coming straight from it..
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Old 08-16-2016, 10:01 AM   #18
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If I understand you correctly, the smell was reduced when you disconnected the batteries and returned when you reconnected shore power. This would indicate a 12V problem. If the one battery was dry, it most likely shorted one or more cells and is causing the electrolyte to boil ( emitting sulfur smell). Take the battery out and take it to an automotive parts store to be load tested. If it is good then you could have a defective converter which is over charging. House batteries are usually installed by the dealer and if they were not properly filled to begin with, it could have caused the battery tp fail prematurely. Don't waste your time trying to charge a bad battery. It may show charged however once you put a load on it, it will fail.
Thanks for the advice. At this point, I'm going directly to the dealer as it could be a number of things. They will call me back once they figure out my warranty....that doesn't make me feel really good about the place I bought from..
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Old 08-16-2016, 10:08 AM   #19
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Thanks for the advice. At this point, I'm going directly to the dealer as it could be a number of things. They will call me back once they figure out my warranty....that doesn't make me feel really good about the place I bought from..
"Once they figure out your warranty"??????
I thought you said it was only 2-1/2 months old?
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Old 08-16-2016, 10:29 AM   #20
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"Once they figure out your warranty"??????
I thought you said it was only 2-1/2 months old?
I know. Not happy. It's a 2015 used motorhome but they gave me a warranty as if it was new, that's what they said!
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