Sewer smell

Bmcghan22 · 08-23-2020, 10:46 PM

Sorry if I post this in the wrong thread. We have had a trailer about a month now and every time I flush the black tank I fill it with about 2-5 gallons of water and throw a deoderizer in it but I’m still getting the sewer smell. What alarms me the most is that our bathroom is near the bunk beds and for some reason the top bunk always gets the sewer smell much worse then anywhere in the trailer and since our daughter sleeps up there it worries me so I leave her window open to let fresh air in but since colder weather is coming I won’t be able to do that as much. Is there anything that could be causing this that I can fix or is this something I need to have taken in for repairs.

Bama Rambler · 08-24-2020, 09:11 AM

You don't say which RV you have so we can't be specific to the problem.

Are you sure the odor is from the black tank and not from the grey tank?
Under the lavatory is usually an air admittance valve and they're pretty prone to leaking and the odor out of them can be pretty bad. It'll be close to the counter top and can be hard to see. It's tee'd off the drain line under the sink.

If it is from the black tank then it's possibly a loose connection in the vent line in the wall or at the roof. I'd have the dealer look at that.

**Flybob** · 08-24-2020, 09:18 AM

Are you opening the dump valve prior to flushing the black tank?

Bmcghan22 · 08-24-2020, 02:09 PM

Sorry it’s a forest river rainier 26db. I’m not sure where exactly it’s coming from. We are living in it I just notice that when I dump with in a few hours it gives off the sewer smell. But for some reason it smells from the toilet when flushing but it’s really pungent in the back of the top bunk. This is my first trailer and when I dump all I do is close the greys then pull the black tank valve to drain the tank then when it’s emptied I flush it for about 5-10 min then turn water off and close the black valve and open the greys again.

Bama Rambler · 08-24-2020, 02:36 PM

The floorplan leads me to think it's possibly the vent stack or cap. It may not be sealed at the roof.

Since you're living in it I'm sure it's not going to be conducive to taking it to a dealer. You can either troubleshoot it yourself or you can find an independent repair service and work with them and FR getting pre-approval for any work and see if they can help you locate the problem.

If you're handy you can pull the vent cap off the stack and check to see if that's the problem. That's a pretty quick check.

Gooster · 08-24-2020, 02:50 PM

If you have a Dometic toilet (model 300) check to see if there is fluid trapped between the upper bowl and outer shell. You can see it through an opening in the back of the toilet.

I just pulled mine out today and found that it was the source of my long searched for stink!

Bmcghan22 · 08-24-2020, 05:34 PM

Ok I’ll try getting on the roof when I get home. Thanks. I’ve just been really stumped as to why it’s only after I dump and flush and not an all the time thing. Thanks for all the advice

Bmcghan22 · 08-24-2020, 05:38 PM

I’ve also notice keeping my vent fan off really helps keep the smell down someone told me the fan can help suck up any smell from the toilet when it opens

Pure Luck · 08-24-2020, 05:39 PM

If my bathroom fan is on high, it pulls sewer smell from the tank when I flush. Might be your issue too.

dbledan · 08-24-2020, 11:04 PM

I wonder how well your tank has emptied over time.

You could dumps some calgon water softener into the tank now and let it sit and then take it for a short drive to loosen things up a bit. This is cheap and easy to do to see if things improve after your next dump.

TheMcBees · 08-26-2020, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bama Rambler

The floorplan leads me to think it's possibly the vent stack or cap. It may not be sealed at the roof.

Since you're living in it I'm sure it's not going to be conducive to taking it to a dealer. You can either troubleshoot it yourself or you can find an independent repair service and work with them and FR getting pre-approval for any work and see if they can help you locate the problem.

If you're handy you can pull the vent cap off the stack and check to see if that's the problem. That's a pretty quick check.

This is where you want to start based on the symptoms you have provided. Pull the cap off and ensure that the vent tube (usually black) is above the roof in in the base of the vent.

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