Question Smelly!!!

[JBotts84]

Can anyone here help me get rid of the sewage smell in all of my water sources??? PLEASE I can't seem to get aany kind of straight answer.. I do have the one filter coming from the hose/source but that's all I know.. please any advice would be great! Thanks

 

[John&Andrea]

Welcome.
My first thought is the black tank may have waste inside. Do you leave the valve open or closed while camping? Leaving closed is best, let water and waste hold in the tank and empty daily. The pressure of the water leaving the tank will help carry the solids waste out.

 

[JBotts84]

Thank you for your response, but it's more than that.. this is a long term thing right now and can only really afford to empty black tank once a month since theres 2 of us and a 2 year old.. I'm trying to find a better solution for the smell in the grey water tank, etc.. as soon as I run any faucet especially cold water its awful.. I'm getting deodorizing solvents in a little bit, but just curious if anyone's had any success with this? Thanks again

 

[Jim]

Thank you for your response, but it's more than that.. this is a long term thing right now and can only really afford to empty black tank once a month since theres 2 of us and a 2 year old.. I'm trying to find a better solution for the smell in the grey water tank, etc.. as soon as I run any faucet especially cold water its awful.. I'm getting deodorizing solvents in a little bit, but just curious if anyone's had any success with this? Thanks again

Sounds to me like the water going down the drain is forcing the smell from the grey back up through the plumbing. If that’s the case, either the tanks need to be dumped or you need to add some good tank treatment that will kill the odors that are forming in the holding tank.

I found a liquid in the RV section of Walmart that worked wonders in my RV. I sold the RV so I can’t look to see what the brand was, but it was the only liquid that they were selling. It worked much better than the handy little blue packets that I had been using.

 

[JBotts84]

Oh thank you! I read about it and might just have to get it. Thanks again

 

[RKins]

Does your rig have a washer/dryer hookup that is not being used? You may need to pour water into the washer drain to fill the trap. Otherwise it's a wide open pipe to the grey tank.

 

[JBotts84]

Does your rig have a washer/dryer hookup that is not being used? You may need to pour water into the washer drain to fill the trap. Otherwise it's a wide open pipe to the grey tank.

Yes actually! Thank you very much! I wouldn't have figured that out ! Much appreciated !

 

[Scooterfan]

BLEACH...Pour about a cup in the hose before you fill your fresh water tank. Pour a cup in the fresh water holding tank then fill up close to capacity. Drive around to let it slosh. Drain. This will clean your fresh water supply and waste systems. The black tank needs to be cleaned. A wand works well. Once flushed I fill with dawn and 1/2 water...do the slosh thing and empty. Then I prime my black water holding tank per Neal's suggestion...fill with about a gallon of water with some scented Downey (Fabric Softener). Seems to keep it clean. If you still have an odor you need to check vents and perhaps your washer drain. Good luck !

 

[FL-JOE]

When using fresh water inside your RV, odors from your black tank won't enter your RV as that system is plumbed separately.
Gray tanks can grow all type of nasty stuff and it doesn't matter if you leave them open or closed. Particles of food, grease, and all kinds of junk get washed into the gray tank. There are generally two "vents" that help, one under your sink(s) and of course the main vent pipe that goes from the gray tank up through the roof.

Make sure both vent systems are not blocked and working correctly.

 

[AbdRahim]

Is the water from the faucet smelly in a glass, or is the odor coming out of the drain? It would help to clearly define the source, in order to recommend an effective solution.
Have you sanitized your entire water system lately?

I had smelly water in the kitchen, this summer. It turns out that changing the filters and sanitizing the line with bleach cleared it up.

 

[Buly]

I noticed if the coach is fully closed and the Fantastic Fan is running, it sucks some fumes from the gray tank thru the shower drain. If I open a window, it does not happen.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

If it is the water that stinks.
Hot water, the zinc in the water heater.
Cold water:
Worst solution, bleach.
Baking soda, better solution.
ClO2, great solution.
Ozone, great solution.

Reason? The clorine in bleach reacts with the plastic used in holding tanks. Baking soda will not, and is safe to eat.

ClO2 and Ozone are the FDA recommended treatment options for municipal water supplies.

For the record, both clO2 and Ozone are used for treatment of waste as well.

ClO2 is very inexpensive and is safe enough to drink up to 3drops an hour 8 hours a day. Will kill pathogens in all your tanks. Want to know more? The Universal Antidote – The Science and Story of Chlorine Dioxide

 

[Scooterfan]

Hmmm...interesting. You are a wealth of information and I respect your advise. But I have a couple questions regarding the use of bleach. First, the bleach I buy comes in plastic containers, thus I think it's going to be OK for my plastic tanks for a short period. I use chlorine bleach for flushing, and don't let it stay in my tanks for any length of time. Once flushed, what residual remaining should be diluted enough to be inconsequential. Although I don't know the process these days, but in the past our municipal water company used chlorine bleach to treat our drinking water (very diluted of course). That being said, I'm certain your other suggestions are sound (and probably a better option). I just want to be sure I'm not ruining my blank plastic water / holding tanks by using store bought chlorine bleach. I just replaced my ABS sensor and don't want to crawl under our coach again to change a water tank ?

 

[Kevin D Pem]

This chart does not rate ABS. It does cover PP that is used for water tanks. Rather than try and find a chemical reaction chart like that used in engineering, I did a quick search and found this. http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/files/charts/LG CC.pdf
Do your research.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

This chart does not rate ABS. It does cover PP that is used for water tanks. Rather than try and find a chemical reaction chart like that used in engineering, I did a quick search and found this. http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/files/charts/LG CC.pdf
Do your research.

For the record. My concern is not how long the tank will last as much as will there be an increase of chemical leach.

 

[Scooterfan]

Well...based upon the chart you linked, using chlorine bleach on ABS isn't a good idea. Thank you. Darn it...it was so easy before ?

 

[CaptainGizmo]

I’ve switched to this product and LOVE IT!!!
It’s much more than an odorizer; it actually has a probiotic that eats up the solids.

It works great and doesn’t send you into respiratory distress when you inhale the dust like that Happy Camper crap. ?

You can get it in liquid, packets, or powder form:

Unique RV Digest-It Holding Tank Treatment - Drop in Pods Toilet Treatment (20 Treatments) - 41G-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BRJ9YFF/?tag=rvf01-20